Rush Limbaugh: Why No Push for Duncan Hunter? (Rush implies that Rudy and Romney are liberals)

RushLimbaugh.com ^ | 11/19/07 | Rush Limbaugh

[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.

[Man50D]

And unfortunately, time is running short for Hunter to do it.

I respectively disagree. Here a re some historical points to consider:

1. Huckabee wasn’t considered in the running until a month ago. Why? Supporters are effectively making people aware.

2.The so called political experts were convinced Dewey had defeated Truman in 1948 to the point of publishing it on the front page the day after the election!

3. William Seward was the odds on favorite to be the GOP Presidential nominee in the 1860 GOP Convention. When it was done Abraham Lincoln walked out as the nominee. What’s even more amazing about that fact is Lincoln didn’t even hold political office at the time, had one term as a U.S. Representative and failed twice to become a U.S. Senator!

Duncan Hunter has an established track record being a U.S. Rep for many years. I could be wrong but the situation may not appear as bad as they seem.

[Calpernia]

>>>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.<<<

I’m from a NE state (NJ) that had a ‘moderate’ governor. It was our last Republican Governor. Christi Todd Whitman.

Governor Whitman’s election gave New Jersey conservatives hope. She had long been identified with the party’s “moderate” wing; but her campaign had a markedly conservative tilt (much like the current N.E. Republicans). She was endorsed by leading pro life conservatives. The hallmark of her campaign was a Reaganesque across the board tax cut that was put together by Steve Forbes and Larry Kudlow.

Governor Whitman’s tax cuts passed through the legislature. That honeymoon ended quickly. Governor Whitman first went to war with republican conservatives; then went further by pushing a politically correct liberal agenda that included more spending and affirmative action programs more radical
than that of any state in the union.

Republicans lost seats in NJ political positions and Whitman won re-election because republicans went third party.

Republicans should act like Republicans. Moderates move away from the conservative base. They do this because they are not republicans.

The left infiltrates us from within and then threatens us with political correctness to silence us.

[Man50D]

If we could somehow get this thread up to several hundred posts, Rush would probably talk about it on the air.

Maybe but it would be a certainty he would talk about it on the air if supporters called him or at least emailed him. By calling at least people will increasingly hear Hunter's mentioned. That's tantamount to free advertising to 20,000,000 people.

[Kevmo]

He (Hunter) needs to “hit a home run” during a debate
What he really needs to do is say something so provocative that the media has to pick up on it. If he just talks like a statesman, he’ll never get noticed. He needs to say something that will get into the news cycles like saying Hillary is a communist or comparing her to Stalin.
***That may be exactly the sort of thing he needs to do. I can imagine if he smoked Ron Paul with my tagline: “We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. “

[familyop]

"Rush Limbaugh: Why No Push for Duncan Hunter?"

It appears that Limbaugh helped to start that push. Onward and upward... Time is on our side.

[joesbucks]

What Rush is really saying is the most ideologically pure candidates are usually unelectable and he doesn’t want to get saddled with backing someone likely to lose.

[Man50D]

You can’t compare campaigning in 1860 to campaigning in 2007.

You're partially correct. Lincoln didn't have the means to communicate in 1860 that Hunter and his supporters have today. It was far more difficult for Lincoln and his supporters to spread the word. Today the word can be spread simultaneously to 20,000,000 people with just one call to Rush. That's probably a majority of the population of the U.S. in 1860! Lincoln and his supporters could never accomplish that feat. They had to travel much more to get out the word to a much smaller audience at one time than we do today. We have it much easier by comparison.

[Liberty2007]

Hunter's blandness is why I don't think he'll make any real headway. He's not physically attractive and he does little to inspire people

then how the heck did Bush win? not to pile on him, I think he did the best he could.

[Man50D]

He (Hunter) needs to “hit a home run” during a debate

That may be exactly the sort of thing he needs to do.

I can't understand why we have to wait for Hunter to do something all by himself? Why can't his supporters help him hit the proverbial homerun by making more people aware?

[SierraWasp]

"The left infiltrates us from within and then threatens us with political correctness to silence us."

Then many of our conservative colleagues suddenly become filled to the brim with self-doubt and defeatism and start brow-beating all their fellow conservatives on FR with "he's un-electable," or "he can't win," or "a vote for him is a vote for Hitlery," or someother such putrid pragmatism till it becomes the most grindingly miserable of self-fulfilling prophesies imaginable!!!

They only grind us down because we allow it!!!
We succumb to it willingly and he have to stop it!!!

[SierraWasp]

You are absolutely right and that is exactly what Rush said!!! "It's up to the candidate to find ways to get out there!"

And it's up to supporters to find ways to help the candidate, I add!!! That takes inspiration and perspiration and lots and lots of MONEY!!!

[rintense]

I am glad to support Duncan Hunter. He and Fred are my choices!

[Shimmer]

Yes SIR! LOL

[Tall_Texan]

then how the heck did Bush win?

Name identification, winning the governorship of a very large influential state, big money support early on (due to his dad's connections) and Clinton fatigue.

In fact, I thought he should have won easily and Rove almost screwed it up.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Then many of our conservative colleagues suddenly become filled to the brim with self-doubt and defeatism and start brow-beating all their fellow conservatives on FR with "he's un-electable," or "he can't win," or "a vote for him is a vote for Hitlery," or someother such putrid pragmatism till it becomes the most grindingly miserable of self-fulfilling prophesies imaginable!!!

First Class, Stinging, Straight to Head....Rant of the day. The Wasp man takes no prisoners.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, it is up to the supporter to help the candidate out. It’s a must.

Thanks for the comments.

[no-to-illegals]

If we could somehow get this thread up to several hundred posts, Rush would probably talk about it on the air.

BTT

[no-to-illegals]

emailed him

Suggested Title

I Support Duncan Hunter

Concise and to the point!

[cowtowney]

I wish Thompson, who I now consider to be a lazy dufus, would drop out and give his support to Duncan Hunter. The guy needs some mo.

[skateman]

I must be missing something: Where in the transcript does Rush ask the headline of this thread? “Why no push for Duncan”?