“Inexplicable” and “mind-boggling” – those were just two of the words Rush Limbaugh used to describe Newt Gingrich’s condemnation of “right-wing social engineering” (as he called the GOP’s plan to undo Obamacare).
“I am not going to justify this. I am not going to explain it,” Limbaugh said. “The attack on Paul Ryan, the support for an individual mandate in health care? Folks, don’t ask me to explain this. There is no explanation!” (FREE webcam)
Gingrich asked for, and was granted, the chance to respond on Rush’s Thursday show, but Rush sounded more confused than ever.
Rush also expressed his exasperation with President Obama, after he delivered a speech about the Middle East that seemed to announce America’s betrayal of its long time ally, Israel (FREE webcam).
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity was less willing than some of his radio colleagues to condemn Newt Gingrich, saying, “I thought what Newt said about right-wing social engineering was wrong. But now that Newt has apologized, can we go back to pointing out Obama’s failed policies? Every candidate is going to go through this. Every candidate makes a mistake now and then.”
This week, Hannity’s show was dedicated to exploring the various potential GOP candidates for president, and he spoke to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Sen. Rick Santorum (FREE audio) and listener favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, who still isn’t prepared to officially announce a run for the White House (FREE audio).
WND’s own Dr. Jerome Corsi (author of “Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama Is Not Eligible to Be President) revealed this week that he had been “bumped” from a scheduled spot on Hannity’s radio show, after the president finally released his own birth certificate.
Corsi told rival radio host Janet Mefferd all about his dispute with Hannity staffers:
Mark Levin
After NBC and MSNBC tried to paint Gingrich as a “racist” for calling Obama “the food-stamp president,” Levin accused the networks of their own form of racism, pointing out that few of their on-air personalities are visible minorities (FREE audio).
Newt Gingrich wasn’t off the hook entirely, however. The would-be presidential candidate stepped into the lion’s den when he called in to Mark Levin’s show and tried to clarify his opinion on Paul Ryan’s Medicare proposal (FREE audio).
Paul Ryan himself called Levin the following day to discuss the controversy surrounding Gingrich’s remarks. Ryan explained his Medicare plan in great detail, pointing out that no one 55 and older will be affected by his reforms (FREE audio).
Michael Savage
Michael Savage delved into the past of accused rapist and former International Money Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his reputation as a serial womanizer. He also theorized about why people were so fixated on this particular scandal (FREE audio).
“You have to understand: He’s Moroccan,” Savage added, as well as “French, a socialist and a politician.”
“In the world in which he lives,” Savage explained, “this is normal behavior.” (As an aside, he also wondered why Al Gore wasn’t arrested after similar accusations were made against him.)
In a switch from politics, Savage helped a woman trying to make a tough decision about whether or not to move to another state for a better job, even though her teenaged son wants to stay put (FREE audio).
Laura Ingraham
Raymond Arroyo and Jed Babin sat in for Laura Ingraham all this week. Lots of Beltway insiders featured heavily on the schedule, with Donald Rumsfeld, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on to discuss foreign and domestic policies (along with some feuds within the GOP).
Entrepreneur turned presidential candidate Herman Cain also joined Laura to talk about his bid for the Republican nomination. He had a few choice words for the GOP “establishment,” which views him as an outsider and a long shot (FREE audio).
Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck made a major announcement this week: He’ll be holding a “sequel” to last year’s massive Restoring Honor Rally in D.C. This August, he’s inviting people to join him in Jerusalem to support Israel, in what he’s dubbed his “Restoring Courage” gathering.
Glenn Beck surveyed the GOP presidential field and cried out, “Are we really that desperate?”
He and his crew talked about how “the party machinery” ultimately determines who runs: “I used to believe that a man could say, ‘I’m gonna run for president,’ and then he could become president. Bull crap!” (FREE webcam)
And now, from the left side of the dial …
We normally wind up with “lowlights” from shows that air on “the left side of the dial,” but this week, industry types were once again debating “the death of conservative talk radio.”
The debate was prompted by an article in the Daily Beast, in which experts wondered if the time had come to move programming closer to “the center,” and stress civility over controversy.
Some are questioning the supposedly damning facts about ratings presented in the article. Others, like Mark Levin, are succinct in their dismissal of this doomsday scenario: “They’ve been saying this for years,” Levin commented.
With conservative talkers attracting millions more listeners than their “progressive” counterparts, year after year, the “future of right-wing talk” debate has never seemed more tiresome.
