If you’re a Republican in trouble, there’s no better friend in the media than Sean Hannity. Last night (1/2/11), Hannity didn’t just provide a friendly platform for Newt Gingrich’s sinking presidential campaign, Hannity helped build the staging, too.
Hannity started by helping Gingrich backtrack from his statement earlier in the day that he can’t win in Iowa, and then explained away Gingrich’s drop in the polls by saying he attributed it to “the negative attack ads that are being run.”
Hannity later said, “You used the term that you had been ‘Romney-boated.’” Hannity helpfully noted that he had asked but Romney “made no indication that he would” ask his PAC to stop the attack ads. “What is your reaction back to him? DO you think these ads have been unfair?” Hannity asked Gingrich.
“I’m not going to engage in that petty negativity,” Gingrich said. Then he launched a lengthy attack on Romney. “All I’ll say is that I’ll be prepared Wednesday morning in New Hampshire to draw a clear contrast between conservatism and the Romney record, which was to not be for Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s, to be a Democrat for Paul Tsongas in 1992, when Tsongas was the most liberal candidate, to run to the left of Teddy Kennedy in 1994, which was not an easy thing to do, to describe himself as a moderate running for governor in 2002… We’ll just go through how wide the gap is between conservatism and… the Massachusetts moderate policies that Romney in the real world… that he has espoused for his entire career. “
Rather than note the hypocrisy, Hannity immediately began justifying it on Gingrich’s behalf. “Am I hearing you right? I kind of hear here a strategical or a tactical shift and that is that you feel that up to this point you were trying to run a positive campaign and that now, kind of, in Iowa the gloves are off and you’re gonna make, you’re gonna make comparisons between you and Governor Romney.”
Yes, but Gingrich wouldn’t admit it. “I’d rather stick at this level of pure policy. But if the governor and his paid negative ads are determined to engage in biography, I’m simply gonna tell the truth. We’re gonna have video, we’re gonna have historic facts. We’re gonna let people see for themselves... I think over the next few weeks, you’ll see a much clearer understanding of who Mitt Romney is.
Then Hannity helped Gingrich spin some more. “You thought you probably made a mistake of your handling of the issue of Freddie Mac and I wanted to give you a chance tonight to explain that.”
And, of course, Hannity left enough time to work in an attack on President Obama.
Remaining conservative frauds in the race:
The Mitt
Paulie
Pretty Ricky
High End Hannocchio will do everything in his power to stop President Obama, but it won’t work because the masses will learn the truth about this failed priest. He will be too busy trying-again-to defend what’s left of his good name.
I’m not a natural leader. I’m too intellectual; I’m too abstract; I think too much.
If the Obama administration is this afraid of Glenn Beck, how do they deal with the Iranians?
If the Soviet empire still existed, I’d be terrified. The fact is, we can afford a fairly ignorant presidency now.
The idea that a congressman would be tainted by accepting money from private industry or private sources is essentially a socialist argument.
On the other hand, there would be something to be said if Romney gave his past with WWASPS a while longer to creep around… God, I’d like to see Hannity try defending that!
