Steyn in for Rush Today!

by Mark Steyn
The Rush Limbaugh Show
January 13, 2020

https://www.steynonline.com/9988/steyn-in-for-rush-today

UPDATE! Thanks to everyone who tuned in. You can find a few moments from the show here. See you with Tucker tonight at 8pm Eastern.

Today, Monday, I'll be back behind the Golden EIB Microphone for three hours of substitute-host-level Excellence In Broadcasting on America's Number One radio show starting at 12 noon Eastern/9am Pacific. I hope you'll dial us up either via the iHeart Radio app or on one of over 600 stations across the fruited plain, such as our old friends at WNTK New Hampshire, where you can listen to the full show from anywhere on the planet right here.

Among the topics on the rundown: Impeachment. Supposedly, the Trial of Trump could begin in the United States Senate as early as Wednesday. On Friday night, I discussed the suddenly on-again impeachment trial with Trump 2020 senior legal advisor Jenna Ellis:

Pelosi's bullying tactic didn't work, so she's finally sending her sham little articles to the Senate this week! I joined @MarkSteynOnline to discuss. pic.twitter.com/jC7gflpwYm
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) January 13, 2020

~We had a busy weekend at SteynOnline, starting with my guest-hosting stint on America's Number Two cable show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight", covering everything from Deep State Pete to killer popcorn. Kathy Shaidle's Saturday movie column was all about All About Eve, and our Sunday song selection celebrated the first Number One hit of the Seventies. Our marquee presentation was the latest in my anthology of video poetry - one of my personal favorites from the Bard of the Yukon: The Low-Down White by Robert W Service. If you were too busy getting low-down with a hoochie-koochie dancer in a Whitehorse saloon this weekend, I hope you'll want to catch up with one or three of the foregoing as a new year begins.

~2020 is here and that means, aside from minor things like Brexit and presidential elections, the third annual Mark Steyn Cruise. This year's is a biggie:

After a special Steyn Club reception in Rome on October 5th, we sail out into the Mediterranean aboard the MS Nieuw Statendam. Holland America's beautiful and brand new flagship will be hitting all the high spots - Cartagena, Gibraltar, Seville, Barcelona, Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Pisa and more - before returning to Rome on October 15th. I'll be doing double-duty, hosting the cruise, and also hosting live seaboard editions of many favorite features along the way - Tales for Our Time, Song of the Week, Steyn's Sunday Poem, and The Mark Steyn Show. I don't have to carry the load single-handed, of course. I'll be assisted by various special guests and old friends from round these parts - including Michele Bachmann, one of my very favorite presidential candidates of recent years and a stellar comedienne opposite me in our Lisa Page/Peter Strzok re-enactment last year. We'll also welcome my old boss Conrad Black, recently pardoned by President Trump; Douglas Murray, author of the bestselling books The Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds; John O'Sullivan, Mrs Thatcher's speechwriter and a doughty Brexiteer; and more. We'll address all the heavy geopolitical stuff but we'll also kick loose in the evening with dinner, convivial receptions, some late-night laughs and a little live music.

There'll be plenty of time for relaxation and revelry and getting to know your fellow Steyn cruisers and our guests. And every day we'll enjoy world class service from Holland America, and the spectacular beauty of the Mediterranean and some of its great cities before Douglas' strange death of Europe kicks in.

We've reserved the best cabins throughout the ship - and in all of the various categories so that you can make accommodation arrangements that suit you best. We're excited to welcome you aboard for the third Steyn at Sea cruise - but tempus fugit, so don't leave it too long! (As with most travel bookings, the price is better the earlier you book.)

So picture yourself on Holland America's lovely MS Nieuw Statendam, along with your fellow Steyn Club members and me and my guests, enjoying ten full days and nights of shipboard fun as we ponder the collapse of western civilization. There'll be:

*Live editions of The Mark Steyn Show, and other favorite SteynOnline features;
*Plenty of chances to meet, schmooze and hector me and my guests;
*Exclusive cocktail receptions and dining with yours truly, our guest speakers, and your fellow Steyn cruisers;
*Accommodations and all meals included;
*Port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges, and government fees all included;
*Most shipboard activities included;
*A fully escorted cruise by Steyn Club staff and the best cruise organizers in the business;
*And a few surprises along the way...

If you're one of those people who have always wanted to come on a cruise but have yet to take the, er, plunge, well, there's never been a better time to stop procrastinating. You don't have to be married, or even going steady: Nearly thirty per cent of our cruisers are single, so, if you fancy your chances with a Steyn Club member as the moon hangs over the Côte d'Azur and the sound of me singing "Cat Scratch Fever" wafts up from below deck, give it a go.

Any questions? Cindy, our cruise manager, can help with most of them, including flight and hotel bookings: If you're calling from beyond North America, she's on +1 (770) 952-1959; if you're calling from this side of the Atlantic, it's toll-free on 1-800-707-1634. Or you can email your query here.

TO RESERVE YOUR CABIN OR STATEROOM, CLICK HERE.

See you on the telly tonight, and on the radio at noon Eastern - and do give me a call.

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14 Reader Comments

RAC • Jan 13, 2020 at 16:40

Why hasn't the national press gone ballistic over the recent revelations from the 60 minutes segment on the Jeffry Epstein murder case? Any lingering doubt about the true cause of his death was totally eliminated by the autopsy photos alone. He was garroted beyond any question by a thin wire or material no thicker than an electrical cord. The massive force applied broke the blood vessels and three bones in his neck and was very bloody as the photos 60 minutes obtained clearly reveal. The noose Epstein supposedly used - a rolled up section of a bed sheet - is much too thick and has not a trace of blood stain - it's perfectly pristine. Attn. General Bill Barr was played for a fool because the video he was shown only shows the entrance to the small cell block - not the cell block where Epstein's murder occurred. The guards never entered the cell block until they 'discovered' his body. All a bought and paid for guard had to do is unlock Epstein's cell and that of his killer. 60 minutes showed the interior of the cell block - just a narrow hall with perhaps 6 cells on each side. The camera is at the far end and shows all of the cells. It was not operational of course. I cannot believe that no one in the Trump Adm. or someone in the justice dept. hasn't told Barr that the video he reviewed was utterly useless. Dr. Michael Baden is not alone in stating that Epstein's injuries are not possible given this nonsensical theory of his death. I'm hoping Nancy Grace will break this case wide open finally but where is the rest of the press including Fox News? View the 60 minutes segment and tell me I'm wrong here.

Walt Trimmer

RAC • Jan 13, 2020 at 19:53

Back in the old days, the Mission Impossible Team would have Barney hang a still picture in front of the surveillance camera as the nefarious action took place. With modern technology they just say the footage of Epstein's first "suicide" attempt is not available because they preserved the video from the wrong floor. Of course, the MI team was operating in Eastern European dictatorships and not in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Todd Lewis • Jan 13, 2020 at 15:39

Since Mark brought up the subject of monarchy once again today on Rush I thought I'd wade into this again because I'm genuinely curious about it. I have yet to hear any arguments about this that strike me as compelling.

The fact is, we have a presumptive royalty in America now. You can only be a part of if you have the right educational pedigree and have personal connections within the so-called deep state. There is a certain level of DNA involved. The press will never savage these people because the press regard themselves as fully credentialed members of the peerage. A guy like President Trump will be mercilessly and relentlessly savaged by the press because he dared to kick in the palace door. So monarchy is a cultural aspiration that is natural to many.

But how do I, as an American, relate to the British concept of monarchy? They don't seem to exercise political power in any significant sense. They don't exert robust leadership on the issues of the day other than to be blandly politically correct. Prince Charles seems like little more than a toffee-nosed Greta Thunberg to me. So what is it that makes them important? Some say they bring in zillions of dollars in tourist money. For my own part, I would rather visit Chartwell than Buckingham Palace. Must be because Churchill's mother was American.

The only American cultural analogy to the monarchy I can think of is the 4th of July. Should we abolish the 4th of July? Half of the country doesn't know or care about it or they actively disagree with the principles and events it commemorates. Vast amounts of money are spent on memorials, flags, and bunting, not to mention zillions of dollars spent on fireworks all across the nation in every hamlet and city. With the money we saved from abolishing the 4th of July we could eradicate diarrhea in Africa. We could underwrite all the monarchies in the world.

To the rest of the nation, however, the 4th is sacrosanct. America would almost seem not to exist without it. It is the cornerstone of our concept of national identity. Our cultural fabric would be irreparably torn without it. Isn't this the parallel to the British monarchy? This is the only level on which I can understand this. Some of you cosmopolitan Anglo's will have to verify or clarify this to this parochial Minuteman.

Chris Hall aka MCF

Todd Lewis • Jan 13, 2020 at 19:06

As an ex-pat Canuck, maybe I can add some context. Every country needs 2 important people: a head of state, and a head of government. In the US, one person wears both hats, often not very comfortably. For example, one could argue that JFK was good a being the former, but mediocre at best at the latter. For Harry Truman, the reverse might be true. In my living memory there were only two presidents who pulled off the Daily Double, Eisenhower and Reagan.

Most European countries have some sort of powerless (and forgettable) president as head of state and a powerful (but usually sleazy) prime minister as head of government. Then there are the countries with some sort of constitutional "monarch" who commutes to the palace on a bicycle and is just one of the regular proletariat. Ughh.

The UK are different in that they have a long-established monarchy with some heft. Although they have little constitutional power (it's not zero, especially when you have minority governments), they can be important players behind the scene. However, their main purpose is empathy along with and pomp and circumstance. At this, they're pretty good and it frees up the PM to be a right royal a**hole when necessary. So head of state (everyone can sort of like) and head of government (a majority always dislike) can both exist in separate universes. Even in the UK, the head of state function is cheap compared to the pomp functions bought and paid for by US taxpayers. Most countries couldn't afford a single Air Force One, let alone a decoy.

Now Canada, Australia and New Zealand have the best of both worlds. They get an effective head of state without having to pay a dime, except of course for the occasional sleep set at Canadian Tire. Very cost-effective. Clear now?

Michael Cavino • Jan 13, 2020 at 15:05

Heard you talking to the final phone caller of the day. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 lays out the Constitutional Requirements for becoming president (over 35 years old, a "resident" of the U.S. for 14 years and a "natural born citizen).

How could the Senate prohibit Trump taking the oath again if they fail to remove him by convicting him at trail? Because that is where we are heading.

Josh Passell • Jan 13, 2020 at 14:22

But Mark, Hunter Biden needs the filthy Ukraine lucre to pay for diapers alone. Once his ex-stripper ex-girlfriend gets what's justifiably coming to her from the deadbeat dad, he's going to need filthy lucre from Belarus and Moldavia, too. Creepy Joe merely paws and sniffs young women; Sleazy Hunter goes deeper, if you receive my meaning. Dirtbag has more kids by more women than an average NFL wide receiver.
But we can't let Cory Booker's departure from the presidential race go un-bye-kued:

Bye Booker, Bye Crook,
We toast you with "tears of rage".
Wept from bulging eyes.

George Pazin • Jan 13, 2020 at 13:21

The five most beautiful words in the English language:

Steyn in for Rush Today!

Woo hoo!!

Paul Harmon

George Pazin • Jan 13, 2020 at 16:25

Hush! Rush will stop letting Mark sit in for him if you keep that up...

George Pazin

Paul Harmon • Jan 13, 2020 at 17:25

As a special person himself, Rush knows how special Mark is. I fear no such thing.

:-)

Tina Trent • Jan 13, 2020 at 12:52

Booker dropped out, but isn't Deval Patrick still in the race?

Josh Passell

Tina Trent • Jan 13, 2020 at 15:34

True, Tina. But to be fair, Mini-Bar(ack) is easily overlooked.

Anne Pinkava • Jan 13, 2020 at 12:23

I'm surprised that no one has said the obvious about Harry and Meghan: clearly Harry wants to move closer to his real father, he looks more like Mark every day.

Al Man from CA • Jan 13, 2020 at 11:21

Greetings Mark!
On this morning's update from Rush, he mentioned that a former CIA employee, a Mr. Cash I believe, has written that we need a "deep state". This former CIA guy also worked for Diane Feinstein (Di-Fi out here on the left coast) as a member of her staff. Isn't Di-Fi the senator who had a Red Chinese spy on her staff (personal driver, staff worker, access to documents etc.) for 20 YEARS?!

Fran Lavery

Al Man from CA • Jan 13, 2020 at 12:46

Mark Steyn once again exposes the truth to those on the Left who can't handle the truth. Loving the way this week is kicking off. Happy Birthday to Maja Rushie!!! Can I add how close my heart is to exploding with gratitude to both of these gentlemen?