Posted on 02/28/2008 7:00:23 AM PST by xzins
Will the "Willie Effect" Impact the Election?
Some speculate the controversy could cost McCain the White House
By 700WLW News
Thursday, February 28, 2008
( Cincinnati ) -- Some reports claim the on-going controversy involving 700 WLW talk show host Bill Cunningham (Willie Cunningham) and presidential candidate John McCain has the potential to impact the results of the 2008 election.
Ohio is a key state in the presidential election. For Republicans it is essential that they win as much support as possible in southwest Ohio to counter the strong Democratic party support in the Cleveland area.
Political Science professor Jason Johnson from Hiram College spoke to the Cincinnati Enquirer and told them John McCain needs radio talk show listeners and Willie fans to go his way, "John McCain needs those people if he has any hope of winning in November."
With other national talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity rushing to Willie's defense, it widens the rift between the party's conservative base and John McCain even further, at a time when the Republican party has only recently started to solidify around the likely nominee.
There has never been a republican candidate who won the election without winning Ohio. McCain needs to win Ohio, just like the rest of them.
While the conservative vote is spread around Ohio, it is a fact that the huge republican numbers are in southwest Ohio. There has NEVER been a republican winner in Ohio who did not win SouthWestern Ohio. Never. This, too, is simply a matter of record.
McCain just insulted one of the most popular conservatives in all of southern Ohio and threw him under the bus. Additonally, he insulted a guy who also happens to be a conservative talk show host. It IS having repercussions, and I heard talk show host Bill Cunningham demand that McCain apologize to him, because he has now lost Cunningham’s support.
Cunningham is on daily on WLW, one of the largest signal stations in all of America, and I listen to it every single day of the week. He is on weekdays, evenings, and has a regular Clear Channel nationwide show on Sunday evenings. He’s used as a spokesperson in more commercials than I can even begin to remember. He’s a regular guest on all our sports talk programs. He’s all over our TV.
In short, McCain just threw away Southern Ohio. If he loses SW Ohio, then he loses Ohio. If he loses Ohio, then he loses America.
That is reality, and it’s not just some wired Freeper talking through his tin-foil hat.
Conservatives need to come up with a Plan B real fast. At this point, I’d even support Ron Paul over this poser.
McCain is fighting with both arms tied behind his back and using his feet to kick people who should be his friends.
Vote Huckabee and try to get a revolt at the convention.
So, in other words, conservatives are so upset that McCain criticized Cunningham for his speech about Obama, a man presumedly they do not want to become president, that they will stay home on election day to the point where they will allow Obama to win anyway?
I really don’t think McCain is in this to win. He has the nomination, that is what he wants. Now, he will throw the election, and next year we will be saying “President Obama.” I think that is his goal.
They are upset about betrayal.
Better the enemy you know than the traitor who pretends to be your friend.
McCain is trying to win without conservatives, plain and simple. If they can pull it off, more power to them. Next time around, there will be a strongly united conservative base either within the GOP or an entirely new Conservative Party.
Please the loudmouths couldn’t even get their candidate selected during the GOP primaries, and dissing an arrogant loudmouth like Cunningham, IMO, helps with the other 98% of the Cincinatti population who does not listen to him.
Well, I guess McQueeg shouldn't have thrown Willie and then the Tennessee State GOP under the bus then. Too late! The damage is done and is irreparable!
Yes.
So much speculation with so much time between now and november. Dear God, I’d like to beat to a bloody pulp the people responsible for giving us a two-year run for prez...we didn’t even get a break after november 2006, it just went into presidential election mode. I don’t know how the country is going to be able to stand it if it’s going to ne 24/7 for 2 years non-stop every time.
Screw him, its time to begin funding Conservative around the country, vetting and running them.
McClintock in CA needs funds to run for Congress. We need to get active, Move-On is running rings around us now.
I thought that McCain was right to distance himself from Cunningham’s remarks (now donning asbestos suit). What he said is that he wants to treat his two Democratic rivals with respect. He wants discourse to be civil. I prefer this in a candidate and I don’t think that McCain had any choice but to make the remarks that he did unless he wished to appear hopelessly partisan. I think that Cunningham should apologize for his lack of civility. Remember just last year when we were honoring the late Gerald Ford in part because of his civility - asking McGovern over to the White House in the interests of civility.
Well when you put it like that it does sound silly . . .
Problem is McCain attacked a popular conservative radio talk show host in Ohio, so he started a personal feud with a guy whose own business interest is to have controversy and self-promotion. I hope the talk show host ends up being the bigger man. The problem is when you have a Presidential candidate who needs radio talk show hosts to be bigger men than he is.
that is crazy , if a shock jock can influence election. i wonder what those people who let them influence them would have done in ww2 or nam
would they have jumped off the ship because tokyo rose told them to or hannoi hannah?
Maybe they were willing to hold their noses and vote for McCain. Now they may not even do that.
Therefore, 51 thousand votes determines the election. Your 2% easily meets that threshold.
It really is funny, the talk radio loudmouths were against McCain and lost.
JMO, the radio talk show loudmouths overestimate their power as the results from the GOP ptimaries show, and it is the most hubristic who fall the hardest and it will not be pretty when the loudmouths find this out.
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