In the video above we addressed a lot of the substance of Rush's comments. You can argue that there was no need to because the comments are so stupid and offensive that there is no sense in responding to them. But what does need to be addressed and what we emphasized on the live show (but what you didn't see in the clip above as much) was the Nelson Mandela comments.
Who criticizes Nelson Mandela? Who still calls him a communist? But much more importantly, who argues that we should not have helped to replace the white government of South Africa? Only a racist like Limbaugh. The transcript is right here:
LIMBAUGH: Yeah. This is -- you're not going to believe this, but it's very simple. And the sooner you believe it, and the sooner you let this truth permeate the boundaries you have that tell you this is just simply not possible, the better you will understand Democrats in everything. You are right. They want to get us out of Iraq, but they can't wait to get us into Darfur.
CALLER: Right.
LIMBAUGH: There are two reasons. What color is the skin of the people in Darfur?
CALLER: Uh, yeah.
LIMBAUGH: It's black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them? If they lose a significant percentage of this voting bloc, they're in trouble.
CALLER: Yes. Yes. The black population.
LIMBAUGH: Right. So you go into Darfur and you go into South Africa, you get rid of the white government there. You put sanctions on them. You stand behind Nelson Mandela -- who was bankrolled by communists for a time, had the support of certain communist leaders. You go to Ethiopia. You do the same thing.
When I was a Republican, I thought Nelson Mandela was a living legend. He helped transform South Africa into a functioning democracy where everyone was equal without any bloodshed. Look at what has happened in the Palestinian territories and all over the world when you have ineffective leaders who choose violence instead of the path that Mandela took to get to justice. But now I see that I was in the wrong room, with the wrong people. The rest of the people in my party apparently paid lip-service to what I was saying and actually believed what Rush was saying. Did anyone of them ever care about Mandela or the injustice in South Africa at all?
How can anyone say they are a proud Republican anymore? I guess if you disavow all of the people like Limbaugh (and the torturers, and the ones who support wars of aggression and the people who violate the constitution, etc.), then you might be able to begin to rebuild the Republican Party. But what you can't do is claim you support Rush Limbaugh and still pretend not to be a racist.
Remember, Rush earlier in his career also told an African-American caller to "take that bone out of your nose." Let alone his nonsensical comments about how people in the media rooted for Donovan McNabb because he's black and rooted against Rex Grossman because he is white.
None of that matters now, because now Rush's racism is irrefutable. He argued against replacing the white government of South Africa. I guess if he still had it his way, the black citizens of that country -- and maybe our country as well -- would still be under the thumb of white people. I guess just like Rush dreams about.
Watch More Young Turks Here
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 16)
31. I LOVE RUSH!!!
Lisa at 11:02PM on Aug 25th 2007
32. I LOVE RUSH!!!
agoodeye at 11:05PM on Aug 25th 2007
33. Rush is just playing to his base, and as we see on this blog, all the conservative guys come out of the woodwork to defend Limbaugh.
Limbaugh is an entertainer, no more,no less. He always caters to angry white males, who as far as I can tell, have nothing to be angry about.
David S. at 11:20PM on Aug 25th 2007
34. I am simply amazed at the level of hatred that is in the heart of many Conservatives. To think, they align themselves with Christian ideals. That's even more frightening. Out of one side of their mouth's they speak "Christianese", out the other they spew the foulest, rankest vomit unknown to mankind. In the words of Christ, Our Lord...as he addressed that other "religious" group of folks--the Pharisees (who were filled with hatred as well),
"A good tree cannot bear rotten fruit, neither can a rotten tree bear good fruit." He continued with, "You will know that they belong to me by the love they have."
This love did not have a color directive, cultural barrier, or otherwise. As a matter of fact, the Bible states that there is no color in God. I am sickened by those who claim to be America's voice for this nation's persuasion of Christianity; I firmly hold that they know nothing of Him! I am not judging them, they have judged themselves by their own words...that was spoken by Christ as well. So, go to church in your very racially divided communities; raise your younglings in the fear and admonition of the Lord, yet continue to hold to your life-taking hatred, and you will disqualify yourself for the very prize that you say you're after---Eternal Life!
K. Wilson at 1:10AM on Aug 26th 2007
35. i don't like rush, but there are some claims of mandela's ties with violent/terrorist groups in the past. hey same with menachem begin of israel.
r sterzinger at 2:54PM on Aug 26th 2007
36. I have come to view Limbaugh as a conniving mischivious tinkerer with the national brain. His achievement of a national platform is more admirable than what he is doing with it.
Jerry at 4:02PM on Aug 27th 2007
37. Why do the liberals, socialists and Marxists seeth so badly at the Rush man. Could it be because Rush is soooooooo right? Is he laying them naked for all to see? You betcha................
P Stanich at 1:32AM on Aug 26th 2007
38. steve, tread carefully when you use such despicable terminolgy. Lib nazis? WTF, because a persons choice of politcal party is Democrat they are Nazi's? Cuckoo, Cuckoo.......
And Liz, I am sure as well, Rush Hearts you too. Are you on Oxy, as well? Sorry for the redundant verbiage...
Rush is right, UH HUH....Mad RIGHT, wing..
Disgusting, referring to Darfur as it was just a place with a wee problem. IT's a damn GENOCIDE!!!! RE : person who said whomever is the problem in teeny tiny Darfur, the friggin' Janjaweed Militia, dimwit! Rwandan GENOCIDE, Hutu and tutsis, damn where are you imbeciles from? Were you born in a shoebox? Read a real newspaper, buy a dictionary, study history.
Moron, the guy that blamed the African-American victims of Katrina for being too lazy to have rebuilt. I have no words for you, you are an absolute racist, misinformed , uneducated sad excuse for what we like to call 'Human Being'. Being you are not qualified to belong to the prior race ( human, that is ), you are to be ignored due to the fact you are a non-person. SHAME ON YOU< SHAME ON RUSH THE IMBECILE LIMBAUGH!!!!!
I am thoroughly disgusted by the incredulous behavior of most of the bloggers on this Limbaugh blog. sorry stae of affairs when one starts to believe that, as a minority of such hateful, intolerant kooks, you allow yourselves to find truth through your disturbed comments that you post.
I give up on these blogs until November 2008, when you all have to eat the venom you spew. Can hardly wait!!!!!!
rhodalee at 1:58AM on Aug 26th 2007
39. I admire Mandela for his convictions in bringing equal rights to South Africa. But, the man is a damned liberal. He thinks the solution to every problem is a government program.
If South Africa weren't an established economic power, he would have taken the country down the path of socialism or communism. Think Venezuala, but without the boneheaded, pandering rhetoric of Hugo Chavez.
As for Rush's comments about Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman, take it from a Bears fan. Right now, beating up Rex Grossman is the new passtime for the media. For pete's sake, he got the Bears to the Super Bowl.
I would take Grossman over McNabb. I would take Tom Brady over both of them.
But at the time Rush made the comment, I completely agreed with him. The Eagles hadn't made it to the Super Bowl, and McNabb was being outclassed by another black quaterback, Steve McNair, who looked far better in his Super Bowl appearance than McNabb did.
Kent at 3:06AM on Aug 26th 2007
40. The problem with this is. That someone like Chris Rock, Who inthe first place has no idea of what he speakes, is the most raciest person I know. But because he is black he can make comments that put down whites and no one say a F-in word. You see blacks who keep harping on the slavory times need to look at mankind since day one. Every civilazation has been slaves at some time in history, and the then the numbers they say are totally wrong. Only 3% of all slave owners in the USA was the amount of owners. 97% of them owned 10 or less. The amount of slaves in this country at that time was around 20 - 25,000. There is no way that every Black in yhis country is a decended from African slaves. Slavery here lated what about 150-200 years? Well, the jews where slaves for 2,000 years, In Roman times slaves where around for thousands of years. The Mayan and Incas had slaves they captured for hundreds of years.
Also remeber that it was Africans who caught and sold Africans to the Europeans and also kept there own. Lets understand that raciseim in any form is wrong, but it can't be a double standerd. Also lets bring the facts out about slavery in this country. Yes it was a horrible time and a horrible thing. But lets also stop harping on it and understand that Blacks where far from the only people made to be slaves, every single society was slaves at one time.
We can all live together but black people need to understand the odds sre you don't even come from a slavery backround (FACT)
Capt Bob F.
USMC
Vietnam 69-71
Capt Bob - USMC ret. at 3:26AM on Aug 26th 2007
41. Geez, Rush Limbaugh racist? Who would have thought? I think this shows once more, how scared these redneck republicans are, by Obama. Calling him Osama, etc. Or, how the black vote was essensially removed from Ohio black districts in the 2004 election, by removing most of the voting machines, making the black residents, mostly democratic, stand in line for 6 hours or more, if they wanted to vote. Or, the recent overturning of Busing regulations by the supreme court. What we are seeing thru Rush's comments, is a comfortable return to racial policies in our country, from the 1950s. I dont suppose anyone has noticed how the 9th ward in New Orleans was kept from being rebuilt, while a small white town in the middle of Nebraska (?) which was wiped out last year in a massive tornato, was cleaned up, with new FEMA trailers in place, within a few months. Yes, rascism has raised its ugly head high. It doesnt help that most of the rascist behavior is connected to economic social strata, and cultural differences, reflected in today's prison populations. Why are we suprised by Rush's comments? We have seen this behavior sneak back into the Bush "Decider-ship", and its going to be hard to repair all the social economic geo-political enviormental (you name it) problems our country is faced with now. Rush doesnt scare me. Only a fool takes a fool seriously. The fact that this ideology has become so complacently accepted by the backward looking reactionary masses DOES. Only a fool ignores the dangerous policies of reactionary politicians, and their propaganda machine. This type of reactionary propaganda, put the Nazi party in power in Germany in 1932. Rush Limbaugh is part of that propaganda machine, as is FOX, Murdoch, Clear channel communications, etc. No, i'm not scared by what they say, or shocked. Wake up. Its been going on for the past 7 years, slowly getting stronger. I AM scared, by who is behind this whole propaganda machine, and where these talking points seem to originate from.
William Hoffman at 5:45AM on Aug 26th 2007
42. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE YOUNG TURKS HAVE BEEN RE-ENERGIZED BY THE LATEST KOZ-MANIA CONVENTION?
IT'S BACK TO THE OLD "RACE BAITING" ARTICLES THAT TRY TO PAINT A BLEEK PICTURE OF ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH THEIR KIND OF SOCIALISM. EL-RUSH-BAUGH TELLS IT LIKE IT IS, AND THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH. BEYONCE'S BREASTS WERE A MUCH MORE INFORMATIVE BLOG. STICK WITH THAT.
Plinkoman at 6:40AM on Aug 26th 2007
43. Cenk is an obsessed clown.
Rush hit the nail on the head. Democrats are the party with the long history of racism, not Republicans. It was Abe Lincoln, the father of the modern Republican party, who set the slaves free while Democrats started a civil war in an attempt to keep blacks in chains. Democrats have promised blacks everything under the sun to get their votes but delivered nothing after they got the votes. At the same time Democrats are calling for the U.S. to surrender the war on terror they are drooling at the thought of jumping into the middle of a civil war in Darfur. As the economic standing of blacks in the U.S. improves they are fleeing the Democrat party in droves and Democrats know they will never be in power without those votes.
Racist is Democrats thinking blacks aren't smart enough to see through their bulls*it.
Robert Byngham at 8:16AM on Aug 26th 2007
44. Looks like Rush is RIGHT again! You FOOLS just cant stand the truth can you.
No wonder you have no listeners or audiance
Rick Mathews at 8:56AM on Aug 26th 2007
45. "...can you justify the dems wanting to take us into Darfur for any other reason than political gain...?" yeah how about--it's the right thing to do. How about--PEOPLE ARE DYING. Genocide. We brag that we are the most powerful nation in the world, but we fight the "terror war" in the wrong country, a place that happens to be brimming with oil, with the excuse that if we don't win there they will bring it to us here---national security? Why should the most powerful nation go in and help somewhere only because there is something there WE can get out of it. Why can't we help the innocent merely for the sake that they can't help them selves, that they are the least powerful--not because we can get something out of it, or we can protect our interests, or we want to spread Democracy (absurd excuses, and political) but simply because we can help-PERIOD. And if helping stop genocide is political so what? It's good politics. It's the kind of political manipulation of voters that I prefer over the scare tactics of the Bush administration.
hatrk2 at 8:49AM on Aug 26th 2007