Posted on 10/20/2001 5:27:51 PM PDT by RonDog
In recent weeks, some here have expressed concern about the large number of posts on this forum aggressively promoting nationally syndicated talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, asking:
1 - Who **IS** this guy?
2 - Why is he getting so much attention here?
3 - Is this a good thing? (or proper, ethical, in our best interest, etc.?)
Since I have started (and contributed to) MANY of these threads, I now intend to address these concerns, and encourage vigorous debate among all who care to join in. ALL opinions are welcome, but INFORMED opinions are preferred.
If you do not yet know about Hugh Hewitt and his enormous positive, dynamic, long-term relationship with Free Republic, you are ignorant. This is not an insult; it is a definition:
"Everybody is ignorant. Only on different subjects." Will Rogers
Fortunately, that ignorance is 100% curable. If in the past you did NOT know about Hugh Hewitt and his relationship to Free Republic, after reading this thread you WILL. At least enough to make a constuctive contribution to the question:
Here are the areas about which I propose to encourage SERIOUS discussion:
1 - Documented HISTORY of the relationship which has developed between Hugh Hewitt and Free Republic:My intention is to start this discussion with "testimonials" about Hugh that have been posted here by OTHER FReepers, then provide links to other threads about Hugh, and finally, add biographical information and personal commentary.
a - Hugh lurks here. He OFTEN promotes FR on his radio program, in VERY positive terms - sometimes referring to us as the "Coast-watchers over at Free Republic." Doug from Upland, ALOHA RONNIE, DLfromthedesert, PatiPie and many other FReepers are regular callers.2 - Short-term TACTICS to promote maximum exposure of "Hugh Hewitt" threads on Free Republic:
Hugh responds to suggestions that we make, and credits this forum as the source for MUCH of his news. He has promoted FReeper causes on MULTIPLE occasions, cited the screen names of MANY FReepers on the air, and OFTEN includes links from his "Message of the Day" page to specific threads here, in addition to maintaining a PERMANENT link to FR on his homepage.b - He is a kindred spirit. He champions many of our core values, and wants to share the magic of Free Republic with his radio listeners and editorial readers across the USA. He is reaching out to help us achieve many of our common goals. He is a California-based (south of Los Angeles) evangelical Christian (elder in the Presbyterian church) who still teaches Constitutional Law (at Chapman College). He aggressively supports the military, vigorously defends people of faith, regularly attacks incompetance in government, and frequently exposes bias in the media.
c - He is an activist. Hugh has been a believer in the power of FReeping - even before he knew what it was! When the television networks tried to throw the Presidential election in 2000 by calling a winner before the polls closed, he set up a website (www.TheFloridaEffect.com) to document lost Republican votes. He understands the tremendous value of early financial support (even in very small amounts) for such worthy causes as the taking back the Senate in 2002.
a - Search for "Hugh Hewitt": Since newbies that Hugh sends to Free Republic for the first time (and even a few old-timers here!) do not know very much about finding articles on this forum, JohnHuang2, Doug from Upland and I have been adding the name "Hugh Hewitt" to the title of articles about him that we post here, to make them easier to find. We also post his editorials in the "Editorial" sidebar, and other important information as "Extended News" for maximum exposure.b - Search for Articles+Replies to:"Hugh Hewitt" - John Robinson's new "Bump List" Register provides an excellent PASSIVE mechanism for marking threads for easy retrieval at a later date. This new tool allows each of us to contribute to a "Hugh Hewitt clipping service" - by posting a reply to "Hugh Hewitt" on any thread which may be of interest to Hugh and his listeners. (Hugh is NOT registered to post here, but his NAME is on the "Free Republic Bump List Register".) The best part about THIS tool is that it can be used to mark MANY threads - even those which may be of only peripheral interst to Hugh and his listeners - since only those FReepers who actually search for these threads will find them. (They will NOT appear in a "Self-Search.")
c - "Hugh Hewitt PING list" - One of John Robinson's OTHER great new recent improvements to this forum is the virtually "unlimited PING list" feature which allows any registered FReeper to ACTIVELY summon all members of an certain "interest group" to a particular thread. This tool should be used sparingly - only for articles written by Hugh or specifically about Hugh - as it will force the "flagged" thread to show up in a "Self-Search" of everyone on the PING list. (In the next few days, I intend to post a RonDog's "Hugh Hewitt PING list" thread, with a complete list of all the screen names that I have gathered from the many previous Hugh Hewitt threads. After it is posted, please let me know if you want to get ON - or OFF - MY list. Thanks.)
3 - Long-term STRATEGY to plan and direct the benefits for Free Republic from this relationship:
a - Hugh is an EDITOR. In his "first anniversary" editorial for WorldNetDaily, Hugh identified "news judgment" as his primary strength. This is probably our MOST important area for influence: target selection. Assuming that we DO promote Hugh on this forum, what is our objective? What do we do with the power that we have to influence his opinions, his programming and his priorities? Personally, I like the idea of moving Hugh out of his "center-right" comfort zone - as far to the right as he can reasonably be enticed to go without losing market share. We can do this by appealling to his "Voice of Reason" - with logic, documentation, and well-reasoned argument.He has expressed interest in the "big picture" of environmental law issues represented by the Federal government in the Klamath Basin Crisis. He has spoken on his radio show about the Second Amendment aspects of the recent Emerson decision in the Fifth District court. Other areas of possible influence are reforming immigration policy, limiting the power of the UN, protecting individual rights, restraining the growth of the federal government. What else?
b - Hugh likes "JOINT VENTURES" with Free Republic. One of the classic "combined projects" is The word 'rapist' censored from George Will's column, where Hugh found the original story on Free Republic, reported it on the air, and then asked FReepers to post side-by-side versions. Other such examples of radio-Internet synergy are HUGH HEWITT ASKS FREEPERS FOR FEINSTEIN TRANSCRIPT and Hugh Hewitt asks for Free Republic help to pressure Gore to concede. What OTHER "joint ventures" could we (or SHOULD we) attempt to do with this "good FRiend" who happens to broadcast into 40+ radio markets across the USA? Any ideas?
c - Hugh likes to INTERVIEW authorities. Like Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force, Hugh believes that "a man's got to know his limitations." He often defers to the specialized expertise of regular guests like "Fred Barnes and Morton Kondracke... ...Terry Eastland, Erwin Chemerinsky and John Eastman..." There is no good reason that MANY more FReepers could not join the team of "experts" that contribute by calling his show on a regular basis. (800) 520-1234
I intend to continue promoting Hugh's weekly WorldNetDaily column. In addition, I feel that we should expand upon Doug from Upland's HUGH HEWITT SHOW threads, and that we should maintain an active "running commentary" thread for Hugh's radio show - EVERY day.
If your words are quoted, please feel free to modify, enhance, clarify, retract, recant or disavow anything attributed to you.
All others, chime in whenever the spirit moves you. (Regular listeners to Hugh are particularly encouraged to contribute.)
We are fortunate to have him on the air waves. He is one of my favorite thnkers toady.
RonDog, you did a most superb job on this thread! Thanks for your hard work.
BTTT
Should be "thinkers today." Sorry . . . must be the late hour!
Yeah, it's funny... Any time anyone's got the stones to run a tough campaign against the colonistas, they win HUGE in the ballot box.
Consider this:
The reconquista is the single most viable issue for breaking the Democrat stranglehold on the black vote. Talk to any black, they know how much all of the border jumpers are pushing them away from the entry level rungs of the economic ladder.
But there are just too many dainty Republicans that aren't willing to walk through that fire and grab the victory that's there for the taking.
Ain't that the truth. If you ever heard Terry Anderson and his pals call George Putnam, you heard it with passion.
The reconquista has driven many south central LA blacks to Riverside and San Bernardino. The Open Border is all an intellectual lark when you're privileged, it's something else entirely when you're in direct competition for your livelihood.
We used to hire blacks for the janitorial work when I worked in restaurants. These people were put out of business by illegals who would undercut their prices. The illegals were willing to live 20 to a house, and save their money with a plan of returning to Mexico or points south. The blacks were our fellow Americans, and they had nowhere to "move to". They live here. They couldn't live 20 to a house. To hear people justify open borders by saying "they really didn't want that sort of job" is insulting and demeaning. If they weren't competing with foreign nationals here illegally they were able to make a living.
George was cool. I liked hearing him talk about everyone he's met in the last 67 years he's been on radio.
(you heard that right FReepers... Sixty-Seven years on radio!)
Gallagher is like Michael Reagan without the meat. Nothing insightful, nothing I can't hear a moderately astute bartender say. Nor is he funny.
Trashing neighborhoods and driving down property values at the same time they drive up rents.
I really like calling them colonistas. Sounds Politically Correct, but is so NOT.
You mean you're not enthralled by his Radio Guy voicing? Fortunately I can barely pick up KRLA at that hour, so it's Imus for me, mostly.
Dumping Putnam was a travesty. Of course George isn't slick like his juniors (maybe that should be "inferiors"). But so what? He's like part of your family. Part of your family who saw every major event since the Great Depression, who knew Ronald Reagan, and a whole slew of Hollywood stars and political movers and shakers. Now I wish AM radio had remained a backwater, there was more variety then than now.
LOL! Where did I lose you?
Have you ever listened to Hugh?
You know, I could have it wrong. I know he grew up down your way. He also admits to being a classic nerd in the day.
He wrote "Whatever Happened to the Class of "65?" which I thought was about La Jolla High. Do I have that wrong?
Atta boy, RD; give 'em a dose of truth & some hell to wash it down with.
-BTTT-...For the lovers of HH's show.
Boston area has a guy named Howie Carr, he is a libertarian/Conservative type, is that what Hugh Hewit is?
Prove how responsive he is. Spell out N-U-C-L-E-A-R to him. Tell him it's pronounced "new-clee-ar," and not "new-kew-lar." I associate that pronunciation with gappy education, which he DOES NOT otherwise seem to have. But it makes him SOUND bumpkinish.
Dan
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