Simply put, it's because HE said it that people think it's different.
It's like the critic who said a certain play was a work of art; when asked why he believed this he responded that the writer was an artist; therefore, whatever he creates is a work of art.
Savage is a prime example of a cult of personality: His followers believe him to be a conservative, so therefore whenever he wants to do something like cut and run, or give money to Brown, or call for respect for animal rights, his followers simply say "He's not a robot or cookie-cutter Republican." Because to try to reconcile his liberal ideas with conservatism is impossible.
Which is why so many "conservatives" claim they're libertarians; they're conservatives without embracing the philosophy of conservatism, possibly for selfish interests (selfish not in the insulting sense, but merely because they're putting personal needs and life experience ahead of conservative philosophical concepts) or convenience (for example, they want to have abortion available for their own selves, because they sleep around, so they come up with a justification for abortion even though it has of late become part of what it means to be a conservative).
Savage's adherents like his outspokenness, but to admit they only like the vents, the emotional experience, would be like saying they like sex only for the physical pleasure, and not for the possibility of conception and the use of sex as an expression of love. Admitting one likes Savage only because he's a rude, bigoted and angry person would admit to having those same qualities, or valuing them, when it's so much easier to say they find his candor refreshing and that's it. But Al Franken is candid, and they don't like him.
Savage is like the Clintons--he's out for himself. But those who bought into his "rebel conservative" pose (and that's all it is) will feel pretty damned stupid if they admit to being hoodwinked. So, like the JFK fans who lauded him for being a family man before the revelations of his personal life came out, Savage fans have to say those things aren't REALLY important--in the case of Kennedy, that honor and respect for one's wife are any of our business; in the case of Savage, that it's not what he believes is 100% true to a conservative philosophy, but that his just TALKING about this stuff is what's important, so his occassional non-conservative ideas--animal rights, pulling out of Iraq--are beside the point. (He also has the very worst aspects of supposed conservatives--his hatred for gays is in direct contradiction to religious conservative claims that they hate the sin but love the sinner.)
Savage has taken his conservative fans for a ride, but they've gone along for so long that they can't admit they were had without looking like dupes. So they act like they went along for the ride willingly, and keep changing their excuses for being fans of this very hateful, very ignorant (no matter his constant prattling on about degrees--since when did we give a fig about that?) and very sad little man.
Great post.
Change the names and reverse the ideologies and you know who you are describing? Bill Clinton.
And the Clinton defenders act the same way as the Weiner defenders, too.
Can you post what you just wrote on the following thread?: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1731796/posts
It's time for the Weinernauts to come back to Earth.
Savage has taken his conservative fans for a ride
People listen to his show for many different reasons.
He's not just a "conservative talk show host."
But if you don't like what you hear, so be it.
At least you explain yourself with relative distinction: which is more than I can say for one of your pals. (guess who)