Click my post title for McCain and his Conservative critics
Mitt,I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, its possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon. MmmmmHa! Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday Morning, January 30th, 2008
John McCain has faced down plenty in his life - including a cascade of conservative critics, as well as the tin-foil hat crowd of Progressives, Libertarians, Trotskyites, and Body Thetans. Large in this body of antagonists is Rush Limbaugh - the Sidney Greenstreet of Loudmouths.
Rush is the litmus test for folks who use the radio waves as their Political Sam's Club: Buy in Bulk, Freeze and Use. Rush got it down. To Rush Mr. Newt was the Lord Xenu of Conservative Doctrine and hung from Gingrich's fanny through the 1990's. 'Mr. Newt' exited politics - stage right - to compose Civil War Novels and treatises on deep political thought.
What's a shill to do? Square pegs stay in square - whadyacall'ems? -holes, I guess and round pegs in the round ones. Keep it simple. stupids! T'aint simple, Rush.
Radio is simple. Has been since Father Coughlin, Aimee Semple-McPherson, Billy Sunday and Nero Wolf. Sidney Greenstreet played Nero Wolf on the old radio. He also played a great villain in old Warner Brothers movies. He was fat, oily, and glib. Like Rush.
Rush has influence as well as political flatulence and John McCain has been his target for a long time. Limbaugh surrogates like Hannity and his Mother Hubbard side-kick Colmes toss vitriol at McCain, like four year old girls with bad arms. But Rush is masterful.
McCain appeals to most Americans, folks who vote Republican and folks who vote Democrat. Most Americans lead complex lives and deal with complex problems. Politics is nothing compared to a sick kid, a daughter on her third deployment to Iraq, a layoff at the newspaper, an evaporating 401(k) Plan, and rising taxes.
Straight talk beats a script every day of the week.