"No She Didn't": Latest Sarah Palin Wallpaper

NO SHE DIDN'T: Barracuda.O'Mama

My third Sarah Palin wallpaper, now challenging Huckabee for most popular art subject. It's a variation of my previous 'Change' Palin Wallpaper.

Forgive the crassness, but its was a pun I couldn't resist.
Why "No She Didn't"? It's a play on the looming conflict between Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. As well as The possibility of Hillary remaining in and dominating the headlines, this time fighting FOR Obama. Wrestling couldn't have scripted it better.

McCain’s Pick May Foster Bigger Campaign Role for Clinton
Mrs. Clinton’s friends said she was galled that Ms. Palin might try to capitalize on a movement that Mrs. Clinton, of New York, built among women in the primaries. And Democrats used strong words on Sunday to rebut the notion: Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said that women would not be “seduced” by the Republican ticket, and Guy Cecil, the former political director of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, said it was “insulting” for Republicans to compare Ms. Palin to Mrs. Clinton.

Find an alternate article here - The Real ’08 Fight: Clinton v. Palin?

It's amusing that the McCain/Palin ticket has managed to successfully co-opt the energy amongst women fostered by Hillary and Obama's effective 'Change' mantra. It's a rational move. polling has shown that people feel America is on the wrong track and it's widely seen as a 'Democratic Year'. The 'Change' frame already claimed it's biggest scalp in toppling the Hillary juggernaut. This is the second time Hillary has been reportedly irritated by the audacity of junior peers. Firstly, Obama who "didn't wait his turn". Secondly Palin who is "piggybacking on the trail Hillary blazed". But Gender (and identity) Politics is more complicated than that.

Depending on how one looks at it, McCain is the original 'Change' candidate. Supporters see McCain as the person who has a legitimate record of Change - McCain ad: “Original Mavericks”

McCain ad: "Original Mavericks"
Real change. That message will become the central theme for the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket...

McCain isn’t stealing Obama’s thunder on change; he’s reclaiming a mantle that Obama attempted to usurp. He needs to remind voters that actions speak louder than pretty words on a fake Greek temple. Accept no substitutes.

Others view McCain as the 'Change' candidate, but in a less flattering way

MARK SHIELDS: ... Jerry Falwell, becoming Jerry Falwell's new best friend. On torture, John McCain took a very principled stand, has backed off on it.

His principal promise in the Iowa caucus was, "I will close Guantanamo." That was the first act of president. He has not mentioned it since. I mean, you know, you can go through where he has -- he has changed. He has trimmed...

DAVID BROOKS: This is fair. I mean, this is a fair question, because I've had a Democratic senator, and he says to me, "You think the McCain you saw in the Senate is the real McCain? I have news for you. This McCain on the campaign trail, that's the real McCain. You are stupid." I still think the McCain I saw in the Senate is the real McCain.

JIM LEHRER: And he is...

DAVID BROOKS: ... and will be the president. If he's elected president, he'll be that guy and not necessarily the guy which Mark accurately describes.

MARK SHIELDS: The guy in 2000, I've got to tell you, I was ready to put his bumper sticker on, you know, I mean, and risk domestic harmony...

Read the full transcript from PBS Newshour's September 5 show
Listen to the Shields and Brooks conversation here

Download the Sarah Palin "No She Didn't" wallpaper (1280 x 1024)
Download the Sarah Palin "No She Didn't" wallpaper (1024 x 768)
Download the Sarah Palin "No She Didn't" wallpaper (800 x 600)

Who is the real celebrity John McCain or Barack Obama

I've talked in the past about Republican Presidential nominee John McCain's numerous appearances on the Daily Show and previous hosting of Saturday Night Live. MSNBC pundit Dan Abrams hosted a panel discussing who might be the real celebrity of this Presidential race? The panel guest were Newsweek Columnist Jonathan Alter, Associate Editor of The Hill A.B. Stoddard, Republican strategist Brad Blakeman



Find discussion of the clip at CrooksandLiars.com

Dennis Prager speaks with George Lakoff on the Political mind

One of the reasons the wrestling analogy is apt in describing politics is because both have peripheral factors that take primacy over what is happening in the ring. Wrestlers and politicians are not judged on their wrestling abilities or stances on issues, but rather how they portray themselves and their ability to connect with the audience. Psychology, charisma and archetypes all come into play.

A large part of connecting with the audience comes down to framing and the ability to convince people of the narratives they've constructed. I'm surprised I haven't featured more linguists and framers in this blog, it's been a long time coming.

Conservative talker Dennis Prager recently had an illuminating discussion with Professor George Lakoff on his new book The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain. George Lakoff is a professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Though Dennis describes him as being a liberal, George argues that

all kinds of combinations exist so there is no simple left to right spectrum... there's not just combinations of political attitudes but combinations of modes of thinking and we have to understand what those modes of thinking are and how they work. They are not simple.

It's an awkward interview as Lakoff practices what he preaches by dominating the interview and dictating terms, host Dennis Prager submits to Lakoff allowing him to dominate air time, filibuster and generally "frame" the discussion to his favour.

This passage from Professor Lakoff might explain why some tend to view Politics as team sports or as I contend the prism of Wrestling

Brain circuitry for emotions connect with brain circuitry for semantic concepts like hero villain stories... which both have inferences and emotions at once, that they're not separable. But it's not merely emotional... we think in frames and metaphors

Download and Listen to Dennis Prager's chat with George Lakoff
Go to Dennis Prager's audio archives
Go to Dennis Prager's bio
Go to Professor George Lakoff's bio

Sam Seder and Chris Hedges: What Tim Russert represents

In a recent post I catalogued Pundits eulogizing iconic journalist Tim Russert. I noted that there was a surprising lack of liberal of input.

Curiously many liberal APF pundits didn't offer personal statements for Tim. I was only able to find one from Keith Olbermann who was a fellow MSNBC colleague. I didn't exhaust myself trying but I will add them as I find them.

As promised, I bring to you what some liberal commentator have since said about Tim Russert's legacy. It turns out the silence was deafening.

The Hedonists of Power by Chris Hedges
The past week was a good one if you were a courtier. We were instructed by the high priests on television over the past few days to mourn a Sunday morning talk show host, who made $5 million a year and who gave a platform to the powerful and the famous so they could spin, equivocate and lie to the nation. We were repeatedly told by these television courtiers, people like Tom Brokaw and Wolf Blitzer, that this talk show host was one of our nation’s greatest journalists, as if sitting in a studio, putting on makeup and chatting with Dick Cheney or George W. Bush have much to do with journalism.

Liberal Radio Talker Sam Seder shares his thoughts on Tim Russert's legacy during his weekly chat with Marc Maron. True to form Sam remains outspokenly against Tim Russert and his ilk. His main quarrel being the stenography approach and the insider mentality of shows like 'Meet the Press'. Sam has a regular segment on his Sunday show called the 'Weekend Watchdog' with Bill Scher, the segment audits the Weekend talk shows to make sure they are covering the "real" issues.

What is it about this guy that was particularly special? What did he sacrifice? $5million a year this guys was making. He had no relationship with the audience... he would get politicians on the record once a week. The f***ing laziness I spent a year watching his show and I learnt nothing, nothing from this man...
the irony is in death they (media) missed the news stories as much as he did when he was alive...

Listen and Download the excerpted audio of Sam and Marc discussing Tim Russert.

Sam is particularly heated and potty-mouthed in this audio. For the uninitiated, former AirAmerica talkers Sam and Marc conduct a candid weekly podcast for their online audience.
Watch the June 20th Vodcast of Maron VS Seder
Find links to the June 20th Maron VS Seder audio here

'Enough Already!' by Justin Raimondo
Enough already with the encomiums to Tim Russert, whose untimely death has sparked a veritable chorus of eulogies depicting him as the epitome of objectivity and the greatest of journalists. This is all coming, quite naturally, from his fellow journalists and intellectual gatekeepers, who share his prejudices, his politics, and – alas! – his shortcomings. It's time for a little Russert revisionism.

Read my original post - 'Remembering Tim: Pundits reacting to Tim Russert's death'
Go to the Vodcast archive of Sam Seder
Go to the columns archive of Chris Hedges
Read Sam Seder's bio
Read Chris Hedges' bio

Elitism: Barack Obama and Applebees

One of the proven ways for casting a villain is to label them 'elite'. You need not look any further than wrestling where elitism sits alongside the "obnoxious foreigner" as a staple villain caricature. Classic "elite" wrestling heels include 'The Blue blood' Hunter Hearst Helmsley and John Bradshaw Layfield.

The masses don't respond well to elites. We like our heroes to be accessible, likable, one of us. It's a curiosity of human nature, we don't mind if our sporting heroes or CEOs are obnoxious as long as they are winning or making the shareholders happy. When it comes to voting where we have a direct influence we will often consider other factors, personality often trumps talent. We want to elect people who we can relate to, someone we can be proud of. We don't judge Idol winners based on signing alone, we don't choose our favourite wrestlers based just on wrestling ability the same way we don't vote for our leaders based just on their policies. Unfortunately it sometimes just comes down to a popularity contest.

People respond actively against people they perceive as elites. That is why it's become a popular charge for politicians, birthing popular cliches like "they're out of touch with main street". Both parties view elitism differently. Liberals see elitism as the opposite of populism, being rich or well educated does not disqualify you from being in touch with the middle class or interested in the welfare of society. It's widely known that many 'Hollywood-types' are liberal, a function of creatives being predominantly left-leaning. This is an easy source of ridicule for critics with the decadence and hypocrisy associated with Hollywood.

Republicans view elitism differently. Whilst the republican base is known for a strong corporate makeup it also has a proud rural, blue-collar contingent. You will often hear variations of the insult "latte-sipping, gay-marryin', limousine elitists" in characterising their opponents. Liberals will often counter by saying that many conservatives vote against their best interests, that issues that like border security, gay rights and abortion that animate the populist wing are merely subterfuge for an agenda that mainly benefits the corporate wing of the party.

Barack Obama is latest politician to be painted as an elite.
Conservative commentator David Brooks famously said of Obama

"It's a big, historic movement, but the magic is not felt by a lot of people. It's not felt, obviously, by a lot of less educated people, downscale people. They just look at Obama, and they don't see anything. And so, Obama's problem is he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could go into an Applebee's salad bar, and people think he fits in naturally there. And so he's had to change to try to be more like that Applebee's guy, and as he's done that, he's become much more transactional, much more, "I'm going to deliver this, and this, and this for you" on policy.

Read the full transcript from MediaMatters

Jon Stewart has his say on elitism

I know `elite' is a bad word in politics, and you want to go bowling and throw back a few beers, but the job you're applying for? If you get it and it goes well? They might carve your head into a mountain. If you don't actually think you're better than us, then what the **** are you doing?!?

Stephen Colbert with his take on Obama

Is Barack Obama an ‘elitist’? Well, he does want to join a club with only 43 members!

Bill O'Reilly, Bill Moyers and ambush journalism

Bill O'Reilly often sends his producer Porter Berry to ambush notable personalities to set up stories for his show, 'The O'Reilly Factor'. The people he targets have often been critical of O'Reilly or have refused to appear on his program.

The latest was an ambush of Bill Moyers at the 'National Conference for Media Reform'. Bill Moyers is an influential American journalist known for his investigative documentaries and long-form conversations with the world's leading minds. The conference was organised by 'Free Press' and held in Minneapolis.
According to the program overview on their website, The National Conference

will focus on broadening the media reform movement, envisioning the future of our media system, harnessing new technology for change, and achieving concrete policy victories through sustainable organizing.

The O'Reilly producer who came to ambush Moyers was awkwardly overmatched and quickly became the prey. Bill Moyers is seasoned and was well equipped to handle the O'Reilly surrogate. As keynote speaker, Moyers was also in friendly territory. Being a media conference the room had plenty of journalists and cameras to document and interrogate the lone ambusher.

Some of Moyer's best lines included.

- For the record I asked Bill to come on my show first (responding to why he declined to appear on Bill's show)
- I like to honor the people who do the real work in journalism and that's producers and reporters. It isn't anchors. It isn't the blowhards...
- Bill O'Reilly isn't a journalist, he's a pugilist

After Bill Moyers took the O'Reilly associate to task. Other citizen journalists took over and ambushed the man by shadowing and badgering him with questions of their own. Davin Hutchins, Managing Producer for the 'American News Project' led the charge:

- Do you think what you just did was journalism?
- Did you have a preconceived idea of what he was going to say?
- Did you come here to get facts, to set up a premise (or) a stunt...?

VIDEO: Fox ambushes Bill Moyers

The 'Producer's Notebook' section on BillOReilly.com provides a brief bio of Porter Berry, the ambushing producer. You can watch a previous ambush of Arianna Huffington here.

Porter Berry has been a producer for the O'Reilly Factor since 2005. Prior to joining Fox News, Berry was a filmmaker in Los Angeles for ten years. He received a B.A. in Economics from Texas Christian University in 1993. Berry was born and raised in Oklahoma City and now lives with his wife in New York City.

Read Bill Moyer's Bio from 'The Museum of Broadcast Communication'
Read the 'National Conference for Media Reform' program overview
Read more about 'Free Press' organization
Go to the official "O'Reilly Factor" website
Read more about the 'American News Project', the people questioning Porter Berry

Update: (June 11, 2008)
Bill O'Reilly returns fire using the footage his team captured. Bill seems a little threatened or at least intimidated by Bill Moyers as he calls him "fanatic", "crazy" and "scary"

VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly attacks Bill Moyers in body language segment

Bill O'Reilly gets angry on Inside Edition

Bill O'Reilly is arguably the hottest tempered pundit on the APF. Its this temperament that makes him compelling viewing. I was only made aware of this clip recently as it was mentioned on Pete Dominick's independent Radio show on Sirius.

Here is a classic clip of Bill losing his cool off-air on CBS 'Inside Edition'.

When asked by TVNewser about the meltdown, O'Reilly quipped "That video was just me practicing for my conversations with Geraldo."

Watch and read about other heated Bill O'Reilly moments below:
1) O'Reilly in a 'shootout' with Democratic Senator Chris Dodd
2) O'Reilly in an epic duel with commentator Phil Donahue
3) O'Reilly arguing with his FoxNews colleague, Geraldo

Update: May 16
Bill O'Reilly - The Inside Edition outburst remix
No surprise here, a remix of the outburst has surfaced.
Watch the video and read comments courtesy of HotAir: The obligatory, inevitable O’Reilly meltdown remix

Bill makes light of his 'Inside Edition' outburst
Bill O'Reilly makes light of his outburst in his latest conversation with Mary Katherine Ham: Watch the video and read comments courtesy of Hot Air: O’Reilly on his “Inside Edition” meltdown

Bill O'Reilly: By the way there's a tape floating around on the internet of me in a state of displeasure I understand. Apparently the tape is 20 years old but I your humble correspondent have plenty of much newer stuff because by contractual obligation I have to create a few dramas every year for the amusement of my coworkers. They'd quit if I didn't do that. Anyway if you'd like to buy the tapes I have, I'd be happy to sell them to you

What's curious about the clip is during Bill's monologue a mic'd up staffer laughs. I don't know how usual this is for O'Reilly's format but its reminiscent of Keith Olbermann, (Bill's arch nemesis) who often has a "staff laugh track" for light hearted moments with the audience.

The Democratic Primary: How should Barack and Hillary finish it?

Whilst Barack and Hillary split the last two primaries, Obama's better than expected thumping in North Carolina and Clinton's close victory in Indiana have many speculating she will suspend her campaign sooner rather than later. After a turbulent few months for Obama - dogged by his association with controversial former pastor Jeremiah Wright and doubts raised by his inability to close out Clinton, it finally looks like things are winding down. Only one question remains; How will the two end it?

After a rancorous Democratic Primary, it is crucial that things be resolved in a way that strengthens the party. The loser must be allowed to exit graciously. Wounds that were opened must be addressed and healed. The party needs to unite around the winner to generate as much momentum to take into the general election.

In a previous post I spoke about Aura. In wrestling, a wrestler's value hinges on how they gain and preserve their Aura. As there can only be one winner, the trick is in managing defeat in a way that allows a wrestler to preserve their aura. In this way both contenders regardless of how they fared can come out of the match strong.

In the May 7 edition of PBS Newshour, Mark Shields and David Brooks offer their suggestions for how the Democrats should end their feud:

Mark Shields

...understand this. What Hillary Clinton is going through right now is reality setting in. It's painfully public and publicly painful. It's the implosion of all her aspirations, all her ambitions.

And this is a time for the Aretha Franklin approach, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, on the part -- respect on the part of the Obama people. They shouldn't be taking victory laps. They shouldn't be gloating. They should give her time.

David Brooks

Well, I guess, from the Hillary Clinton camp, I would say harvest a few wins -- presumably, she will do quite well in West Virginia and Kentucky -- but not attack Barack Obama and just begin to have the conversations across the campaigns...

And, really, it's -- that's the way to do it. Just have a gracious campaign. Take a few victory laps, make the points you want to make, and thank the people who have been supporting you -- and she's run an incredibly resilient campaign -- but never attack.

And, if you do that, I think you will see a lot of the psychology -- and I personally believe there has been a lot of harm done to the Democratic Party. I think the polling reveals that in spades. But if you have a gracious few weeks of -- take a few victories, I think you will begin to heal that.

Read the entire transcript of PBS Newshour's Shields and Brooks.
Listen and Download the discussion

Barack VS Hillary is the meeting of two formidable and popular competitors, both with loyal supporters. It was never going to be easy deciding between two worthy and equally matched candidates. A matchup of epic proportions, not unlike the legendary clash between The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. For the sake of their Party, Democrats must hope that the fight between Hillary and Obama ends the same way the wrestlers ended theirs.

VIDEO: The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan finish
with the "respect angle" at WrestleMania VI

(skip to 2m40s if you're not interested in the wrestling)

David Brooks: Obama's lapen pin and the Democats' image problem

The analysis from Shields and Brooks on the April 18th edition of PBS' Newshour had a spirited debate on the issue of symbols.

David Brooks: And the reason I think they were legitimate is this. The reason Democrats have lost presidential elections in more recent years has not been because people don't agree with them on the issues. They do tend to agree with them about health care and education, things like that.

It's because they're not sure that candidate -- John Kerry, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore -- is like them, shares their values, shares their basic life experience. The question is now asked of Barack Obama, "Is he like us?"

And whether you like it or not, the way people measure that question is through the use of symbols, whether it was Michael Dukakis sitting there in the tank, or John Kerry wind-surfing, or John Edwards' $400 haircut, people care about the symbols when they're saying, "Is that guy like us?"

So when they look at Barack Obama, the things he said in San Francisco, that raises the question, "Is he like us?"...

April 18, 2008. PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer

Listen to the full conversation from Shields and Brooks here.
Go to the Shields and Brooks archive page, Political Wrap
Read "Obama - A 'no symbol' symbolic candidacy"

Chris Matthews on Straight talk Obama

During a conversation with NBC correspondent David Shuster, Chris Matthews astutely noted that Barack Obama has a candor and straight talk to rival McCain's. Matthews also points out that Obama is not one to go for the 2nd best option but will go after what he wants.


Of course I'm being facetious. Chris has been known to value presentation in politics, usually at its most superficial. It is not too dissimilar to the way Maureen Dowd has tended to approach her writing, judging politicians through how smooth or tough they are reminiscent of High School. This clip provides an insight into what Matthews values, evident also in his latest book Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success.

Go to the entire Media Matters piece,transcript included
Watch Matthews promoting his book on the Daily Show. Jon Stewart challenges Matthews on his sense of perspective.
Read a previous APF post on Maureen Dowd and her writings on presentation
Go to Chris Matthews bio, from NBC
Go to Maureen Dowd's bio, from The New York Times

Get some Attytood

I've recently discovered a blog after my own heart. It's by Will Bunch, senior writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. The blog is called Attytood.

The blog has a scope similar to American Pundit Fighting. It talks about the presentation & psychology of politics and punditry, the only difference being I use the analogy of Pro-wrestling to prove my point. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether that makes my blog better or not.

Below are two of his most recent and relevant posts:
1) Barack Obama as re-imagined by Time's Joe Klein April 3, 2008

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Obama's candidacy -- even if you're not a supporter -- is his notion that thought-free token patriotism, in the form of lapel pins and the like, can be replaced with love not for symbols but for true American ideals -- like opportunity for all, and basic human and Constitutonal rights, the ideas that caused those supporters to chant "U-S-A, U-S-A."

I recently posted about Obama's concerted effort to transcend symbols in how he is running his campaign. Read here: Obama - A 'no symbol' symbolic candidacy.

2) Time to retire "the E-word" April 2, 2008

Well, you knew this was coming, didn't you? Maureen dropped the E-bomb -- as in "effete" -- on Barack Obama, because, well, God knows we wouldn't want the Democrats to break their streak of nominating candidates ineligible for the White House because of their lack of machismo. would we?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dukakis in the tank, Kerry windsurfing -- God knows the Republicans would never put up that kind of dork to be our commander-in-chief. Well, except for....

I've talked before about Maureen Dowd's MO, her penchant for framing candidates through their manliness.
Read my previous posts on Maureen but particularly the issue of framing candidates through the narrow prism of persona here:
- Maron VS Seder VS Ana Marie Cox
- Maureen Dowd and American Pundit Fighting
- The Rise and Rise of Mike Huckabee (part 3 of 3)

Maron VS Seder VS Ana Marie Cox

In the most recent episode of Seder VS Maron, liberal commentators Sam Seder and Marc Maron touched on the unseriousness of certain pundits. This is a subject they have spoken about before and is a particular pet peeve for Sam. Sam has been very open about his disdain towards pundits like Maureen Dowd and Ana Marie Cox who have a tendency to trivialise politics by elevating charisma and superficial presentation over the serious implications of policy. I often get introspective during these times as the nature of this blog may be seen as trivialising politics.

In this latest episode Sam lets rip on Ana Marie Cox, (founding editor of DC Gossip site, Wonkette). It is particularly awkward, as Marc Maron has worked professionally and is personally friendly with Ana Marie. Sam was set off when Marc mentioned that he had dinner with Ana Marie and her husband, and that she expressed a fondness for John McCain. There was a back and forth discussion on charisma, and the role it plays in politics. Their was a sober acknowledgment that ultimately people will vote based on superficial presentation. Sam concedes as much but his main quarrel is towards the pundit class who he feels should be elevating discourse higher than the trivial.

Maron and Seder being pragmatic about charisma in politics

MARON: It all comes around even to the Clintonian criticism of Barack Obama's charisma...whatever's anyone's history is in the legislature most Americans are only going to respond to a gut level of what they sense about a person. That's just the way it is buddy. It's not the way people vote in this country. So I can understand your aggravation...
SAM: You know what? That part doesn't bother me as much...as the Ana Marie Cox thing. I accept that there are people who are going to vote based on charisma and things that aren't terribly important. I accept that... to me what is inexcusable, for someone to perceive themselves with any type of integrity to have that same opinion when they're actually responsible for disseminating information to people who actually want more than that.

Maron and Seder take politics seriously

SAM: You can't do it with Ana Marie Cox, because her agenda is apolitical. This political writer for Time Magazine, her agenda is completely apolitical. For her, it's like "I'm just hoping for a good game, I just want to watch a good game." That's fine if you're talking about football and baseball but there there is actually something, there are implications to politics as a game...
MARON: There's a lot at stake. The stakes are higher.
SAM: Yes significantly higher, the notion that she perceives herself as a political journalist and society perceives her that way but yet she views all this as meaningless. And I know she does...I sat on a panel with her... 2, 3 years ago which is why I have developed this attitude towards her. I heard her say "politics is stupid"...

Listen to the excerpted audio of Sam and Marc talking about Ana Marie Cox

Listen to the full Maron VS Seder episode, courtesy of Jmach1JP
Go to Time's Ana Marie Cox bio
Go to previous Sam Seder rants on Maureen Dowd and Ana Marie Cox
Listen to Sam talking about his experience with Ana Marie Cox

Super Tuesday - Primaries and delegates

Super Tuesday primary results
HUCKABEE:
Alabama, Akansas, Georgia, Tennesse, West Virginia
MCCAIN:
Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma
ROMNEY:
Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah

The Delegate wins that matter
HUCKABEE:
Chuck Norris and Ric Flair
MCCAIN:
Rudy Giuliani, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Brooks, Michael Medved
ROMNEY:
Rush Limbaugh
Hugh Hewitt
Mark Levin
Laura Ingraham

Mark Levin on Romney

Rally for Romney
Let’s face it, none of the candidates are perfect. They never are. ... The only one left standing who can honestly be said to share most of our conservative principles is Mitt Romney. I say this as someone who has not been an active Romney supporter.

RUSH Limbaugh on Romney

"I think now, based on the way the campaign has shaken out, that there probably is a candidate on our side who does embody all three legs of the conservative stool, and that’s Romney."

Sean Hannity on Romney

"I'll be voting on the new York primary on Tuesday. I'll probably be voting, not probably, I am voting for Romney..."

Michael Medved on McCain

The truth of the matter is, look, folks have to come to terms with the fact that McCain is very likely going to be the nominee. So, for nine months are we going to be attacking a Republican nominee every single day, and calling him McVain and calling him McLame and calling him McAmnesty?

Ann Coulter on not McCain (and Hillary)

Manifestly, if he's our candidate, then Hillary's going to be our girl, Sean, because she's more conservative than he is. I think she would be stronger on the war on terrorism. I will campaign for her if it's McCain.

Talk Radio on McCain

Radio Talkers on the line against McCain
Talk radio pioneer Rush Limbaugh said that if McCain or Mike Huckabee are nominated, "it's going to destroy the Republican Party." Mark Levin calls the senator "John McLame." On Monday, Laura Ingraham said she was "concerned about the mental stability of the McCain campaign" and had cuckoo-clock sound effects accompany his words.

"Sen. McCain is a great American, a lousy senator and a terrible Republican," Hugh Hewitt told The Associated Press. "He has a legislative record that is not conservative. In fact, it is anti-conservative."

McCain and Hillary - "The FIX is in"

A lot has been made this Presidential election about how all the pundits have been so wrong and ineffective. No-one had predicted that Hillary and McCain would be leading at this late stage. Even though both were considered establishment choices and originally came in as front runners.

By the opening of Primary voting, Obama was surging in popularity ahead of Hillary and looked to continue doing so after taking Iowa. McCain was at best the 4th most popular option for the GOP behind Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Romney. His campaign was running out of money and close allies had bailed out on him. To make matters worse, a then-unknown Mike Huckabee leapfrogged in front of them all with surging support that delivered Iowa. McCain was pushed to fifth spot.

My how things have changed? Look at Hillary and McCain now. Who could have predicted it? One pundit did get it right - Ted Rall.

Marc Maron: What we'll find out in the next few months is if the big "fix" by the big "they" is really in. We're gonna find out in the next couple of months.

Sam Seder: Yes! Ted Rall came on the Majority Report, this must have been over a year and a half ago. And he said that he believed that McCain and Clinton were gonna win, were gonna be the nominees because they had the most money and there had never been a time where somebody had had that much money that far out and hadn't won. So it'll be interesting to see if that comes around.

Listen to the snippet of Sam and Marc's conversation.

Its an excerpt from Maron VS Seder. The exchange took place Jan 1st 2008, a few days before the first Primary voting in Iowa. I spoke about the episode where this snippet came from in an earlier post. Sam has mentioned this Ted Rall conversation numerous times, though I've never found the original audio interview. If anyone could provide a tip on when Ted Rall appeared on the Majority Report I'd appreciate it.

Full disclosure, I always bristled everytime Sam mentioned this Ted Rall conversation as I never believed that Hillary and especially McCain were going to be the nominees. To see that its now an overwhelming possibility is astonishing.

McCain supporters - David Brooks and Michael Medved

Anyone with the slightest awareness of conservative punditry will know that McCain doesn't have many supporters. APF Pundits from Rush, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin to Laura Ingraham have come out strongly on their radio programs and have even taken to print to discredit McCain. And that's putting it lightly.

Only 2 prominent conservatives come to mind as McCain supporters, Radio talker Michael Medved and NY Time columnist David Brooks. Both pundits during the early stages of the GOP debate were supportive or at least accommodating of the then front-runner, Mike Huckabee. After McCain's victory in New Hampshire and subsequent ascendancy, both pundits were more pronounced in their support of McCain. Some have contended that their glowing editorials for Huckabee in the early stages of the GOP race was a ploy to pave McCain's path to the nomination. Hugh Hewitt, a radio stablemate of Medved's has contended as much.

The New York Times' David Brooks is gleeful that Huckabee has monkeywrenched Romney. Huck can't be president, Brooks assures us, but it was good to see the party establishment humbled and McCain's way forward cleared. "Mitt Romney is now grievously wounded," Brooks enthused. "My guess is Republicans will now swing behind McCain in order to stop Mike."

Is the picture clearer this morning for all those Iowa evangelicals on why Mike Huckabee got the gentle treatment after his bizarre news conference Monday?

Read Hugh's full post here

Anti-McCain feeling has been a staple of the Conservative pundit class. The clamour will only get louder with every McCain success in the primaries and polls. Its only been recently that I've heard hits against the McCain supporters such as Brooks and Medved.

Listen and Download Hugh talking with Medved as McCain is declared the victor in the New Hampshire primary.

This exchange is very cordial. Hugh's famed bias for Mitt Romney shows in the discussion as he downplays McCain's victory, Hugh's memes were challenged handily by Medved.

HUGH HEWITT: Michael you're a McCain guy, I'm a Romney guy. We're gonna go back and forth for the next month and we're gonna be friends after this. But I gotta say, aren't you a little disappointed.. the guy who got 60% 8 years ago is down to 37% and out of money
Michael Medved: Absolutely Not! Hugh I think you're really reaching... to beat... the first Massachusetts candidate in the history of the New Hampshire Primary to lose. I mean c'mon Mitt Romney had every advantage here, he outspent John McCain. A win is a win is a win.

Onto another Brooks/Medved rant. This time not as cordial. Mark Levin cuts a mean promo on the two pundits for their support of McCain. In signature Levin style, he calls Brooks a "foolish and almost incoherent man from the New York Slimes" and labels Medved a "backbencher".
Listen and Download Levin's promo here.
Read Mark Levin articulating his anti-McCain/anti-Brooks sentiments in print.

Whilst there is uniformity in the trashing of McCain from these pundits. Another thing is certain, McCain is held in high esteem for his service to America as a respected military man and POW in Vietnam. But as Hugh Hewitt is quick to point "McCain is a Great American, lousy senator and terrible Republican".

Huckabee, Colbert and Podhoretz

In my last post I featured links to many of the Presidential candidates' Concession speeches after the New Hampshire Primary. In a recent interview with Hugh Hewitt, Conservative commentary, John Podhoretz concludes that Huckabee is a vapid candidate as evidenced by the content of his 'Thank You' speech.

HUGH HEWITT: ... that's why I don't think Mike Huckabee is really a serious contender here. He's not reliable on the war. Do you think he is?
JOHN PODHORETZ: No, I think, i see no reliable evidence that he is reliable in much of anything actually
HEWITT: So how can he be ahead in South Carolina?
PODHORETZ: Well we don't know that he is, and this is my point. Look! There's two weeks till South Carolina. We'll see how ahead he is. Let me put it to you this way. Listen to his speech last night, his concession speech OK. McCain made a passionate speech about the War and Service. Romney made a speech in which he delved in issues. Obama talked about issues, Hillary talked about issues. What did Huckabee do? He talked about how Mrs So-and-so took him in their house and gave him a nice piece of pie and he loves it. It was Elvis' birthday. Thank you so much, you're all so nice. You are all so wonderful. This is a vapid candidacy.A vapid candidacy that is depend in on his personality which is nice but isn't like Obama's. Magnetic like Obama's...

Listen to the discussion between Hugh and John Podhoretz

So John Podhoretz thinks Mike Huckabee is vapid? Well... Mike was on Stephen Colbert's show recently. You can judge for yourself. Stephen actually raises an issue I posted about recently, regarding the waning influence of the pundit class.



Listen to the discussion between Hugh and J-Pod

Pundits humbled. Is their influence waning?

Following the shock of Huckabee winning Iowa and an even more astonishing win for Hillary who was counted out against the surging Obama. Not to mention the lazarus like return of McCain. Pundits are scratching their heads.

Here is an exchange between conservative blogger and personality Mary Katherine Ham talking with APF's own Hugh Hewitt

HH: Mary Katherine I don't think there is a press meme. I don't think the press has anything- in fact I think the electorate are looking at these people without our help for the first time in the history of American politics
MKH: Well we certainly have been proved wrong at one point or another. Throughout this process as I've written on the blog, if there's one thing this election has been. It's been humbling for the pundits. I mean it's impressive what's going on here.

Listen and Download Hugh Hewitt's discussion with MKH
Read MKH's blog post on 'humbled pundits'
Read Mary Katherine Ham's blog

Frank Luntz on the Iowa Democratic debate

Frank Luntz appeared on Hannity and Colmes to discuss John Edward's "victory" at the Iowa democratic debate. Luntz showed off his patented focus group applause-o-meter. However APF pundit Sean Hannity tries to rain on the parade by constantly reminding his viewers of John Edward's "$2000" haircut.

The Rise and Rise of Mike Huckabee (part 3 of 3)

Mike Huckabee was an overlooked 2nd tier Republican candidate. While other midcard candidates had claims to fame that were policy related (Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo - strong on immigration, Ron Paul - Anti war). Mike's claim to fame was his remarkable weight loss, losing over 110 pounds which he chronicled in his book, "Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle". At first glance this may seem like an inconsequential qualification for a person seeking America's highest office. To the contrary. This marked only the beginning Huckabee's campaign, rising from a midcarder to front-running Presidential candidate.

As I detailed in post 2 of 3, appearance counts. Having the right look doesn't apply only to wrestling, it also matters when running for President. Even Al Gore, a sure favourite if he were to throw his hat in the ring cannot escape questions about his would-be presidential appearance. Diane Sawyer once pointedly asked of Gore

“Donna Brazile, your former campaign manager, has said, ‘If he drops 25 to 30 pounds, he’s running.’ Lost any weight?”.

Gore despite enjoying great popularity with his role as Nobel Prize winning environmentalist has his chances of Presidency tethered to his appearance. Read Maureen Dowd's op-ed for more on Gore's appearance. This is the reason why Mike Huckabee's weight loss was not only a significant personal triumph but also a necessary precaution in his bid for presidency.

Whether you're a Presidential candidate or a wrestler, appearance will distinguish you from a contender to a champion.



Another thing Mike Huckabee had to work on was his gimmick. Mike is an affable person, a noted public speaker with considerable charisma. An ordained Southern Baptist minister and musician. All the ingredients for a likeable personality but not the name ID or corporate/media backing to get him noticed. Huckabee had to tweak his gimmick, he played to his strength as a "hipper alternative" by getting endorsements from ironically cool celebrities like Action Star Chuck Norris and wrestling great Ric Flair. Mike appeared in a series of ads with Chuck Norris which gave him great exposure outside of political news and was a successful viral campaign online.

The ads were often corny, but Chuck was a compelling endorser that raised Huckabee's profile and likability


To balance this playful side, Huckabee has also effectively cornered the evangelical base of the party by using language and rhetoric that appeals to that audience. Mike has been wooing Evangelical voters using the same viral techniques that served him well in the Chuck Norris campaign. The Washington Post describes a mailing list Mike has tapped into, loosely affiliated with Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ, read full article here.

A series of religion based videos have been circulating online that play to Mike's religious base:

Mike explaining the Divine help he's getting in the polling


Mike parodies the phone call fellow Frontrunner Rudy Giuliani received mid speech


You will notice I have not credited any of Huckabee's policies or policy shifts to the success of his campaign. Like a wrestler who elevates to championship status, wrestling ability doesn't need to be compromised. Whilst ring technique can be important to some purists, to the large majority of casual fans the appearance of ability is all that is expected. The same follows in politics, policy wonks will argue over the finer points but effective spin can win over casual observers.

When a wrestler tweaks their gimmick, they don't adopt a whole new arsenal of moves. That would be impractical as the wrestler is limited to what they already know. They simply rename their existing set of moves and perhaps add a few embellishments. The same goes for Presidential Candidates. They won't adopt new policies or turn their back on their history completely. They will simply dress up existing policies with new titles and spin to suit their evolved persona.

Mike was often a standout in debates, even when his name ID was low. Huckabee is known for his mic work and for being an exceptional retail politician. This was amplified once he raised his profile. Mike has risen through the ranks using a combination of marketing savvy and genuine charisma. From streamlining his appearance, to using effective gimmickry to capture attention and finally securing voter confidence through his charm. He has risen to the top by effectively using the playbook from wrestling. Its only fitting that he is endorsed by one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time.

Read 'The Rise and Rise of Mike Huckabee' Part 1 of 3
Read 'The Rise and Rise of Mike Huckabee' Part 2 of 3

Find "Huckamania!" posters here and newer ones here.

Lou Dobbs smacking down Tim Rutten and the LA Times

In pro wrestling, 'cutting a promo' is the act of getting on the mic and calling out another wrestler. It can be conducted in front of the live audience, in the middle of the ring or spoken direct to camera backstage.

There was a great promo cut by Lou Dobbs yesterday on a "Hack liberal advocate posing as a media critic". Lou is a CNN Anchorman and immigration specialist. He ripped into Tim Rutten of the LA Times for his column (need to register) on CNN's cynical fixation with Immigration.

What is noteworthy about this promo is its the only one I've seen not conducted behind a desk. It's done standing up, like all good wrestler promos.

VIDEO: Lou Dobbs cuts a promo on Tim Rutten and the LA Times