Posted on 11/19/2007 3:37:47 PM PST by wagglebee
RUSH: Mark in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Am I reading that right? Welcome to the program. Don't have my glasses on so I couldn't really read it, but I guessed and got it right.
CALLER: Yes you got it right, dittos, long-time listener, 24/7 member, and fellow talk show host inspired by you, my friend.
RUSH: Well.
CALLER: Been at it for five years on the Internet, think I've got the biggest show on the Internet, and I've got a big question for you.
RUSH: All right, ask away.
CALLER: All right. The question is this. I think the most conservative candidate that we have for president is Duncan Hunter, going through his website, listening to what he's got on the news, his different interviews and stuff, I mean he definitely meets the conservative agenda head on. And we're just not hearing a lot from him. And we're not hearing a lot from him, from you. And I'm wondering, sir, do you have any plans in the near future for interviews with him, for talking to him on the air? I mean, I did hear, you spoke about an e-mail update you got from him the other day, but other than that it looks like the best candidate here is not getting pushed by the strongest conservative people.
RUSH: Well, here's my answer to your question. I'm asked this a lot and historically I have not gotten involved in primaries, because if I had any of these people, and they have all asked to come on this show, and I respectfully say no, because I'd have to ask them all back. And I really don't look at this program as a campaign vehicle during primaries. Among other things, I, frankly, Mark, I have the belief that political candidates have a duty to get noticed themselves. It's an unfair process in terms -- Mrs. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton is strictly there because she didn't divorce her husband. In fact, she's strictly there because she married him. If her last name weren't Clinton, she'd be the dean of some all-girls' school in Albania touring villages at night and doing whatever you do in a village at night, when you run an all-girls' school. She's just benefiting from conventional wisdom. In the case of Rudy, the reason Rudy is getting a lot of attention is the northeastern bias in the media. The northeastern bias in the media wants two northeasterners to run.
Even some of our conservative journalist friends who are headquartered and work in the northeast, in New York and Washington, are willing to overlook, in some cases, the lack of genuine conservatism in some candidates because they're from the northeast. They have a geographical bias because of where they live. People in the northeast think it's at that it's the heartbeat and the pulse of the country there, and the rest of the country is flyover country and all of that. So it's tough to get out of the bottom tier. You need a really humongous debate performance, and you need an early announcement in some cases when you're going against somebody that's going to benefit from all the conventional wisdom, the media and others. But I sit and watch until one of them surfaces because that's what their job is to do, not mine.
What’s a ‘genuine conservative’? Being 100% conservative? Who amoung us are 100% conservative?
You are assuming when the fact is the leading eastern candidates are Rudy and Hillary
I tried to sign up to volunteer and put up a sign, but apparently that website isn’t Mac friendly. (sad sigh)
You know SOME Mac users are conservative!!!!
I agree with you about Rush having nothing but downside in a straight endorsement of a candidate; much like Free Republic. What Rush can do iss to talk about Hunter more. With millions of conservative listeners that wipes out the name recognition issue right there.
Laura Ingraham talks up Hunter and Thompson. She’s one of the best out there right now.
I haven’t liked Hannity since he had a Catholic priest on his TV show and basically became angry when the priest criticized Hannity’s pro-birth-control stance while claiming to be a Catholic (I think Hannity was in seminary at one point or at least considered it). I’m not a Catholic, don’t know what I think as a Christian of birth control, but sure know that if I were a talk show guy I wouldn’t get in a fight with a member of my church on the air. That sort of discussion should be had privately. I thought Hannity and the priest did not implement Matthew 18; I did not know the priest but I lost respect for Hannity.
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That perplexes me as well.....??!
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Ping to 186 for a partial explanation.
To our loss and discredit.
Unfortunately, the guy in your tagline did the same thing with anti-Fred threads ad naseum until he pissed off JimRob one too many times. And he had more warnings/chances than anyone I have ever seen on FR.
You would do well to remember that.
You know, I think that Duncan Hunter is a fine conservative. However his supporters, especially here at FR have been extrememly rude in dealing with what they call dissent. These bozos sure have driven me to support Fred
I don't think that's what Rush is saying at all. He is saying what he said which is that he doesn't like to endorse candidates in the primaries. Reagan blows away your truism that idealogically pure candidates are unelectable.
I had/have no idea why he got banned. Thanks for the info.
I hope someone from the other side got banned as well.
Read this section again. There is no way that Rush considers Hillary to be conservative so that she could lack "genuine conservatism."
It reads far better assuming he's talking about Rudy & Romney.
Now, a bit of advice. I understand that you're Mormon and that you want Romney to win because he's also Mormon.
You are not going to win folks over by being rude, condescending, overbearing, or argumentative with them.
You need to politely give them reasons why Romney's conversion should be viewed as genuine.
You, of course, don't have to take my advice at all.
What for?
Pissant had many, many warnings about his behavior and his postings. Quite a few were very public. A lot of us liked his abilities to support his candidate, but when it became a pack of outright lies, it was too much. JimRob warned him numerous times to tone it down, and he would....but only for a while.
It's one thing to have a high support for your candidate, but when the owner/operator of the site tells you to knock off certain crap, you might want to listen.
I’ve given another $100 this week. Keep hope alive!
> if rush really wanted to push hunter, he could.
> I mean its so obvious that hunter is the ONLY real conservative candidate!
Rush wouldn’t have to have Hunter on the show. He could just bother to mention how Hunter is best aligned with conservatism. Especially when border security comes up (hellooooo driver’s licenses!) on the show...
I'm reminded of what my mom used to always say.. two wrongs don't make a right.
If Rush stated his candidate at this point he could very well lose a substantial portion of his audience, IMHO. I did like how he subtly zinged Sean Hannity's mancrush on Guiliani. hehee
>So what is rush to do? Presume that he is so infallible as to pick the perfect nominee for the citizens? Or let democracy take its course and possibly fail by picking the wrong person?
I understand what you’re saying, but he doesn’t have to endorse. He just has to lay out the facts as he knows them. Issue for issue, Hunter simply lines up the best, with Fred coming in at a reasonable second.
Rush advocates all the time. He’s got a bully pulpit. He has faulted himself in the past for carrying the water for people who didn’t deserve it (faux conservatives), but he doing *just* *that* by staying silent on the race.
If Rooty wins the nomination it will be partially because Rush chose to remain mum.
Sun, you are an inspiration. Just dashed off a LTTE to my local rag. I used some of your talking points in there.
I am really fired up today because I am just plain SICK of Hannity touting Rooty! I just want to shake Sean by his scruff!!
"Heres a connection between the media and the presidential campaign you guys might find interesting. Ive often wondered why Fox News accused of being Right Wing has been cramming Giuliani (nowhere near being a conservative) down our throats. Even during the debates, the bias toward Giuliani is clear. In fact, watch the Fox News debate specifically and you will see that the lesser-known candidates (such as Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo) get only two questions and then are promptly cut-off when their time is up. Giuliani, on the other hand, dominates the Q and A and is given plenty of time to complete his points AFTER his time is up. Its a clear bias to me and I couldnt figure out WHY. Until
I found out that Bracewell and Giuliani, Rudys law firm head-quartered here in Houston, TX is legal counsel for Fox News. Yes, you read that right, Fox News is Giulianis client. Conflict of interest, ya think? Hell yeah. Where do you think Giuliani will put his tens of millions in advertising? Its a dirty business, and most people dont even know that theyre being led around by their noses by the media. But Ill be damned if I let Fox News pick my candidate for me. I encourage you guys to consider former Army Ranger Duncan Hunter. Hes our Reagan and Im not exaggerating. I know the man personally, and hes the real deal. He swept the straw poll here in Texas, and in Arizona, and N. Carolina yet the media refuses to cover him! Why is that? BECAUSE HE HAS NO MONEY! Thats right, hes grassroots, all the way. The media is not gonna get a big chunk of change out of this candidate and they damn well know it. So theyve blackballed him. And by doing so, they are deliberately and consciously limiting Americans right to know. In order to get info on Duncan Hunter, you have to go directly to the source (www.gohunter08.com), because the media will not cover him in any way, shape, or form. Dirty, greedy bastards is all they are."
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