Hugh, Meet Shark. Now Jump!
I used to really like Hugh Hewitt. I started reading him some time after the 2004 election, and liked what I read: a smart-as-a-whip conservative "evangelical catholic" (small 'c'), as he calls himself, with book writing and blogging credentials to spare. And his honesty and wit on the front page were always a joy to read.
Then came the race for the 2008 GOP Presidential nomination. He hitched himself to the Mitt Romney horse-and-buggy very early on, with his book A Mormon in the Whitehouse?. Still readable at that point, although he lost some of his objectivity by coming out strong for his preferred candidate early on.
In the past, say, 3 months, however, he has grown increasingly shrill and partisan for his boy, and it has seriously diminished any enjoyment that any non-Romney-supporter might gain from reading his blog (or, presumably, listening to his radio show, which I've only done sparingly anyways). Let me just cite two cases, all in the last 24 hours, which truly put the nail in the proverbial coffin. First:
These are EARLY EXIT POLLS, mind you. The same ones that virtually all Republicans took great joy in mocking and ridiculing for their stunning inaccuracy four years ago during the general election, which predicted John Kerry the winner in many places. Now they're encouraging news for Romney? Any port in a storm, eh, Hugh? And for the record: Huck took Arkansas with ~60%, McCain took Arizona with 47%, Delaware and Missouri both went McCain at 45% and 33%, respectively (the former being 12 points over Romney, even!), and California went McCain by 9 points. That's a landslide by anyone's standards).
Second quote:
Said with all the flourish and elan of a Ron Paul supporter. Good googly moogly.
Anywho, with that, I can no longer keep Hugh on my blogroll, not that it matters to his readership or anything. I'll check back after the primaries are over. If he's behaving nicely and supporting the Republican nominee, regardless of who it is, perhaps I'll reinstate him. And even though I've come out strong against Romney here and elsewhere, for reasons I keep promising to elaborate upon, let me just make it clear: my loss of respect for Hugh has nothing to do with his support of Romney, per se. It has everything to do with his failure to grasp reality.
Update: As of this morning:
At least he's talking a little bit of sense. Still, the silliness from the last few months is hard to wash away with a few lines. But I'll be watching him.
Then came the race for the 2008 GOP Presidential nomination. He hitched himself to the Mitt Romney horse-and-buggy very early on, with his book A Mormon in the Whitehouse?. Still readable at that point, although he lost some of his objectivity by coming out strong for his preferred candidate early on.
In the past, say, 3 months, however, he has grown increasingly shrill and partisan for his boy, and it has seriously diminished any enjoyment that any non-Romney-supporter might gain from reading his blog (or, presumably, listening to his radio show, which I've only done sparingly anyways). Let me just cite two cases, all in the last 24 hours, which truly put the nail in the proverbial coffin. First:
Surprising and very good news for Romney in Delaware and Missouri.
Too close to call in California --but very early as well with a huge pile of absentees that roll in at * PM Pacific.
And Arizona is stunning: McCain only 44% and Romney at 39%.
UPDATE: Huck at 33% in Arkansas? Wow.
These are EARLY EXIT POLLS, mind you. The same ones that virtually all Republicans took great joy in mocking and ridiculing for their stunning inaccuracy four years ago during the general election, which predicted John Kerry the winner in many places. Now they're encouraging news for Romney? Any port in a storm, eh, Hugh? And for the record: Huck took Arkansas with ~60%, McCain took Arizona with 47%, Delaware and Missouri both went McCain at 45% and 33%, respectively (the former being 12 points over Romney, even!), and California went McCain by 9 points. That's a landslide by anyone's standards).
Second quote:
Given the Rush blast, the Dobson declaration, and Huck's strength in the south, McCain can't be considered a frontrunner by any conventional standard.
Said with all the flourish and elan of a Ron Paul supporter. Good googly moogly.
Anywho, with that, I can no longer keep Hugh on my blogroll, not that it matters to his readership or anything. I'll check back after the primaries are over. If he's behaving nicely and supporting the Republican nominee, regardless of who it is, perhaps I'll reinstate him. And even though I've come out strong against Romney here and elsewhere, for reasons I keep promising to elaborate upon, let me just make it clear: my loss of respect for Hugh has nothing to do with his support of Romney, per se. It has everything to do with his failure to grasp reality.
Update: As of this morning:
There are seven reasons for anyone to support the eventual nominee no matter who it is: The war and six Supreme Court justices over the age of 68.
Folks who want to take their ball and go home have to realize that even three SCOTUS appointments could revolutionize the way elections are handled in this country in a stroke, mandating the submission of redistricting lines to court scrutiny for "fairness."
At least he's talking a little bit of sense. Still, the silliness from the last few months is hard to wash away with a few lines. But I'll be watching him.
Labels: politics
posted by Benjamin at 9:01 AM
6 Comments:
You do a good "Good Cop - Bad Cop"
This is probably my fatigue talking, but I don't follow you.
Oh, just how you sort of made nice in your update after drilling him in the post. As if he cares.
Ah. You'll notice he's still off my blogroll. And thanks for deflating my ego there. Here I thought I was just an agent for change.
I was just echoing what I thought was self-deprecation in the paragraph after the Second Quote.
I'll deprecate your self, you'll see!
Sorry, just indulging in some mock-offense because, well, it's after 4:00 pm, and I'm bored. Emoticon follows: :p
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