Right-wing Talk Radio vs. John McCain

Photo from source, National Ledger

As you may know, I occasionally torture myself with the ramblings of right-wing talk radio, FOX "News," and the odd conservative web site. I like to keep my ear to the ground, to see what they're grousing about. And lately, due to my work load, I've had the opportunity to listen to snippets of talk radio at times of day that aren't usually open to me.

Driving around making a few deliveries, I've had the opportunity to catch parts of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and worst of all Mark Levin. El Rushbo, The Great American, and The Great One, respectively to their fans. The result has been illuminating, entertaining, and occasionally baffling. It didn't hurt that I caught some of their programming before, during and after Super Duper Trouper Tuesday.

The rub is, at least these three despise McCain. And they have no problem sharing that with the world. The hosts and the callers to the shows sound dispirited, dejected, and ready to throw in the towel. And though there are some feeble protestations to the contrary, the power of Rush Limbaugh's "golden microphone" has definitely waned, if only temporarily.

Republicans, or the neo-con variety, have become notorious for their lock-steppiness. Just look at Congress for one example. It's not uncommon to see several Democrats cross party lines, but just watch Republicans fall in line, almost to a man on almost any vote. And whether the marching orders come from the RNC, the White House, Rush's backside or a combination of those, good Republicans usually fall in line. "Mega dittos, Rush!" and "Rush is right!" are two of Limbaugh's fans' favorite sayings.

But the marching orders were not heeded this time. Demonizing John McCain has not worked. Maybe it's the Mormon factor for Romney, the hick factor for Huckabee, the creepy factor for Giuliani. . .who knows. Talk fans are wandering astray. And it's about time.

Oh, and please explain, how can anybody listen to Mark Levin for more than a few minutes? That voice just kills me. Worse than Michael Savage, and Savage is a lunatic.

[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity & Laura Ingraham: Talk Radio Fails Conservatives

Our book, The Death of Talk Radio?, warned about the threat posed by liberals trying to pass into law the so-called Fairness Doctrine. Little did we know that its viability would be in jeopardy from conservatives upset over major figures in talk radio playing favorites in the Republican presidential race. The conservative talk-radio assault on John McCain and Mike Huckabee has backfired in a big way. . .

Read more at (right wing site): National Ledger