Civility is the New Censorship - Rush Limbaugh

January 13, 2011

RUSH: This is Kathy in Potomac, Maryland. It's great to have you here. CALLER:  Oh, thanks, Rush.  Happy New Year, and happy belated birthday to you. RUSH:  Thank you very much. CALLER:  Before I get to the reason for my call I would like to make a very brief linguistic observation and that is that "civility" is the new word for "censorship." RUSH:  I think you're right.  It's a great point. CALLER:  Yeah.  We don't want to criticize the state.  So, Rush, the reason I called is I can only take two minutes of that whole Wellstone Memorial yesterday, and that's exactly what it was.  In essence, I think people were asked to worship at the altar of the state -- and if I may be so bold as to say the Church of Barack the Redeemer.  That's why there were no religious figures reading from the Bible.  The statists read from the Bible.  It was very discouraging. RUSH:  Well, particularly, I'm sure, against what you were expecting. CALLER:  Yes.  Yes.  In fact, I saw it on the television. I decided eventually to listen to it on the radio, because what I saw on the television with people milling around that arena, I found very distasteful, and I thought, "I don't want to be distracted by watching all the people there, so I'll listen to it on the radio," and when the whooping and hollering started, I said, "This is almost sacrilegious" and I had to turn it off. RUSH:  Well, let me ask you a question. CALLER: Yes. RUSH: Since you were listening on the radio, I have to ask you what your impression was of something I was watching.  I was watching before everything got started. They had the cameras in there, but they did not have the cameras on the orchestra.  There was an orchestra, there was a band in there that was playing. I didn't know that, and shortly before the festivities -- uh, the ceremony -- began, I kept hearing what I thought was gunshots or a drum or something.  And I'm trying to figure out, "What in the world is going on in that room?"  I'm looking around and nobody's reacting to it.  I figured, "There's gotta be a band." Are you aware of what I'm talking about, and if you are, I'm curious what you thought when you heard this. CALLER:  No, I don't think I recall hearing a drumbeat. RUSH:  Not a drumbeat, not a drumbeat.  Every now and then, you know, somebody smashing a bass drum or something object a gunshot going off.  Obviously it wasn't that, but I'm trying to figure out, "What is this noise in there?" The band was doing a warm-up or something. CALLER:  Or maybe it was the medicine man. RUSH:  Well, I did. I thought, "Maybe there's some Native American ceremony going on in here before the actual memorial begins," because I couldn't see the band, and I was -- CALLER:  Right. RUSH:  -- wondering if something like that was going on. CALLER:  Yes.  Well, that could well be.  But it was unseemly for a memorial service. RUSH:  Yeah. CALLER:  At least as I think of a memorial service. RUSH:  Well, do you remember the Wellstone Memorial? CALLER:  Oh-ho-ho, yes. RUSH:  Yeah. CALLER:  I remember -- RUSH:  Well -- CALLER:  -- President Clinton walking out and wiping the tear from his eye when he camera was on him, and the university president reminded me of the same thing: Yukking it up beforehand. RUSH:  Yeah.  Yeah.  We have some sound bites from the Wellstone Memorial.  I'm debating whether or not we should go back and play them, and draw... There's a slight analogy.  But I think her point about words is really great: "Civility" is the new "censorship."  "Civility" is the new word for "shut the heck up."

RUSH: We keep hearing about "uncivil," and I love our previous caller's comment that this civility equals censorship.  That's exactly what Obama and the left mean when they start talking about civility. "We need to bring civility back to our discourse," that means shut us up!  Censorship.  Now, if politicians are uncivil to us -- if they are dismissive of the last election, for example. They lost.  They got shellacked.  But if they are dismissive of that election, if they are dismissive of the Constitution (as they were the other week, when it was read on the floor of the House) how are we to react to them? Say we disagree but do it quietly, without passion, in hushed tones, with words "please" and "thank you." How are we supposed to react when they are uncivil to us?  I've actually been thinking about doing a program the way they would like to hear this program done. (laughing)  I think it would be fun to try, you know, to do an hour of civility as they mean it. (interruption)  Don't get scared, Snerdley.  There's no reason to fear this. (interruption)  No, there's not.  No, there's not.  It's like every other illustration we do on this program, make the point of our silly and stifling it would be. (interruption) Well, no, I could be boring.  I could very easily be boring.  I'd just have to be myself.  (laughing) No, seriously, I've been thinking about it.  They want it? Okay, here's what it would sound like.  So we got a sound bite of them saying Sarah Palin is asserting herself improperly, she's dumb and stupid. What would be the civil way of reacting to that?  What would be the civil way of reacting to their allegation that this program's responsible for what happened in Arizona?  What would be the civil way of reacting to it?  Because understand, it is not uncivil to make the accusation, as they define all this.  There's no limit on them.  They are not guilty of anything.  What's uncivil is when those of us minding our own business, bothering no one, are accused of some atrocity, and we respond to it.  That's the incivility. So what would be a civil response to that allegation?  I've been toying with it.  I don't know.  Someday I may just spring it on you without even telling you that's what I'm doing.  It would be instantly spottable. You'd know it instantly what I'm doing.  But I just want you to know that I've been toying it.  When they pass laws to harm our businesses or control our lives, what should we do? What's the civil response?  What is the civil reply to legislation that limits freedom?  What's the civil response to legislation that further erodes the opportunity for economic prosperity?  Well, some say that I wouldn't have to do a program the way the libs want me to. Just listen to NPR and you have the idea -- and to a certain extent, yes. And I could do NPR.  I've done it, way back, long ago.  I did a half hour or so that way on this program.  I actually tried to become a liberal for a half hour, and some people bought it.  The point was to prove something. I forget exactly what it was, but I was getting inundated with calls about how Republicans always fail. "They tell us one thing and they're gonna lie and they're gonna go out there and lie to us in the campaign and they're gonna be cave when they get into governing," and I was being inundated, as though I was responsible for it.  "When are you gonna tell the Republicans? When are you gonna tell the Republicans? Why are the Republicans...? I'm not them!  "What do you...?" I was judged to be the one to have the ability to make 'em stop, so I was gonna actually be one of those guys that caved.  I still think it would be fun so I'll spring it on you when you are least expecting it.  Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. (playing of funeral crashers spoof) RUSH:  I forgot all about the Coretta Scott King service.  It took three hours for somebody to remember that there was a body in that casket, and that was Bill Clinton.  So you see that's a parody of ours from years and years and years ago.  There's a pattern of behavior here, of course very civil behavior.  Let me ask you a question here.  Was Saul Alinsky civil?  Did he preach civility?  Was Reverend Wright's church civil?  Bill Ayers, architect of the Pentagon bombing, Obama's buddy, was he civil?  Let's have some examples of leftist civility.  The next time they talk about it, which will be sometime today, tonight, let's ask, "Let's have some examples of leftist civility.  Where is leftist civility in any of your discussions of Sarah Palin?"  Was John Kerry civil during his happy days protesting against the Vietnam War?  Have you noticed we haven't heard much from Harry Reid?  My guess is they locked him away somewhere, keep him away from this event 'cause very little that's civil comes out of his mouth.  Fortney "Pete" Stark, Barney Frank, well known for their civility, insulting their own constituents.  Was Barbara Boxer civil when she berated that general for not calling her "Senator"?  When the late Ted Kennedy went on the Senate floor and smeared Robert Bork when he was nominated to the Supreme Court by Reagan, was Kennedy civil in his vicious accusations against Bork?  Was Joe Bite Me civil when he orchestrated a hateful smear campaign against Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings?  And if you'll permit me to be blunt, you can say much about this current presidency, but civility is one of the last words that comes to mind when thinking and talking about this regime.  Has Obama been civil to his predecessor, George W. Bush?  Has Jimmy Carter been civil to the state of Israel?  And who can forget all that civility surrounding the candidacy of Sharron Angle or Christine O'Donnell. RUSH:  Okay.  Civility lessons, civility practice.  Practice, ladies and gentlemen, your civil reaction to this charge:  The Republican Party's policies are based on hate and racism.  Tell me how you would respond in a civil way.  The reason you oppose immigration is because mostly Hispanic people are coming across the border and taking your job.  Give me the civil response to this charge.  I got some other examples, too.

RUSH:  President Obama urges civility in public discourse.  F. Chuck Todd is now happily reporting this on MessNBC: President Obama urging civility in public discourse.  When I think of the left wing, I think civil, don't you?  Code Pink, the New Black Panthers, union bosses beating up black conservatives in St. Louis, ACORN, illegal alien marches, why, it doesn't get more civil than that.  The trashing of the Tea Party movement for the last nearly two years, that's civil.  When I think of MSNBC, I not only think of journalistic excellence, but civility, don't you?  That whole class warfare thing, I mean that's nothing but civility on display.  When I think of the counterculture movement of the sixties, I think civility.  When I think of Rahm Emanuel, the man Obama chose as his own chief of staff two years ago, I think of civility.  We don't need lectures from uncivil leftists about civility, much less Obama. Bitter clingers and all the other incendiary things he's had to say, both as a candidate and as president. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, isn't one of your complaints that Republicans are too docile?  Isn't one of your complaints that Republicans just sit there and take it, that the left is always on the march, always accusing, always throwing bombs, and the Republicans just sit there and take it?  The fact of the matter is the Republicans are civil, as the left defines it.  They don't say anything.  That's exactly what civil means.  Another couple of examples.  Give your civil reaction to the charge that you oppose Obama because he's black.  Give me your civil reaction to you are a racist because you have criticized President Obama.  Show me how to react in a civil way.  Give me your civil reaction to this: You want to take money from the poor and line your pockets and the pockets of the rich.  You don't care about the unfortunate.  In fact, you and your buddies have created homelessness.  Give me the civil reaction to that.  If it was up to you, we would still have slavery today. Give me the civil reaction to the entire sports media making up quotes about you, quotes suggesting that you support slavery, quotes utterly false and made up, give me the civil reaction to this.  Give me the civil reaction to you don't care how many soldiers die when you send 'em into battle.  It's all about oil profits for your contributors.  Give me the civil reaction to any of this.  And of course this exercise establishes that we don't need lectures from uncivil leftists.  What is the civil reaction to being accused of inciting murder, the Oklahoma City bombing and now the Tucson shootings.  Somebody tell me how to react to that in a civil way, in a way that the left would approve, in a way that the president would approve.  What are we supposed to say, "You're right, I'm sorry. I won't do it again?"  What is the civil response to this?  Lest we forget just a few weeks ago we were told that people were shooting their TVs because Bristol Palin was on Dancing with the Stars, what's the civil reaction to that? Sheriff Dupnik was in attendance at the speech last night.  He was not on the dais.  There was no dais.  He was not in the front row.  He was midway.  He did not get a shout-out from Obama for his wonderful civility.  By the way, is that an example of civility, Sheriff Dupnik, is he civil?  What's the civil response to any allegation being made by Sheriff Dupnik?  Now, Sheriff Dupnik did get a camera shot when Obama was talking about the great work that had been done by people in the area to bring order to the chaos. What is the civil reaction to the president joking that you are a racist?  What is the civil reaction to a TIME Magazine cover that asks are you good for America?  Many of these questions I'm asking you are allegations that have been made about me and to me.  What's the civil reaction?  I would venture to say I've been pretty damn civil during all of this for 23 years, laughing at a lot of it.  Apparently the civil thing for Sarah Palin to do is to get down on her hands and knees and beg forgiveness for her obvious crimes, and maybe that's what some Republican candidates would have done in the past.  But Palin isn't that kind of Republican, whether she's a candidate or not, I don't know.

RUSH: Orem, Utah this is Kent, and welcome to the EIB Network.  Hi. CALLER:  Hi, Rush.  What a pleasure to speak with you. RUSH:  Thank you. CALLER:  I am so thrilled to be with you. RUSH:  Thank you very much, sir. CALLER:  Hey, I just wanted to mention: I think that today's show and yesterday's show are among the best pieces of information that anyone could have who's a true conservative to combat what the insane left-wing talk television people and everyone else who's non-conservative is doing.  Yesterday, in the beginning of your second hour, I believe, you gave a monologue where you were addressing somebody who was talking about incivility, and you responded to this person by saying, "Mr. So-and-So, what about what the left is doing with class warfare?  Mr. So-and-So, what about what the left is doing with race? Mr. So-and-So...?" Do you remember that monologue? RUSH:  Of course I do, yes, thank you very much. CALLER:  I would love, Rush, to have a copy of that.  I don't care how I have it -- electronically, if I could have it printed, I don't care -- but that monologue, to me, was one of the most important monologues and one of the most important statements that I have heard, ever, on that subject.  And I just need a copy of that. (chuckles) Is there any way I could get that? RUSH:  Well, let me ask you this.  Are you a subscriber to Rush 24/7? CALLER:  Well, I would love to be.  I'm a little tight on the budget. You know, someday I'll get there.  I'm not there quite yet, though. RUSH: (sigh) Well, it's really worth the investment.  The transcript of everything is there. CALLER:  Huh-uh. RUSH:  It really is.  I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.  We're gonna make you a complimentary subscriber. (interruption) Don't frown in there, Snerdley. Don't start acting all uncivil on me.  We're gonna make you a complimentary subscriber for a year.  After the call you stay on hold and Snerdley or somebody will pick up the phone -- he'll probably accuse you of some unseemly things but ignore it -- and we'll get all the information necessary to make you a comp subscriber for a year, including the Limbaugh Letter newsletter. CALLER:  That is so awesome. RUSH:  All right? CALLER:  Thank you so much. RUSH:  And then if you have an iPhone or an iPad, get the app, the Rush app and all the transcripts are right there on your iPad, right there on your iPhone, as well as on your computer.  Thanks Kent.  Don't go away.  Snerdley, remember the order of the day is civility.  Be civil.