RUSH: Okay, folks. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure this out, but I have now figured it out. I know what’s going on in the Democrat Party and I’m embarrassed I didn’t see it before last night. I saw it last night, began to get the rumblings of it when Klobuchar, Buttigieg gave up and decided to join Plugs. And then Plugs goes and gets Beto O’Rourke and makes him minister of getting guns out of people’s hands. I saw what’s going on last night.I’ll just give it to you, in a nutshell. The Democrat Party expects to lose, they expect to lose the presidency. They don’t want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee because they don’t want that kind of shellacking. They think they’re gonna lose with Biden anyway. And outside there’s some shock in Biden wins, there’s somebody that’s gonna actually be president besides him. But the point is that this is all about — this is classic. This is all about the Democrat establishment, including media people, protecting themselves against a Democrat electoral defeat.This is all about Chuck Todd and all the guys at ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN keeping their jobs and keeping their credibility. It’s all about Donna Brazile keeping her job at the DNC or whatever her job is. It’s all about the Democrat establishment not being swept aside like the Republican establishment was swept aside when Trump won. They don’t want any Never Trumpers in the Democrat Party. The people that would become the equivalent of the Never Trumpers, the Never Bernies, they don’t want to lose their positions. If that means that they have to lose to Trump, then that’s fine. It is so obvious to me what’s going on.

And I also owe you another apology ’cause I was wrong about something, and I was wrong about it big time. I’ve said prominently on this program twice that Biden would never be the nominee, that he doesn’t have a prayer, that it isn’t gonna happen. And I said that because he’s infirm and he’s old and he doesn’t know where he is and he lies and — you can’t even say that he lies. He doesn’t even know that he’s lying.

There’s something really bad going on, and whoever is putting him out there really deserves to be called out on it. Joe Biden has no business being the frontrunner for any political party seeking the presidency. Last night he couldn’t even — actually, maybe he was actually smart for the first time. You know, if you’re Democrats, you don’t mention God. You mention God, you get in big trouble. So he found a way not to mention God last night in reading the preamble to the Constitution. I’ll show you what I’m talking about in just a minute when we get to the audio.

But Joe Biden is embarrassing himself every day. Now, he doesn’t know it, but there are people who do. I thought that because of this, because I really thought they thought they had a chance to win the presidency, that they would not throw him up there because he’s not going to win. But remember what I said many, many times? Now they’re looking at, okay, who would they rather lose with. And they don’t want to throw away Buttigieg. They think he’s the future. They don’t want to throw away Klobuchar, but Klobuchar doesn’t have a chance of winning anyway.

Throw away Plugs. This is a great swan song for Plugs, he’s been a loyal vice president, he’s done whatever the party said. Now it’s his job to go out there and lose as the party moderate. His job is to go out there and be Walter F. Mondull, and while he loses, he is to maintain the Democrat Party establishment in power.

Remember, Trump sweeping to victory also swept out the Republican Party establishment, and they became, in part, the Never Trumpers. They are a bunch people without a party now. The Republican Party doesn’t want them. They don’t want the Republican Party. Hell, they’re now endorsing Plugs. These Never Trumpers, these conservatives, people that were charging you thousands of bucks to go on their conservative cruises, they’re now endorsing Democrats, for crying out.

The Democrats do not want that to happen to them. And if it means Joe Biden losing the presidency but they remain intact as the face, as the power structure the Democrat Party, then that’s what will happen. And they fear, if Bernie Sanders gets the nomination, he’s gonna go down in a stinging defeat, and they don’t want to have to defend Bernie.

They don’t want to have to be on the Bernie side because they don’t think Bernie and his madcap left-wing radicalism is helpful to them in their positions at the think tanks, at the networks, at the newspapers, you name it. So I have to tell you I was wrong. I was dead certain when I told you. I was not only dead certain, I was speaking to you with ontological certitude. I swore to you Biden was not gonna be the nominee. Remember that? I could have Cookie go back and get it, two different sound bites. Don’t do it, Cookie. I don’t have enough time to waste.

But I have to withdraw that. I have to take it back, because now I think it’s clear, since Plugs had such a glorious day at the South Carolina primary. It’s just amazing how Plugs exceeding expectations by a couple of points has now revived everybody. And so Plugs is the guy, Plugs is the guy they want to be the nominee.

Here’s the problem they’ve got, though. And I’m kind of hopscotching around here. One of the problems they’ve got is all this early voting. You know, in North Carolina, 500,000 out of 800,000 have already voted, for example, in the Democrat primary before Buttigieg and Klobuchar quit. And ditto California. In California, a bunch of Democrats who early voted are asking for their votes back now that Buttigieg and Klobuchar have quit, and they want to revote, and California said, “Nope. Doesn’t work that way. We vote one time out here and that’s it.”

So they don’t get their votes back. So it may be too little, too late for Plugs. It may be too little, too late for this massive South Carolina, which was — this is how easily these Democrats lie to themselves. Actually thinking after one primary that Plugs is now cruising to the presidency. It’s fascinating to watch this stuff, folks. I’m telling you, the early voting, it may not — you know, Plugs’ resurgence here may not happen soon enough and there might be a bunch of early votes already in there for Crazy Bernie.

It’s gonna be a fun night to watch these returns tonight, ’cause the Democrats, I’m telling you, I know now what this is about. I should have seen it sooner. I’m sorry. I apologize. I should have seen this weeks ago.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Now, look, in my defense (’cause I need to defend myself), when I assured every one of you that Biden was not gonna be the nominee, I made that prediction while under the assumption that the Democrats were gonna nominate somebody that they thought would win the presidency. That’s the difference here. They don’t… This is not about that. It’s about two things. It’s not about winning the presidency right now, believe it or not. It’s about, A, keeping Bernie from running; and, B, it’s about the Democrat establishment.

Think media, think guests, think think tank members, think Washington establishment. It’s about them maintaining control over the Democrat Party, maintaining their gigs, maintaining their jobs, maintaining their perks and privileges. And they won’t if Bernie goes, ’cause if Bernie wins or if Bernie goes down, Bernie’s gonna be the titular leader of the party anyway. The party’s gonna fracture like crazy, they think. (sigh)

So I made the prediction while assuming that they would never nominate Plugs if they were serious about winning the White House, and that’s not their objective right now. There are two things that come before that. So just in my defense.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: J.T. in Tallahassee, you’re up. It’s great to have you. Hi.

CALLER: Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Rush. It’s an honor.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: Thank you also for tweaking your analysis of the potential Democratic ballot. I think if Joe Biden succeeds as the nominee on the ballot, it’s a win-win. Even if he’s not elected president, his effect down ballot is the secret sauce for the Democrats capturing the Senate. I also think Mr. Bloomberg will come in with all of his money and purchase the Senate for the Democrats.

RUSH: Well, maybe. Now, that assumes that he’s not got his nose out of joint for not getting the nomination.

CALLER: That’s true.

RUSH: He’s gonna try to buy the nomination first, and if he’s rejected, then he may not want to buy the Senate for the Democrats. (laughing) Look, your point about Biden being much, much less calamitous down ballot? That’s true, they think. The Democrats believe that Crazy Bernie would wipe ’em out down ballot. The Democrat establishment. The Democrat establishment. We have to… See, Crazy Bernie has got his own supporters, and they think nothing like this.

They think Crazy Bernie winning would be the greatest thing for the country, for the Democrat Party, and there’s nothing bad about it at all. The Democrat establishment’s convinced that if Bernie’s the nominee, they lose the House, they don’t have a prayer of taking the Senate — and, of course, they lose the White House. It means the Republicans have control of everything for as far as the eye can see, ’cause this would end up being a generational defeat.

They do believe this, but I’m telling you… That’s a good point, J.T., about the Democrats’ concern down ballot. I don’t want to be misunderstood. That’s valid. But, believe me, these people that I’m talking about — the establishment types — are desperate to hold on to what they have no matter what else happens to the Democrat Party. I’m talking about the Washington political elite. Now, some of you might be thinking, “Rush, what does it matter who the Democrat nominee is to them?”

Well, you gotta go to the Trump and Republican example in 2016. If you go back to 2016, what was the original theory that the Republican Party had in 2016? That they had to unify against Trump, that they had to stop Trump whatever — and it didn’t do it. But this was the theory. They had to stop Trump in order to save their party. Okay. Well, what happened? Trump gets nominated, Trump gets elected, and Trump saved the Republican Party, and the people who thought that Trump was gonna ruin it are now people without a party.

They are Never Trumpers. They have been reduced to endorsing Democrats. They lost their cruise business. They lost their magazines. They lost everything! They lost their faux conservative audiences. They’ve lost everything, and now they’re trying to go back to the Democrats from where they originally came and say, “Hey, we’re home again. Welcome us back. We’re gonna endorse Biden.”

They’re saying, “We don’t want any part of you guys… You left us once; you’ll leave us again. You guys are a bunch of flakes.” The Washington Democrat establishment does not want to run the risk. They’re making the same mistake that the establishment Republicans made. They’re thinking that the old-line ways are the only way to hold onto their party. They are trying… They are living in utter denial about what this party is becoming.

This party… The only reason Bernie Sanders is gonna win the nomination or is getting close is because that’s what the party has become! It’s right in front of our faces. If Bernie Sanders is gonna be leading in delegates, then you have to look at what is his message. It’s not by accident, and it’s two campaigns in a row — 2016 and 2020 — and they stole it from him in 2016. This is where the party’s headed.

The Washington establishment is trying to prevent that because they think, just like the Republicans thought with Trump, that it’s guaranteed defeat. Well, what if Bernie, as far as the Democrats are concerned, is the savior? What if the Democrat Party is a bunch of communists now? What if the base of the Democrat Party is a bunch of communist socialists? It is, folks, or Bernie wouldn’t be in the commanding presence that he’s in with the lead that he has.

You’ve got the Washington establishment that doesn’t want to go there. They want to hold on to their little fiefdoms. They want to remain the head of Meet the Press and Face the Nation and whatever the establishment identities are. They want their wives and their spouses to remain employed at these incestuous places, law firms and lobbying offices and so forth and various corporations in Washington. They’ve got a nice little thing going here.

It requires that the Democrat establishment be the Democrat establishment, and that it be seen as defining who the Democrats are now. Here comes this Bernie and his ragtag bunch of socialist communists. If they think that Bernie’s campaign is the way to massive losses, there’s no way they’re gonna want to be any part of it because they think they’ll go with it. Plus, they know this: If Bernie becomes the nominee, it is etched in stone that the party’s nominee becomes the titular head.

The party nominee takes over the party apparatus, folks. The party’s nominee — essentially Bernie Sanders and his people — would take over the Democrat National Committee from the Obama people that now run it. Now, the Obama people wouldn’t give it up without a fight. But traditionally the party nominee is considered the head honcho. But they’re not gonna want to let that happen. They’re not gonna want to let Bernie Sanders or any of his people assume that role. So they’re gonna do everything they can to deny him the nomination.

My only point in starting out today was to suggest that I was wrong when I said that Biden would never be the nominee, ’cause I made that prediction in an incorrect context. I made that prediction from the standpoint the Democrats would never let Biden be the nominee ’cause he’s got no way of winning. He’s lost it. He’s not there. He doesn’t know where he is. It’s actually, I think, very cruel what the Democrat Party’s actually doing to Biden.

But since the election’s actually not about Biden winning but about them holding on to what they’ve got, well, then if it takes Biden winning or Biden being the nominee for that to happen, then that’s what they’ll go for and do, ’cause I think self-preservation… Look, folks, these people out there have their lives wired. It’s what being in an elite club like this means. It’s why you go to the universities that train you and position you for eventual membership in the so-called Washington establishment.

It’s incestuous. Once you’re in it, you’re guaranteed a job. You’re guaranteed influence. Your kids are guaranteed university admissions and jobs, and that’s something every parent wants. Every parent wants their children to do well, and there are versions of the Washington establishment in every town, every city, large and small. There’s a deep state in every city. There’s a deep state in every town.

There’s an establishment, a ruling class in every social and business order. In Washington, it’s one of the biggest in the country because of the access to the money they have. They’re right there in the same town as the Treasury. They’re in the same town where all that money gets allocated, spent, appropriated. It’s huge. So these people that have admission and — in their own minds — run this establishment? They’re not gonna let some clown like Bernie Sanders come along and threaten it.

Now, I think it’s a valid concern that they’re worried about a Sanders nomination destroying Democrats down ballot. I think they’re worried about that, but before they’re worried about that, they’re worried about their own positions, their own jobs, their own reputations, their own futures.

It’d be the same thing if somehow, for some inexplicable reason the Republicans were gonna end up running the Washington establishment, you would see a panic like you haven’t seen in your lifetimes and an effort to stop that from happening. Up till now the Republicans have known their place. “Okay, you guys want to be part of the club, lose. Lose with honor. Don’t cause any trouble. Maybe a couple of you, like Newt Gingrich, come along and be controversial now and then, win a couple elections, but know your place. You are the Washington Generals. We are Globetrotters.” And that’s the way it’s worked.

And the Republicans that have gotten admitted into this club and have the same perks, they know their place in order to hold on to it. It’s the structure. Bernie Sanders and his campaign are now threatening to expose the Democrat Party for what it has been for a while, a socialist trending Communist Party. That’s too big a risk. So if it takes nominating Biden who doesn’t know where he is to stave that off, then fine and dandy, that’s what they’ll do.

And they knew it wasn’t gonna be Mayor Pete, it wasn’t gonna be Klobuchar, it’s not gonna be Elizabeth Warren, not gonna be any of these guys, Andrew Yang, none of these people are gonna be able to do it. It has to be Biden. Biden’s the establishment guy, access to donors. It had to be somebody James Clyburn would endorse in South Carolina. Clyburn was never gonna endorse Buttigieg or Klobuchar, for example.

It had to be somebody that could get the African-American vote in South Carolina. It’s all part of maintaining this time honored, age-old Democrat coalition. These people think they have to hold on to that, maintain that particular order in order to hold on to their own. Whenever they look at their life, perks, gratuities, however they see it, these are people that are dependent on others for their position in life.

That’s a risky position to be in. When you’re dependent on the good graces, when you’re dependent on other people also winning and prevailing, when you’re dependent on the people that make it possible for you also staying in power, when you haven’t done it on your own, other than what it’s taken to go to the right school to get on the right track to be admitted, but then once you’re in, you know, it’s a communal type thing, with a caste system you know your place in it, you know how you rise in it, climb the ladder, the ranks and so forth.

But these are people who largely are dependent on other people being nice or being supportive, you name it. I’ve never wanted to be in that position myself. I’ve never wanted my job depending on somebody else holding theirs. Now, most people can’t escape that, but I’ve never wanted to be beholden. I’ve always wanted to be the reason I’m somewhere.

But these people that we’re talking about, they think that they are the reason, but when they really stop and think about it, they know that they are dependent on the good graces of people who rank higher than they do in this pecking order.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: You guys remember the Republican senator from Nebraska named Chuck Hagel? He just endorsed Biden. He’s famous for endorsing Democrats, Chuck Hagel, Republican, Nebraska, just endorsed Plugs. Ha.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Do not doubt me, folks. James Comey just endorsed and voted for Biden. Well, what did you expect? The deep state’s deep! And then Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, has come out and endorsed Joe Biden. I’m telling you, don’t doubt me on this. The Washington establishment is a deep establishment. Here. Here’s what Hagel said. Where was he? Hang on just a second. I got it. Of course. Where else would he have been but CNN? This is what he said…

HAGEL: I think Joe Biden, for this time in our country, with the challenges that we have, I think he’s the right person. I’m still a Republican. I don’t know — not sure what that means, but I’m still a Republican, and I’ll let the Democrats sort out who they want to be their candidate. But, as far as I’m concerned as an American, I think the best president would be Joe Biden.

RUSH: This is just… (impression) “I’m still a Republican, whatever that means, whatever that means. I don’t know what that means.” That’s one thing we believe. You don’t know what being a Republican is anymore, Senator Hagel. “Joe Biden’s the guy!” See, all it took… Look, all it took was their establishment guy having a respectable finish in one primary, and here they all come. That’s all it took. All Plugs had to do was have a respectable showing where two-thirds of the electorate’s African-American, traditional Democrat turnout, and now look.

Everybody. Comey. Chuck Hagel — former Republican (impression), “I’m still a Republican. I’ll let the Democrats sort it out. I’m still a Republican, whatever that means. But I think the best thing for America right now would be Joe Biden.” Anybody that really thinks that is insane. Anybody that really thinks Joe Biden is the best thing for this country right now is insane, is questionably all there — and you know what they really mean by it.

These people that we’re talking about, folks? Do not doubt me. They know that Biden will be a figurehead. They know he doesn’t know where he is half the time. They know that he doesn’t know who he’s talking to half the time. He’s a surrogate. He’s a stand-in for somebody, or a series of people. I’ll tell you, it could be a godsend for them. I mean, these people could actually be running the country, and nobody would know it. Biden would get all the slings and arrows. He’d get a limited amount of credit.

The real power will be whoever it is that’s running things, and he’s acknowledged that this is gonna be the case. He’s acknowledged that it’ll be some form of this. I’ll tell you something else: The media would know who it is, and they would not tell you. It’s a Democrat, and whoever is the group behind Biden or the individual, they would know who it was, but they’d never report it. They’d hang together, and it would be reported each and every day, “President Biden today said that” blah, blah.

“President Biden will meet today with the leader of the country of Outer Slobbovia,” blah, blah, blah. Biden might meet with the guy for two minutes in front of the camera. But after that, they’d send him back to Romper Room, and whoever has the real meeting has the real meeting, and the media would know. (sigh) That is what’s at stake. Now, here on the other side, we got two people trying to upset that applecart. One of them is Bernie Sanders, and the other is Michael Bloomberg, Mini Mike — “Mike” Bloomberg.

We don’t know… Well, yeah, we do. Bloomberg would essentially be the same kind of administration that whoever would be behind Biden would be. He’s a liberal. He was never a Republican until that’s what he thought he had to be to get elected mayor of New York following Giuliani. But he’s always been a Democrat, and he’s always been a liberal Democrat. So this is what’s happening. The liberals are closing ranks now.

Chuck Hagel’s a liberal Republican. He’s a RINO from Nebraska.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: What did I have? (muttering) Oh, I want to play the Drive-Bys. I just want to show you to prove the point here that the Drive-Bys are all-in with Biden now. Biden getting the nomination means they get to keep their positions in the establishment. Let’s see. Grab sound bite number 9. This is a montage of the Drive-Bys hyping momentum and the late movement now — all of a sudden — to Joe Biden.

EVA PILGRIM: No question there has been a massive momentum shift!

DAVID CHALIAN: Did the momentum happen in time to reach voters in such a way to make Joe Biden ultra-competitive?

JOE LOCKHART: I’ve never seen move so quickly a movement of the party to get behind one person!

AMY ROBACH: Going into this Super Tuesday, yes, Joe Biden showing momentum!

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: …this sort of specter of momentum.

KYLE KONDIK: The polls are picking up on late movement toward Biden!

STEVE KORNACKI: A big — and I mean big, ’cause that’s where we’re gettin’ some indications of — the possibility of a big movement towards Joe Biden just from last Saturday!

RUSH: Can you believe this? A guy ones one primary, one primary, and listen to these people — and here is Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington…

MITCHELL: (excitedly) This is a huge night on this Super Tuesday, the Democrats “Stop Sanders” movement is coming together —

RUSH: Oh!

MITCHELL: — as Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg — each recognizing they had no path to the nomination — join forces to try to stop Bernie Sanders’ march to the nomination and help Joe Biden, already enjoying a big bounce from his victory in South Carolina!

RUSH: Man, oh, man! These people are salivating, folks. They can’t see straight, they’re so excited. Last night on Fredo Prime Time, Fredo Cuomo was talking to Obama’s campaign architect, David Axelrod. Question: “What does this moment mean, Klobuchar there standing right next to Biden?”

AXELROD: Look, I think that, uh, it is a momentum builder for him. I think he… You know, he doesn’t have any ads (chuckling) all over the country.

RUSH: (laughing)

AXELROD: So these kinds of things are signaling momentum to people —

RUSH: He doesn’t have any ads!

AXELROD: — who go to the polls tomorrow that, “This is the guy. Let’s unify behind him,” and he’s hoping that that will, uhhh — that will have a kind of contagion effect, you know?

RUSH: That’s the point. Doesn’t have any ads. After this, it’s over. He doesn’t have any money for Super Tuesday. He blew everything for whatever it was in South Carolina. He doesn’t have any money. All he’s got is these endorsements from Buttigieg and Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke, a bunch of people that haven’t won anything. You can put the combined total of their voters insisted a thimble, maybe a phone booth at the outside.

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