Unofficial Summary of the Rush Limbaugh Show for Thursday, May 2, 1996 by John Switzer This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1996 by John Switzer (jswitzer@limbaugh.com). All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe (DL9 of the ISSUES forum). The summaries for the past 60 days can be found at ftp://ftp.aimnet.com/pub/users/jswitzer. Distribution to other electronic forums and bulletin boards is highly encouraged. Spelling and other corrections gratefully received. Please read the standard disclaimer which was included with the first summary for this month. In particular, please note that this summary is not approved or sanctioned by Rush Limbaugh or the EIB network, nor do I have any connection with them other than as a daily listener. *************************************************************** May 2, 1996 BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOPICS: in this era of bad news, there's good news - wages and benefits went up 3% last year and wages went up 1% last quarter; federal government calls off its probe into Hooter's; disabled activists demand that a statue of FDR show him in a wheelchair; Richard Stevenson writes that Clinton has "uncharacteristically" tried to interfere with the free market and could be sacrificing his principles for the sake of "electoral calculus"; Richard Cohen begins to suspect that Clinton does not mean what he says and is just playing politics with the gas and beef markets; some are worried that high school and college students are joining the NBA before finishing school; caller says even if Bruce were against everything Clinton did, this wouldn't be unfair since Clinton cares only about getting re-elected; those who criticize Rush for "Clinton bashing" are really a sign of how effective Rush is being; Rush doesn't need balance or equal time because he is equal time; caller thinks Clinton's three core principles are "if it feels good do it," "win at all costs," and "nothing is sacred"; handicapped caller thinks the protest over FDR's statue is ridiculous; commercial for the White House Basement Shopping Network for Clinton's core beliefs; caller thinks one of Clinton's core beliefs is that abortion should be available at any time during pregnancy; caller thinks players who leave school early for the NBA are shortchanging themselves; caller thinks one of Clinton's core principles is government can always do it better; abortion cannot be considered a core Clinton principle because Clinton was once pro-life but switched to pro-choice when he campaigned for national office; Leslie Abramson, like all liberals, believes more in words than deeds; caller thinks basketball players should have the chance to join the NBA as soon as possible, and he thinks the sportswriters are just worried that college games won't be as interesting without those good players; caller notes that the NBA and NFL are using colleges as their farm system, unlike baseball; Kathie Lee Gifford is accused of using child labor to produce her line of clothes; caller says Clinton's principles include "whoever has the gold makes the rules" and "so what?"; caller suggests Lou Christie's "Two Faces Have I" as Bill Clinton's theme music; caller thinks a Clinton principle is that everything is relative; caller thinks Clinton's principles include believing socialism is good and that you should tell the truth only to the point where it makes the lie believable; caller thinks the sports agents are pressuring college students to join the NBA so that the agents can get their cut; Dan Lasater testifies in the Whitewater Senate hearings; Rush thinks Republicans can use the issue of rescinding Clinton's gas tax increase as a stepping stone to pushing for future tax cuts; caller notes that Kathie Lee Gifford's accuser, Charles Kernaghan, is a big-time liberal; caller points out that increasing the minimum wage will only put pressure on business to find cheaper labor elsewhere, such as overseas; Rush explains what he went through to find a quality and affordable manufacturer for his tie and scarf line; Rush thinks many people view Clinton as the "well-behaved kid next door," not seeing his flaws as others do; caller reports that Kathie Lee Gifford and Tom Selleck both made the point recently that they had switched from being Republicans to registered independents; caller thinks Rush is underestimating Bill Clinton; caller asks why William Bennett is trying to destroy the Republican party; nine-year-old boy holds up a man after asking him to guard him from vicious dogs; caller thinks one of Clinton's principles is "it's not what you do but what you say that matters"; Rush predicts Clinton will claim he tried to do too much in his first term; caller thinks one of Clinton's principles is that focus group results and opinion polls matter more than one's own core beliefs; caller doesn't think Clinton will keep his 43% core group of voters, but Rush disagrees, given how successful the Democrats have been in dumbing down the country politically; the vast majority of New Yorkers conclude that Republicans are to blame for the rising oil prices; NY state senate passes bill to make it a felony for state inmates to throw excrement and other bodily fluids at prison guards; Rep Charles Rangel (D-NY) says he misses Nancy Reagan, given Clinton's drug policies; Phil Donahue tapes his final show today. LIMBAUGH WATCH May 2, 1996 - It's now 1261 days after Bill Clinton's election, but Rush is still on the air with 660 radio affiliates (with more than 20 million listeners weekly world-wide), 210 TV affiliates (with a national rating of 3.7), and a newsletter with more than 500,000 subscribers. His first book was on the NY Times hardback non-fiction best- seller list for 54 consecutive weeks, with 2.6 million copies sold, but fell off the list after Simon and Schuster stopped printing it. The paperback version of "The Way Things Ought To Be" was on the NY Times paperback non-fiction best-seller list for 28 weeks. Rush's second book, "See, I Told You So," was on the NY Times hardback best-seller list for 16 weeks and has sold over 2.45 million copies; the paperback version was on the best- seller list for 11 weeks. WHITEWATER WATCH o Pending and Possible Indictments: White House lawyer and Presidential adviser Bruce Lindsey (according to the May 5, 1995 USA Today, received target letter from Whitewater prosecutors). o Indictments: Herby Branscum, Jr. and Robert Hill (conspiracy, misapplication of bank funds, and failing to file correct statements with federal regulators and examiners); James McDougal for fraud and conspiracy concerning Madison Guaranty S&L and Capital Management Services; Governor Jim Guy Tucker (D-AR) for fraud, conspiracy, taking out $300,000 in SBA loans under false pretenses, and defrauding the IRS; Susan McDougal (for allegedly embezzling $150,000 from conductor Zubin Mehta and his wife). o Convictions: David Hale (felony fraud-March, 1994); Robert Palmer (convicted of falsifying appraisal documents related to Madison Guaranty S&L-December, 1994); Webster Hubbell (convicted of mail fraud, tax evasion, and overbilling clients of at least $394,000-December, 1994); Charles Matthews and Eugene Fitzhugh (bribery-January 1995, defrauding the SBA-April 1995); real estate broker Christopher V. Wade (pleaded guilty to lying to a bankruptcy court and filing false loan applications to buy Whitewater property-March, 1995); Little Rock banker Neil Ainley (pleaded guilty to reduced charges of willfully delivering false documents to the government-May 1995); Arkansas college professor Stephen Smith (pleaded guilty to misusing federal funds to help pay off a loan he took out along with James McDougal and Governor Jim Guy Tucker); Larry Kuca (pleaded guilty to defrauding the SBA of a $150,000 loan together with David Hale-July 1995). LEST WE FORGET The following are from the Rush Limbaugh show on Thursday, May 5, 1994: o Ingrid Newkirk, chairwoman of the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals denounced mass murdered John Wayne Gacy, who was scheduled to be executed. Newkirk was not upset that Gacy killed at least 33 men and boys, but rather that he ordered fried chicken for his last meal. Newkirk had the following to say about this: "We understand things when they occur to us - we don't want to be killed, but then we require somebody else to lose their life for nothing more fleeting than a taste. . . . It's a cut and dried issue in the case of animals killed for the table - it's just a habit, and we don't need them and we don't have to take their lives. We don't have to cut their lives short, and so that's something that everybody should be able to agree on. The only reason people don't is because they have a taste for meat." o On Monday, Clinton announced his support for the House bill to ban assault weapons. Clinton dismissed critics of the bill who claim that these semiautomatic rifles have a valid use for target practice and hunting, saying "they need to read a book, or take up bowling." o Despite the 1990 Budget Deal, which promised the country would have a balanced budget by the year 1994, the latest CBO figures were for a deficit of more than $200 billion. o Two major Democrats, Bob Kerrey and David Boren, abandoned the Clinton health care plan, preferring to support John Chafee's bill. o Michael Fay was caned, getting four lashes with a rattan cane in Singapore. Rush bet Fay would become one wealthy guy once he completed his four-month prison sentence. o Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) tried to sneak through a bill that would re-index income taxes, which would have meant that inflation would once again start pushing people into higher tax brackets. Indexing not only punished people for inflation, but it allowed Congress to have a defacto tax increase without having to vote on it. Indexing was eliminated in 1981 when Ronald Reagan got his tax cuts passed and this was one of the greatest legacies of the Reagan administration. o At Clinton's global forum on CNN, CNN's Bosnian reporter Christiane Amanpour asked the President whether he thought his flip-flopping on Bosnia had encouraged the bad guys of the world not to take him and the U.S. seriously. Clinton's jaw clenched at this question, as charm turned into raw anger, and he angrily attacked Amanpour for asking the question, saying that her question probably would do more damage to his administration than his own actions. He also insisted he had not waffled or changed his mind on Bosnia at all. Later on in the show, though, Clinton must have realized how this had looked, so he turned back on the charm, praising Amanpour's high cheekbones and rosy complexion. Journalists, of course, applauded this loud and long. CNN's bosses, though, evidently think Amanpour went too far because she had since gone on a "previously scheduled vacation." Reportedly, Amanpour's direct superiors at CNN were also dismayed by Amanpour's question. Ted Turner, head of CNN, stated he thought the whole question was "off-base, though Clinton came off well." o Bill Clinton's lawyer Bob Bennett tried to discredit Paula Jones by claiming that she and her charges could not have any credibility because she originally made her accusations at a partisan event, a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Group. Patricia Ireland, leader of NOW, also complained as follows while trying to explain why the feminists were not championing Jones as they had Anita Hill: "We are somewhat concerned that the people who are bringing the Paula Jones case forward (CPAC and conservatives) are involved with the religious right, and typically don't have the best interests of women at heart." Furthermore, Debra Ellis, the legal director of the NOW Legal Defense Fund, said she doubted that NOW would help Jones because "we only take cases that involve a novel issue of the law. We don't take them because they have a high profile." Another NOW spokesperson added "we were not born yesterday. We know that Cliff Jackson and Floyd Brown are behind this, and they do not have the best interests of this woman in mind. Their agenda is not to fight sexual harassment, but to bring down Clinton. We are not going to be part of that." o The June issue of Vanity Fair included an interview of Hillary titled "Pinning Down Hillary" that examined whether Hillary was a crusader or a hypocrite. It had one paragraph that proved what Rush had been saying for years - that the Clintons and their allies are a bunch of elite, 60s snobs who bought into the notion that America was a bankrupt nation and that they were the country's moral saviors and conscience: "Whatever facts eventually emerge about the Whitewater affair, its handling has revealed a key aspect of Hillary Clinton and some of her associates. `They have this view that this is the smart people's administration, and they're so smart, they're not practical,' says one Washington politico who knows the Clinton inner circle. `They think anyone who holds a different view is stupid, so they don't take them seriously, and I think that's what's gotten them in so much trouble - it sets a tone of arrogance, elitism, and disdain for people of opposing views." o Republicans had sponsored the "A to Z" spending cuts bill that would give any member of Congress the power to list any spending cut they want to make, and debate and a vote would take place on that one particular cut. The bill, though, was having difficulty coming to a vote because not enough members had signed the secret discharge petition that would release the bill for House debate and vote. The Washington Post didn't like this bill because "there would be no committee reports, . . . nor will there be time or procedural room for the other standard vetting of such proposals by the executive branch, the interest groups, or the Congressional Budget Office." The Post also complained "that the role of the House leadership would be reduced to playing mostly defense against the bill's worst features." o The Boston school department suspended a 7-year-old girl, Amber Nichols, for carrying a 3-inch long pink water pistol in her schoolbag. The officials also ordered Amber to undergo psychological evaluation for bringing a "mock weapon" to class. Nichols' mother said that this was a case of overreacting, but school officials defended their decision, saying it upheld the school's ban against bringing guns to school. ******** MORNING UPDATE Rush is sick and tired of hearing nothing but bad news, such as how all the good jobs are being lost to Mexico and China, and how Generation X'ers are being told that they'll never live lives as good as their parents' lives. Everyone seems to have settled into a gloom and doom attitude, with the American workforce hearing nothing different for the past year. However, there is some good news - Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich has just announced that American workers' salaries and benefits rose a whopping 3% this year, with wages going up a full 1% in the first quarter of this year, the highest rise in the past four years. Everyone is thus happy and rejoicing about this great news - wages have gone up 3%. Now the only problem people have is to ask themselves what they are going to do with this dramatic increase in pay. Rush does have a suggestion, though, for how people can spend this added money: they might be able to fill up their gas tanks. FIRST HOUR Items o The federal government has called off its probe into the Hooter's Restaurant chain, so nobody has to fear that they'll soon be served by "Hooter's Guys." It's rare when a business can wear down the federal government, but this has happened here and it's great news. o Disabled activists have been demanding that a statue of FDR show him in a wheelchair, and Rush wonders if this means any statue of Clinton will show him in bed. o Yesterday Rush showed evidence of the teamwork that is in place between the press and administration, such as how a story tried to link drugs washing up on shore with Clinton's anti-drug speech the day before. There were other stories like this, where the press praises Clinton for all sorts of incredible achievements, such as his sale of oil and his purchase of $50 million of beef. Rush found two different stories in today's papers that continue this trend. One story is in today's NY Times; it is by Richard Stevenson and is titled "Critics See Politics in Clinton's Economic Policy." Stevenson writes the following about this: "For a president who professes faith in the free market, Bill Clinton, has, in the view of some economists and business executives, been caught this week in some remarkable if politically unsurprising contradictions. "There he was on Monday, saying he knew how upset Americans were about the rapid rise in gasoline prices. So, to try to nudge them down, he announced that he would begin selling some of the government's oil reserves, a decision his spokesman described as a `precise, prudent and modest step designed to move the market in the right direction.' "A day later, Clinton met with legislators from agricultural states and heard them bemoan the low prices ranchers were getting for cattle. This time the response was aimed at `doing our best to keep the market from falling further,' as Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said, helping farmers but potentially forcing consumers to pay more for meat." Stevenson admits being confused by all this: "But whatever political gain Clinton might reap in California, with its dependence on cars, and in the farm belt, his uncharacteristic market intervention binge this week raised questions - in Washington, in the business community and in the financial markets - about the extent to which he would sacrifice economic principles to electoral calculus." But since when his it been uncharacteristic for Clinton to go off on a "market intervention binge?" What does Stevenson consider the Clinton health care plan, which would have taken over one- seventh of the U.S. economy? Clinton, Reich, and all liberals want government to control the market since they think government can do this better. This story proves Rush's point - the press just doesn't get it about Bill Clinton. It's amazing that they think that somehow Clinton believes in the free market, but even more amazing is the idea that it's remarkable Clinton would sacrifice principles to the "electoral calculus." Just what are these principles? The NY Times, after all, has come out with story after story about how Clinton has finally "found his voice" and "discovered his core." Stevenson is amazed at the possibility that Clinton would sacrifice his principles for political gain, but this is the story of Bill Clinton's entire political career. This sums up Bill Clinton perfectly - whatever you want, he wants, and if you change your mind, he'll change his to match. This piece demonstrates that either the press doesn't get it at all or is just ignoring reality. A second column is by Richard Cohen in today's Washington Post, who writes: "The average voter, that is to say me, is confused. If I drive a little less but eat more meat, will that balance out? If I drive a lot less and eat more steak, will that be better for the country? If I drive down to see Alan Greenspan, will I get even richer? "After all, I sense a pattern - first the oil reserves, then the conservation reserves, and maybe next the Federal Reserves. Will Uncle Sam be giving away money?" Cohen goes on to point out that Clinton is giving away money by selling the 12 million barrels of oil at a loss. The country stands to lose some $80 million because Clinton isn't selling it at market prices. Rush is thus heartened by this story where Cohen is getting confused at Clinton's actions and statements. He's sensing that perhaps Clinton doesn't mean any of this but is just engaging in political posturing. Cohen then concludes as follows: "The conservation community, even the Department of Agriculture officials, was taken by surprise at how fast this decision to buy beef was made. Clinton would barbecue Smokey the Bear to win re- election." Rush is amazed to read this from a liberal, so maybe, just maybe, more than conservatives are noticing these blatant inconsistencies that are clearly political moves on Clinton's part. At least a few members of the press are getting either perplexed or suspicious at how Clinton seems to be sacrificing his principles. Rush, though, would love for callers to name just three of Clinton's principles. In fact, he'll ask for just two such principles that Bill Clinton is unwavering attached to. o A story in USA Today discusses how college sophomores and juniors who play basketball are leaving college to play in the NBA, and whether it's wise for them to forsake their education for the sake of the big bucks. But what if the bucks are enough to set up these players for life, if they manage their money right? Are these players shortchanging themselves or sending the wrong signal? Has America become a nation solely pursuing material riches over the value of an education? Some are saying that these players should wait only two or three years to finish their education, given that the NBA will still be there. Others, though, say that these players should take the opportunities they are given because if they wait, injuries or other things might prevent them from playing and they'll lose this opportunity. Rush would love to hear what today's callers think about this and what they would do if they had to chance to earn the big bucks like this. *BREAK* Phone Bruce from Sioux Falls, SD Bruce heard yesterday's caller who claimed Rush was unfair because he against everything Clinton was for, yet Bruce thinks this is a fair observation since Clinton is for only one thing: his re-election. With the press on Clinton's side, the people only have Rush and others on talk radio speaking for them. Rush says whenever he gets accused of "attacking" Clinton, it's simply a sign of how effective he is being in exposing the truth about Clinton. When people get tired of something Rush is saying, typically they are really tired of hearing Rush be right, so they call to complain that Rush is not being patriotic and should be talking about other issues. Rush's show, though, has always talked about a plethora of things, whatever could be considered "the events of the day." But as Bruce pointed out, Clinton has a public relations machine called the "mainstream media" that tries to keep Clinton on the front pages every day, putting him in a good light. The press doesn't always succeed, but this is their goal. Rush is not going to ignore troubling things about the President just for the sake of "respecting the office." Rush is also not being "negative about the President" when he points out that Clinton is leading the charge to lie and mischaracterize his opponents. Nobody is calling Rush's show to complain that Clinton should stop bashing the Republicans. However, when Rush responds and analyzes the President's words, these critics do think Rush should stop "bashing" Clinton. These people call up and insist all they want is "balance," implying that all Rush does is attack Clinton and that another "voice" is needed on the show. But the truth is that when there is something good to say about Clinton, Rush says it. In any case, he doesn't need any "equal time" because he is equal time. He's just one little radio show, and arrayed against him is the rest of the mainstream media. As to damaging the office of the Presidency, you can do more damage by helping and aiding a man who is in that office and is dishonoring it by his own actions. If someone is dishonoring the office, you only hasten that process by aiding and abetting him in it, so if people are really concerned about the "office of the Presidency," they should be calling the network anchors and mainstream journalists to complain about their actions in this. Phone Brandon from Kent City, MI Brandon has been studying Bill Clinton and thinks he can name Clinton's three principles: if it feels good do it, win at all costs, and nothing is sacred. Rush says he thinks these are Clinton's objectives, not principles - those who are governed by principle have some integrity and honor. Such people aren't willing to compromise or sell out their principles and beliefs. The only way they will switch from those beliefs is if they can become honestly convinced that the opposition argument is correct. What Brandon has listed are just strategies and objectives for Clinton's political career. As to "if it feels good do it," that's hedonism at its most basic form, while "win at all costs" is a basic objective for him. And "nothing is sacred" is just an excuse and rationalization for Clinton's actions. Brandon thinks nonetheless that these ideas are all that Clinton adhere to, and Rush notes this proves his point about how hard it is to identify Clinton's true principles. Phone Harvey from Santa Ynez, CA Harvey is handicapped, having worn leg braces all his life, and he thinks the handicapped associations should be addressed real problems, not stupid things such as how FDR is portrayed in a statue. He finds these groups' actions to be embarrassing and pointless at best. Rush asks what Harvey thinks these groups hope to gain with their symbolic protests, and Harvey isn't sure; he thinks there is a lot of value in pointing out that being disabled people can still accomplish a lot, but this is not what should be put on a monument. Rush agrees completely, adding that if monuments are going to be made this way, the one for Clinton should show him in bed. *BREAK* Speaking of Clinton's core beliefs, the old versions can be found at the White House Basement Shopping Network: <> Shopping at home has never been easier! Get ready America, here comes another edition of The White House Basement Shopping Network! <> The White House Basement Shopping Network! <> Hey folks! How are things going? Hey, all right! Well, we're here in the White House Basement where we've been searching for my core beliefs, and guess what we found? Original leather-bound editions of my old core beliefs! Right here's a 1960s core beliefs edition with an unforgettable, beautiful red cover and a rare photo of me and Ho Chi Minh! Also, I found some of the 1992 core beliefs editions as well. I thought these were lost forever! These priceless treasures are not available in stores and we don't have very many left. So right now, for a limited time, you can get them both free! That's right, both are absolutely free when you subscribe to the Weekly White House Core Beliefs newsletter! And if you want to know what my core beliefs are on a minute-by-minute basis, you'll be able to check in on our computer bulletin board. That's right - check in with us, the White House Basement Shopping Network, where the deals never end! <> The White House Basement Shopping Network! ******** Phone Carol from Vineland, NJ Carol says she thinks Clinton has at least one core belief or principle: abortion on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Rush agrees this could be called one of Clinton's principles since he's not wavered on it, and he wonders if the show can get two more principles in the next two and a half hours. Carol doesn't think she can do it, but bets other callers can. Rush decides on the spur of the moment that he's going to award prizes to callers who come up with principles, so Carol will receive an entire set of Rush Limbaugh No Boundaries scarves for women. Carol is thrilled, saying this makes her six-year wait to get on the show well worth it. Rush is glad to hear it, but notes that it might take a week or so to get these to her - the demand is so great for these scarves that he hasn't even got his copies yet. He has the preproduction strike-offs but not the actual scarves customers get. Carol says she's willing to be very patient to get these wonder scarves, and Rush thanks her for calling. Phone Jamie from Corpus Christi, TX Jamie says he wants to talk about the basketball players who join the NBA early because he thinks are shortchanging themselves. He has a B.A. in biology and that's one thing that can never be taken away from him; nobody can ever come by and tell him he didn't really earn that diploma. He's not impressed with the argument about how if players wait, they might get injured because they could always be injured in the NBA, too. They could get injured in their first game and then would have nothing to fall back on. Rush says this would be slightly different since when a player signs on, they are guaranteed a certain salary for the entire year, even if injured. The demand for these high quality players is such that even high school players are being sought out, and they are being given multi-year deals that will pay them some of that money. If they get hurt in college, though, they've probably lost their shot for the NBA. Rush is interested in this because it not only relates to education, which is a major concern for all Americans, particularly parents, but because there are others who are scared to death that their lives are going to be worse than previous generations. These young people are worried that they won't have any Social Security in 50 years and won't be able to afford a decent retirement plan on a salary that they fear will be stagnant for their working career, assuming they can find a job. Thus, if someone comes by to offer a huge pile of money that you couldn't possibly earn otherwise and that would set you up for life, it is a very attractive offer. This is not an easy debate to resolve, especially given the stakes involved. The pursuit of money, though, is an intensely destructive one. Rush was most miserable in his life during the one time he concentrated solely on the money he was making. He conversely has earned more than he had expected in some jobs because he found that doing what he enjoyed and satisfied him had rewards of its own. Jamie agrees with that, noting that his wife is leaving a job that pays twice as much as he makes because she's not happy with it. She'll thus go back to school and get a Master's in something she enjoys doing. Jamie is glad to support her in this because this is what will make her happy, not to mention that eventually she'll be doing a job that pays well, too. Rush says many lottery winners can tell the sad stories about how getting all the money they wanted didn't make them happy; you have to look long and far to find lottery winners who end up being happier than before. The same thing goes for these kids who join the NBA - this will change everything in their lives, and they won't have their education to fall back on unless they go back to school during the off season. Jamie says Emmett Smitt did exactly this, going back to school to get his degree to fulfill the promise he made to his mother. If others did this, Jamie would be more willing to support having young players enter professional sports, but as it stands now, many of them end up having all sorts of problems with drugs and blowing everything. Rush says this is why you need a good manager for your money, but then that's a risk because the manager can steal or embezzle it. Rush can tell all sorts of stories about athletes who thought they had a lot of money, only to find out their accountant or financial manager spent it or invested it badly. The same goes for agents, and one big danger for young athletes is that they end up with agents and managers who do everything for them, and they've lost the ability to do for themselves. *BREAK* Phone Steve from Dryden, NY Steve thinks one of Clinton's principles is that government can do better anything an individual might do. Rush says he cannot disagree with this - as a liberal, Clinton does believe that government is the answer and can do everything better. Steve, though, does have to disagree with the notion that one of Clinton's principles is his support of abortion. After all, Clinton used to be pro-life when he was a governor. Rush says this was the case - back when Clinton was governor, he was pro- life and wrote a very publicized letter affirming that principle. The same was true of Algore, but when both men started their campaigns for national office, they renounced their pro-life stance and become pro-choice. Steve says principles should be something someone believes for life, and Rush admits this is a good point - by definition, a principle cannot be renounced for political convenience. Abortion is a principle only for Clinton's Presidential life and therefore obviously a principle of expediency, not one of life, so that means Carol didn't come up with a "real principle." He won't take the scarves away from her, though, mainly because Marta has already told him the ties on their way. However, Rush has to admit that since Clinton did switch his mind on abortion when he went national, this can't be considered a major principle of his life. Rush thanks Steve for calling and promises to send him six ties as his prize. Steve is grateful and also recalls that Rush seemed surprised yesterday at what Leslie Abramson said about her client Erik Menendez while condemning Bob Grant. However, Rush shouldn't have been surprised since as a liberal, Abramson values words over deeds. To liberals, it's not what you do but what you say. Rush says he was not really surprised by her words but he was angered by them, so he had to comment on them. Steve's comment about Abramson's preference for words not deeds are accurate, though. Rush thanks Steve for calling and pledges that six ties, randomly chosen from the spring collection, will be on their way soon. The EIB staff ask if they can come up with some Clinton principles, too, so that they can get some free ties. Rush says EIB employees are not eligible for this special offer but since his staff excels so well at whining, he might try to find them some free ties somewhere. Phone Michael from Roxboro, NC Michael thinks the college players should be going for the money when they have the chance; after all, baseball players are not condemned for going into the Major Leagues, but the sportswriters are condemning the basketball players. He suspects this is because the sportswriters fear that if all the good college players start going to the NBA, the college games will be boring and not as interesting. Michael also thinks the NBA and NFL are using the colleges as a farm system, while baseball has their own system. The sportswriters aren't criticizing baseball as they are basketball and football. Rush says the sportswriters do criticize baseball but for other reasons, but it is a good point about how the NFL and NBA use the colleges as their farm teams. It's also an interesting point about how sportswriters might be worried that college basketball games will become boring if all the good players leave too early. This is sort of like saying that news reporters hate it when criminals get caught because that means there won't be any outrageous crimes to cover. These reporters like excitement like anyone else and don't want to be bored. Rush thanks Michael for calling. *BREAK* Rush explains to those who just tuned in that today's callers are trying to explain one or more of Bill Clinton's principles. Critics will think this is just a snide attack on the President, but it's not. Rather, Rush is following up his comments yesterday about how the press fell all over itself praising Clinton for trying to lower the oil prices, prop up the beef prices so as to maintain the supply, and is doing great work in the War on Drugs. Today's papers, though, have a couple of stories about "Clinton's uncharacteristic market binge" and whether Clinton is sacrificing his principles for the "electoral calculus." Thus, Rush is wondering just what principles Clinton is compromising - all Clinton has done is compromise his principles for the sake of the "election calculus." But even so, just what are these principles that Clinton is compromising - are there any principles that he truly believes? To find this out, therefore, Rush is taking calls from people who think they know the answer. *BREAK* SECOND HOUR Items o Rush repeats that he's asking callers for what they think are Bill Clinton's "core principles," and so far there is only one: government does it better. One woman suggested abortion, but Clinton, like Algore, used to be pro-life before running for national office. Rush is doing this because of the column in the NY Times that asks if Clinton would sacrifice his principles to the "electoral calculus," so Rush is asking what principles this guy is talking about. The press should know this since they are always writing stories about how Clinton has "finally found his voice." o Kathie Lee Gifford is in the news because she broke down in tears yesterday refuting charges that her clothing line marketed through WalMart was made in a Honduran sweatshop that used child labor and that paid only 31 cents an hour. Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Community in NY, made these accusations Monday while testifying before a congressional committee, and Gifford on her TV show reacted strongly, asking him "how dare you, mister!" She promised her lawyer would be following up on this personal attack and that she resents having her integrity impugned by someone who thinks she should be "personally responsible for all the children in this world." Kernaghan, though, thinks Gifford should be shedding her tears for the "victims," who are the kids working for 31 cents an hour. Gifford, though, says she didn't know about this and when she learned about it she immediately called WalMart to find out more. WalMart told her that they found out about it months earlier and took quick action at that point to move the work to Nicaragua. Kernaghan was not impressed, saying that the conditions in Nicaragua were even worse than those in the Honduras. Rush's point about this, though, is that he understands exactly how Gifford feels. He would like to send her a card asking her if she now knows what it feels to be a conservative Republican in America. Last fall and winter Republicans tried to right the problems of America but they were accused of wanting to starve children, neglect the elderly, and pollute the water and air. What happened to Gifford is what happens every day to conservative Republicans. Certainly Gifford is not responsible for child labor abuses in other countries, and it's a given that once she knew about such things, she would take immediate steps to fix things. Everyone knows that she is concerned about meeting high personal standards held by both herself and her audience. A lot of people will certainly give Gifford the benefit of the doubt, especially since it's a NY liberal who's trying to exploit this case for some cheap publicity for his flailing union and aimless cause. He thus chose a high-profile television personality as the target for his attacks, knowing this will get him the publicity he wants. He trumped up the charges so as to get maximum publicity, and Gifford responded in a totally understandable way. She broke down and cried, she got mad, and she vowed revenge. Rush thus wonders how many guests came on Regis and Kathie Lee to accuse Republicans of wanting to starve children and of wanting to kick the elderly out of their homes? How many guests came onto their show to accuse conservatives of wanting to pollute the air and water, and of wanting to see old people die? And when these things were said, how many times did the hosts simply nod their head and agree this was terrible? Rush doesn't know if this ever happened since he doesn't have the chance to watch this show, but given that the show is in New York with a heavy liberal bent to the guest list, it's probable that this did happen. So how does Kathie Lee Gifford feel being treated as conservatives are treated every day? Since conservatives are attacked like this each and every day from the mainstream news networks and elsewhere, Rush welcomes Gifford to the club and notes she now knows how it feels to be a conservative. *BREAK* Phone Ed from Bloomington, MN Ed thinks he knows of a couple of Clinton's principles. First, the liberal definition of the "golden rule": those who have the gold make the rules. Thus, as long as Clinton is in power, he can make the rules. Another way to phrase this is "do unto others before they do unto you." Rush admits these are accurate descriptions of Clinton, but they are more objectives than principles. During the break, Rush went to his dictionary to look up the definition of principle and in his dictionary, which is not the Collegiate type but rather the 10,000-page model that requires its own podium, he found "principle" defined as "a guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct." Ed says this leads him to his second "Clinton principle" which can be summed up in the two words "so what?" Rush admits this is a good attempt, too, and he suspects by the end of the day he'll end up with a set of principles that are not at admirable. This will be a list that nobody in their right minds would want to live by them. Ed also suggests that Rush use Lou Christie's song "Two Faces Have I" as the music for his Clinton video; this song's lyrics are especially appropriate since one line is "two faces have I, one to laugh, one to cry." Rush says this is a good idea, too, but the problem is that while Rush can use such songs easily on radio, he has to get permission and pay for the music he uses on TV. Ed thinks it would be worth the risk to use this music, and Rush appreciates Ed's words of support, despite the fact Ed is basically saying "go ahead, Rush, use it and get sued." This reminds him of someone in last night's TV audience who asked why Rush hasn't started a tax revolt by refusing to pay his taxes; "go to jail, Rush, and we'll follow you!" this guy said, but Rush has his doubts about that. Phone Bruce from Madison, WI Bruce thinks a Clinton principle is "everything is relative" and that "you're answerable only to your own conscience." Rush says the first part of this is okay, but the second is not since this assumes someone has to have a conscience, which Rush is not certain is the case with Clinton, given that had he a conscience, he couldn't do have of what he does. Bruce thinks anything is possible if you can justify it to yourself and perhaps this is the source of liberal guilt. Rush admits Bruce might have a point, and he notes that his prediction that his list of Clinton's "principles" are not principles are not the type of things most people would want to live by. He thanks Bruce for calling. Phone Frank from Jacksonville, FL Frank has a list of four Clinton principles. First, Clinton believes that socialism is a good thing because it takes from the achievers, gives to the underachievers, and puts government in control. This guarantees that government will continue to grow. Second, Clinton believes in telling the truth but only to the point where it makes the lie believable. Rush thinks that's a pretty calculated principle, and suspects it's more of a strategy than a real principle. Frank says the third principle would be all revenues belong to the government, but Rush doesn't think anyone would consider that a principle. Frank disagrees - Clinton obviously believes all money belongs to government. Finally, the last principle is that you can fool 51% of the people all of the time. Rush agrees with that but bets the administration thinks you can fool far more than 51% of the people all the time, and thanks Frank for calling. Phone Jim from Smithfield, VA Jim says his core belief for Clinton is that the rich don't pay enough, but Rush suspects this is only a strategy for Clinton, not a heart-felt belief. Jim also wants to talk about the basketball draft, specifically Ivan Iverson, who as far as Jim is concerned is a thug. Jim recalls how three or so years ago, Iverson was arrested and convicted of starting a brawl at a Hampton, VA bowling center. However, Governor Wilder pardoned Iverson so that he could go to Georgetown University, and it's really pathetic how a convicted criminal could now be earning $5 to $10 million a year. Jim thinks the base problem with the draft is that the agents know who is good enough to go to the pros, and they are pushing the players to go into the NBA to get their agent's cut. Rush thinks the players know where the big bucks are without any agents telling them - there has to be family pressure and other peer pressure, especially among those players who come from lower-income, destitute families. Jim says this is not Iverson, who came from a very nice middle class home and neighborhood. As to high school, there are lots of kids who score 30 points a game, so someone has to be finding the ones who have professional-level talent and steering them on to the fast track to the pros. Rush has to grant this point and thanks Jim for calling. *BREAK* Something of substance finally happened at the Whitewater hearings yesterday, with the press saying Republicans "resurrected allegations that in 1985 then governor Bill Clinton steered a $30 million Arkansas state bond contract to a syndicate operated by a mysterious cocaine distributor and a check-kiting Wall Street brokerage firm." Yet this "mysterious cocaine distributor" is not mysterious it all - anyone who's been paying attention to Whitewater knows this is Dan Lasater, a long-time Clinton contributor and friend. Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) accused Clinton of showing favoritism to Lasater, a long-time family friend who was imprisoned on drug charges. Lasater, though, claimed he was the victim of Clinton's political enemies, saying that Clinton did not take any action on his behalf. Republicans asked Lasater questions for four hours about his drug use and dealings with Clinton, and they pointed to evidence how Clinton's aides went out of their way to guarantee that Lasater's company won a share of the state's bond underwriting business. The line of questioning reportedly left Lasater "shifting in his chair." Rush notes that Lasater is tied to the Clintons in many ways: the bond deals, Roger Clinton, the cattle futures trades, etc. Yet the press thinks he's a mysterious figure - the only people who would think Lasater is mysterious, though, are those who haven't been following the Whitewater case, which should show how the press has been ignoring it. ******** The minimum wage battle versus rescinding Clinton's gas tax increase is shaping up nicely because the White House doesn't want any talk whatsoever about tax cuts. They know that the popular sentiment favors tax cuts and they don't want Dole to get any credit whatsoever for bringing this subject up. The Republicans are now calling for Clinton to roll back his gas tax, while the Democrats are talking about raising the minimum wage. This can crystallize the debate for Dole, giving him a starting point to hammer Clinton and the Democrats about tax cuts and more takehome pay, which should be one of Dole's major issues. If someone asks Dole what he wants to do as President, he should be talking about bringing power back to the people with tax cuts and more takehome pay. This would help the Republicans avoid falling into the trap the Democrats laid with them about the minimum wage, given that 80% of the people favor raising it; a similarly large majority of Americans also favor cutting the gas tax. Thus, the Democrats are afraid of attacking the gas tax cut because they know what happened to the Republicans on the minimum wage would happen to them on this. This opens the door for the Republicans. Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX) yesterday noted that the Democrats have admitted they lack the votes and the "political will" to stop a repeal of the gas tax increase, which means this is a huge open door for the Republicans. If the Democrats cannot stand in the way on this tax cut, then Republicans should start repealing a bunch of Clinton's 1993 tax increases. Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), though, recently said that every time Republicans see a problem, they see a tax cut as its solution. This means Daschle and the Democrats are frightened of tax cuts, shying away from the suggestion like Dracula from the cross. Democrats are the ones, after all, who propose tax increases as the solution to every problem, so why not force the Democrats' hand on this and force them to admit they want tax increases? Republicans can jump on this, pointing out that they stand for tax cuts, and showing how Clinton's tax increases have slowed down the economy. Republicans have a golden opportunity to make the Democrats stand up for tax increases, putting them on the defensive. This is already happening with the repeal of the 4.3-cent gas tax increase, so even if repealing this tax increase means throwing the Democrats the bone of the minimum wage, Republicans should do it because it will open up the door to talk about repealing the other Clinton tax increases. It's time to roll back Clinton's retroactive tax increases and show people how much more they are paying in taxes because of Clinton's 1993 budget. Republicans should force Clinton into defending these tax increases, turning things right back on him so that he has to use the typical green eyeshade lingo. This is a great opportunity for Republicans, if only they seize it. *BREAK* Rush also wants to keep asking people why, if they're so upset about the gas price increases, they aren't upset with tax increases. The answer is that people don't have to pay for the tax increases separately; this money is automatically withheld from their checks, so they don't notice it missing. However, everyone knows when they have fewer greenbacks in their pocket because they've just filled their gas tanks. People's taxes, though, have gone up far faster and far higher than any gas price increases, and it's about time the American people stand up and demand some tax relief. The repeal of Clinton's 4.3-cent gas tax increase is made to order for this, especially as it gives Republicans a golden opportunity to show they stand for tax cuts. Bob Dole is running on this, but the danger is that he'll be laughed out of Washington by all the cynics. Phone Chris from Naples, FL Chris says one point about the accusations made against Kathie Lee Gifford is that Charles Kernaghan is a big-time liberal, and when Chris saw Kernaghan interviewed on a tabloid show recently, he became more convinced than ever that Gifford deserved his support. For example, Kernaghan was outraged that Gifford's factory was operating with child labor for over a year, so they asked him about Gifford's point that he knew this had been going on for six months. Kernaghan didn't care about this, though, nor was he impressed that the plant in the Honduras had been closed because the work was instead sent for China. Kernaghan couldn't come up with any specifics against the Chinese plant but did sarcastically say that China didn't have a very good track record on human rights. Rush says that he heard that the plant was moved to Nicaragua, and Chris says Kernaghan's main point was that moving the plant was not good enough. The poor families working at the plant needed the work, so he considered it Gifford's responsibility to keep the work in the Honduras but employ adults at a new factory. Chris thinks this is exactly what liberals want: for the U.S. to take care of the world. America is the world's policeman, but a sovereign nation is a sovereign nation, and all the U.S. can do is choose whether to do business with certain people; it cannot tell the rest of the world what to do. Chris, though, does have a bone to pick with Rush, too, because he is a very proud American who loves his country. He is also an individual, not someone who's a member of any political group, and he prefers to vote for someone, not against someone. Rush says he prefers to vote for people, too, but if necessary he will vote against somebody if the circumstances warrant it. Chris says he has a problem voting against it, and this evidently makes him a moderate, whom Rush has called gutless in the past. Chris, though, rejects the notion he is gutless because he does have strong ideals and will go toe to toe with anyone over them. Rush says this may be the case for Chris, but the moderates he runs into have linguine for spines - they refuse to commit to one side or the other out of fear they'll anger someone. They thus call themselves "moderates" because it makes them look open- minded. Chris says he calls such people "liberal" and Rush admits that could be true, too. As to Kathie Lee Gifford, Rush thinks Chris's point about how some Hondurans are now out of work to be an interesting one. There had been child labor going on, with children earning 31 cents an hour in a scene straight out of a Charles Dickens (or "Dickenson" as Rep. Pat Williams (D-MT) seems to think) novel. Now, thanks to a big labor leader in New York, who has decided to attack Gifford so as to get publicity for himself, these kids are no longer making 31 cents an hour; in fact they've lost their jobs, having been downsized and laid off. This doesn't mean that 31 cents an hour is a decent wage, but now these kids are making zero dollars an hour. What does this big- hearted union leader think about this? *BREAK* Phone Lee from Phoenix City, AL Lee says the liberals are always screaming about how jobs are going to other countries thanks to NAFTA and such, but Rush says it's not just liberals, but also Buchananites and Perotistas, who are saying this. Lee says his point is that increasing the minimum wage only puts more pressure on businesses to find a cheaper wage base. Rush agrees, and this is because labor costs typically amount to half or two-thirds of the cost or producing a product. Lee says this means that the U.S. has to start thinking about keeping the minimum wage down, so that it's competitive with the rest of the world. Rush says America would never get back to a wage of 31 cents an hour but having no minimum wage would give business flexibility in wages. Since that's not going to happen, though, Americans should admit there are certain jobs they simply won't do anymore, which is why those jobs are going elsewhere. Another reason for why jobs are going overseas is that automation has eliminated them in the U.S. America is advancing its technology, and the job market reflects this. Rush has learned a lot personally about this subject because of his business venture into ties and scarves; he could tell all sorts of stories about trying to find American labor at a reasonable price to do things as well as it's done overseas - this can't be done. *BREAK* THIRD HOUR As to the Kathie Lee Gifford story, Rush has some personal knowledge of what she went through because of his tie line. Marta was the one who suggested Rush do a line of ties and she did so because when Rush started his TV show, he decided that his ties would be his "signature" item, and that they should be wild and colorful. Marta started shopping around and found a bunch of ties around New York; however, they were made in Italy and cost anyway from $95 to $125 apiece. Since Rush has a wardrobe budget for his TV show, he could afford these ties, but he certainly couldn't tell his listeners and viewers where to find these ties, given that few people are willing to pay this much for ties they wear day- to-day. As it is, Rush gets complaint letters about how his ties are "gouging the public," but the reality is that $40 a tie is a great price for this quality of tie. Because of this demand, though, Marta suggested Rush market his own line of ties to fill it, so the two of them started looking into how this can be done. They looked at the average prices of ties and what the market would bear, and they settled on the mid-range price of $39.95 apiece. They then tried to find out how they could get these ties made at this price. Fortunately, Marta designs these ties and she doesn't get paid for this work; she shares in the royalties but doesn't get an upfront cost, which lowers production costs. Manufacturing, though, is a different matter. They thought about making these ties in Italy, but there's no way that could be done for $40, given the quality standards Rush and Marta wanted. They also wanted as much of each tie to be made in America, both out of patriotism and because they knew they could exert more control over the manufacturing process. They looked at the samples they got from both American and foreign manufacturers, and they quickly realized they wanted these ties to be hand-sewn. They couldn't find any American company that could do this, though, at first, and they weren't willing to accept machine pattern sewing; the quality difference is very noticeable and it's not the kind of thing Rush wants his name attached to. They eventually found a place in America that would hand-sew them, and this adds considerably to the price of the tie. These ties could be a lot cheaper if they were hand-sewn in another country, but Rush and Marta decided not to do this; thus, the price of the ties is higher because it's made in America. They had to look long and hard, though, to find a company that would hand-sew these ties in the quantities Rush wants. Given, therefore, all that goes into these ties, there isn't that much profit from each tie, given its cost. But had Rush used the original companies he looked at, these ties would be priced even more, at least $50 or $55. Rush knows people won't pay this much for a tie they don't have to buy, so he's happy with his decision to do things as they are done now. The process with the scarves was similar - Rush and Marta wanted them to be hand-rolled on the edge and hand-sewed; using a pattern machine would make it look cheap. It was a challenge to find someone in America that could produce these as Rush and Marta wanted, and that is reflected in the price. Rush is happy he can keep this work in the country, but people should be aware that "made in America" does carry a price. This whole experience has taught him a lot about labor costs and using foreign labor, especially as to how Americans simply don't do some jobs anymore because they've been automated. Rush is not intending to defend Gifford but only wants to point out that if you want a product that will compete with other products to be made in America, there is a price associated with it. Everyone involved with this product has to be aware of this, from the manufacturer to the distributor, retailer, and customer. Rush's ties could have been made elsewhere for much less - there's no difference between handstitching in Italy and the U.S. other than price. However, Rush and Marta decided to keep as much of the work as possible on the ties in the U.S., so those who are complaining about the price of these ties don't have a clue about what's really involved in making them. ******** Almost everyone while they were growing up had their parents nag them about why they couldn't be more like some other kid, who seemed to be the perfect, little angel. "Why can't you be more like Johnny?" parents would tell their children, but those kids knew that Johnny's angelic reputation was a sham. Everyone ends up being compared like this, and they typically get more annoyed at their parents' perception that little Johnny is perfect than at little Johnny himself, given that little Johnny wasn't more angelic than anyone else, but just better at hiding his true nature. Rush thinks this is why Bill Clinton is so disliked by so many Americans - he's the "little Johnny" of the political world, and a lot of Americans seem to think he's the perfect, smart, good- looking, nice, and caring politician. Those who see the truth about Bill Clinton just get frustrated about how others don't see this obvious truth, just as kids get frustrated at how their parents don't see the truth about Little Johnny. *BREAK* Phone Bill from Manhattan, NY Bill says last Thursday he and his wife watched Kathie Lee Gifford's show when the guest was Tom Selleck, and he asked if she remembered when they first met. Gifford replied that Bob Wagner introduced them at the national Republican convention, but she quickly added "but, of course now, I'm a registered independent now!" Selleck said the same thing, and it was as if both of them were disowning the party, embarrassed to be affiliated with the "nasty Republicans." Bill thus thought it was fitting when the left turned on Gifford this week. Rush says he didn't know this about either Gifford or Selleck, and Bill remarks that it "brought a tear to his eye." Rush adds that this happens all the time - people will try to evade any criticism by becoming "independent" and "moderate," but liberals will turn on them anyway. This is why Rush is going to send Gifford a note asking "how does it feel," pointing out that this is exactly what happens to conservatives in New York. Rush thanks Bill for calling, noting that Bill, at least, sounds remarkably happy for a conservative in the upper West Side of NY. "There's a man with a strong constitution," Rush remarks approvingly. Phone Chuck from Burlington, NC Chuck gives megadittos but is a little angry with Rush because he fears Rush is underestimating Bill Clinton. Rush says he is not underestimating Clinton at all, but instead is very wary precisely because he's never seen a politician like him. Chuck, though, says that Rush has a lot of power in the Republican party but doesn't offer any constructive criticisms for what Republicans can do. Rush disagrees strongly - every day he offers advice on what Republicans and conservatives should be doing. Chuck asks why Republicans aren't taking this advice - why is Congress instead laying down and implementing everything Clinton does? Rush says the proper way to say this is that "Clinton is implementing everything the Congress used to support." Chuck agrees, but Clinton is the only President who could veto the budget and shut down the government, and then veto the welfare reform bill twice, yet still be able to blame the other side and make it stick. Rush says this is why he's not underestimating Clinton at all. Bill Clinton is incredibly formidable, given that the truth doesn't matter with him. One reason for this is that he's got an incredible PR machine called the mainstream media on his side, trumpeting his achievements and desires. Chuck asks if Rush is still friends with Bill Bennett, and Rush says he is, although he hasn't spoken with him for about a month. Chuck thus is curious what Bennett and William Kristol are trying to do to the Republican party - are they trying to destroy it? Rush admits this is an interesting question - he doesn't know Kristol and he hasn't asked Bennett about this. For as long as Rush has known Bennett, though, he's not been in support of Dole as the Presidential nominee. The question is thus why, now that Dole is the nominee, Bennett is seemingly trying to sabotage his Presidential effort. Rush suspects Bennett would probably say he's not going to compromise his principles by going with a party that is not going in the right direction. Chuck, though, says he didn't support Dole in the primaries, preferring Steve Forbes. However, since Forbes didn't win, Chuck is going to support the man the party voted in, which is what Chuck did in 1988. Why aren't these other Republicans supporting the team, too? Rush suspects that Bennett would claim he is on the team but is just trying to get the team to adopt a different strategy. Rush will ask Bennett about this the next chance he gets. *BREAK* According to today's Charlotte Observer, a boy about nine years old begged a man from protection from vicious dogs, and then turned around and robbed him using a nine-millimeter gun. The man, Kevin Lane, was walking along the street, when the boy asked Lane to walk up the street with him because he was scared of some dogs. Lane said sure, but as they walked, the kid pulled out the handgun and told Lane to empty his pockets. Lane, 43, threw down his money and wallet, and the boy fled with it; police have not arrested any suspects yet. Lane said "I was trying to do the good samaritan thing, and this is what I get in return. As it stands now, I couldn't care less about my fellow man." Rush recalls the story about a six-year-old that beat another kid to death, and the question is whether the kid should be tried as an adult. Rush says "sure," and to those he thinks he's being hard-core about this, he points out that if someone takes a life, they should pay the price. America is starting to excuse killing in far too many ways, and even if a six-year-old is guilty of murder, he should be punished for it. The critics to this idea will complain that this kid should get a second chance, but the dead person will never get a second chance. America is getting too lax with those who kill others and it's time to stop that. Now a nine-year-old is using a gun to hold up adults, and the liberals will undoubtedly demand "gun control" as the answer. This, of course, ignores the real answer, the one provided by Bill Clinton: midnight basketball. Phone Holly from Santa Maria, CA Holly says one of Bill Clinton's unwavering principles has to be "it doesn't matter what you do but what you say." This is called symbolism over substance, as Holly learned from Rush's show. Rush says the question is whether this should be considered a "principle" or an objective. Certainly Clinton is governed by this theory, but is that a principle? Holly says Clinton lives by this principle, and Rush agrees, but Clinton has the nickname "Slick" for a reason - he doesn't even have to think about being slick. He just does it, as part of a lifelong strategy. Rush also predicts that Clinton will replay what he did in Arkansas after he was defeated for governor. When Clinton ran for election again, he told the voters that he tried to do too much, too soon - if Clinton gets in trouble between now and November, he'll undoubtedly tell the voters that he tried to do too much, too soon, underestimating what he'd face on Capitol Hill. The EIB staff point out that Clinton has already done this with health care, and Rush bets Clinton will do it again. This, though, is a strategy, not a principle, and Rush would suggest Republicans go back to Clinton's re-election campaigns in Arkansas to get a clue about his 1996 campaign. He also bets that the fingerprints of Dick Morris will be all over the place both then and now. Phone Larry from Kansas City, MO Larry says Clinton's most obvious core belief is that focus group results and opinion polls are more important than one's own beliefs. Rush says this is a good thought, but he still rejects this as a principle because it assumes Clinton does have his own beliefs. This is the point - Clinton doesn't have any core beliefs, except perhaps for the idea that government does it better. Larry asks whether "focus groups and opinion polls are more important than one own's principles" would be better, and Rush says the same problem exists: this assumes Clinton has principles to begin with, which is what Rush is trying to discover. Rush does think this is a good answer, though, in that it gives a view as to how Clinton governs himself, and the point remains that these are not admirable traits. Rush thanks Larry for calling. Phone Kevin from Indianapolis, IN Kevin gives "megadittos from flyover country," and Rush notes this is where the 1996 elections will be won or lost: in the heartland of America. Kevin says he wants to dispute Rush's idea that Bill Clinton has a core support group of 43% of voters. Clinton, though, got this support in 1992 by talking like a conservative, promoting tax cuts and ending welfare as we know it. A lot of these people didn't know Clinton was a liberal, and Kevin now hopes that a lot of these people know Clinton is a liberal now and would not vote for him again. Rush disagrees with this because he believes Clinton will get this support no matter what; the elections will be what determines this. However, Rush gets more and more convinced that 43% of Americans will vote for Clinton no matter what every time his TV crews do a man-in-the-street interview. Yesterday, for example, the TV crew asked New Yorkers who were responsible for the rise in gasoline prices, and 80% of people answered Republicans, who were working together with lobbyists and oil company CEOs. These people were not prompted or given multiple choices, but they blamed Republicans anyway, all thanks to how the liberals have redefined capitalism as being "the pursuit of greed." Capitalism no longer means freedom and free markets but "the rich get richer by screwing others." Similarly, fairness is now defined as government taking from the rich and giving to others, thereby redistributing the wealth. When Rush first did this bit, he had his crew ask New Yorkers if Republicans were responsible for the rising gasoline prices. Everyone said yes, so Rush decided to do this again. For the second attempt, he had his crew ask the questions without any prompting, and despite the fact that they went to different people in a different part of the city, they got the same response as before: Republicans were responsible. This is why Clinton will get his 43% no matter what - the American people have been dumbed down, to the point that they don't think about the issues. Instead they, like Homer Simpleton, think Clinton is nicer and will do more for them by punishing others. Clinton knows this is the source of his support and he will do everything he can to build on it. *BREAK* A new crime has occurred in New York's prison - NY inmates are harassing their guards by flinging human waste at them. There have been nearly 600 documented cases of "excrement assaults," and the guards have had it, so the state has decided to take "drastic action." Thus, the NY state senate has passed a bill to make it a felony for inmates to hurl their waste or other bodily fluids at correctional employees. State senator Michael Nozzolio praised the bill's passage, saying "as a result of this measure, the law will finally protect the men and women working in correctional facilities from the vile and dangerous act of human waste assault, and greatly enhance safety in their workplace." Governor George Pataki (R-NY) said that this was a "vile and disgusting offense that cries out for punishment. Inmates call it `defecation education,' but I call it a felony and I look forward to signing the bill into law." The bill, though, now goes to the state assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, so its passage is not guaranteed. Phone Mary from Philadelphia, PA Mary thanks Rush for being a voice of sanity for the country, and as far as the kid in Charlottesville, if someone does the crime, they should pay for it. America has to stop making excuses for criminal behavior. She's not surprised that kids are getting away with things, though, given what Bill Clinton is getting away with. Rush says the two Menendez trials basically turned on one basic thing: not whether the brothers killed their parents but whether those parents deserved to die. And in the first trial, six jurors fell for this, believing that the parents deserved to die because of allegations of abuse. Now six-year-olds are killing five-year-olds, and people are making excuses for it. But did these victims deserve to die? These kinds of behavior, though, are popping up all over the world, and Rush is troubled by both it and how way too many excuses are being made for those who commit violence crimes. This sends a message and if a six-year-old doesn't understand the consequences of his action, then he should be taught those consequences by punishing him. The dead five-year-old can't understand he's dead, but the six-year-old and everyone else should understand those consequences. If this isn't done, life is cheapened, and it's time to bring sanctity back to life, and this won't be done by excusing those who kill others outside the narrow bounds of self-defense. The best way to teach consequences is by punishing the offender, and besides, given the parole standards in America, this six-year-old will be out of jail by the time he's 18. *BREAK* Phone Bob from Milwaukee, WI Bob says today's Wall Street Journal has an editorial about Bill Clinton's drug policy, and it quoted Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) as saying he never thought he'd miss Nancy Reagan. Rush is surprised to learn this, especially since Clinton's drug policies are just taking the same techniques; Clinton even told the students in Florida "just say no to drugs." Bob says the editorial was very critical of Clinton's lack of drug policy, and Rush says this he can understand. He wonders how many members of the press will attack Rangel for "bashing" Clinton on this. Phone Craig from Westbury, NY Craig says Clinton's number one principle is "whenever there's a crisis, it's women and children first." This applies either to health care or when it comes to attacking Republicans. Rush pledges to put this on the list and says that if nothing else, the list of traits he has of Clinton's "principles" are not admirable ones. Rush thanks Craig for calling and adds that today is a big day of broadcasting since Phil Donahue will tape his final show. Donahue pioneered what has become the sleazy, low-rent daytime talk show, although he didn't start out that way. However, Donahue did start the movement, and he can't compete it any more since his successors have taken their shows way below the gutter. "See you, Phil," Rush concludes.