Perhaps this is over analysing it, but I think maybe Sean's boy-next-door likeableness ultimate works against him for some of us, once we have had enough.
He is, IMHO, pretty much of an empty suit, but he is certainly on our side and so I long repressed my dissatisfaction with him. Since I finally looked unsentimentally at the actual quality of his work, I have had a tendency to be a little unkind to him.
It may be true that he is not hyping his books as much any more but the snippets I catch of his act are a nonstop hype machine for the ~next~ segment. With Sean, the thing that is really worth listening to always just over the horizon.
Taking just a moment for fairness....I believe that Sean led the pack in the routing of that dispicable Warren Community College English instructor. Kudos.
Welcome to FR and thanks for your thoughtful posts.
Just taking this a bit further, and I may be wrong about this, but may it be a bit of envy? From all appearances Sean has everything going for him. He IS like the boy next door in many ways ... he didn't grow up in a rich affluent family, he's like most of us, but somehow he's managed to have a nice wife and two cute kids (and still be on his first marriage, intact, and going strong), owns his own house and boat, etc., written two books, PLUS be #2 in the talk radio world.
Like I said before, we all have the styles we prefer, but one thing I really appreciate about Hannity over Rush is that Sean keeps his talk clean and his personal life reflects his conservative values. I get tired of Rush's bad mouth as well as his going on about things like chocolate vaginas. And while I understand that things happen, I'm not too thrilled about his three failed marriages and the fact that at least one of them was to a woman who was still married when they first started dating. And now his dating a liberal CNN chick is not too appealing, either.