Rush versus Reality 2000

This is a compilation of errors made by Rush Limbaugh during the year 2000.

For a look at Rush's current errors, go to:

http://communities.msn.com/RushversusReality

Rush vs Reality 2000

The following is a partial list of errors and outright fabrications broadcast during the year 2000 to a mostly unquestioning and pliant audience on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

Partial because this is only what I've personally heard, and since I only catch about one-third of EIB's 15 weekly broadcast hours, the list is certainly a fraction of what it could be.

But even a fraction of the truth is more than Rush Limbaugh offers his Dittoheads. As you will see….

Enjoy...shake your head in disbelief...laugh...& remember, as Rush is fond of reminding us: words mean something.

To document Rush's errors, I use legitimate, verifiable, looney-free sources primarily from the internet and post the internet address where I found the documentation. But since not every web page remains available on the internet indefinitely, I've also saved them here in this MSN Communities Web Page's "Files." So when you see a cite like [Files/RvR 2000 /Oct 07 xxxx] it means a webpage file documentation is available to view if the internet link is no longer valid--- just click "Files" on the left column of this page to find it.

Cites from Rush's own webpage aren't given internet addres links because when he updates his page daily, Rush removes the evidence from the prior day. But you can find them here.

Rush also posts audio clips of his show. If a file cite begins with "LISTEN:" it means you can hear what Rush said by going to "Files" and clicking on the appropriate file. You'll need an audio program to listen, but it should work automatically. The "Sound Recorder" program included in Windows 95/98 works, or you can use Windows Media Player or other similar program. To download Windows Media Player: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/default.asp

Charles Kenner

December 19, 2000

RUSH: Electricity shortages in California prompted Rush to lambaste Clinton Administration Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's recent assertion that the problem was exacerbated by Congressional failure to pass relevant energy legislation. "The reason there is a problem, Mr. Richardson, with electricity in California is not because Congress didn’t pass one of your silly bills," Rush explained, "It’s because the population of California has doubled over the last ten years and you haven’t built any new power plants out there. It’s that simple! And you haven’t built any new power plants because you have been allowed to be played (sic) like a Stradivarius by the environmentalist wackos. There are no new power generation plants of any kind: Zip. Zero. None! You can’t double the population of a land mass the size of California in ten years and not have some energy problems arise!" [LISTEN: Files/Audio 2000/ Dec19 Rush Calif Power.wav]

REALITY: Another Rush double-prey on the truth --- two errors in one statement: First, California’s population is indeed growing, but it didn’t "double" (100% increase) in the last ten years. Not even close. The US Census Bureau lists California’s 1990 population at 29,811,427. The State’s 1999 population was 33,145,121. Thus, in the 10-year period 1990-1999, California’s population grew by 3,333,694---or 11.2%. http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/st-99-2.txt or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec19 Calif Population]

Second, Rush was also wrong about the construction of new power generation plants in California. Many were built there in the last decade. A press release from the California Energy Commission, describing a State grant program to encourage renewable energy projects, cited at least nine operational plants built since 1998 alone: "The New Renewable Resources Account contains $162 million to support prospective new renewable electricity generation projects built in California after September 26, 1996….In June 1998, potential projects competed in an auction….there were 55 winning bidders in the auction….Winners were required to pass six post-auction project development and construction milestones and become operational before receiving any payments. As of February 1, 2000, nine projects have passed all six milestones and are operational. These projects have generated more than 107 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy and been paid more than $1.2 million in production incentives. Thirteen projects are expected to come on-line during 2000, and the remaining 31 projects are scheduled to become operational in 2001." [Note: 2 bidders dropped out]. http://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/new_renewables.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec19 Calif Power Renewable Energy]

Several more conventional power plants are under construction and near completion, including the Sutter Power Plant, as described in this Energy-Tech On-Line news release: "SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2000--San Jose, Calif.-based Calpine Corporation (NYSE:CPN) announced it has entered into an agreement to provide the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) with a five-year supply of electricity from its 545-megawatt Sutter Power Plant, currently under construction in Sutter County, north of Sacramento, Calif. Calpine will provide 150 megawatts of electricity to SMUD's growing customer base beginning with plant start-up in the summer of 2001…. Sutter is one of several natural gas-fired energy centers that Calpine is developing which will help alleviate energy shortages and accelerate retirement of the state's aging power fleet. In northern California alone, Calpine currently produces 1,322 net megawatts of electricity, with 1,045 megawatts under construction and an additional 740 megawatts in announced development in northern California." http://www.energypubs.com/news/n000357.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec19 Calif Power Plants Sutter]

In addition, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) website lists three of its power plants as being completed within the last ten years: in 1995 (100 megawatts), 1997 (120 megawatts), and 1997 (160 megawatts) http://www.smud.org/info/profile.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec19 Calif Power Plants SMUD]

Presumably, searches of the dozens (if not hundreds) of other utility companies in California would uncover many other recently constructed power plants. If Rush was launching a preemptive strike at the widely expected backlash, in California and elsewhere, against the State's 1998 decision to deregulate power producers, he shorted out.

Rush Limbaugh: Power Fool.

December 18, 2000

RUSH: While approving the appointments of Condeleeza Rice and Colin Powell to posts in the Bush administration, Rush blasted civil rights coalitions for supporting affirmative action: "Any black conservative that comes along and shows that you can get to the top---reach the pinnacle of your profession---without the recipes of affirmative action or anything else that the liberal wing of the Democratic Party says is a must, threatens the viability of the coalition. For every Clarence Thomas that succeeds, the theory goes that young black kids in America will be looking at that and say, 'wait a minute, I thought I had to go through Jesse Jackson or I thought I had to go through affirmative action or I thought I had to be a big Democrat in order to be successful.' And yet here's Condoleezza Rice, and here's Clarence Thomas, and here's Dr. Thomas Sowell -- there's a whole bunch of Black conservatives doing very very well, that had nothing to do with the prescriptions of the civil rights coalition." [LISTEN: Files/Audio 2000/ Dec18 Affirmative Action.wav]

REALITY: While Rush may think that affirmative action never benefited Condoleezza Rice, she doesn’t share that view. A New York Times article published following her appointment as National Security Advisor ("Woman in the News: Condoleezza Rice" Dec 18, 2000), observed: In 1993, she became the youngest, the first female and the first nonwhite provost at Stanford. (In 1997, Rice) was quoted as telling a Stanford faculty meeting, "I myself am the beneficiary of a Stanford strategy that took affirmative action seriously." http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/18/politics/18COND.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec18 Condoleezza Rice]

Rush was also incorrect in pronouncing Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas untainted by affirmative action. The Dean of the Yale Law School is quoted as saying that Justice Thomas got into Yale Law School on an affirmative action program. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/july-dec98/thomas_7-29.html

Furthermore, a Northwestern University biography of Justice Thomas concludes: "Although he has opposed racial preference and affirmative action programs, he nonetheless benefited from them. As a young student, Thomas entered the College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit institution in Massachusetts, after the school began a black recruitment program. Thomas was the beneficiary of a similar minority program a few years later at Yale Law School." http://oyez.nwu.edu/justices/justices.cgi?justice_id=106&page=biography or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec18 Clarence Thomas]

Rush Limbaugh: Quota Bull.

December 7, 2000

RUSH: With George W. Bush clinging to a 537 vote margin in Florida and the nation awaiting the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling on Al Gore’s election contest appeal, Rush chimed in with his own unique analysis. "He’s got a 537 point (sic) lead. They need 538 votes, and they think they can get them if they can just get their hands on these 10,300 that the machines spit out. And I want to reiterate the machine spit them out because they are illegal or irregular. They’ve got two votes for president on them or something else disqualifies them. That’s why---and nobody has alleged otherwise, folks---not even Gore through Boies and the legal team has alleged that these are legitimate votes that have somehow failed to be counted. Nobody’s saying that." [LISTEN: Files/Audio 2000/ Dec07 Faulty Votes.wav]

REALITY: A Rush double-prey on the truth, folks. Two Rush errors in one statement (three if you count "points," but who’s counting?)

1) The contest over disputed ballots did not involve "illegal" ballots in which votes were cast for two Presidential candidates. Double votes are clearly illegal and could never be tallied in a recount. As a November 18^th CNN report noted: The hand count in Palm Beach County will include an examination of 10,311 ballots that registered blank on the vote for president when they were run through a machine. Another 19,147 ballots had more than one hole punched for president. A sample of 144 of the double-punched ballots counted by the Canvassing Board found 80 punched for both Buchanan and Gore. [http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/18/election.florida.tempers.reut/] or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec07 Double Votes]

Even a George W. Bush attorney, Phillip Beck, while questioning a witness in the contest trial, confirmed this. From a December 4^th CNN report: "During his questioning, Beck asked about so-called undervotes, or punch-card ballots that were not clearly marked for either presidential candidate. Undervotes consist of a significant portion of the 14,000 disputed ballots that are at issue. The Gore campaign believes that many of the undervote ballots were actually votes for the vice president. The Bush campaign attorney appeared to blame the punch-card ballot system -- not voter error -- for the undervotes." [http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/12/04/gore.contest/] or [Files/RvR 2000/ Dec07 Legit Votes]

2) As for questioning Gore’s position on the "legitimacy" of the uncounted votes, this was truly bizzare, even for Rush. The basis for Gore’s challenge in Florida was precisely that legitimate votes not counted by machines could change the outcome of the election. Yet Rush absurdly charged that nobody---not even Gore attorney David Boies---asserted these votes were legitimate. From the same December 4^th CNN report cited above: The attorney, David Boies, said the Democrats believe hundreds of legitimate votes for Gore were missed. "There are ballots that the machine cannot read but from which voter intent can be discerned by manual review," Boies said.

Rush Limbaugh: legitimate buffoon.

December 5, 2000

RUSH: While denouncing the Florida Supreme Court as it prepared to hear Vice President Gore's appeal of a lower court ruling in his election contest suit, Rush saw a connection between Liberal political philosophy and the Courts: "Liberals…want control of the courts…they know that whatever it is of their beliefs and their philosophy has not found it's way into the fabric of American society via legislation, for the most part." While conceding that there were "exceptions," Rush felt they were rarities. "Of course some Liberalism, some Liberal ideas, have passed in the normal legislative process, but the vast majority of great Liberal ideas become law by virtue of activist judges simply proclaiming it so!" [LISTEN: Files/Audio 2000/ Dec05 Liberal Judges]

REALITY: Perhaps someone who speaks of a George W. Bush mandate---after the closest election in memory and after the Texas Governor lost the national popular vote---can be expected to have a different understanding of "vast majority" than normal people. Still, while some Liberal objectives have come by way of court action (abortion rights and curbs on government authority, e.g., Miranda, come to mind), it is simply absurd to suggest that the "vast majority of great Liberal ideas" Americans enjoy and take for granted came about solely by judicial fiat. Off the top of my head, here are some great Liberal ideas and programs, covering almost every aspect of life, that came not via the courts, but by legislation:

Civil Rights, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation, Disability Benefits, Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), Child Labor laws, Voting Rights Act, Environmental Protection, Public Housing, Aid to Education, Head Start, National School Lunch Program, Consumer Protection laws, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Anti-Trust laws, Freedom of Information Act, Auto Safety, Americans With Disabilities Act, Food Stamps, Peace Corps, VISTA, National Endowment for the Arts, Public Broadcasting, Minority Business Development Agency (Dept. of Commerce), Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Federal Child Care subsidies, Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Student Loans, Hate Crimes laws, Federal Highway & Mass Transit Funding, EPA Superfund, Maternal and Child Health federal grants.

Undoubtedly, many more "Liberal" statutory programs are out there.

Rush Limbaugh: A majority of none.

November 9, 2000

RUSH: Trying to minimize the reported disenfranchisement of over 20,000 Palm Beach (Florida) Gore voters who on election day, because of a faulty ballot design, either invalidated their ballots or voted for Pat Buchanan by mistake, Rush countered with his own outrage. He charged that early network projections that Gore had carried Florida affected conservative "Panhandle" voters who live in the Central time zone. "No attempt was ever made to search out people in the Panhandle region of Florida, many of whom are Republican up there," he scowled. "No effort was made to reach out and search out those people and ask them how many stayed home because the networks wrongly and prematurely called their State for Gore while the polls in that area were still open." [LISTEN: Files/ Audio 2000/ Nov09 Rush Rant]

REALITY: The polls closed at 7:00 p.m. central time (8:00 p.m. eastern) in the Panhandle region of Florida. When the polls closed in the rest of Florida at 7:00 p.m. eastern, none of the networks immediately projected a winner. They couldn’t have because the service every network uses for their vote projections (Voter News Service) didn’t send its projection to the networks until 7:52 pm (6:52 pm central—only eight minutes before the "Panhandle" polls closed).

As recounted by ABC News: …the expert vote counters who work for all the networks in New York, Voter News Service, sent this message at 7:52 p.m. ET: "In Florida, presidential: Gore wins." http://abcnews.go.com/onair/WorldNewsTonight/wnt001108_projecting_feature.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Nov09 ABC News]

It then took each network at least a minute or two to evaluate the data accompanying the VNS report and decide whether to make the announcement. Therefore, Rush’s scenario of thousands of lost Bush votes from the Panhandle is pure bunk. Any Florida Panhandle Bush voters who "stayed home" because of the network projections had to be home watching TV with five or fewer minutes left until the polls closed. So even if they were planning to vote, they probably would have been stopped for speeding on the way to the polls and missed out anyway.

Rush Limbaugh: the real vote fraud.

October 30, 2000

RUSH: In a fittingly ironic segment he called The Truth About Polls, Rush implied that the current polls showing Gore leading in California were biased against George W. Bush. As evidence, Rush cited two California polls published just weeks before the 1996 election showing Clinton with large leads over Bob Dole: "A Newsweek survey found Clinton leading 52-29% over Dole, and Perot getting 8%. A separate CNN/USA Today poll placed Clinton's lead at 55-32, with 8% for Perot." Rush pointed out that the actual vote was very different. "Now, we know how the election turned out. It wasn't a 20-plus-point win. It was an eight-point win." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct30 Calif 1996 Vote]

REALITY: While Clinton’s actual margin in California was less than suggested by those polls, it wasn’t nearly as small as Rush claimed, either. Clinton won California by almost 13%, not Rush’s 8% margin. Rush was off by over 50%.

The Federal Election Commission webpage recounts the major candidates’ 1996 California totals:

Clinton, Bill (D) 5,119,835 (51.10%)

Dole, Bob (R) 3,828,380 (38.21%)

Perot, Ross (REF) 697,847 (6.96%) http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/presge.htm

Rush Limbaugh: America's margin of error.

October 27, 2000

RUSH: Musing over whether appearances by President Clinton during the final weeks of the campaign will help Democratic candidates, Rush expressed his doubts. "Clinton doesn't have this major vote-getting power the media attributes to him," Rush explained. "Of the universe of registered voters, only 28% voted for Clinton's re-election, because only about 49% of registered voters voted at all, and of the total who did vote, Clinton only won 49%." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct27 1996 Votes]

REALITY: Where to begin? Let’s start with the bad math and then move on to the facts. Rush claimed "only 28%" voted for Clinton because only 49% of registered voters participated, and Clinton only got 49% of that total. Assuming those numbers are correct (they’re not), Clinton would have received 24% (not Rush’s 28%). Doing the math: 49% x 49% = 24%.

As to the facts, according to the Federal Election Commission, there were 146,211,960 registered voters in the 1996 election. Of those, 96,456,345 voted in the presidential election. So, 66% of registered voters (not 49%) participated in the 1996 presidential election. http://www.fec.gov/pages/96to.htm

Rush Limbaugh: it doesn't add up.

I know, I know. What he meant was 49% of eligibile voters. But he said "registered," and the math was wrong anyway. If he can't read a simple chart without screwing it up I'm going to call him on it.

October 27, 2000

RUSH: Perhaps this installment should be titled Rush vs. Rush instead. It began the prior night (Oct. 26) with Rush’s appearance on MSNBC. Responding to a question by anchor Brian Williams, Rush had some words to say about negative campaigning. He noted that "..negativity is part of the American political process. Well it is. It works. Negative ads work. For example, the Ed Asner Social Security stuff." [LISTEN: Files/ Audio 2000/ Oct27 Ed Asner Ad.wav]

REALITY: The very next day on his radio show (and posted on his website), Rush came to the opposite conclusion. In his "See I Told You So" segment, Rush alluded to a report that the Asner Social Security ad had stopped running. Never mind that he pronounced that same ad a success just the night before, Rush declared that yesterday's effective Asner ad was now suddenly a failure: "…the Algore campaign has pulled the Ed Asner phone calls out of circulation. This isn't working because, put simply, there is nothing positive in the Gore camp to balance all this stuff out." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct27 Asner Ad]

Rush Limbaugh: see, he told you so.

October 25, 2000

RUSH: Concerned that Al Gore’s rise in a couple of daily tracking polls was driven by his campaign’s focus on senior citizens, Rush went to work to blunt any inroads the Vice-President may have made with seniors. Rush announced: "…during his eight years as vice president, Gore has never proposed any legislation or plan that would ensure the financial viability of the Social Security system, and candidate Algore still hasn't." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct25 SS1]

REALITY: Accusing an eight-year sitting Vice-President of not "proposing" legislation is a little like criticizing one of the best pitchers in baseball, the Yankee's Mariano Rivera, for not pitching even one complete game all season! Senators, House members, and Presidents propose legislation, not Vice-Presidents. Nonetheless, candidate Al Gore has proposed a plan to ensure the viability of the Social Security program, and posted details of that plan on his campaign website.

The plan devotes all Social Security surpluses to Social Security and debt reduction, transferring the entire Social Security surplus ($2.3 trillion over ten years) to debt reduction and to improve Social Security. In 2011, the interest savings will be about $120 billion - all of which will be transferred to extend the solvency of Social Security. These interest savings transfers will grow to about $250 billion annually after 2015.

In addition, Gore proposes creating Retirement Savings Plus accounts, which would add to - not take away from - Social Security. They would not be the product of any reduction or diversion of Social Security revenues, and they would not involve any changes to the Social Security program. http://www.algore.com/social_security_and_retirement_security/ret_agenda2.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct25 SS2]

October 19, 2000

RUSH: After blaming the Clinton-Gore Administration for the stock market drop earlier in the week, Rush needed something to explain the sudden market upswing in the middle of the day on Wednesday, October 18^th. Rush had the answer: "What stopped the market slide yesterday? It was public enemy number one: Microsoft. They issued their earnings report, and their earnings are up." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct19 Microsoft1]

REALITY: Microsoft indeed issued its positive earnings report on October 18^th. However, that report couldn't have triggered the mid-afternoon market rally Rush described since the news was not released during the trading day. As reported by CNN: "Microsoft shares rose $1.31 to $51.75 in regular trade ahead of the earnings news, which was released after the markets closed."
http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/10/18/technology/earns_microsoft/index.htm or [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct19 Microsoft2]

Rush Limbaugh: America's bull market.

October 11, 2000

RUSH: Trying to counter lingering questions over Governor Bush's limited political experience---only six years as governor---compared to Al Gore's 24 years in the House, Senate and as Vice President, Rush informed his listeners that Senators rarely occupy the Oval Office. "Why you can count the number of Senators who became President on one hand," Rush revealed. "Actually, on two fingers."

REALITY: The following Presidents were former US Senators: James Monroe (VA), John Quincy Adams (MA), Andrew Jackson (TN), Martin Van Buren (NY), John Tyler (VA), Franklin Pierce (NH), James Buchanan (PA), Andrew Johnson (TN), Benjamin Harrison (OH), Warren Harding (OH), Harry Truman (MO), John Kennedy (MA), Lyndon Johnson (TX), Richard Nixon (CA). http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/presidents.html

Rush Limbaugh: send those fourteen-finger gloves to the EIB Network, NY, NY.

October 10, 2000

RUSH: Taking a breather from hammering away at Al Gore's veracity, Rush caught up on the Presidential polls. Rush noted, "A Reuters/Zogby Poll shows Bush up by a point. This is the first time he's ever led in this poll, folks." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct10 Zogby1]

REALITY: From March, 1999 until the Democratic convention in August 2000, Zogby published 19 separate Presidential polls. Bush led every one. http://www.zogby.com/features/featuredtables.dbm?ID=8 or [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct10 Zogby2]

Only in the Zogby Poll published August 20, 2000, which reflected Gore's convention "bounce" (Gore 44.1% - Bush 40.9%), did the Vice President first take a lead over Bush in a Zogby poll.

Rush Limbaugh: pollish joke.

October 3, 2000

RUSH: A caller praised Al Gore’s leadership in the passage of NAFTA. Naturally, Rush tried to minimize Gore’s role by attributing it to him being a dutiful Vice-President. He also downgraded Gore’s achievement by lauding the role Republicans played in the passage of NAFTA. Rush revealed: "As to NAFTA, Al Gore was the only Democrat in the Senate --- and he's there as the Vice-President --- who voted for it. Had it not been for Republicans, Clinton would have never gotten NAFTA passed. In that case Gore was simply folowing through on his President's desires." [LISTEN:Files/ Audio 2000/ Oct03 NAFTA Vote.wav]

REALITY: A classic Rush double-prey on the truth. First, Al Gore was not the "only Democrat" to vote for NAFTA. Gore didn’t even vote on the bill. NAFTA passed in the Senate by a vote of 61-38, and the VP, as President of the Senate, only casts a vote when there’s a tie.

Second, more than one Democrat voted for NAFTA (Rush was only off by 23). According to Vote-Smart.com, on November 20, 1993, twenty-three Senate Democrats voted for NAFTA (HR 3450). The recorded vote can be found at http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/votes.phtml?func=all-party&voteid=384&style=

Rush Limbaugh: when you need to break a 61-38 tie.

October 2, 2000

RUSH: When a caller explained that he leaned towards Gore because George W. Bush reminded him of the Sheriff of Nottingham while Gore reminded him of Robin Hood, Rush the literary historian swung into action, reminding his listeners that Robin Hood didn’t "steal form the rich"---that was a modern-day Liberal misinterpretation. Rush revealed that Robin Hood stole not from the "rich," but from the English government! Rush observed, "Robin Hood was upset at the government: the government was taking things from the people that he didn't think was fair. He was taking from the government and giving that back to the poor." [Files/RvR 2000/ Oct02 Robin Hood]

REALITY: The exploits of Robin Hood and his band stealing from the rich (whether they be nobles, clergy, or tradesmen) is a constant theme running through the early literature (ballads and poems) on the subject, not recent left-wing revisionism. From perhaps the most prominent of the Robin Hood ballads, Martin Parker’s (died 1656) A True Tale of Robin Hood (line 55ff)

None rich durst travell to and fro,

Though nere so strongly armd,

But by these theeves, so strong in show,

They still were robd and harmd.

And from line 200ff:

Poore men might safely passe by him,

And some that way would chuse,

For well they knew that to helpe them

He evermore did use.

But where he knew a miser rich,

That did the poore oppresse,

To feele his coyne his hand did itch;

Hee'de have it, more or lesse.

And sometimes, when the high-way fayld,

Then he his courage rouses;

He and his men have oft assayld

Such rich men in their houses. ttp://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/true.htm

Rush Limbaugh: on the whole, a sorrye arse, bigge tyme.

September 29, 2000

RUSH: In the ignoble tradition of "I invented the Internet," "I was the model for Love Story," and "I discovered Love Canal," Rush fabricated another Al Gore quote, then proceeded to criticized him for what he didn’t say. Rush proclaimed, "On Larry King Live Thursday night, Algore sucked up to media types everywhere, saying the first thing he'd do as president would be to send the McCain-Feingold bill to Congress. He also said, by the way, that he'd supported McCain-Feingold since 1976. This is another stupid, easily refuted lie. McCain was in the Navy back then. The bill didn't even exist!" [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep29 Finance Reform1]

REALITY: There is a stupid, easily refuted lie here. Only it’s not what Gore said on Larry King, but Rush’s tortured account. Here’s CNN’s transcript from Larry King Live:

GORE: …I think we need to give our democracy back to the people and I'm serious about this, Larry. I have fought for this for 24 years. When I first went to the Congress in 1976, I supported this measure.

KING: There was no McCain-Feingold then, right?

GORE: No. I supported full public financing of federal elections to get all the special interest money out of it. But McCain-Feingold is the logical first step, and if you are for some more ambitious plan, save that for later, because we have the chance to really pass McCain-Feingold. http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/28/lkl.00.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep29 Finance Reform2] (segment is midway into the transcript)

Clearly, regarding the 1976 date, Gore was talking about his support for public financing of federal elections, and specifically clarified, in his answer to King’s question about whether he was talking about the McCain-Feingold bill. "No," Gore responded. "I supported full public financing…."

Rush Limbaugh: "I invented No = Yes."

September 28, 2000

RUSH: In denial over the prospect that the President’s recent decision to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) will work to reduce oil prices, Rush fell back on a bedrock conservative principle. "Any time government attempts to affect the free market, it fails. So tapping the SPR to help Algore's campaign will have the exact opposite effect on prices that the administration claims to want" [Files/RvR2000/ Sep28 Oil Reserves1]

REALITY: President Clinton’s decision on Friday, September 22, 2000 to release 30 million barrels of SPR crude significantly affected the "free market" in oil. As reported by CNN on the next trading day (Monday, Sept. 25): Oil is already well down from a post-Gulf War peak at $37.80 set last week and fell more than $1.30 in New York on Friday in anticipation U.S. oil reserves would be released. http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/09/25/economy/wires/oil_wg/index.htm or [Files/RvR2000/ Sep28 Oil Reserves2]

The downward trend continued, as Reuters reported on Thursday, Sept. 28: London Brent crude futures ended $1.28 a barrel down at $29.28 and U.S. light crude fell $1.12 to end at $30.34 a barrel. http://news.lycos.com/headlines/Business/article.asp?docid=RTBUSINESS-MARKETS-OIL-DC&date=20000928 or [Files/RvR2000/ Sep28 Oil Reserves3]

Ignoring Rush's absurd insistance that free markets cannot be affected by governmental action, Global oil prices dropped significantly since speculation arose over the US Government’s plans to release SPR oil---from a high of $37.80 to $29.28 (a 23% drop in one week).

Rush Limbaugh: a crude oil salesman.

September 25, 2000

RUSH: Downplaying the importance of a prescription drug plan for Medicare beneficiaries, Rush wondered if they really needed it? "After all," he declared, "People age 65 and older are far more wealthy than 35-40 year olds."

REALITY: Not if you measure wealth by income. The most recent Census Bureau statistics (Current Population Report -- Money Income in the US : 1995) show that while median income for the elderly is increasing, a wide disparity remains between their income levels and those of younger Americans. The median 1995 income for Americans age 65 and older was $19,096. The median income for 35-44 year olds (the closest category to Rush's 35-40 age bracket) was $43,465. http://www.census.gov/prod/2/pop/p60/p60-193.pdf [Table A, @ page 9 of the report - Acrobat Reader required]

Therefore, the median income of 35-44 year olds is over 127% higher than that of their elders.

Rush Limbaugh: when100% wrong just isn't enough.

September 22, 2000

RUSH: Dispelling any doubts that his proclivity for errors extends beyond the world of historical facts, Rush gave us a lesson in right-wing mathematics. Citing the Fox News Network’s website posting of a list of overnight White House guests, some of whom contributed to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Rush offered a deftly calculated observation (which he generously posted on his own website): "In any case, we now know that 404 people slept in the White House since July 1999. The list reads like a who's who of "the powerful, not the people," and includes a slew of Democratic fat cat donors. Folks, 404 people in 13 months is more than one guest a night in the White House." [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep22 Bedroom List1]

REALITY: The list released by the White House (cited by Fox), does not reflect "more than one guest a night" in the White House. That’s partly because it showed 404 people stayed over a period of 14 months (428 days), not 13 months as Rush asserted.

The Fox News Network story begins: "The people who stayed overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom and Camp David between July 1, 1999, and Aug. 31, 2000, according to a list released by the White House Friday" http://foxnews.com/elections/092200/bedroom_list.sml or [Files/Jul-Sep2000/ Sep22 Bedroom List2]

Fourteen months. July 1, 1999 – June 30, 2000 = 366 days (leap year). Add July & Aug 2000 (62 days). Total Days = 428. Guests = 404. Fewer than one per day.

Rush Limbaugh: someone you can always count on.

September 19, 2000

RUSH: When a news report questioned the basis of an Al Gore attack on drug pricing by pharmaceutical companies, Rush saw an opening. "Yesterday, The Boston Globe reported that Algore told seniors that his mother-in-law pays nearly three times as much for the same medicine his dog Shiloh uses. Today, his own aides admit the story was totally fabricated." [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep19 Drug Prices1] Needless to say, Rush did not identify the Gore "aides" who confessed to this fabrication.

REALITY: The Gore camp did not admit anything of the sort. A Reuters article, published the same day, set the record straight. But the Reuters reporter had an unfair advantage over Rush: an official source willing to be quoted. "The Gore camp stood by its story that the vice president's mother-in-law Margaret Ann Aitcheson paid more for the drug Lodine that it cost to buy the same drug for his black Labrador retriever…. Gore communications director Mark Fabiani called the spat "ridiculous" and said the campaign had verified the bills with both Aitcheson's doctor and pharmacist and with the family veterinarian…. The Gore campaign said Gore's mother-in-law pays $2.13 per capsule of Lodine, 232 percent more than Shiloh's version of the drug, which costs 92 cents per capsule." http://news.lycos.com/headlines/Politics/article.asp?docid=RTPOLITICS-CAMPAIGN-DOG-DC&date=20000919 or [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep19 Drug Prices2]

USA Today (Sept. 19, 2000) carried a similar account: "In Los Angeles, moments before Gore was to discuss a proposal to protect the privacy of medical information, spokesman Chris Lehane was asked about the prescription anecdote. Soon they were surrounded by other reporters, cameras and microphones. Lehane refused to say that the vice president had misspoken." http://www.usatoday.com/news/e98/e2717.htm or [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep19 Drug Prices3]

Rush Limbaugh: one sick puppy.

September 11, 2000

Although I was on vacation and didn’t actually hear the following comment, Rush was gracious enough to post it on his website weekend summary---CK.

RUSH: Angry at a quote attributed to actress Susan Sarandon accusing Governor Bush of having "blood on his hands" for the many executions he has presided over in Texas, Rush weighed in. "Well, I would like to remind the genius Susan Sarandon that Bill Clinton killed a lot more innocent people in the bombing of that pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan alone." [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep11 Sudan deaths1]

REALITY: While details about casualties involved in the Sudan pharmaceutical bombing remain sketchy, it is clear that "a lot" of innocent people were not killed in the attack.

A USA Today article published a week after the August 20, 1998 bombing reported on a lawsuit filed by the Sudanese government ("Sudan Files Criminal Suit Against US"). In its suit, the Sudanese government itself claimed no deaths resulting from the attack: Sudan insists the factory was making medicines, but the United States charges it was making a precursor for the deadly VX nerve gas, possibly with assistance from Iraq. The government said 10 people were injured in the missile attack. Plant officials said the factory sustained $100 million in damages. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/bomb118.htm or [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep11 Sudan deaths2]

Rush Limbaugh: "a lot" of nothing.

September 6-15 Rush Vs Reality on Vacation

National Rush Limbaugh Acuracy and Excelence In Broadcasting Week.

September 5, 2000

RUSH: Back from his vacation, reliable Rush quickly dispelled any fear that his time off might have affected his talent for inaccuracy. Defending George W. (Jesus Is My Favorite Philosopher) Bush's obscene characterization of New York Times reporter Adam Clymer, Rush scoffed at Al Gore's negative reaction to the comment. Trying to paint Gore as someone who shouldn't complain about anyone else's faults, Rush observed, "After all, it was Algore in 1988 who first used Willie Horton to try to derail the (Michael) Dukakis campaign."

REALITY: Al Gore never used Willie Horton in the 1988 campaign. He raised the issue of prison furloughs against Dukakis, but it was not until Republicans, on behalf of Vice President George Bush, ran the infamous "Willie Horton Ad" in the 1988 general election against Dukakis that the name and face of Willie Horton became known to the nation.

Even Jeff Jacoby, the ultra-conservative Boston Globe columnist and certainly no fan of Al Gore, admitted this in his January 20, 1999 column: But to be fair, it is not true that Gore ''used Willie Horton'' in 1988. In a debate with that year's Democratic presidential hopefuls, Gore noted that the Massachusetts practice of letting first-degree murderers take weekend ''furloughs'' from prison had freed some killers to commit new crimes. He asked whether Governor Michael Dukakis intended to grant similar furloughs to federal prisoners. That was it. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/campaign2000/news/The_real_meaning_of_Willie_Horton+.shtml or [Files/RvR 2000/ Sep05 Willie Horton]

Rush Limbaugh: so wrong he gives you the willies.

August 28 - September 4 Rush on Vacation

National Truth Week.

August 25, 2000

RUSH: Taking a well-deserved break from Gore-bashing, Rush turned to Clinton and the President’s "blatant abuse" of executive orders. Rush approved of GOP VP candidate Dick Cheney’s proposal that some of the national monuments created by President Clinton could be reviewed and possibly rescinded if he and George W. Bush are elected. But Rush was disturbed that "More public land has been taken out of circulation by this administration than any other. Four million acres have been taken over by Clinton. That is, taken out of circulation and made into government property." [Files/RvR 2000/Aug25 Clinton Acres]

REALITY: Rush was only off by about 150 million acres, give or take. While Clinton has taken four million acres "out of circulation" and placed them in the public domain, another President took slightly more.

The National Park Service recounts Teddy Roosevelt’s contributions: Under TR's direction, lands were reserved for public use and huge irrigation projects were started. During Roosevelt's time as President, the forest reserves in the U.S. went from approximately 43-million acres to about 194-million acres.

As President, he signed legislation that established five national park units: Crater Lake, Oregon; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later designated a game preserve); Mesa Verde, Colorado; and Platt, Oklahoma (now part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area). By the end of 1906, Roosevelt had proclaimed four national monuments: Devil's Tower, Wyoming; El Morro, New Mexico; Montezuma Castle, Arizona; and the Petrified Forest, Arizona. He also protected a large portion of the Grand Canyon as a national monument in 1908. During his presidency, TR signed into law a total of 18 national monuments. http://www.cr.nps.gov/logcabin/html/tr5.html

Rush Limbaugh: one big belly acre.

August 24, 2000

RUSH: Upset that the press has begun reporting on a string of recent campaign misstatements by George W. Bush, Rush wondered why the press won't criticize Al Gore for his "misstatements" about Love Canal. Rush gave his listeners a quick history lesson: "Love Canal was practically solved by the time Algore got around to holding hearings. I mean, we've got some serious pathological problems that just get a pass from the mainstream press." [LISTEN:Files/ Audio 2000/ Aug24 Love Canal.wav]

REALITY: If the State University of New York's chronology on Love Canal is to be believed, the Love Canal "problem" was far from being "solved" when Gore's subcommittee began holding hearings in March 1979. In fact, Love Canal residents at the hearing complained of inadequate State response to the crisis.

In addition, in the fourteen months after the hearings began, one school was closed, approximately a thousand families were relocated, several new air-borne carcinogens were uncovered by the EPA, and chromosome damage in Love Canal residents was detected. Some highlights:

September 1977: EPA begins looking into problems at Love Canal.

March 1979: A House subcommittee begins hearings into Love Canal problems. Hears residents and others argue that the state underestimated the scope of health problems and failed to respond in an efficient and timely manner.

April 1979: Rep. Albert Gore, D. Tenn., charges Love Canal was avoidable had Hooker (Chemical Corp.) paid attention to danger signals. He cites a 1958 internal Hooker memorandum which described three to four children burned by materials at the Love Canal.

August 1979: The City of Niagara Falls Board of Education closes 93^rd Street School….Students are transferred to various schools throughout the City.

September 1979: Over 200 canal residents…moved out of hotels and motels in the area.

October 1979: House subcommittee recommends relocation of another 140 families.

February 1980: EPA announces it found four chemicals suspected of causing cancer in air samplings at Love Canal.

May 1980: EPA announces chromosome damage has been found in 11 of 36 residents tested in the Love Canal.

May 1980: President Carter declares Love Canal a national emergency paving way for relocation of another 710 families. http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/lovecanal/chronology_menu.html

Rush Limbaugh: practically accurate.

August 22, 2000

RUSH: Trying to convince a Gore supporter with a $35,000 annual income that she would pay no taxes under George W. Bush's tax cut plan, the caller said she never heard of such a proposal. When the caller said she watched Bush's convention acceptance speech, Rush was astonished. "Do you realize that you will not pay a penny in income tax under the George Bush tax proposal?...Bush said it in his convention speech." [LISTEN: Files/ Audio 2000/ Aug22 No Tax Under Bush.wav]

REALITY: A word-find search of Bush's convention speech transcript (looking for "no," "tax," "taxes") finds several references to tax reductions, but none which mention exempting any class of earners from federal income taxes. Examples: "So we will reduce tax rates for everyone, in every bracket….So we will lower the bottom rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and double the child tax credit." http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/GOPCVN_transcripts_gwbush000803.html

Interestingly, in his speech Bush also promised: "We will give low-income Americans tax credits to buy the private health insurance they need and deserve."

If somewhere in some Bush tax plan there's a provision exempting low-income Americans from federal income taxes, why then would they need the tax credits he promised them in his acceptance speech?

Rush Limbaugh: taxing credulity.

August 21, 2000

RUSH: Trying to lift the spirits of dittoheads appalled at Al Gore's resurgence in the polls, Rush the Truth Detector cited a supermarket tabloid (Globe) article that reported a rift between Al Gore and Bill Clinton over Tipper Gore's weight. Trying to lend credibility to the trashy source of this non-story, Rush related it to another recent press leak: "…we do know that Clinton leaked to Time Magazine one week ago that he was not happy with Lieberman as the VP choice."

REALITY: Another Rush multiple compound fact slur. In his Time article titled "Gore's Leap of Faith," author Eric Pooley noted: Bill Clinton praised the choice after it was made, but before the fact, he railed privately about how much Lieberman's latest book, In Praise of Public Life, ticked him off….Clinton told friends he was sick and tired of Lieberman's sanctimony. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,52538,00.html

The article notes that Clinton "praised" the choice.
The article makes it clear Clinton's unhappiness was "before the fact" of Lieberman's selection. The book was published in February, so Clinton's angry reaction occurred as much as six months earlier. Furthermore, there have been suggestions the Lieberman pick has Bill Clinton's fingerprints all over it---helping not only Gore but Hillary in her Senate race.
Common sense suggests the source was not Clinton (as Rush declared) but one or more of the "friends" with whom Clinton discussed the book months earlier. It's absurd to think that Clinton himself (or his designee) would tell the Time reporter, "I was so upset with the book I told my friends how angry I was…" There can be little doubt the leak was not from Clinton, but from someone who heard Clinton's outburst months ago.

Rush Limbaugh's globe: where what's said, when it's said, and who says it are irrelevant.

August 18, 2000 Another Rush HATe-TRICK - 3 RvRs on One Show!!

RUSH: Dissecting Al Gore’s acceptance speech at the Democratic convention the night before, Rush recoiled at the suggestion that Gore ever did anything noble. Rush grumbled, "For the second time at this convention, Thursday night, we heard about Algore's courageous Senate vote in favor of the Gulf War. We heard how he was one of only two Democrats to break ranks and vote in favor of using force against Saddam Hussein."

REALITY: Another multiple-error statement from the master of the compound fact slur.

1) In his acceptance speech Al Gore did not describe his vote to support the Gulf War as a vote of "one of only two Democrats." This is what Gore said (speech transcript): "As a Senator, I broke with many in our party and voted to support the Gulf War when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait — because I believed America’s vital interests were at stake." http://www.msnbc.com/news/447891.asp

2) Gore was not one of only two Democrats who "broke ranks" on that vote. Not two but eight Democrats voted for the resolution: Gore (TN), Lieberman (CT), Graham (FL), Johnson (LA), Breaux (LA), Bryan (NV), Reid (NV), and Robb (VA). http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/votes.phtml?func=all-party&voteid=40&style=

And as for the "other" time Rush heard about Gore’s courageous "one of only two Democrats" stance, he didn't. What he heard was a similar line in Joe Lieberman’s acceptance speech. Again, nowhere did Lieberman claim that only two Democrats voted for the resolution. What Lieberman said was: "Together Al and I crossed party lines to support the Gulf War." http://www.msnbc.com/news/447394.asp

Rush Limbaugh: hearing things differently than the rest of us.

August 18, 2000 Rush HATe-TRICK

RUSH: Dismissing NAACP Chair Kweisi Mfume’s complaint that he wasn’t allowed to speak at the Republican convention (after George W. Bush addressed the NAACP convention several weeks earlier), Rush justified the GOP’s decision to exclude the NAACP Chair because, according to Rush, the Democrats excluded certain people, too. "You can't even be pro-life and get near the podium," Rush concluded.

REALITY: A pro-life speaker got very near the podium on the first day of the Democratic Convention. So near he even addressed the convention, which is more than the GOP allowed Kweisi Mfume. The Tuesday, August 15, edition of the LA Times notes that pro-life Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles "….spoke to Democratic delegates this week. His pro-life position includes government support for poor children and opposition to the death penalty." http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000815/t000076512.html

Rush Limbaugh: he can’t even get near the truth.

August 18, 2000 Rush HATe-TRICK

RUSH: Explaining to a caller that Republicans celebrate individual initiative while Democrats, as exemplified by Al Gore’s unending list of promises to "take care" of people's problems, always rely on the government for everything, Rush searched for an example. Even if he hadn’t inadvertently used a Democrat to exemplify a "Republican principle," he just may have reached some sort of pinnacle for absurdity anyway. Time will tell. "Think about when JFK announced to the world that we were going to put a man on the moon," Rush lectured his about-to-be dumbfounded caller, "He didn’t say the government was going to do it. He said we’re going to do it!"

REALITY: NASA.

Rush Limbaugh: space cadet.

August 17, 2000

RUSH: Beginning the day after Sen. Lieberman was named as Al Gore's running mate, Rush noted on at least three broadcasts that Liberman voted against increasing the minimum wage. This, according to Rush, was a vivid example of the political incompatibility between Gore and his running mate. "Lieberman voted against the minimum wage," Rush gushed.

REALITY: Senator Lieberman's voting record shows just the opposite. His Senate votes, according to VoteSmart.com, reflect consistent support for the minimum wage. During Lieberman's tenure, the Senate voted on the minimum wage in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999. His entire voting record on Labor/minimum wage (and other) issues is available at http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/profile.phtml?func=front&ID=S0141103&dtype=V&state=ZZ&style=

Example: August 1996, HR 3448: The Small Business Job Protection Act. Lieberman voted YES to adopt the joint House-Senate conference committee report of a bill that raised the minimum wage to $4.75 by October 1, 1996 and to $5.15 by September 1, 1997. http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/votes.phtml?ID=S0141103&voteid=1031&style=

It should be noted that on two amendments, both introduced by Republicans (Dole & Grassley), Lieberman voted "No." So did every Senate Democrat, because both amendments were "poison pills." The Dole amendment (to HR2937, 1996) increased the minimum wage and eliminated the 4.3 cent tax on gasoline. The Grassley amendment (to S625, 1999) increased the minimum wage and included an $18.4 billion tax cut (for you know who). What Lieberman and every other Democrat voted against were the budget-busting tax cuts, not the minimum wage.

August 16, 2000

RUSH: Clearly upset that Senator Joseph Lieberman apparently mended fences with the Congressional Black Caucus over reports that Lieberman was anti-Affirmative Action, Rush accused Al Gore’s running mate of "caving in" to Congresswoman Maxine Waters by flip-flopping on his record. Rush was agast. "Affirmative Action is---or was---something Lieberman was dead set against"

REALITY: In the only two Senate votes he cast on Affirmative Action, Senator Lieberman supported the process. The first was on a 1995 amendment (to HR 1854) sponsored by Texas Senator Phil Gramm to ban affirmative action hiring with legislative branch funds. The amendment was described as follows: Vote on an amendment to disallow any funds in the Legislative Appropriations bill from being used to award any Federal contract, or to require or encourage the award of any subcontract, if the contract is being awarded on the basis of the race, color, national origin, or gender of the contractor or subcontractor. Amendment introduced by Gramm, R-TX. (Rejected 36-61 on 7/20/95)

Senator Lieberman voted NO. http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/votes.phtml?ID=S0141103&voteid=653&style=

The second Affirmative Action vote was on a 1998 federal highway funding bill: Vote to table, or kill, an amendment to repeal the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise [DBE] Program, which requires no less than 10% of highway construction projects funded by the federal government to be contracted to 'disadvantaged business enterprises'. Disadvantaged business enterprises are defined as those owned and controlled by racial minorities and women. (Tabling motion passed 58-37 on 3/6/98)

Senator Lieberman voted YES (to kill the amendment that would have repealed the affirmative action provision) http://www.vote-smart.org/vote-smart/votes.phtml?ID=S0141103&voteid=1563&style=

Rush Limbaugh. If he wasn’t extreme right, would he ever be right?

August 15, 2000

RUSH: While disparaging Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic Convention yesterday, Rush accused the First Lady of deception. "She said her first job was with the Children's Defense Fund," an outraged Rush recounted. "No it wasn't! Her first job was with the Nixon impeachment committee!"

REALITY: Rush the truth-seeker? Admirable goal, but probably unachievable.

First, Hillary didn't say her first job was with the CDF. What she said (from the transcript of her convention speech) was: "Years ago, when I worked for the Children's Defense Fund, we had a trademark: Leave no child behind." http://www.dems2000.com/eMersion/eCoverage/01_clinton_h_speech.html

Second, her stint with the Watergate committee was not her first job. As noted in Encarta: …the Children's Defense Fund, an organization that lobbies for children's welfare. Rodham worked there as a staff attorney for a year after graduating from law school in 1973, and later chaired the organization's board. In 1974, after working for the special U.S. House panel investigating a possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon, she moved to Arkansas…. http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761556529

And the Women's International Center Bio: In 1973, Hillary became a staff attorney for the Children's Defense Fund. A year later she was recruited by the Impeachment Inquiry staff of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to work on the Watergate Impeachment proceedings. http://www.wic.org/bio/hclinton.htm

Rush Limbaugh. When one error per statement isn't enough.

August 11, 2000

RUSH: Driven to come up with something---anything---to drive wedges into the Democratic voter base, Rush tried to create friction between Blacks and Jews, two traditional Democratic voting blocks, after the Lieberman selection by playing up the anti-Semitic comments of the former head of the Dallas NAACP.

But when that went nowhere, Rush played the Hispanic card and focused on Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’ fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion---and Al Gore’s insistence that she cancel that venue. Clumsily trying to turn Hispanics against the Gore-Lieberman ticket, Rush observed, "There's been no more celebrated Democrat than Sanchez until she stood between Algore and his desire to put the Clinton scandals behind him." http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/site_081100/stack_of_stuff.html

REALITY: When I heard it on the radio I thought, no…I must’ve misunderstood. Then I went to Rush’s own website---and there it was! http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/site_081100/stack_of_stuff.html

So, Rush thinks Loretta Sanchez is the country’s most celebrated Democrat. Not Al Gore or Joe Lieberman. Not Bill or Hillary. Not Jimmy Carter, Bill Bradley, Ted Kennedy, George Mitchell, Tom Daschle, Bob Kerry, Diane Feinstein, or Dick Gephardt.

Loretta Sanchez.

Rush Limbaugh: personally expanding the meaning of pathetic.

August 11, 2000

RUSH: Disturbed by a recent poll showing Hillary Clinton now leading her opponent by a few points, Rush tried to downplay the news, asserting that in Leftist New York, Hillary should be waaay ahead. "Folks, this is Liberal New York! Why this where lots of the headquarters of civil rights and militant gay organizations are found!"

REALITY: While there are probably some civil rights and/or gay organizations headquartered in New York, the Empire State is not home to the largest and most influential.

The NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States, is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. http://www.naacp.org/about.asp

The National Organization for Women (NOW), the largest feminist activist organization in the United States, is headquartered in Washington DC. http://www.now.org

The two largest "militant gay organizations" I could find---The Human Rights Campaign (360,000 members), http://www.hrc.org , and The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force http://www.ngltf.org , are also Washington DC-based.

August 8, 2000

RUSH: Continuing his campaign to downplay Gore's VP selection, Rush touched on Lieberman's religion, but quickly noted that he was not suggesting the US is anti-Semitic. As proof, Rush cited popular culture. "Seinfeld---the most popular sitcom ever! A show about four Jewish friends in Manhattan!"

REALITY: Whether Seinfeld is more "popular" than, say, I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners, shows still on the air a half century after they were made, is a subjective call. It is possible, however, to determine whether the show was, as Rush described, about "four Jewish friends."

The answer is, of course, no. At least two (and probably three) of the four main characters were not Jewish. The internet site listed below summarizes every Seinfeld episode, and it provides insight into the characters’ religious background.

Elaine Marie Benes: In Episode 159 ("The Serenity Now"), two Jewish men are ready to denounce their religion for Elaine because they’re attracted by her "shiksappeal." (In Yiddish, "shiksa" means gentile.)

In Episode 53 ("The Pick"), Elaine is embarrassed when her personalized-photo Christmas card unintentionally reveals her nipple. If she was Jewish, she would not be sending Christmas cards.

George Louis Costanza: Episode 166 ("The Strike") recounts that George’s father, Frank, invented the "Festivus" holiday after being angered by the commercialism of Christmas (a Christmas present he wanted to buy for George was sold out). Again, if the Costanzas were Jewish, he wouldn’t be buying a Christmas gift for his son (or need to invent a new holiday to replace it).

Cosmo Kramer: While I found no direct references to Kramer’s religion in the script summaries, I recall an episode in which Kramer, invited to a baby's circumcision, was so mortified that he grabbed the baby and ran (thanks to Tristan Scott for the reminder). A fairly clear---though admittedly not conclusive---indication that the Kramer character was not Jewish.

Therefore, neither Elaine nor George (nor probably Kramer) were Jewish characters in Seinfeld. As for the anti-Semitism factor, we should forgive Rush. Perhaps to him those Seinfield characters just looked Jewish.

http://epguides.com/Seinfeld/guide.shtml

August 7, 2000

RUSH: Commenting on news reports that Al Gore will select Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate, and realizing that Lieberman would be a difficult target to criticize, Rush instead tried to deprecate Lieberman’s impact on the race by minimizing the vice-president’s duties. "There is no constitutional role for the vice-president," Rush announced, "Except to serve as President if necessary."

REALITY: Wrong. The vice-president has a constitutional role in addition to replacing the President, if necessary. The Constitution makes the vice-president the "President of the Senate," and makes the VP the tie-breaking vote. Ask Al Gore. He cast the tie-breaking vote in 1993 to pass the Clinton 1994 budget that has led to today’s economic boom. From the US Constitution:

Article 1, Section 3, Clause 4:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

August 2, 2000

RUSH: Explaining why the GOP can remain true to its conservative base without risking losing the moderate vote, Rush revealed the nation's political makeup. "This is a conservative country. Look at the votes! Ronald Reagan won huge landslides in 1980 and 1984. Forty-nine States both times!"

REALITY: Another example of Rush being too lazy to check his facts. He remembered that Reagan won 49 States in his 1984 landslide re-election, so he simply gave him the same total for 1980.

Unless we had 54 States in 1980, Reagan didn't win 49 States. In 1980, Carter won Georgia, Minnesota, Maryland, West Virginia, and Hawaii. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/elections/maps/1980.gif

As for Reagan's "huge landslide" in 1980, it amounted to 51% of the popular vote (the electoral vote, which rarely reflects the popular vote, was lopsided). And this conservative country elected Clinton. Twice.

July 31, 2000

RUSH: Continuing his spirited defense of GOP vice-presidential pick Dick Cheney's voting record, Rush proclaimed that "Dick Cheney is a straight-on, solid conservative! He's proud of his voting record. He stands by his voting record!"

REALITY: Just the day before, Cheney himself backtracked from some of his controversial votes in the House. When asked about his votes against banning so-called "cop-killer bullets" and the sale of predominately plastic guns (that evade metal detectors), Cheney, as reported by CNN, discussed his votes on a Sunday talk show:

On CBS' "Face the Nation," he said he would be "happy to entertain" the idea of changing his position on both measures, which he stringently opposed in 1985.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/30/talk.wrap/index.html

Dick Cheney. Someone so proud of his voting record and so committed to stand by it that he was "happy" to consider changing it.

July 26, 2000

RUSH: Rushing to the defense of George W. Bush's vice-presidential choice, Limbaugh defended Congressman Dick Cheney's 1988 vote against a Congressional resolution supporting the release of then-jailed South African anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandella. "Cheney didn't vote against releasing Mandella," Rush assured his listeners. "That's not true. He voted against sanctions against South Africa. He's always been against sanctions. That's what he voted against!"

REALITY: Cheney voted against a nonbinding resolution, not a bill. A nonbinding resolution, by definition, cannot impose sanctions (or anything) on anyone.

According to the NY Times, Cheney indeed voted against "releasing Mandella." In a biographical piece on the former Wyoming Congressman, the Times noted:

Mr. Cheney's record included votes against the Head Start education program, against banning so-called "cop-killer" bullets, against imposing economic sanctions on the government of South Africa and against a nonbinding House resolution calling for the release of the anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. -- NY Times, July 27, 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/072700wh-bush.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Jul26 Cheney's Mandella Vote1]

In a follow-up article, the Times left no room for doubt:

But the question of sanctions never came up in the debate on the Mandela resolution. The opposition to it was based on the belief of the right wing of the Republican Party in the House that the African National Congress, Mr. Mandela's party and the leading political voice against apartheid, was dominated by Communists. -- NY Times, July 28, 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/072800wh-cheney-record.html or [Files/RvR 2000/ Jul26 Cheney's Mandella Vote2]

July 24, 2000

RUSH: Disturbed that Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, appearing on Meet The Press, had argued that the recent spike in gasoline prices was tied to a "500% jump in oil company profits," Rush tried to set the record straight. "You can't debate with these people," he observed. "They have no respect for the truth. There haven't been any 500% increases in oil company profits!"

REALITY: Maybe Texaco isn't an oil company.

But on the off chance that it is: Texaco's reported per share profits rose 510% in the first quarter of 2000 versus the same quarter in 1999, at $1.10 per share versus 18 cents (on income of $602 million versus $105 million).

http://www.texaco.com/asp/frameit.asp?tn=ir_1t_nav.html&bn=ir_1b_nav.html&cn=/investor/finance/docs/qdata.html

July 19, 2000

RUSH: Rising to the defense of Paul Fray, Hillary Clinton's "ethnic slur" accuser, after several news reports raised questions about Fray's veracity and competency given his history of drug addiction, sustained memory loss following a cerebral hemorrhage, and record as a defrocked lawyer, Rush proclaimed, "There is no evidence that Paul Fray is a liar!"

REALITY: Whether or not knowingly filing a false document in court (which led to the loss of his law license) qualifies as evidence of "lying," Mr. Fray is, nonetheless, a confessed liar. He confessed to (of all people) Hillary! In his well-publicized 1997 letter to Mrs. Clinton, he unburdened himself:

''At one time in my life, I would say things without thinking, without factual foundation ... I beg your forgiveness.''

http://www.usatoday.com/news/e98/e2316.htm

No evidence? How about the man's own confession: "Say things…without factual foundation."

Not factual. Not true. False. Lies.

July 18, 2000

RUSH: Upset at President Clinton’s threat to veto the "marriage penalty" tax cut bill passed by the Senate today unless Congress also sends him a Medicare prescription drug bill, Rush questioned the integrity of those advocating covering prescription drugs under Medicare: "This is all political. When did prescription drugs for seasoned citizens become a crisis? Why now? How come it wasn’t a problem six months ago? Huh?"

REALITY: It was a problem six months ago. In fact it was considered a serious problem six years ago. A drug benefit was a key component of H.R. 3600, the Health Security Act of 1994 (the bill failed to pass).

Four years later, in October 1998 (Dittoheads: also more than six months ago), Congressman Pete Stark introduced another Medicare prescription drug coverage bill. The Congressman’s statement in the Congressional Record explained the "crisis," including the prohibitively high cost of private drug insurance for elders, running from $6,381 per year at age 65 to $9,174 at age 75, and that in 1994-95, a mere 15% of seniors purchasing a supplementary Medicare (Medigap) policy had drug coverage.

That’s why it’s a crisis. And when.

http://www.house.gov/stark/documents/medpresdrug.html

July 10, 2000

RUSH: A caller theorized that Bill Clinton is trying to handicap his successor (whether it’s Gore or Bush—Clinton doesn’t care) by leaving office with things starting to go downhill so that when they really go "bad" in another year or two, the public will look back fondly at those "great Clinton years." Rush agreed, noting that under Clinton the military has been decimated, social security is about to implode, and we don’t really have a budget surplus. Rush rounded out Clinton's litany of misdeeds with the observation that "Even the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been depleted!"

REALITY: The SPR is safe, and far from "depletion." At present, the 700 million barrel-capacity SPR contains 570 million barrels of oil: over 81% of capacity. The only reason it's not at full capacity was a planned refueling halt in 1996 to permit maintenance & modernization of the storage facilities.

http://www.fe.doe.gov/spr/spr.html

But Rush's timing is nothing if not impeccable: on the very day Rush accused Clinton of depleting the nation’s reserves, the President repeated a request first issued in March by again urging Congress to create another oil reserve, this one to provide emergency home heating oil for the Northeast.

http://cbsnews.cbs.com/now/story/0,1597,213732-412,00.shtml

July 7, 2000

RUSH: Discussing how poorly the historical subject of slavery is depicted in movies, Rush berates Hollywood for not being historically accurate. It doesn't give the US enough credit, he believes. "They should depict the one country that abolished slavery---the United States!"

REALITY: Despite his history of misstatements, even Rush probably didn’t intend to imply that the US was the only ("one") country to abolish slavery. He probably meant to say the US was the first to do so. No matter. Whether he meant "first" or "only," neither is true. As we know, slavery in the US was abolished by the 13^th Amendment, in 1865. From the on-line Encyclopedia Britannica:

By the end of the Middle Ages slavery no longer existed in England, and the famous Cartwright decision of the reign of Elizabeth I (1569) held that "England was too pure an air for slaves to breathe in."

In 1807 the British abolished the slave trade with their colonies. In the Caribbean, slavery was abolished by British Parliamentary fiat, effective July 31, 1834, when 776,000 slaves in the British plantation colonies were freed.

http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,117527+6+109538,00.html

July 5, 2000

RUSH: Deriding Al Gore's recent challenge to the grass-roots sounding lobbying group "Citizens for Better Medicare" to make public its list of donors (the group ran a $30 million dollar TV & print campaign against the Administration's proposal to provide prescription drugs to Medicare recipients), Rush sneered, "We already know who these people are. It's already out in the open!"

REALITY: Out in the open? "Citizens for Better Medicare" is financed primarily by the pharmaceutical industry (its Director is actually a former executive of the industry association: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America). Despite a link on CBM's web page purporting to reveal "Who We Are," Citizens for Better Medicare fails to list even one pharmaceutical corporation as being part of the lobbying group.

As CNN notes: "…a group called Citizens for Better Medicare, which spent about $30 million on ads opposing Bill Clinton's proposal for extending Medicare to cover prescription drugs, is funded by pharmaceutical companies but won't say which ones."

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/2000/07/03/rebel.html

June 23, 2000 -- 2:45pm

RUSH: Responding to a rare dissenting caller who criticized the politically motivated attacks against Clinton, from Starr's endless investigations to the Paula Jones lawsuit, Rush jumped in, "Wait a minute! He paid---actually Hillary paid---$800 thousand to settle the Paula Jones case! The innocent don't do that!"

REALITY: The "innocent" do just that. All the time. Whether individuals or corporations, they do it to avoid costly lawsuits they know they'll eventually win, but which in the interim will cost them more in legal fees than a settlement. Insert "litigation settlement + avoid costs" in any search engine and you'll find dozens of sites offering mediation services and expressing similar sentiments as this one: As part of their strategy to reduce litigation costs and to avoid adverse publicity, more than 80% of the Fortune 500 Companies (U.S.) have taken a pledge to use alternated dispute resolution instead of litigation when lawsuits arise between them. -- Dispute Resolution Service http://www3.bricsnet.com/business/drs/med_lit.html

Regardless of whether they're at fault for whatever they're being sued for by fellow FFH companies, most, including the "innocent," will settle.

Rush Limbaugh: Legal Eagle.

June 13, 2000 -- 2:30pm

RUSH: Discounting the newly revived interest in having Sen. John McCain as Bush's running mate, Rush proclaimed, "Maybe it's a sign of my maturity, but I don't think the choice of a Veep matters at all. The Veep has never provided the margin of victory for a ticket!"

When Rush's screener tried to save him from his own stupidity by pointing out that LBJ is widely credited with delivering the South---and the election---to JFK in 1960, Rush dug an even deeper hole: "It was the dead people in Chicago who delivered the election to Kennedy!"

REALITY: The first laughable mistake aside (most obervers concede that LBJ did carry the South for JFK, a New Englander and a Catholic, although that conclusion is subjective and non-provable), like many careless political observers, Rush assumed that the questionable vote count in Illinois "stole" the election from Nixon. Surprise! It didn't. Kennedy won in 1960 by 303 electoral votes to 219 for Nixon. Even if Nixon won Illinois' 27 electoral votes, the final tally would have been Kennedy 276, Nixon 246. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/elections/maps/1960ec.gif

Rush Limbaugh: Mature Political Analyst.

June 13, 2000 -- 2:20pm

RUSH: Theorizing about the missing computer hard drives at Los Alamos, and assuming it was due to espionage, Rush uncharacteristically blames the Clinton-Gore administration: "Before these guys came to town nothing was missing!"

REALITY: The most damaging case of spying in US history occurred during the glorious Reagan years. "In the spring and summer of 1985, Aldrich H. Ames began his espionage activities on behalf of the Soviet Union." -- CIA Inspector General's Report http://nsi.org/Library/Espionage/Hitzreport.html

Ditto for the first CIA Agent ever accused of spying for the Soviets "…former CIA agent Edward Lee Howard fled to Moscow in 1985 and later to Sweden before returning to Moscow, the FBI and the Bush administration found it impossible to extradite him to face espionage charges." and an Israeli spy: "Jonathan Pollard was arrested at the Israeli embassy in Washington in 1985…." http://www.courttv.com/national/1998/1023/pollard.html

And let's not forget the notorious "Walker Spy Ring" (Navy electronics specialist John Walker and his nephew), also broken up in 1985: "The KGB concluded the Walker spy ring was the most successful espionage operation in Soviet history…." http://www.seattle-pi.com/awards/scorpion/scorpion3.html

In intelligence circles they don't call 1985 "The Year of the Spy" for nothing.

Rush "Nothing was missing before Clinton" Limbaugh: Counterintelligence Expert.

June 13, 2000 -- 1:15pm

RUSH: Livid that the Al Gore campaign was embarking on a "Progress and Prosperity Tour," Rush informed his listeners that the only progress and prosperity Gore recognizes relates to big government: "In fact, under Clinton-Gore---except for the military, which they loathe---the government is bigger and badder than ever!"

REALITY: While it's difficult to quantify the level of government baddnes during the Clinton-Gore era, the size of Federal civilian employment isn't. From the Office of Personnel Management website:

Non-Military Civilian Employment During the Clinton-Gore Administration: http://www.opm.gov/feddata/html/exec99.htm

1999	1,820,348
1998	1,855,849
1997	1,871,843
1996	1,933,979
1995	2,012,524
1994	2,025,493
1993	2,156,844
1992	2,226,835

Civilian government employment has decreased every year under Clinton-Gore. The 1999 figure was down 18.25% from employment levels in the final Bush year.

Rush Limbaugh: Badder than Bad.

June 8, 2000 -- 12:50pm

RUSH: Berating criticism from some women tennis pros about the press attention and product endorsement contracts given to attractive tennis pro Anna Kournikova (presumably because of her good looks) even though she hasn't won any major tournaments, Rush blamed unattractive feminists for just being jealous of Kournikova's beauty. He contrasted their reaction to the lack of protests against male tennis professional Andre Agassi's lucrative endorsements. "They didn't complain about Andre Agassi's endorsements, and he never won anything!"

REALITY: Agassi has won six "Grand Slam" (biggest of the big) tennis tournaments, the first being the US Open in 1994. He has also won 45 ATP (top-level professional) Tournaments, beginning in 1987 (at age 17), and six the following year. http://www.andresite.com/

Stunning that ABC Monday Night Football passed up this gem, huh?

Rush: The Sports Authority.

June 7, 2000 -- 12:25pm

RUSH: Gleeful at the recent run-up in gasoline prices, Rush relished the possible political impact on Al Gore:"Why in Illinois and Michigan---so-called battleground States---gasoline prices are higher than they've ever been!"

REALITY: Despite the recent rise in gasoline prices ($1.56/gal. nationwide avg., $1.98/gal. in Chicago), they are well below the all-time high. From the Chicago Tribune (June 7, 2000): In 1980 gasoline was about $1.25 a gallon, but in inflation-adjusted dollars, that would amount to $2.50 today…. http://chicagotribune.com/business/printedition/article/0%2C2669%2CSAV-0006070087%2CFF.html

June 7, 2000 -- 12:30pm

RUSH: A caller supporting the Family Leave Act (which Rush, a former Food Stamps recipient during one of his periods of unemployment, vehemently opposes) suggested that the US should treat its workers as they do in France, with liberal leave and vacation policies. Rush warned, "We don't want to emulate the French. This is a bombed-out economy, and their unemployment rate is skyrocketing!"

REALITY: From the Associated Press, in a story filed on Wednesday, May 31, 2000: PARIS (AP) -- France's unemployment rate fell to 9.8 percent in April, the first time in nine years that it dropped below 10 percent, according to figures released today by the Labor Ministry. The unemployment rate was 10 percent in March. The French unemployment rate was over 12 percent in 1998 and 11.2 percent in 1999.

Some skyrocket.

From another AP story, filed February 25, 2000: PARIS (AP) -- The French economy has entered a period of strong growth, figures released Friday show, growing 0.9 percent in the final three months of last year and 2.7 percent in 1999 as a whole.

Some bombed-out economy.

May 26, 2000 -- 12:20pm

RUSH: Celebrating Zogby Poll results showing Hillary only 2% ahead of Lazio, Rush explained why he's doing so well. Analyzing the NYC vote, Rush noted (and not for the first time), "Mrs. Clinton only leads with 60% of the vote in New York City. That bastion of Liberalism! Only 60% when she has a huge advantage…a huge 8:1 registration advantage…that's 8 Democrats for every Republican."

REALITY: NYC voter registration figures (April 1999), on the City's official web site, shows the actual ratio is 5 to 1 [2,251,625 Democrats vs. 442,308 Repugs]. And if you factor in the minor parties by wingnut vs. liberal philosophies (Conservative, Right-to-Life vs. Greens, Liberal), the ratio is even less. http://vote.nyc.ny.us/Results/Enrollment/Enrollment2-23-2000.pdf

May 10, 2000 -- 12:40pm

RUSH: Strategizing on how to handle the Guliani "morality" issue (now that the Mayor's extra-marital affair was public---and prior to his withdrawal from the race), Rush ponders on the Lewinsky affair: "You know, Republicans said nothing about the Lewisnky story for months! Nothing! Not until April or May, when Newt promised to mention it in every speech…."

REALITY: On January 26, 1998, less than a week after the Lewinsky story broke on Jan. 21st -- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah): "(I don't) think there's any question there'll be a strong move to get the president to resign in the Democratic Party and that will be fomented in part because others will be pushing to impeach the president." http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/01/26/hatch.clinton/

At a Conservative Political Action Conference in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 29, 1998, eight days after the story broke--- Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.): "you have disgraced the office and you should leave." Former VP Dan Quayle: "Clearly if it is documented that he has been lying to the American people then that's a very serious matter and I would imagine that in that particular case -- though it's hypothetical -- that he would have to decide whether to resign or not." http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/01/30/quayle/

May 10, 2000 -- 12:30pm

RUSH: Downplaying the significance of McCain's endorsement of Bush the day before, Rush compared McCain's impact on the election to that of former candidate Bill Bradley. "Did you know there has been no Bradley endorsement of Gore?"

REALITY: Bradley endorsed Gore on the day he withdrew from the race. In his statement, issued March 9, 2000, Bradley said: "The Vice President and I had a stiff competition, and he won. I congratulate him. He will be the nominee of the Democratic Party, and I support him in his bid to win the White House. This morning I called him and told him all of that. It is the tradition of the Democratic Party to fight hard during primaries and then unify and close ranks behind the nominee as soon as the people have spoken. And now it is time for unity. Democrats know that the offerings of the likely Republican nominee and his party are the opposite of where our country should be headed. This country needs Democratic leadership, and I will work to ensure a Democratic White House and Congress." www.billbradley.com

May 3, 2000 -- 1:45pm

RUSH: Musing over the GOP's election prospects: "Al Gore is not talking about issues!"

REALITY: Just that week, Al Gore did the following--- May 3: highlighted his