Limbaugh Misquotes Constitution During CPAC Speech

During his much-discussed keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Rush Limbaugh accused Barack Obama of pursuing the "bastardization of the U.S. Constitution."

It was one of the more politically acidic notes in a speech defined by rambling political assaults. But the conservative talk show host wasn't exactly standing on firm footing. Just a few moments earlier he himself had actually -- not theoretically -- "bastardized" the Constitution by confusing it with the Declaration of Independence.

From Limbaugh's speech:

We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be. We recognize that we are all individuals. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. [Applause] We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life. [Applause] Liberty, Freedom. [Applause] And the pursuit of happiness. [Applause] Those of you watching at home may wonder why this is being applauded. We conservatives think all three are under assault. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you.

Limbaugh, it seems, meant to say "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," which, of course, is in the Declaration of Independence. Just to be sure, however, the Constitutional Accountability Center compared his remarks to the Constitution's preamble, and didn't find a match.

Here is the Constitution's Preamble: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

In the end, of course, Limbaugh's gaffe was just that: a rhetorical hiccup in an otherwise long (the speech went on for 90 minutes) and brash address. Still, in the process of accusing Obama for a lack of reverence of the Constitution, it would have undoubtedly served him better to have properly recognized the Constitution himself.

Comments

[mycall8]

Looks like we are heading for a one party system and it's gonna be a big one ....

[streetkid5]

Mr. Limbaugh needs to disappear for 60 days, study the U. S. Constitution and find where it differs from the Declaration of Independence (where "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are mentioned.).

[formerprosecutor]

60 days?

Some of us spent decades studying the Constitution; and still learn more about it everyday.

[luziannagirl]

The Constitution? You mean that mere "piece of paper"? Who on the right cares about that minor obstacle?

[LittlePurpleUSA]

"We conservatives think all three are under assault."

Oh the irony.

[SteveDenver]

Notice how Rush and his ilk always claim to speak for a larger group? I hear it from conservatives all the time who oppose a woman's right to choose. It happens all the time with right wing christians who oppose domestic partner benefits and marriage equality: they speak for the nation.

[christianmama4change]

Rush is the leader of the GOP - that's great news because he has the worst approval ratings in all the groups that matter beside angry old white men. see http://www.dccc.org/content/sorry where folks are rushing to kiss up to him. Obama 8 years!!!

[SharonB]

I am so sick to DEATH of hearing about LImbaugh. He is loving all the attention.

I could care less if he said he hopes Obama will fail. He and his crowd are always saying something to flame the fires.

Let's get on with things that are important and forget about Rush Limbaugh.

[americanalien]

Why do Republicans like Rush Limbaugh hate America? What do they have against this country?

[rich misty]

Self-loathing, which is projected onto others because it would otherwise cripple their self-esteem.

[SteveDenver]

Bill Maher put it best when he said, "Republicans don't hate America, they just hate most of the people in it."

[formerprosecutor]

Word!

[TarzaninChrist]

How can you hear this:
"We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be."
"We love the people of this country. And we want this to be the greatest country it can be,...."
"We want the country to succeed, and for the country to succeed, its people -- its individuals -- must succeed. "
"This is a core. I want the best country we can have. We want the most prosperous people. We want to be growing."
And think that Republicans or Conservatives (w/e you want to call us), hate America? We don't have anything against this country, we Love this country. We do however have something against people who want to destroy it by taking freedoms away and crippling the ambition of it's citizens through wasteful government programs. Thats what we hate.

[BEHM777]

The hateful actions of your particularly vehement brood of vipers provides fodder for the assumption that you hate America. You definitely hate the God you claim to serve. That is proved by your actions towards others that do not think or act like you. Love isn't truly in the vocabulary of folks like you. Hate is understood by many as the extreme absence of love. This is how you are seen because it is how you have presented yourselves. Deal with it.

[kristin1030]

Don't you realize who's really taking away your freedoms? Sadly, I think you only speak for your own individual freedoms, not the freedoms of all Americans, otherwise you would realize the irony of your comments. By this, I mean the way the Bush admin. spent 8 years destroying America and doing the exact things you claim to hate. I think you really don' t understand what you're saying or how your actions and words don't coincide.

[Dburgess9]

Yeah, well YOUR president Obama thinks there are 57 states. I don't see anyone around this group criticizing him for a misspeach. Libs aren't going to get very far with these types of games. Remember the adage: You can fool all of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all the time." I just have to believe that there will be enough of us that we can "change" back to a free country and "hope" we don't put our faith in the government taking care of us. It's our responsibility and our freedom that makes it possible.... not Obama, Pelosi and Harry Reid.

[SharonB]

Okay, he made a silly mistake and said their are 57 states... I'll bet he doesn't see WMDs that do not exist and ask my son to die to get rid of them.

[formerprosecutor]

or someone's daugther

or mother

or father

[Mover]

Good old selective 20/20 hindsight. :)

[Diana Grazia]

Do you really think we were living in a free society with bush and company? An illegal war started with life, illegal wire tapping, allowing torture? Get real! It is because we are all free to vote for who ever we want to, that makes us more free than any other country. You had your chance, now it is the time for the kind of changes that will help put us ahead again, and more respected by the rest of the world. You should get over the fact Obama won the election, thank god!

[Mover]

Bush and Obama are the products of the election system that has been shaped by Republicans and Democrats over the years, with each looking to keep themselves in power.

Any small benefit that the taxpayers may find from the federal government is purely incidental and accidental and usually there are none at all. Just look at the Stimulus bill, HR 1.

It "invests" $262K to create each job ($787B/3M jobs).

Now there is a bargain: Democrat Style.

[patricksmom]

Our President Obama is certainly intelligent enough to know there are not 57 states. We can't say the same for Limbaugh errors. The days of Republicans fooling much of anyone, but the willfully ignorant are gone as soon will be the GOP. We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people, no longer just for the rich and mountain men . Get used to it!

[theronseitz]

And apparently enough of the people were "fooled" for 8 years to suppport a GW preseidency. (Not technically, but electorally) Well, no more. The blinders are off. Obama is already overturning the backwards policies of the previous administration. We "Libs" are ready for a "change" from a lying, self-serving government and we "hope" that we can restore the honor and honesty to our government that were not even afterthoughts to the previous administration.

[Shindigger]

Apparently you have had your head in the sand if you have not heard any of Obama's lies!

[Ccouncil]

My 8 year old just came up to me and said "Mommy some retarded man wants to debate Obama" . lol hahahahaha

[Crankenstein]

Bush isn't allowed to debate anymore.....

[Tulka2]

Wow. Look at these comments! Rush sent his orcs and ditto minions today.

[OrganOfThought]

LOL @ orcs !

very good

[ThePoetryMan]

"Still, in the process of accusing Obama for a lack of reverence of the Constitution, it would have undoubtedly served him better to have properly recognized the Constitution himself."

It would have served him better to have actually read the Constitution at some point in his life before he became a blathering windbag full of sound and feces... and it would have benefited us all had he properly recognized the very thing he accused President Obama of not knowing. It is certainly not surprising that The King of The Blowhard Party didn't fathom his error, but it would have gone a long way in making his argument seem to, at the most, have a pulse.

[DemsDeBreaks]

I LOVE Rush Limbaugh.

He does more to open voters' eyes to the true ugliness that lurks within the Republican Party than anyone else in America. It's like he's a secret agent from the Clinton era bent on sabotaging his party from within. Who else could slim down the ranks until only far-right radicals remained? The more he says, the more people realize his "conservative" Republican ideals are shared by the majority of Americans...if it were still 1955.

Keep it up, Rush! Your brilliant plan to destroy the ultra conservative arm of the Republican Party is working!!

[SteveDenver]

WOW, you know how to write a hook. I like your reasoning.

[Vixter]

AGREED! - Love your reasoning.

[Rolfneu]

Rush Limbaugh is the posterboy for the Fat Cats who have too long enriched themselves at the expense of the vast majority of Americans. Much of their personal gains came from government programs and tax policies enacted to benefit the wealthy. While Fat Cats like Limbaugh are more than eager to call Obama's efforts to 'level the playing fiiled' "class warfare" and of course "socialism". The truth is the Fat Cats have waged class warfare against the poor and middle class and have enjoyed socialism for the rich for far too long.

[jillyber98]

Listen to all of you! Good gracious. All I see here are name calling like 2nd graders. Most of you are not even getting your facts straight. Since you cannot come up with anything factual to say so you call Rush horrible names. That says a lot more about YOUR CHARACTER than it does about Rush. PLEASE GROW THE FREAK UP OR GET OFF OF MOMMY AND DADDYS COMPUTER. And I am sick of people not thinking for themselves. You rely on what someone else says someone else said .
If you really really care to know exactly what he said and how so much of the Liberal media completely took it out of context.. here is the link. Please, think for yourself and dont let someone else think for you. http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011609/content/01125113.guest.html

Also, if you listed to Rush, you would know that he has never EVER spoke disresptfully of the President. Although he does not agree with him, he has always been respectfull. ALWAYS. They way most of you are speaking on here is why so many conservatives think that most libs are off their rockers, just loook at all of your posts attacking someones character because you do not agree with them. SHAME. I hope if you have children you teach them better.

[Tulka2]

Rush could not say, "promote the general Welfare". He is incapable of saying that phrase. He KNOWS what the Constitution says. Why sould he be bothered to read it? We should call these right-wing wakos what they actually are" Anti-Christians. That is what they are. Jesus spoke of helping the poor more than he talked about anything else. That idea makes Rush Limbaugh gag.

[moongal6]

Was Rush disrespectful to Michael J. Fox when he belittled him for his tragic illness,even saying he was faking the symptoms? Not to mention his attitude towards women.
Stop trying to make it sound like this man is fair and just.
SHAME on you for trying to make this man and his comments legitimate.

[Vernondelray]

Rush has never spoken disrepectfully of the President? I may not hang on his every word as you seem to, but I have listened to Mr. Limbaugh in the past. You and I obvioulsy have different definitions of respect. The only thing that man seems to "respect" is himself and anyone foolish enough to look to him as an authority on anything.

[KeepMeLearning]

Saying he "hopes President Obama fails" is "respectful?" How do you figure?

I'm not attacking you--just trying to understand how you define "respect."

[Alestro]

Look kid. The point here is that he made a rather long and ignorant mistake. I haven't even read any of the other posts but you need to take Rush of that pedestal and realize how much hurt he is causing to the mindset of good Conservatives by pointlessly furthering the polarization of the Republican Party and politics in general.

[johnsmith adams]

Look Alestro. The point here is Rush made a very poignant remark. There was nothing long about it and nothing mistaken about the point. You don't have a clue who Rush is or what affect he has on conservatives. He could care less about the Republican party...he speaks for conservatives. It shows that you haven't read any other posts. Get a grip and lay off the kids.

[David McConville]

Liberals prove Limbaugh's points every time they hammer a misquote,
but ignore the valid points of the speech.

You have all been indoctrinated in college to accept Marxist ideas as
legitimate, instead of what they are, the ravings of a depressed man.

[DandaPanda]

yeah right: you sound like a 7th grader who got the essay wrong.

[LeftRight]

excuse me????? Are you forgetting every time that the Conservatives have done that??? I thought so! Not to mention the fact that he didn't say anything valid in the rest of the speech, and he hasn't said anything valid in any speech given that I've EVER heard!!

Nice try to divert attention from the facts, though!

[patricksmom]

Did you ever go to college or is that just hearsay, Dave?

[formerprosecutor]

From your comment ; the conclusion is that education bad. I sthat what you meant?

If so, that would be an accurate part of the Republican platform as evidenced by their latest "leaders"

[QueenZel]

Rush Limbaugh was absolutely, 100% correct in the message / gist of what he was saying. You want to call out any little mistake(s) ... why don't we start with someone truly important to the democratic party, Barry H. Obama, who doesn't even KNOW how many states there are in the U.S.A. much less what the preamble of the Constitution says - and he certainly and obviously doesn't even care what is Constitutionally mandated or not based on his Marxist agenda. How about ALL the various, multiple mistatements and outright LIES he has sputtered out, "Uh, uh, let me be perfectly clear." Pshaw! What a JOKE of a president ... it is ASTOUNDING that he was even allowed to campaign for the position of Commander in Chief and equally mind-boggling that so many people were such naive, UNeducated puppets that they'd put him in office ... but we all know why - he promised all the slackers a free ride and unlimited ice cream. RUSH LIMBAUGH IS HITTING THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD!!

[LeftRight]

First, he DOES know how many states, he misspoke. Had he been criticizing McCain in that speech for not knowing how many states there are, we all would have jumped on him, too! Since he was simply saying something wrong, without insulting someone else AT THE SAME TIME!!!

Second, he's a Constitutional scholar, Lawyer, former President of the Harvard Law Review, and professor of Constitutional law. I assure you, he knows not only the preamble, but the whole Constitution, AND the rest of the writings of the founders!!

So when you can come back with something that doesn't sound like Rush wrote it for you, and that actually has some connection with REALITY, then we can talk!!!

[Alestro]

Queen, it is unfortunate that you have been so brainwashed as to actually let the cods wallop you just said ever be published on the internet. "Marxist" agenda? "slackers a free ride"? Im sure you use the term "socialism" in your arguments too. Pitiful. Why don't you take the crap out of your eyes and see the way the country really is? Rush is nothing but an entertainer to try to revive the morale of the Republican party. He is honestly not helping to do anything but further polarize politics and make people even more mindless by fueling them with words like you used in your post, many of which people don't have a clue what they really mean. And don't bring the Constitution into your backwards argument either because anything and everything that is being done is "constitutionally mandated" whether you agree with it or not.

[patricksmom]

Another result of Rethuglican efforts to discourage education- people such as QueenZel that just parrot Rush and probably have never heard anything, but sound bites spoken by our President.
If Rush were anything, but mouth, he would run for elective office and finance his own campaign. But we know that won't happen.

[theronseitz]

According to your logic, what I find TRULY astounding is the fact that a Reserve-Se­rvice-Dodg­er, Yale-Legac­y-D-Studen­t like George Bush was allowed to run, and elected by people like you, to the role of Commander in Chief.

[TheAnti-Bush]

Hey, but don't forget W was a CHEERLEADER at Yale!!! THAT credential trumps Obama's silly election to President of the Law Review! After all, ANYBODY could do THAT!!