That challenge uttered by the popular talk show host Rush Limbaugh brought sustained applause and cheers from conservatives gathered Wednesday night at a dinner in honor of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas.
The idea was to raise money to help the principled conservative pay his lawyers in a phony lawsuit filed against him last year by the Democratic Congressional Committee. That was seen as a tactic to throw the effective political fund-raising lawmaker off stride in his ultimately successful drive to keep the GOP in control of the House in the 2000 elections. In the end, the suit was all but laughed out of the legal system before it ever reached court.
DeLay praised Limbaugh as a man "who has done more to push us in the direction that we’ve gone and the wonderful success that we’ve had over the last six years.”
Many of DeLay’s colleagues turned out to pay tribute to their leader. His Assistant Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., referred to DeLay as "one of the shrewdest politicians in Washington,” but said his favorite description of the Texan, as a tribute to how the liberals fear his political and fund-raising prowess, was "the shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
When it was his turn to speak, the congressional "icon of the right and the lightning rod of the left” paid tribute to those who were helping him make certain that not one red cent for fighting the phony lawsuit would go out of his pocket or from the money needed to fight political battles against the Democrats.
As Rep. Blunt said to NewsMax.com, "It can be dangerous to be innocent.”
DeLay told his friends he was sorry the mainstream media could not be present. Reps. Pat Kennedy, D-R.I., and Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., "thought that they could stop us by pulling something like this…. Even Democrats thought they had lost their minds … because they didn’t have a case.”
In the final analysis, DeLay said, "it didn’t matter because we kept the majority.” Indeed there were reports that his contributors were so incensed at the Democrat ploy that many of them contributed all the more money to the cause.
"So tonight, you’re sort of saying, ‘In your face,’” the majority whip added.
The importance of the occasion was accented by Rush Limbaugh’s willingness to fly in, show up for his own speech and receive an award from DeLay of golf equipment to advance his well-known love of the game. DeLay says Limbaugh has only done one other political fund-raiser. And that was in his home bailiwick in Missouri.
Congressman Blunt, being a family friend, undoubtedly played a role in inducing the talkmeister to show up. That and his firm conviction that what the House leader was doing was essential.
On his show Thursday, Limbaugh said he had been on the ground in Washington for about 35 minutes.
As the radio star told the crowd Wednesday night, he rarely comes to Washington, and when he does, he doesn’t stay overnight. Doesn’t want to risk being infected with the "inside the beltway” atmosphere that can get you "caught up in the temptation to get out of touch.”
As DeLay later said, "We’re winning, and we can beat this town!”
In a swipe at the anti-First Amendment McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" bill, Limbaugh said of the fund-raiser, "We’re lucky this isn’t 60 days before an election.”
He praised DeLay as someone who "doesn’t buckle under,” who "means it” and who proves that "the more effective you are, the more controversial you are.”
Christine DeLay, dubbed by some as "the conservative in the family,” said her husband had been praised for his courage, but really "it isn’t courage at all. Courage is when you’re afraid to do something and you do it anyway. Tom is not afraid to go into his battles. He just does it because it’s the right thing,” the congressman’s wife concluded.
In his pep talk, Limbaugh lamented those who, unlike DeLay, had "tried to please people that you can’t please. They tried to make friends with people who don’t want to be our friends.” He said he was not "naming names.” He didn’t have to. Many recalled his radio critiques of former Senate Majority Leader, now Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., who has been unwilling to fight the battle without blinking.
To watch the media coverage of Capitol Hill, he added, "you would think Tom Daschle was president of the United States.”
At our table, the dinner conversation included mention of the fact that Limbaugh had just signed a contract for $285 million until 2009. That leaves him with a higher income than Dan Rather, Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw combined. And they’re all on television. Rush is strictly radio.
If you need a lesson in what qualifies as "all the news that’s fit to print,” one week after the new Limbaugh contract had been signed, the New York Times had not even mentioned it.
Among the many who turned out for what was a delightful evening, other than those already mentioned, were Reps. Cass Ballenger R-N.C., Bob Ney R-Ohio, Deborah Price R-Ohio, Tom Reynolds R-N.Y., Rob Portman R-Ohio, Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., Michael Rogers, R-Mich., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., John Sweeney, R-N.Y., Billy Tauzin, R-La., and Dan Burton, R-Ind. Each had a table with his name on it.
This writer had the pleasure of being seated at the table hosted by Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., and his lovely wife, Julia. He is co-sponsor, with DeLay, of a campaign finance bill that respects the First Amendment. Just report contributions immediately on the Internet, and let the voters decide whether you’re in someone’s pocket.
During the pre-dinner cocktail hour, Tauzin explained to NewsMax the ins and outs of his Tauzin-Dingell bill, which seeks to upgrade access to the Internet. AT&T is putting up a nasty fight against that one in a royal battle of broadcast ads. But Tauzin says his measure would encourage competition and, it is hoped, revive the dot.com economy.
Briefly showing up but unable to stay for the dinner and speeches was Rep. Phil Crane, R-Ill. who thanked NewsMax.com for its coverage of his bid, alas unsuccessful, to become chairman of House Ways and Means.
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