Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rush Limbaugh, Talk Radio

PEACE IN THE WORKS?

Why Rush - Arnold Feud May Soon Cool







*** With Exclusive Limbaugh Interview Below ***


Is this a real battle, or one designed to feed the mainstream media's insatiable appetite for public conflict?

While California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and talk titan Rush Limbaugh may have launched a few verbal missiles from one coast to the other in recent days, emerging signs of an end to this mini- Cold War are now on the horizon.

That's according to Limbaugh himself, who provided exclusive details to your Radio Equalizer late last night. With some listeners (and callers) wondering why Rush's on- air response seemed so subdued, we put the question to him directly. More on that below.

In addition, RushLimbaugh.com has just announced that the Governator himself will be making a special appearance on today's program, scheduled for 1pm EDT. Could a peace offering be in the works?


Today's on- air summit, which is sure to draw a huge audience, was sparked by Arnold's contention in a network interview that El Rushbo is "irrelevant". Here's the original Los Angeles Times item that exploded across the Internet yesterday:

Schwarzenegger Calls Rush Limbaugh Irrelevant


"All irrelevant. Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I am not his servant." - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning on the "Today Show," speaking to Campbell Brown.

During the one-on-one interview the Republican-registered California governor was asked about criticism from Limbaugh and other conservatives that he has become a Democrat in disguise for supporting stem-cell research, mandatory curbs on carbon dioxide emissions and universal health care.

Schwarzenegger said he is "the people's servant of California. What they call me - Democrat or Republican or in the center, this and that - that is not my bottom line. This is for them to talk about."

In recent weeks, Limbaugh has complained the Schwarzenegger's views on global warming are "no different than what Greenpeace would say." When the governor called a proposed $12 billion levy on hospitals, doctors and health plans a "loan, because it ... goes back to health care," Limbaugh couldn't stop laughing on the air. He said Schwarzenegger's rhetorical spin was no different than former President Bill Clinton calling tax increases "investments."

Limbaugh, it should be noted, has always been cautious about Schwarzenegger. In August 2003, during the recall election, Limbaugh told his listeners: "Hear me now and believe me later, my friends. All these conservative orgasms over Arnold Schwarzenegger are ... fake."

Limbaugh said Schwarzenegger was a closet liberal who supported abortion, gay adoption and gun control, and recoiled at comparisons to former President Ronald Reagan. "This guy may be the next actor elected governor of California, but that's where the similarity between him and Reagan ends."

And, from the official transcripts, here is some of Rush's response:

RUSH: Yes, a one-on-one interview today on the Today Show. Arnold is appearing on the Today show a lot lately, and every time he appears on the Today Show, he's asked about me! Every time he's on the Today show, whoever it is -- Matt Lauer, today it was Campbell Brown, it could be Meredith Vieira, it could even could be Al Joker out there doing the weather at 30 Rock -- they throw something up at Arnold that I have said recently, and it happened today.

He called me "irrelevant." He said he's "not my servant," and I don't know how it is I can be irrelevant when every time he shows up on the Today Show they ask him about me! I'm just sure he's sick and tired of hearing about it. He's sick and tired of getting the questions. The last time he was asked about me, he was very diplomatic.

He said (Arnold impression), "Vell, ve still smoke stogies togethah," and so forth, and that would provide a bridge for common ground and so forth and so on. But here is the governor of the largest state acknowledging me, while claiming all this time that I am "irrelevant." They had this exchange, Campbell Brown with Governor Schwarzenegger.

BROWN: Rush Limbaugh is saying that you're not really a Republican. You're a Democrat pretending to be a Republican. Why?

SCHWARZENEGGER: Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I'm not his servant. I am the people's servant of California. What they call me, if it's a Democrat or a Republican or in the center or I changed or this or that, that's not my bottom line. This is for them to talk about.

RUSH: All right. Now, I could be charitable in this and I could say, "When he calls me 'irrelevant,' not irrelevant as a human or irrelevant as a media figure or irrelevant as a conservative. What I say is irrelevant because he doesn't care, is what he might mean." That's being charitable. He's just calling me irrelevant because he doesn't care what I say or anybody else says. I'm irrelevant in terms of determining the future course of the state of California because that's his job. I could be charitable and take it that way, and since I'm one of good cheer and optimism and I basically think Arnold's a nice guy, I choose to take it that way.

I don't think that Arnold is referring to me as "irrelevant," as a has-been, as a passer-by, as a human being or what have you. I'm getting looks of doubt from Mr. Snerdley. You have a different interpretation of this? (interruption)

Well, come on! Snerdley says the question's wrong. Once you say, "Rush Limbaugh is saying you're not really Republican..." Well, that's true. To these people in the Drive-By Media, Republican and conservative equals the same thing. I have said he's not a conservative -- and, by the way, I want to remind all of you people in California, from the get-go I have told you he was not a conservative. He's a good guy, but he's not a conservative. He's a Republican.

There are a lot of Republicans who aren't conservatives. He's conservative on some things, although much fewer as time has gone on. But, folks, let me tell you why this is important. Governor Schwarzenegger ran for office as a conservative after the recall of the dry and dull Gray Davis. He was subject of many hit pieces in the Drive-By Media out there. The LA Times tried to destroy him with all these womanizing stories and so forth, and it actually drew people to him because he's a likable figure and has an image and a reputation forged on celluloid in Hollywood movies.

Now, here's the truth of the matter. Arnold Schwarzenegger has done the typical sellout move. He has sold out, and there are too many conservatives selling out these days. You can find 'em all over Washington, DC. I want to remind you that one of the problems I have is people ask me all the time, "Have you chosen a Republican presidential candidate?" I answer, "Not yet," and one of the things I'm concerned about is there's not one Reagan conservative in the bunch -- which is okay, but then don't tell me that there is.

Don't tell me that candidate A -- be it Giuliani or Mitt Romney or McCain or whoever else -- is the new Reagan. There isn't a Reagan out there. There was one Reagan. We can dream that there might be another. We can't be imprisoned by that, but conservatism is what it is. Conservatism is not subject to redefinition on the basis of presidential candidates who are 30% conservative, 40%, 50%, whatever percent conservative they are. That's not the new conservatism, at least it won't be for me -- and that is my point. They're good guys, they're Republicans, but they're not conservatives. I happen to be a conservative and I happen to be oriented toward conservative triumph, and conservatism won't triumph if we water it down and dilute it and say that people are 60% conservative or whatever, happen to be the definition of new conservative.

The Democrats would love that, and the Drive-By Media would love, if we conservatives begin to give up our principles and water it down on the basis, "Well, there isn't another Reagan," or on the basis that we can't win as conservatives.

That has been disproven over and over again by actual experience from Ronald Reagan forward. It is when Republicans do not campaign as conservatives that they lose. Witness November of 2006, witness any previous election where Republican conservatives failed to govern as conservatives or campaign in the future as conservatives. They paid the price. This is what Schwarzenegger is doing, and to me, it's worth pointing out. This is akin to what happened in 1976 with Ford versus Reagan. Reagan came along; he was a conservative. Gerald Ford represented the country club blue-blood wing of the Republican Party.

Of course everybody says Reagan had this 11th Commandment, "Thou shalt not attack another Republican." It didn't exist when he was campaigning against Gerald Ford. It was a close race. Of course, Ford won at that convention. It was in Detroit. But it all set the stage for Reagan ending up out of that convention more popular than Ford was and set up the 1980 landslide over Jimmy Carter. So what happens when Schwarzenegger or other former conservatives sell out, is they attract a certain percentage of people who will vote for them because of party identification.

So he stays a Republican but starts talking like a liberal Democrat. Well, some Republicans obviously will stay with him on the basis of party loyalty, and then he can attract some liberal Democrats as well, because he's actually sounding and proposing things -- like, remember, this new tax increase that he proposed, he was going to call it loans. There's a little blog at the LATimes.com today. Who was the author of this? It could be Robert Salladay.

At any rate, it talks about Arnold referring to me as "irrelevant" today, and then the guy writes this: "In recent weeks, Limbaugh has complained that Schwarzenegger's views on global warming are 'no different than what Greenpeace would say.' When the governor called a proposed $12 billion levy on hospitals, doctors and health plans a 'loan, because it ... goes back to health care,' Limbaugh couldn't stop laughing on the air. He said Schwarzenegger's rhetorical spin was no different than former President Bill Clinton calling tax increases 'investments,'" and he points out here I've always been cautious about Schwarzenegger and his conservative credentials.

I know Arnold. I have smoked stogies with Arnold, and I like Arnold! He's an engaging, friendly, nice guy. But that's why I always said, "Folks, when you're in a position, as I am, a national commentator, the one thing you can't do is become friends with these politicians." When you become friends with them, you can't criticize your friends. When they become part of your traveling gang or your inner circle, they are insulated from criticism, and that's not going to help me and that's not what I'm here for, is to make friends with these people.

So this is a sellout, and I'm seeing way too many Republicans do it, and it's not good for conservatism -- which is where my loyalty lies, not with the Republican Party. It just happens to be the Republican Party is the home base of conservatism, but the entire party, of course, is not. I don't know what happened to Arnold.

He obviously didn't have the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as Reagan did, because if he had the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as Reagan did, then he would have stayed conservative, but he felt like he was unable to do that and so in order to get reelected and become popular and be liked and so forth, he broomed conservatism and became a liberal while calling himself a Republican.

Here at the Radio Equalizer, however, we agreed with callers who wondered why Rush was so polite in the face of Arnold's public slam. Even worse, wasn't Limbaugh actually making excuses for the governor's behavior?

Putting these questions directly to Limbaugh himself, your Radio Equalizer got this response:

BRIAN MALONEY: Rush, I heard the show today and read the transcript as well. I think the lingering question some of us have is this: why did you choose to be so polite in the face of Arnold's nastiness?

Do you really believe he needed to be quite so blunt in order to get the press off his back? Aren't there more diplomatic ways to handle this, considering 100% of his GOP base is probably made up of Rush fans?


RUSH LIMBAUGH: Hmmm... What was I supposed to do, start calling him names and attacking him?

I remember in mid- 1994, after the GOP won back the House. I called Clinton irrelevant a number of times. He actually said, in a press conference, "I am not irrelevant," no doubt responding to me without mentioning my name. But it bugged him, as evidenced by his replying to it.

I didn't hit Arnold personally because it is not my style and doing so is too easy. I opted to hit his policies and his betrayal of conservatism. I think that is hitting pretty hard.

All that having been said, you would be mistaken if you don't think I hit back hard. I hit back on his selling out his conservatism, his laughable attempt to to call tax increases for universal health care for kids in California as "loans," and said that "Arnold's wing of the Republican party is not the future of the Republican Party," just as Gerald Ford's wasn't in 1976.

I stood up for conservatism and said I would not allow someone who says they are conservative, but are not, to redefine it. I debunked Arnold's definition of compromise when I called him a sell out.

I have always resisted contrived rivalries as a programming technique. I despise them to this day when I see media hosts initiate them to get attention. That is NOT classy. I also don't interpret what Arnold said as nasty.

I truly believe he was saying I am "irrelevant" because I am not a Californian and because he is tired of having my name thrown at him each time he is on the Today show.

Look, Brian, there is too much of this host vs somebody crap going on out there simply as a programming technique or tool. I don't do it and never have. Besides, everyone takes shots at me. I don't have time to care about the small fry because that crowd is constantly baiting me, but Arnold is an elected governor and so it is a bit different.

But I just view this as the league I play in, where criticism and sniping are the norm. I can take it. Things people say about me which aren't true I ignore, let them bounce off.

And I am not irrelevant, as this episode clearly demonstrates.


BRIAN MALONEY: It's possible that some of us weren't listening carefully enough or missed some of the nuance behind your response. But it also seems this answer clarifies to a greater extent your real goal: fire back in a dignified manner.


RUSH LIMBAUGH: Brevity is the soul of wit. You nailed it with "fire back in a dignified manner."

Thanks to Rush for the interview. In the meantime, regardless of how this ultimately plays out, one thing is clear: this has got to be good for the ratings!


UPDATE: RushLimbaugh.com has now posted the transcript of today's interview segment. Initially a polite and cordial exchange, the two became a bit testy toward the end, especially when Rush challenged Arnold over his recent habit of caving into the Democrat Party's demands.


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Total Sellout: RushLimbaugh.com, second Rush image: AP