posted
About a week ago, after Mitt Romney gave his religion speech, I heard Rush Limbaugh while I was driving. We was talking up the speech like it was the next Kennedy speech. I was a little surprised. As much as I dismiss Rush these days, he never really comes close to talking up a candidate during the primaries.
Must have been a good speech.
Hannity always seemed to like Guilianni. I dare say it seemed to me he favored “America’s Mayor.” *Snort* But lately he seems to be talking up Romney.
Nothing specific, just subtle comments about his integrity, religion, unfair abuses he suffers, et cetera.
quote: What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 billion, which is what Mitt Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country.
...
Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well.
I was disturbed. It reminds me of Cheney’s connections to Halliburton. Plenty of people can justifiably defend the connection as a-ok…but it smells to me.
I was going to post on Hatrack, but I got caught up with Ron Paul’s big fundraiser and his blimp. I decided to leave the Bain Capitol acquisition of Clear Channel alone.
However, today I was taking my car for a wash and turned on Laura Ingrahm. I don’t like any of these personalities, but I like to know what is being said. During the transition music where you normally have a collage of music, Simpson’s quotes, and sound effects, there was a very presidential Mitt Romney one liner about the faith of America.
Hmmm…During the segment of the show I listened to, she bashed Keyes and talked up Romney. I am no fan of Keyes, but…
Is this an example of when you learn a new word you suddenly hear it everywhere, or do you think this buyout will affect the coverage Romney gets on talk radio?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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Oh god, a presidential candidate owning clear channel is a scary hypothetical I hadn't thought of until now.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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And they promised that the consolidation of the media was not going to be a political problem.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Romney officially left Bain Capital in 2001 when he took over the winter olympics, ceding all of his control to a set of 26 managers. I don't know what soft power Romney might be able to use to influence company decisions, but his direct control ended several years ago.
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Maybe I am reading to much into the clear channel acquisition, but I listen to talk radio enough to see changes in focus. Mitt is getting a lot of good coverage these days.
quote: Let me give you a picture, just to think about. I'm not even going to answer the question for you, just want you to think about this. The campaign is Mitt Romney versus Hillary Clinton in our quest in this country for visual perfection, hmm?
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Mitt looks like he's wearing a wig carved from fine mahogany, painted, lacquered and snapped into place.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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I thought I would resurrect this thread and show an article I read today. It is from a Boston news site titled" Limbaugh's praise for Romney's run heard loud and clear.
quote: Limbaugh, who makes a point of saying he does not officially endorse in the primaries, has nonetheless praised Romney effusively, repeated Romney's policy talking points, defended him against attacks from fellow conservatives, and after Romney's win in Michigan this week, declared him the front-runner.
Just as tellingly, Limbaugh has been crusading against Huckabee and McCain, whom he does not consider real conservatives or suitable heirs to the Reagan legacy.
If either wins the nomination, "it's going to destroy the Republican Party," he told listeners Tuesday.
quote:The talk-show host gushed about Romney's speech last month on religion and politics, in which the former Massachusetts governor, under pressure to confront suspicion about his Mormon faith, discussed the nation's religious heritage and declared that Jesus is his savior and that "freedom requires religion."
Limbaugh called the address courageous and "the kind of stuff I've been dreaming of hearing in a presidential campaign in a long time in terms of what this country is and where we're headed."
"He showed leadership doing this today," Limbaugh told listeners the day of the speech. "He exemplified characteristics of somebody who is not afraid to lead."
Of course Rush ignores Paul, but this transends Paul, Rush, or Romney. Republicans need to ween themselves off of Fox News, Limbaugh, and Evangelicals. We are self destructing.
Being addicted to a national radio personality is not going to help the interest of the party in my opinion and is very scary. If the republican party uses Rush or Fox as a tool for propaganda, particularly war propaganda, I fear for our country.
I almost hope the republican party fractures and looses all power if for no other reason then to lessen the influence of the current republican machine that doesn't seem very conservative.
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:If the republican party uses Rush or Fox as a tool for propaganda, particularly war propaganda, I fear for our country.
Why? The Chinese Government has used the China Daily as a propaganda machine for decades now. The people know it for what it is and have learned to read between the lines. It's actually kinda refreshing to know that a paper is propaganda as then you know what to ignore and what to pay close attention to.
Propaganda in of itself is not a wicked thing, though it is used almost exclusively in a derisive fashion these days. Speeches, essays, editorials, op eds, they're all designed to convince people to think a certain way.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I don't think it is odd for him to like Romney. He has never liked McCain, and Huckabee is unlikely to be strong enough for a general election.
While people seem to think it is unusual for Limbaugh to come out for a candidate in the primaries, he did support George W Bush in his primary.
I think that Limbaugh likes many things about Guilianni, and would like to support him. However, abortion is simply to big of an issue to ignore. I think the same goes for Hannity and many other talk show hosts.
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I really like Romney and his views. His record, despite detractors, seems to show he has always been a Conservative at heart - even if a pragmatic rather than ideological one. I would support some others over him if and in order:
1)Thompson cared, had energy, and wasn't so old. 2)Guilianni was as strong with my conservative values as he is supporting the Iraq War. 3)Ron Paul was not so strongly against the Iraq War. (for the record, he seems from personal conversations to be the one that many Mormons would vote for if Romney wasn't running).
If I could marry the attributes I like in Ron Paul and Guilianni that person would blow Romney out of the presidential waters. Yes Toto, Mormons support Romney for more reasons than shared religious affiliation. That just solidifies the support.
As for the other nominees?
Tancredo was a one note megaphone. Hunter I hardly knew. He might have been a good conservative president, but if you can't get your message out then how can I decide if I want to vote for you? MacCain is a moody angry old man who is a traitor on too many important subjects to be trusted. Huckabee is a socialist theocrat Republican resurrection of Jimmy Carter. And dispite the "populist" and "genuine" labels, he is a minipulative sarcastic vindictive punk.
Posts: 2207 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I'm trying to imagine a combination of Giuliani and Ron Paul:
"We need to 9/11 get 9/11 America off the gold 9/11 standard and start 9/11 paying 9/11 more 9/11 attention to 9/11 what our 9/11 government is doing. 9/11."
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Rush has a crush on Romney. He had a whole column (or maybe it was a transcription from part of his show, I don't know) about how America would not want to look at an aging Hillary Clinton over the next 4-8 years, but Romney looked so good and had such awesome hair. But, you know, don't ask don't tell.
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