Posted on 06/12/2011 1:30:20 PM PDT by ejdrapes
Romney on the radio I described Romney as "the punching bag of the conservative media, ridiculed on blogs and talk radio as a plasticine, untrustworthy flip-flopper and the grandfather of the hated Obamacare." Hewitt writes:
I'll take it that he is, wisely, not arguing about how conservative blogs are handling Romney, just the talkers. He is also right that many talkers do not regularly attack the Republican frontrunner. Many, though, do -- including, by my count, four of the top seven conservative talk radio hosts. First, Hewitt oddly brackets the most important talk radio figure. While Rush Limbaugh may have criticized Romney, he writes," Rush's vigorous criticism of Romney on these issues is a far, far degree from Smith's lead description." Limbaugh, who says he likes Romney personally, also said "bye bye nomination" last week. This doesn't strike me as cutting against the thesis that Romney is the "punching bag of the conservative media, though it isn't personal ridicule. So to make sure I hadn't dreamed up those more vitriolic talk radio segments, I devoted an arduous 15 minute Google search to checking the claim. Here's Michael Savage, the fourth most popular talker, after Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck: "Romney again is worthless...no leadership whatsoever....he's not been there for us for years...he has no right to run for the presidency." Mark Levin, the seventh most popular talker in the same Talkers Magazine list, said recently Romney "basically destroyed health care in the Commonwealth of Massachsetts." He continues, "In Iowa he’s for ethanol subsidies [and] in New Hampshire he’s for controlling man-made global warming. I can’t support this man in the Republican Primary. There’s just no way without compromising all my principles." "If we don't break out of this next-guy-in-line RINO stuff, the society's going to go to Hell," he said. Neal Boortz, 11th on the list (and seventh of the conservatives on the list), tweeted a few weeks ago, "Romney didn't own up to RomneyCare mess. Romney doth therefore become as charred bread," a theme on which he elaborated here. I'm not sure how you don't pull "untrustworthy flip-flopper" and "grandfather of the hated Obamacare" out of those clips. And I'm not even cherry-picking the real haters lower on the list. Influential regional radio figures, like Boston's Howie Carr (51) and Atlanta's Erick Erickson, who just picked up Herman Cain's show, have been extremely tough on Romney. That's the result of a very cursory search of top talkers, most of whose work isn't on Google. I've heard other riffs I can't quote from memory; and I'm also just quoting hosts here, not the range of talk radio guests, who include many Romney foes. I certainly believe Hewitt that the talk radio figures he listens to -- the one he lists -- don't go after Romney for his health care plan and position switches. The fact that many, perhaps even more than half, of conservative talkers don't attack the Republican frontrunner isn't exactly news. What's unusual about Romney -- and the point off which my Drudge story was working -- is how much flack he gets from his right. Hewitt also uses a big chunk of his items for an attack on my motives (I'm an "aggressive partisan") and to develop a grand theory of POLITICO, which aren't really in my line of work to get into blog spats about.
The Romney biographer and California radio host Hugh Hewitt took issue this morning with a line from my story on Matt Drudge's relatively gentle handling of Romney and other candidates' griping that Romney has an unfair advantage. It isn't true. Not remotely so. It is in fact lousy reporting that is easily understood as such by anyone who listens to say Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, Mark Levin or me. Quick, Ben, get me a quote conveying such an opinion that from Hannity or Medved who between them cover most of the afternoon drive in the east. One quote will do. You won't find it because it doesn't exist. Those hosts come on just before me and I listen to their shows driving to my studio. The fact is they both admire Romney, know his strengths and weaknesses, and would't say anything like what Smith wrote, which of course completely undercuts Smith's premise and thus his credibility.
The one thing Hewitt was right about in the article is that Ben Smith is an aggressive partisan.
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!1!
Run with it then, for truthfully it about sums Romney up!
He SHOULD be ridiculed by conservatives, he IS untrustworthy, and hell who has the time to count the flips and the flops.
(drum roll please) and he STILL stands by his beloved health care and taxing to death of wealth because of unprovable human destruction of of our atmosphere.
Run with it and keep running with it!
I listen to Hugh every day, and like and admire him on just about every issue except Mitt Romney. Even my reasonably apolitical Mrs describes Mitt as the Algore of the republican party - stiff, bland, and not believable. We can do better, much better, than a Massachusetts rino.
Hugh’s Romney blind spot bled over into his support for Jane Norton in Colorado. She cost us a both a Senate seat by carrying on past the point of defeat and the Governor’s slot by not being available to replace the party nominee when he kamikaze’d in to the mountain.
“I described Romney as “the punching bag of the conservative media, ridiculed on blogs and talk radio as a plasticine, untrustworthy flip-flopper and the grandfather of the hated Obamacare.””
Hewitt is right, Romney isn’t a punching bag, conservatives discuss Romeny’s many, many, many, flip flops and have concluded he’s not a conservative candidate. Politico has an agenda, divide and conquer, they’ve already lied in their attempt. We all need to be wary of these wolves.
PS: There’s NO WAY I’m voting for RINO Romney, no matter who recommends him, period!!! I held my nose for McCain but will never vote for someone who contributed to Planned Parenthood no matter how long ago it happened.
I have to wonder if Hugh Hewitt is delusional about Romeny. Does Hugh even know what a RINO is? Can he see that Romeny IS a RINO? Would Hugh consider himself a conservative or a moderate Republican (RINO)?
HH says a lot of thoughtful things, but I think he would fall into the “center right” camp — meaning his RINO radar is a bit fuzzy. Or a bit weak. Those types tend to like Mitt for his supposed “electability” and his great organization and good hair and on and on ad nauseum.
I would say HH’s biggest problem is being a prisoner of conventional wisdom more than that of being a RINO himself. Yes, the line between the too is very thin, but he’s not really in touch with FR nation or Tea Party nation.
“...plasticine, untrustworthy flip-flopper and the grandfather of the hated Obamacare.”
That strikes me as a perfectly truthful summation of Romney. He’s plastic, in his ability to change shape to appeal to whichever constituents he is conning for votes. Is he pro abortion or not? Is he pro 2nd Amendment or not? What kind of social spending increases will he give us, and what will his excuses be. Is garbage like Romneycare really okay because it is dumped on a state, and not the nation?
If we are going to oust Obama to elect a progressive Republican with fake conservative principles, we might as well keep Obama. Now is our chance to move American politics beyond the establishment that has brought us the mess we are in. I hope we don’t blow it with Romney.
Yep. Hewitt and Medved are enamored of the beltway Republicans and are dismissive (especially Medved) of candidates such as Palin. And Hannity? Who takes that yahoo seriously. He is the Right's Carville.
No matter what you think of Rush, he IS conservative talk radio.
I would say HH’s biggest problem is being a prisoner of conventional wisdom more than that of being a RINO himself. Yes, the line between the too is very thin, but he’s not really in touch with FR nation or Tea Party nation.
The electability BS was the problem woth how we got stuck with McCain in 2008. I thought we said never again with that BS mentality that is driven by the MSM and regurgitated by these "supposed" conservative pundits like Medved, Hewitt and the old guard Republicans which are the "Establishment" like Bill Kristol, and Krauthammer.
You mention he is out of touch with the Tea Party and FR types, so doesn't he read his own blog? Hell, I was writing there in 2008 calling him out as a RINO for his views and I was not the only one. Go there now and see the conservatives that are anti-Romney. How does he ignore this? How can he ignore Rush and the very guys he claimed supported Romeny, but clearly don't with quotes posted by Levin that are the contrary to what Hewitt believes?
I didn’t say HH SHOULD be out of touch with Rush or the tea parties or the FR nation or any of that — I just feel like he is. And yes, the electability myth is just that, a myth. No one is famous until they are famous, and no one is electable until they are elected - so these projections of who is and isn’t are often figments of the commentariats imaginations.
And there are true squishy RINO’s like Mitt and McCain and David Brooks and Joe Scarorough — and then there are folks who usually have common sense but are victims of groupthink - and I put HH in that second category.
Unfortunately, there are talk radio hosts on the right that are part of the Republican establishment and then there are those that are for the people. Now not all are actually against the people’s choice but they do tend to stay in line with the establishment for financial reasons.
There is a difference. It is up to you to know the difference!
Fixed it for ya'. Rush is a sad immitation of what he was in the 90's. When he mattered.,
Sorry I think that is a little naive to think someone that should be as knowledgable as a Hugh hewitt would be a victim of groupthink. I just don’t buy it. I’d say he IS a RINO and like Medved only give credit to “the Establishment” old guard Republicans. They would never support a Tea Party conservative UNLESS they won the primary, and then they’d jump on the bandwagon. I have no use for RINOs like this. Also you mention Joe Scarborough as a RINO, but I will disagree and say he is a full on liberal now. When he had his show Scarborough Country he is what I would consider a RINO then, even though he was considering himself a Reagan-loving conservative then.
Scarborough might be full on liberal now, but he’s the token Republican and still accepts that “mantle” on MSNBC.
Hewitt has his good moments, which is why I cut him a bit of a break. He’s better than say, Michael Smerconish or David Brooks or Kathleen Parker. That’s faint praise, I realize, but I will give a break to those who have great moments.
Scarborough never does, nor does Brooks — nor does McCain or Snowe or Collins or Powell etc. That’s were I draw a line. Different stokes....
medved is not a conservative.
token Republican mantle or not, it is a ruse. A RINO is a RINO. A liberal is a liberal. A conservative is a conservative. The labels they give themselves is pointless and meaningless, other than to dupe the naive uninformed people that get spoon fed the MSM drivel.
I don’t like Hewitt or Ben Smith. SO I enjoyed this cat fight.
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