Sean Hannity is mad as hell over a lengthy – and devastating – Think Progress report detailing 41 times that he has acted more like a Trump campaign staffer than an interviewer. He’s even madder at the conservative Red State site for promoting it.
It started on Think Progress:
Trump has appeared on Hannity an astonishing 41 times since he announced his campaign last June, often for the entire hour. (On five occasions, Hannity replayed extensive excerpts from previous appearances by Trump.) In other words, you can watch Hannity interview Trump about once a week.
Hannity’s role is less of an interviewer than a member of Trump’s campaign staff. During his appearances, Hannity seeks to tamp down controversies, talk up Trump’s poll numbers, and tout his policy proposals. Hannity’s Trump is a reliable conservative with specific ideas who isn’t afraid to take on “PC” culture. Trump’s critics in the media, according to Hannity, are “dumb” “idiots” who don’t understand what’s happening in America.
Red State, a Never Trump outfit, picked up the post, saying that Think Progress had hit the nail on the head.
Yesterday, Hannity hit back. “I’m not a journalist, I’m a talk show host,” Hannity said, as if that excuses his failure to hold Trump accountable for anything. “I’m a talk show host. I can’t think of any question that has come up that I have wanted to ask these candidates that was relevant to ask the candidates that I haven’t asked them.” Of course he hasn’t. He only cares about promoting Republicans and damaging Democrats. But OK, Fox News is partly responsible for failing to insist that he act at least more like a journalist than he does. Because, you know, Fox is supposed to be a news network.
While Hannity complained the Think Progress article “cherry picked quotes,” he never came up with a single tough question he had ever asked Trump that had been overlooked.
Hannity went on to complain that Think Progress is run by John Podesta, “a hack for Hillary Clinton.” In fact, Podesta who founded Think Progress’ parent, Center for American Progress, left CAP in January 2014.
Hannity hilariously concluded that the reason Think Progress went after him is because he is such a big Clinton enemy that he must be taken down.
HANNITY: Now why do you think Podesta wants to marginalize me at this point? OK, I think I have a theory. You know, is there anybody that went after Obama harder in 2007 and 2008 and 2012 than me? There are other hosts that have done a great job. I have announced on this program publicly that I have in my possession over a thousand of opp research on Hillary. Now, why aren’t you talking about it yet, Hannity? Because it’s not the right time. Timing is everything in political campaigns. So Podesta doesn’t like the fact that I’m gonna be out there leading the charge, the Stop Hillary Express, as I have once before and so he does a hit piece on me to try to make me look as bad as he possibly can.
There’s just one problem with this self-aggrandizing theory: Everything Hannity boasted about doing failed. He certainly failed at stopping Obama in 2008 and 2012. Last I checked, Hillary Clinton won both her elections as U.S. Senator (though Hannity did put up a valiant effort). He certainly did not stop her from becoming Secretary of State.
But what Hannity really seemed to be angry about was Red State picking up the post.
HANNITY: Red State, which is pro-Cruz, which I have no problem with, they go out there, they don’t do any research, they just cut and paste the cherry-picked questions that John Podesta’s people put up and act like they’re writing news! I mean, that’s just pathetic.
[…} I wrote the guy from Red State and […] whatever this guy’s name is that pushes the [Red State] article, I’ve said it to everybody at Fox. I could have done a group response. I didn’t bother. And I wrote, “I’m not Never Trump, I’m not. I’m not Never Cruz, I’m not. I’m Never Hillary. And then I wrote, “Good luck with your circular firing squad. Remove me from your email list and God help us if she wins.” I called them “pathetic” and “disgraceful” and I said, “Well, say hi to your buddy Podesta for me.”
Hannity put out some statistics showing that Senator Ted Cruz got more air time on Hannity’s radio show than Trump. But the TV stats only gave number of appearances, not the air time. Media Matters crunched the numbers and proved just what you’d suspect: that Trump got way more time on Hannity’s TV show.
Grab the popcorn and listen to Hannity pout below, published April 13 on YouTube.
“GOP Mojo” — is that like Drumpf’s “beautiful hands”?
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Hannity is a pussy and he’s very far from being a football player.
Next year will be just as entertaining as this, OF COURSE, as we are treated to ongoing blamestorming and a most uncivil war, hopefully ending in the complete disintegration of the R-Soul Party.