"We the Sheeple, in order to form a more moderate union..."

You miss the issue just as most do.  It has nothing to do with influence, perceived, real, imagined, or claimed.  It is a dog fight.  You note the diatribes (I wont say talking points as some of these people are not Republicans, but all are conservative), but miss the fact that the audience is fighting back.  The audience is not going to bail on them, and after the dog fight, they will still be there as will the hosts.

This is really the first time since Talk radio came in vogue (and indeed the first time since 1980) that there is a real dog fight and not a coronation on the republican side.  And just like the democrat cat scratching going on, come November, the old wounds are going to be forgotten as whoever is the nominee will receive the support from the opposition of their party once more.

The Conservative Christians of the right are threatening boycott, and I am sure some will.  Maybe even enough to make a difference.  But by no means will all of them boycott.  because the alternative between McCain and Obama/Hillary is too great for them to ignore.

I think most of the perception that talk radio has lost its zing is from the fact that they have been very vociferous in defending (not supporting) Bush due to the irrational hatred leveled at him from the left.  If you listen to the shows, when they are not defending him from a left wingnut, they are blasting him for not being a conservative.  Thus it will be with McCain if he is elected as well.  He will get blasted just as Bush.  Whether he will be defended will depend upon how the left deals with him.

You miss the issue just as most do.

Ouch! Come out swinging, why don't you? ::

And just like the democrat cat scratching going on, come November, the old wounds are going to be forgotten as whoever is the nominee will receive the support from the opposition of their party once more.

Listening to the bile and contempt spewed by Sean, Rush, and Ann yesterday about how "a vote for McCain will change the party forever" can you believe the two sides of the party can ever reconcile? James Dobson already came out and said he'd never vote for McCain -- and while neither you nor I may listen to the good Dr. Dobson, there are a lot of sheeple who do.

So who's the Right choice? Is McCain really that bad? Is Romney really the savior of the conservative movement? And has Talk Radio indeed lost its "zing"? I think the pundit classes have a say in how the race can be shaped from this point on, but I think it's too late.

Listening to the bile and contempt spewed by Sean, Rush, and Ann yesterday about how "a vote for McCain will change the party forever" can you believe the two sides of the party can ever reconcile?

Never reconcile? Destroy the party? One can only hope . . .

Ouch! Come out swinging, why don't you?

Sorry, did not mean to come off so harsh.

Is McCain really that bad?

No, but he is not as "conservative" as Romney.  They have a choice now.  They will not in November. So they are trying to voice and influence the selection now.  As are all the rest.

Is Romney really the savior of the conservative movement?

Not by a long shot, but he is the most conservative of the remainder.  And that is why they are pushing for him.

So who's the Right choice?

None of the above, but we have to accept no one is going to give us 100% of what we want, just as they have accepted, and will accept it.

Wait to September.  The only ones who will still be bringing this stuff up is the opposition

No, but he is not as "conservative" as Romney. They have a choice now. They will not in November. So they are trying to voice and influence the selection now. As are all the rest.

Clearly McCain has to have something going for him, otherwise all these states wouldn't be lining up behind him.

Maybe I'm getting closer to your original statement: Do the pundits really know what's best? Or are they so out-of-touch with Mr. and Mrs. Millard America (of Young America, MN) and so bloated with their own self-importance that they cannot see who's the best candidate? Is McCain what the people want or what they need?

The Swan Song has been played for Rush Limbaugh's show every presidential election cycle since he came on the national scene.  When Clinton won, they said he was through because he didn't have a Republican president to prop up anymore.    When "W" won, they said he was through because he didn't have Clinton to kick around anymore. 

Meanwhile, Rush's show gets high ratings in liberal markets, even in the few markets their own Air America was available.

But more to your point...

The only difference between Hillary and McCain is their names, their sex and the little letter after their names.  I notice McCain likes to "reach across the aisle", but I notice he never expected the democrats he supported to "reach across the aisle" for some Republicans once in awhile.  I also noticed he never bent over backwards to reach his own side of the aisle either.

McCain has done a lot of things for which we should all look up to him... Almost none of them were done by Sen. McCain though.

 

The Swan Song has been played for Rush Limbaugh's show every presidential election cycle since he came on the national scene.

Oh, I'm not saying it's over for conservative talk radio, not by a long shot. The dittoheads will keep listening and callers will still proclaim Hannity a "great American". But last night's results tell me that Talk Radio doesn't have the influence they think they have.

Do the pundits really know what's best?

I think I see the problem. The answer is a resounding NO.  They only know what is best for themselves.  Each has an agenda and is trying to push it.  The big difference is that some are honest about having an agenda (talk radio), and some are just deceptive and trying to fool (not do what is best) the rest of us.

Or are they so out-of-touch with Mr. and Mrs. Millard America (of Young America, MN) and so bloated with their own self-importance that they cannot see who's the best candidate? Is McCain what the people want or what they need?

There is no Mr. and Mrs. America.  There are millions of them.  Some are more conservative, some are less.  Some are liberal, some are moderate.  Talk radio plays to a section of the country that was not only ignored, but denigrated for many years by the MSM - hard core conservatives.  But they are hardly in the majority.  You see it here, where many who will never vote for Hillary or Obama, still trash talk talk radio.  Because while they are conservative, they are not as conservative as the talk show hosts.

McCain, as others have alluded to, is appealing to many moderates, as well as some conservatives, and that is why he is doing so well.  The conservative vote is being split (indeed, if you add Romney and Huckabee, it bests McCain).  It is not that everyone loves him, just that more people do than either (not both) of the other main contenders.

one thing funny. I heard that Limbaurgh (I can't spell his name) said that: "The Republican establishment is behind McCain, and that's the only reason why he wins. The true Republican people DON'T WANT HIM"

(or something like that. It's hearsay I've read on this forum)

But the more I see it, the more I watch republican voters choosing him, and the more I see republican-controled media bashing him. The more I see high-standing republican (a.k.a. the establishment) trying to make him loose.

I think McCain is not liked by a lot BECAUSE he's not liked by the establishment.

That's the point, they never claimed to have that much control.



If it's only 'dittoheads' listening, why does Rush's show get better ratings than Air America, even in liberal markets?

If it's only 'dittoheads' listening, why does Rush's show get better ratings than Air America, even in liberal markets?

'Cause there's a whole darn lot of them out there, even if they still vote for McCain.

Besides, I didn't say that ONLY the dittoheads will keep listening. There will still be an audience for Rush beyond the diehard dittoheads. But Rush and the conservative Talk Radio gods overestimated their influence with Mr. and Mrs. Millard America.

You can actually go to his site and get it from the horses mouth. I beleive that is the gist of what he did say.

To understand Rush, you have to understand he is a conservative that wants Republicans to be such, not a Republican who wants all conservatives to be so. As such, he does jump all over what he calls RINOs. IN truth to him, a RINO is a non-conservative Republican - like Olympia Snow et. al.

Hannity on the other hand is a republican. So "speak no evil" of republicans is his motto and his "concern" about McCain has been much more muted than Rush's.

These are somehow bad things?

~Zoo

some conservative can't put into their mind that their exact view of what is the best conservative attitude is not the same than other's.