Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Why McCain should stay away from radio wingnuts

Introductory remarks by right wing radio hack Bill Cunningham blew up in Sen. John McCain's face yesterday, causing embarrassment and an immediate apology from the senator's campaign.

The Ohio radio talker was interviewed shortly after McCain had stated that he disavowed the remarks and that he had never met Cunningham. To his credit McCain immediately apologized to Barack Obama, whose campaign accepted. Cunningham lashed back at McCain saying that the two had met several times previously and that the senator's campaign specifically requested that Cunningham warm up the crowd. Cunningham blasted McCain and said the he, like Ann Coulter, has decided to throw his support behind Hillary Clinton.

I'm sure Hillary is thrilled with this endorsement. I haven't heard her response yet to this, but I'm sure she'll have an answer ready if asked about it.

I think it's strange how some right wing talk show hosts deride McCain for not being "conservative" enough, yet when they become disillusioned with him they switch not to Mike Huckabee (demonstrably the more conservative candidate in the race) but to Hillary Clinton.

Right off the bat I can think of several possible rationales for this phenomenon, but I don't have the time nor the inclination to explore them right now. Plus, it's too damned early to delve into the cynical and devious state of mind needed to analyze these possible reasons.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dunno. Seems like it could have been a set-up, using Cunningham to get the slander out there. Same old meme, Barack HUSSEIN Obama, repeat, repeat. I watched part of a clip of a CNN interview with Cunningham where he gets to rehash the whole thing again, over and over, because now it's news.
McCain gets a two-fer here. The Obama-is-a-Muslim meme echoing all over the place and McCain getting to act like an "honorable, decent man" above dirty tricks and racist remarks.
I believe McCain's campaign knew exactly what it was getting.
oldswede

Sellitman (Kevin) said...

The Repiggies hate muscles must be getting sore. A woman with the last name Clinton and a Black man as possible President has to have them on hate overload.

Jolly said...

Bob, your use of the label "conservative" seems mildly misplaced. Huckabee is not considered a conservative, he is considered a tax-raising fundamentalist. Conservatism is mainly about low taxes (to the point of starving government) and strong defense, and of the three major candidates left, Clinton is indeed the most conservative one left.

Anonymous said...

Send Jim Amann out to talk to this guy?

Anonymous said...

Second thought Gary Bussy !

vagabondblogger said...

I was born and grew up in Cincinnati - THE MOST CONSERVATIVE, FUNDAMENTALIST CITY IN THE WOOOORLD! A city where the KKK gets a permit to parade every year in central downtown. Cunningham's remarks are pretty low key for the place. Even though it was the first stop North for many on the Underground Railroad, it is also a very racist city. I'm not sure, but the NAACP was boycotting it after the city police shot 18 young black men (some from behind, cuz "he was runnin' away") in a short period of time, a few years back (2000-2002?) If I recall, they still had John Birch Society billboards up when we went back in 2002 (they were having riots too.) Dr. John Wilke, creator of the current pro-life movement is a Cincinnatian.

Anonymous said...

Um... Mayor of Cincinnati ? Jerry Springer? Marge Scott former owner of the Reds? Sounds like stupid town to me!

CT Bob said...

joh, good point about Huckabee. I guess he would be much more of a social and religious conservative than McCain. I honestly don't know much about Huckabee, but if he somehow stays in this thing until the convention, I'm sure I'll learn plenty more.