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Why I Think It Was Worth It to Reach Out to The Breakfast Club
Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | June 1, 2020 | Rush Limbaugh

Posted on 06/01/2020 1:03:00 PM PDT by Kaslin

RUSH: Okay, folks, I have to tell you something that happened yesterday, and you will hear it at 2 p.m., well, 2:06, 2:07 somewhere when we get the third hour underway. Now, as those of you who have been regularly listening — by the way, latest computer model projections, 50-and-a-half million people in the audience. We have a new record of subscribers at RushLimbaugh.com. So there’s new people tuning in veritably every hour of the program, people listening for the first time, which is a challenge for your host to make sure everything remains in context.

But for those of you new to the program for the first time here today and maybe didn’t hear anything last week, I have been distressed, heartbroken, angry, the full gamut of emotions, as everybody has, over the treatment of George Floyd and the video that we’ve all seen, the senselessness of it. And that doesn’t even get to a proper characterization of it. You know, I make a big deal of the fact how precious life is and that most of us take it for granted because we’re not even aware of when it happens to us. We’re born but we can’t possibly remember it. And our life is what it is. And much of it is filled with challenges.

We run the gamut emotionally — happiness, unhappiness, sadness, fear. So this thing that we have, a life, it becomes a totally consuming thing. And very few people have the time to actually stop and consider how literally precious it is, how special being alive is. And then when you add to that how, in my estimation, fortunate we all are to live in the United States of America, the first country to enshrine in founding documents the primacy of life, the primacy of people over the state, and the fact that we do not in this country, when things are working right, we do not deprive people of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness without dupes.

And poor George Floyd, it’s been said that he lost his life. He didn’t lose his life. It was taken from him. He was murdered for no possible explicable, justifiable reason. It was just sickening, sickening to watch, sickening to see. And you look at the face of the cop involved in the video and the three who stood around and weren’t doing anything. And you just wonder, how stupid can you be, do you not realize what you’re doing? I’m not even sure it was racial with this cop. It might have been, but it could have been just some sort of a power trip. You know, people had their iPhone cameras pointed at him and he’s looking back at them with almost a dare on his face.

But knowing that our country is in all kinds of hurt right now, 40 million people were thrown out of their jobs, their livelihoods, many of them owners of businesses now destroyed, it’s just stupid, senseless — for me it was — it’s not correct to call it a last straw. But it just got me, folks, because we all only get this one life. You can’t get it back. You don’t get a do-over. You get a do-over for some mistakes that you might make, but you don’t get a second life. Only one person has conquered death, Jesus Christ. Nobody else. You have to make the most of it.

And the sanctity of life is something that, to me, is the most special thing about God’s universe. And to just see poor George Floyd’s life snuffed out and he’s suffering at the time it was going on. So I decided, just to close the loop on this story, I decided I wanted to do something I haven’t done, and that’s reach out and cross over and actually talk to people who are intrinsically going to disagree with me about 99% of everything on race matters, political matters and so forth.

You know, I’m the guy who has chastised Republicans for going on all these shows like Meet the Press. “What are you guys doing? What do you think is gonna happen? You’re not gonna be respected. You’re gonna be set up. Why do you keep doing it?” I’m the guy, I know, who said that. But I asked around over the weekend, “Look, if I want to reach the African-American community, if I want to go out and have a chance at having a conversation explaining my point of view and hearing theirs, who should I talk to?”

They kept coming back to me, “You need to see if you could talk to the people on The Breakfast Club,” which is a morning drive talk show in New York City. They’re syndicated I think on 60 stations, it may be 90. This is the show Biden was recently on. Charlamagne tha God is one of the people, Angela Yee and DJ Envy. So we reached out and they agreed to do it. And we taped it yesterday afternoon right here at the EIB Southern Command at 3 p.m. It’s 30 minutes by the time — well, with breaks and everything, it’s gonna run about 40 minutes, but the actual content is like 27 minutes. And, you know, I know full well, race relations, police inequality, gigantic topics, and they can’t be handled in one conversation. Nothing can be solved in one conversation.

I know that our fundamental values and the majority of what we believe in this audience can’t be completely conveyed in one conversation or a few minutes, especially when operating and trying to plow through preconceived notions, misconceptions, and so forth. But I wanted to speak to the people on The Breakfast Club because I thought it would be an interesting challenge.

I thought it might pay off. It might be beneficial. It’s like my troop visit to Afghanistan in the early 2000s. I wanted to do it simply because I wanted to express my love and admiration and support for the military. And I got friendly fire, enemy fire. I faced all kinds of people in that tour. But it was worth doing from my standpoint. I didn’t…

You know, I had some misconceptions or preconceptions of my own of how this would go. But I wanted to make sure. I just wanted to make sure. I don’t want the chance that the African-American community might randomly hear what I think about this. I wanted to actually tell them what I thought and, by extension, that I believe I represent a majority of white Americans as well on this.

There is nobody — nobody — that is okay with what happened to George Floyd. Everybody is mad about it, hurt about it, embarrassed by it, affected in a profoundly emotional way that runs the gamut. And I just wanted to have an entree to these people to be able to tell them this, from the bottom of my heart, ’cause we don’t want this kind of thing happening in this country.

We want the best for everybody. We want everybody in this country who wants to, to be able to access the opportunity that this country almost uniquely alone presents to people. I’m gonna review some things — where were we two months ago, three months ago — as the program unfolds today to show you how dramatically and drastically we have fallen in just three months.

But I have to tell you. I have to be honest. You know when you listen to the program and I have a caller on who’s rude and impolite and is not listening to me and is shouting insults, you know what you do. You send me emails and notes saying, “What the hell, Rush? Get rid of ’em. You don’t need to be talked to that way!” You’re gonna have that reaction today.

“Rush, Rush, Rush, why are you allowing yourself to be treated so rudely?” It was like going on The View in a sense. There were three of them, one of me. There was incoming fire. But, folks, it was great. I enjoyed it. You also have to remember something else. I’m deaf. People forget this because I never talk about it and I make hearing look natural, but I am deaf.

I hear with a cochlear implant, and when three people are talking or two people are talking at the same time, I’m lost. I can’t hear. So we have Dawn in there transcribing what’s said. But oftentimes transcriptions, you know, they’ll run a sentence behind depending on how fast people are speaking. So I didn’t hear half of what everybody will think was me being treated rudely or me being disrespected.

And that’s why, you know, I didn’t react to any of that — and I wouldn’t have anyway. Even if I had heard it, I wouldn’t have. So you’re gonna hear me as I am. You may think I was disrespected; you may not. You may think I was treated rudely; you may not. But it was worth it. These are hugely important topics that we are enmeshed in here in heated times.

And I didn’t expect any agreement. I hoped for some. I hoped that there would be some sliver of commonality — and maybe there was. You’ll have to be the judge when you listen. But I’m gonna keep having these conversations in the days and weeks ahead because this stuff can’t go on, and I don’t expect talk to solve anything.

But, by the same token, I also wanted to make sure that these people in The Breakfast Club — because they were where I was told to go to reach the mass numbers possible. I wanted them to hear from me personally rather than have it constructed by “media watchdogs” who take things out of context and so forth just to stir things up. From that standpoint, it was worth it.

The bottom line, folks, is that I am eager and excited to somehow get across the point of view that there isn’t just one group of bad actors out there that’s responsible for all of this. There are bad actors in every group of human beings, no matter how you group them. There are bad cops; there are bad lawyers; there’s bad doctors; there’s bad politicians; there’s bad radio people.

But it doesn’t mean every single cop is a killer or a racist. It doesn’t mean that every white person is a racist. It doesn’t mean that every Republican is a racist — and those kinds of generalizations tick me off. So the question is: How do you fix this? How do you fix it? Well, you’ll hear their answer to that. You’ll hear what their solution is, the people on The Breakfast Club.

You’ll hear their solution to the current problem — which is just a continuation, in their view, of an ongoing, never-ending problem that began two years ago. But, by the same token, there’s no justification for the rioting and the looting and the destruction of private property — even though blue state governors, blue state mayors are making the case for it.

You know, the thing that continues to amaze me all of this is happening in blue states. Blue states are Democrat-run! That’s supposed to be utopia, right? The Democrats are supposed to fix all these grievances for all of their constituents. And yet after 200 years, 400 years, after 50 years, the same complaints are being uttered — the same grievances and the same unhappiness, and the same reasons for anger.

How did the Democrats get away with not solving anything and then, beyond that, how do they get away with blaming it on people who have very little to do with it? And then how, beyond that, do they avoid being held accountable? Minneapolis is run by Democrat mayors. Minnesota has been Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for who knows how long.

How in the world do Republicans have anything to do with what’s going on there? These are all things that are relevant for discussion. Anyway, I gotta take a brief time-out. That’s coming up at 2 o’clock today. It’s not an interview. It’s a conversation between me, Charlamagne tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee at The Breakfast Club, and I just want to warn you: If my staff is any indication, you are going to be mad at certain aspects of it.

But try to be bigger. Try to overcome it. Try to rise up, ladies and gentlemen, and hear what really happened.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: A minor correction. I misspoke. It’s DJ Envy, not Dr. Envy. I simply got that wrong. It’s Charlamagne tha God, Julie Yee, and DJ Envy. Those are the three… Angela Yee. I’m sorry. Angela Yee. Incorrect name on the woman. Angela Yee, Charlamagne tha God, and DJ Envy.

Now, folks, again it airs at 2 o’clock, and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about it.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: transcript; wasitthough
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1 posted on 06/01/2020 1:03:00 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Rush is not going to change any minds...Closed minds never change.


2 posted on 06/01/2020 1:06:00 PM PDT by dpetty121263
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To: Kaslin

Three people believing in fallacies, not thinking, and Rush trying to make nice equals terrible radio.


3 posted on 06/01/2020 1:06:04 PM PDT by Vision (Obama corrupted, sought to weaken and fundamentally change America; he didn't plan on being stopped.)
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To: Kaslin

The lame 80s movie?


4 posted on 06/01/2020 1:06:09 PM PDT by xp38
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To: Kaslin

I lasted about 10 minutes.


5 posted on 06/01/2020 1:06:22 PM PDT by truthkeeper (All Trump Has Going for Him is the Votes)
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To: Kaslin

Bttt


6 posted on 06/01/2020 1:07:21 PM PDT by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
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To: Kaslin

Sounds like RL took the bait and jumped right up into the boat.

It’s early days .. color me skeptical.


7 posted on 06/01/2020 1:08:29 PM PDT by tomkat
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To: Kaslin

Good grief. Race is not the issue in this. However, the lack of cultural roots and being captured as a result by Democrats and sin is what is dooming black people.

People need to separate the crime of the cop from the actual African issue in America, they are separate problems. One is about government know it all thuggery, the other is a propensity for a group of people who have no one to speak to other than government


8 posted on 06/01/2020 1:09:21 PM PDT by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security in hatse:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
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To: Kaslin

“And you look at the face of the cop involved in the video and the three who stood around and weren’t doing anything. And you just wonder, how stupid can you be, do you not realize what you’re doing? I’m not even sure it was racial with this cop. It might have been, but it could have been just some sort of a power trip. You know, people had their iPhone cameras pointed at him and he’s looking back at them with almost a dare on his face.”

There was something wrong in that dude’s eyes.


9 posted on 06/01/2020 1:10:28 PM PDT by LouieFisk
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To: dpetty121263

Perhaps what is doing is preventing anyone from being swayed by then media insanity.


10 posted on 06/01/2020 1:12:17 PM PDT by billyboy15
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To: truthkeeper

That is about all I could take.


11 posted on 06/01/2020 1:13:00 PM PDT by odawg
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To: Kaslin
It was a pointless exercise.

Millionaire black leftists talking about how "oppressed" they are and that the USA is the 'problem' for black people. They are also defending the looters as 'victims', while regurgitating meaningless platitudes about so-called "white supremacy".

There is no use in trying to build any bridges with people who have this type of mentality.

12 posted on 06/01/2020 1:13:02 PM PDT by American Infidel (Instead of vilifying success, try to emulate it)
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To: Vision

Indeed. Rush is erring big time in a trap. It fuels the false narrative that this was a race hate crime when it is not. it is typical big government know it all expert thuggery.

The only other aspect is the propensity of black people to alienate everyone due to their uprootedness and finding only government as the entity to talk to or resort to. In fact the victim waited for the cops for answers

This is ridiculous. Rush is building safe spaces which will become black concentration camps


13 posted on 06/01/2020 1:13:06 PM PDT by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security in hatse:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
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To: Kaslin

Rush has a good heart and has embraced Jesus and Christian virtues. I missed his radio show today but the excerpt Kaslin posted shows how fine a man Rush is. He wants to reach out to all Americans and he wants to understand and help all, including minorities and political groups on the left as well as on the right.


14 posted on 06/01/2020 1:13:46 PM PDT by RicocheT (Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.)
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To: American Infidel
There is no use in trying to build any bridges with people who have this type of mentality.

Amen
Better to dig a moat, then mine it.

15 posted on 06/01/2020 1:16:48 PM PDT by tomkat
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To: dpetty121263

He’s changed a hell of a lot of them over the years.


16 posted on 06/01/2020 1:17:47 PM PDT by RedStateRocker (Nuke Mecca. Deport all illegals. Abolish the DEA, IRS and ATF,.)
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To: Kaslin

NICE! THANKS!


17 posted on 06/01/2020 1:18:19 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: Kaslin

NICE! THANKS!


18 posted on 06/01/2020 1:18:19 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: American Infidel

Indeed, the pure souled victim mentality is a feminist princess mentality these millionaire hypocrite blacks milk out. Let us not forget the Nazi had a similar argument on the pure white race

Enough of making them experts because of their cultural “status” . Everyone has been a victim of police, tax abuse etc everyone has a say in this. A race centered discussion is most toxic


19 posted on 06/01/2020 1:18:21 PM PDT by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security in hatse:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
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To: Kaslin
For a long time I have said Conservatives should shun MSM interviews because Conservatives falsely believe they're going to be treated fairly and with respect. I believe even Limbaugh has taken this position.

Rush seemed to believe he could find common ground with these people by agreeing the white cop killed George Floyd.

I believe this was a blunder for Limbaugh who is now going to endlessly defend this debate as productive and necessary.

This should be a 'teachable moment' for Conservatives. Stop trying to 'reach out' and have a dialogue with people who hate you.

20 posted on 06/01/2020 1:18:36 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
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