Paul Gottfried

July 30, 2008

John Zmirak?s references to Andrew Kohut?s citing of the Pew Poll concerning widespread Republican indifference and even hostility to McCain is a fact that FOX news and the neocon press have struggled to sweep under the rug. According to, among many others, Jonah Goldberg and Sean Hannity, ?conservative? means Republicans, which means being for a belligerent foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East. Therefore ?conservatives? who don?t fall into line behind GOP candidates or Republican voters who don?t drool over the super-hawk McCain, even when he leans left on social issues, pose serious cognitive difficulties for those who are chosen to offer us ?analysis.? Last week, for example, Sean Hannity engaged in a long exercise in disinformation in which he dealt with groups who were ?still sitting on the fence in the presidential race.? One group Sean NEVER mentioned were the rightwing critics of McCain, for the simple reason that these types are not permitted a place in the public discussion, thanks in large part to the ?conservative movement.? Hannity stepped gingerly around certain facts. Although he noted that ?some Republicans may be leaning toward Obama,? he could not bring himself to suggest that many right-wingers are so sick of the neocons and their control of the GOP that they would do almost anything to get rid of the current regime, including the possibility of voting for Obama. One wonders whether Jonah, Sean, and the other official Republican ?conservatives? would ever permit themselves to consider this aspect of reality. But since their liberal friends wouldn?t expect them to, my question may be redundant.