If Captain Queeg thinks this is going to be easy, think again
OK, I didn't intend today to be a McCain day here, but that seems to be all anyone is talking about (except of course for the outbreak of global warming in the Middle East that I highlighted earlier). The Washington Times is no exception as they highlight talk radio's "war" on John McCain. And yes, they cite our favorite host who is aware of the race as it sits right now, and what might happen in terms of a worst case scenario. From the Times piece:
Conservative talk radio is ganging up on presidential candidate John McCain, attacking him for joining Democrats to push liberal legislation and opposing bedrock Republican positions from tax cuts to immigration.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to be the favorite of conservative talk-radio stars and stands to benefit from their distaste for the Arizona senator, who is running neck and neck with Mr. Romney in the race for the presidential nomination.
While most polls show the two men in a dead heat in key primary and caucus contests across the nation, the campaign battle on talk radio has turned into a lopsided offensive against Mr. McCain, whose positions on illegal aliens, President Bush's tax cuts, oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and campaign-finance regulation have infuriated conservative commentators.
"I don't think talk radio has changed their core views. Look at Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, Mark Levin and myself, all center-right conservatives generally supportive of the Republicans," talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt told The Washington Times.
"I think if you were to poll that universe of talkers, you would find they would be anti-McCain-Feingold [on campaign finance]; anti-McCain-Kennedy [on immigration], except for Medved; pro-oil exploration in ANWR; and supporters of the Bush tax cuts," Mr. Hewitt said as he ticked off bills the Arizona senator has championed or opposed in the Senate.
"So the hostility toward the McCain legislative record shouldn't surprise anyone," the founder of the conservative Townhall Web site said.
Mr. Hewitt also told the Associated Press yesterday that "Senator McCain is a great American, a lousy senator and a terrible Republican. He has a legislative record that is not conservative. In fact, it is anti-conservative." He said he would support Mr. Romney "if I was voting today."
For weeks, Mr. Limbaugh, the king of talk radio, also has pounded Mr. McCain as a Republican who deserted his party's positions on core issues — from his earlier opposition to the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 to his support with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, for an immigration bill that would have given illegal aliens a path to citizenship.
Captain Queeg needs to get this through his thick skull, and damn quick: You have honked off the people you absolutely need to win. without us, you stand no chance against Hillary or Obama, and I could care less what the bloody polls show. (HT to Allah over at Hot Air for those numbers, BTW.) He needs the base, and he'll have to make amends, and meet us halfway to achieve our support. I haven't listened to Limbaugh in well over a decade, so his spat with McCain is neither here nor there. He is the most influential host on talk radio right now, and it's amusing to see the media breathlessly reporting on this tit-for-tat between him and Captain Queeg. (Incidentally, I'd love to see the Arbitron numbers while this is going on. I'm sure Rush is laughing at the media all the way to the bank. Keep hyping it you MSM morons.)
The simple fact of the matter is that pundits such as Hugh and Rush, along with the bevy of other conservative talk show hosts, are far from burying the hatchet with McCain (unless they'd like to proverbially bury it in his back). Neither are we. We've known this man for far too long, and we know far too much of his legislative history. Mona Charen rightly acknowledges that Captain Queeg has spent far too much time sticking his fingers in our eyes for the last eight years, and setting aside differences with him isn't going to be easy. Will talk radio come around? If they heed the warning from Hugh they will.
Sitting out the election because you don't like him, and you can't stand the Democrats is a sure way to ensure a Democrat president. Given that the congressional elections this year look bleak (at least for the GOP in the Senate with 23 seats up for reelection or special election), the idea of a Democrat president like Hillary or Obama, and a Democrat controlled Congress might have many Republicans contemplating suicide. So it's imperative to win, at the very least, the White House. Even though Captain Queeg likes reaching across the aisle in favor of the over-hyped idea of bipartisanship, he can befuddle the Democrats as much as President Bush has. (Remember that he is, supposedly, a fiscal hawk.)
Similar sentiments are being issued across the 'Sphere but a number of pundits, and many of them concede that while they'll likely vote for him in the general, they're not ready to make nice with him just yet. And we shouldn't. This race is far from over, and with Super Duper Tuesday right around the corner, things could change drastically next week. So yes, while many of us won't sit at home, and we would be willing to vote for him to stave off a Hillary or Obama victory, we're still holding out hope that all is not said and done, and we might actually get someone that isn't hostile to conservatives. Captain Queeg has shown that irritability with us, and I still think that ire comes from his loss in 2000.
Publius II
Conservative talk radio is ganging up on presidential candidate John McCain, attacking him for joining Democrats to push liberal legislation and opposing bedrock Republican positions from tax cuts to immigration.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to be the favorite of conservative talk-radio stars and stands to benefit from their distaste for the Arizona senator, who is running neck and neck with Mr. Romney in the race for the presidential nomination.
While most polls show the two men in a dead heat in key primary and caucus contests across the nation, the campaign battle on talk radio has turned into a lopsided offensive against Mr. McCain, whose positions on illegal aliens, President Bush's tax cuts, oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and campaign-finance regulation have infuriated conservative commentators.
"I don't think talk radio has changed their core views. Look at Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, Mark Levin and myself, all center-right conservatives generally supportive of the Republicans," talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt told The Washington Times.
"I think if you were to poll that universe of talkers, you would find they would be anti-McCain-Feingold [on campaign finance]; anti-McCain-Kennedy [on immigration], except for Medved; pro-oil exploration in ANWR; and supporters of the Bush tax cuts," Mr. Hewitt said as he ticked off bills the Arizona senator has championed or opposed in the Senate.
"So the hostility toward the McCain legislative record shouldn't surprise anyone," the founder of the conservative Townhall Web site said.
Mr. Hewitt also told the Associated Press yesterday that "Senator McCain is a great American, a lousy senator and a terrible Republican. He has a legislative record that is not conservative. In fact, it is anti-conservative." He said he would support Mr. Romney "if I was voting today."
For weeks, Mr. Limbaugh, the king of talk radio, also has pounded Mr. McCain as a Republican who deserted his party's positions on core issues — from his earlier opposition to the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 to his support with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, for an immigration bill that would have given illegal aliens a path to citizenship.
Captain Queeg needs to get this through his thick skull, and damn quick: You have honked off the people you absolutely need to win. without us, you stand no chance against Hillary or Obama, and I could care less what the bloody polls show. (HT to Allah over at Hot Air for those numbers, BTW.) He needs the base, and he'll have to make amends, and meet us halfway to achieve our support. I haven't listened to Limbaugh in well over a decade, so his spat with McCain is neither here nor there. He is the most influential host on talk radio right now, and it's amusing to see the media breathlessly reporting on this tit-for-tat between him and Captain Queeg. (Incidentally, I'd love to see the Arbitron numbers while this is going on. I'm sure Rush is laughing at the media all the way to the bank. Keep hyping it you MSM morons.)
The simple fact of the matter is that pundits such as Hugh and Rush, along with the bevy of other conservative talk show hosts, are far from burying the hatchet with McCain (unless they'd like to proverbially bury it in his back). Neither are we. We've known this man for far too long, and we know far too much of his legislative history. Mona Charen rightly acknowledges that Captain Queeg has spent far too much time sticking his fingers in our eyes for the last eight years, and setting aside differences with him isn't going to be easy. Will talk radio come around? If they heed the warning from Hugh they will.
Sitting out the election because you don't like him, and you can't stand the Democrats is a sure way to ensure a Democrat president. Given that the congressional elections this year look bleak (at least for the GOP in the Senate with 23 seats up for reelection or special election), the idea of a Democrat president like Hillary or Obama, and a Democrat controlled Congress might have many Republicans contemplating suicide. So it's imperative to win, at the very least, the White House. Even though Captain Queeg likes reaching across the aisle in favor of the over-hyped idea of bipartisanship, he can befuddle the Democrats as much as President Bush has. (Remember that he is, supposedly, a fiscal hawk.)
Similar sentiments are being issued across the 'Sphere but a number of pundits, and many of them concede that while they'll likely vote for him in the general, they're not ready to make nice with him just yet. And we shouldn't. This race is far from over, and with Super Duper Tuesday right around the corner, things could change drastically next week. So yes, while many of us won't sit at home, and we would be willing to vote for him to stave off a Hillary or Obama victory, we're still holding out hope that all is not said and done, and we might actually get someone that isn't hostile to conservatives. Captain Queeg has shown that irritability with us, and I still think that ire comes from his loss in 2000.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 5:36 PM
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