The right-wing attacks on John McCain
Now that John McCain is the Republican Party presidential nominee, we wonder if the right-wing attacks on McCain will subside.
Because our blogsite is so new, this is really a late call, but an important call to make before we move forward.
Referee whistle: against Talk Radio, Clipping (illegal hit in the back) , 10 yards
I listen to political talk radio almost every day: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Laura Ingraham. When I refer to “talk radio”, this quartet of radio show hosts is a fairly definitive representation of whom I mean. I listen to other shows too: Michael Medved, Dennis Miller, Dennis Praeger, Michael Savage, Air America Radio, and some local shows.
I will do a separate post soon to discuss the topic of Talk Radio in more detail.
Many in right-wing talk radio strongly dislike John McCain. They are entitled to broadcast their opinions and are paid very well to do so. There are blogsites devoted to calling fouls on almost everything these hosts say every day.
I am calling a foul because they focused a sustained, highly negative, disrespectful attack on John McCain for several months.
Conservatives have many legitimate disagreements with John McCain. McCain may not have been the best choice for the Republican nomination. By now, consumers of right-wing talk radio have memorized the litany of anti-McCain complaints:
- McCain-Feingold bill (for campaign finance reform)
- McCain-Kennedy bill (for immigration reform)
- McCain-Leiberman bill (for combating carbon emissions)
- Willingness to work with Democrats in general
- Organizing “the gang of 14” regarding judicial appointment controversies.
Those are the big ones I hear constantly (and there are more). All are fair game for discussion and disagreement.
Right-wing talk radio goes further. They say that “McCain is a liberal”, “McCain is a socialist”. These assertions are childish and silly, especially the “socialism” charge. Re-writing the English language is not a legitimate tactic.
According to the American Conservative Union, John McCain has a lifetime conservative rating of 80 (out of 100).
Some call him “McLame” and belittle the way he talks. They are entertainers striving for higher ratings. They also have influence, especially within the Republican base. Talk radio was unable to de-rail McCain’s rise to the nomination. People should not assume this is necessarily because the power of talk radio has diminished. Talk radio voices did not coalesce around any candidate. Some made a last-ditch effort to rally their listeners behind Mitt Romney, but it was too-little-too-late.
John McCain is facing a major challenge within his own party. He needs a united and energized base to win in November.
Whether you mainly agree or disagree with him, John McCain deserves respect.
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Comment by John Publius Jr.
Posted on March 9, 2008 at 11:42 am
P.S., I forgot to mention one of my “favorite” right-wing criticisms of John McCain: McCain is AGAINST torture.