[T.L.Sink]

Baldwin seems to be confused to the point of being incoherent. He asserts that Bush has a "shroud" of a "politico" and a "military commander in chief." The
last I heard the President of the U.S. IS a political
figure and, constitutionally, a commander-in-chief. He
further complains that the "religious right" didn't oppose
the Patriot Act or Homeland Security. Good Heavens! Since
when are such things inimical to conservatism? And he
says they are a "propaganda machine" for Republicans and
Bush. Why shouldn't they be if they believe certain Republicans best reflect their values? Are blacks a "political machine" for Democrats? This is simply the
way American politics works. Certain demographic groups
commonly form "blocs" to support candidates that they
believe best represent their interests. Frankly, Baldwin
doesn't make a case for ANYTHING.

[BobL]

Don't mind this posting. Rush (before he wised up) used to get phone calls that went (to the effect): "I'm a conservative Republican, but I just cannot support Newt taking food out of the mouths of our children."

Format:

Part 1: Identify yourself as a conservative Republican, give supporting data (like anti-abortion, voted for Bush before, etc.) if you can come up with any.

Part 2: Repeat some outrageous assertion of the left, attributing it to the Republican politician, and then say that you cannot support it (say you cannot vote for Bush again, for example).

Reason why it can work:
This tactic is intended to make conservatives (radio listeners in this case) second-guess their own judgment, as in this hypothetical thought: "Jeez, he thinks just like me on most issues, but he's against the President...maybe I should rethink my support."

Today's status:
Rush now calls these people Seminar Callers, based on the fact that he was once tipped off to that Dems trained some of these people in a seminar setting. When he gets these calls (not too often any more), if you listen carefully, he's usually mumbling something under his breath in parallel with the main conversation - it's really funny because the caller often cannot hear what Rush is saying. He also sometimes manages to trip up the caller on other issues if the caller is not too well trained. These callers help make the show fun to listen to.