Mike Huckabee takes aim at Rush Limbaugh

politico ^ | April 7, 2012 | DYLAN BYERS

[upchuck]

On Monday, former Arkansas governor and one-time Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will launch a three-hour radio program on almost 200 stations across the country, going voice-to-voice with Limbaugh in the noon-to-3 p.m. time slot, Monday through Friday.

Cumulus Media, which owns and operates the new program, is already pitching Huckabee to listeners and advertisers as the “safe alternative” to a man who has recently found himself under weeks of intense fire - not for the first time - and who some believe could be vulnerable to a challenge from someone offering a kinder, gentler conservative voice.

“Our tagline is, ‘More conversation, less confrontation’,” Huckabee told POLITICO. “I’m going to treat every guest with respect and civility. Nobody is going to come on and get into a shouting match with me. That’s just not my style.”

Making a direct comparison with Limbaugh, John Dickey, the co-COO of Cumulus Media, adds, “This is going to be safer from a commercial standpoint, and more respectful from a listener’s perspective. I think that environment has been sorely lacking in talk radio.”

While representatives of “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” a Clear Channel property, and its syndicator, Premiere Networks, agree Huckabee will, in fact, offer a “safer” alternative, they strongly reject any suggestion that he poses a threat to Limbaugh’s audience and enormous influence. In their eyes, Huckabee is just the latest in a long line of would-be competitors who have never been able to measure up.

[mnehring]

Akin to Gomer Pyle fighting Chuck Norris. This should be no contest.

[Rennes Templar]

Who is he?

[sean327]

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make any noise?

[The Duke]

I’m wondering who his first sponsor is going to be ... “Make Estrogen Replacement Therapy, Inc.”?

[A_Former_Democrat]

I’ve heard people get confrontational with Rush, 99.99% to their detriment. I’ve heard people shout, run their mouths nonstop and try to talk over him. But whatever, Huckabee won’t last long. I can’t even handle his TV program.

[marron]

“I’m going to treat every guest with respect and civility. Nobody is going to come on and get into a shouting match with me. That’s just not my style.”

Rush is generally very gracious with people who disagree with him.

And he frankly is not particularly "incendiary". He is funny, and has a good grasp of conservative principle. Huck could learn a few things from Rush.

[mrsmith]

“John Dickey, the co-COO of Cumulus Media”

Well, ‘Coo coo ca choo ca choo!’ somebody has to be the walrus...

[FrankR]

Is this from the "onion"? It's got to be a joke.

If true, there is not one particle of my being that would make me even give a "sample" listening to Huckleberry. In fact, everytime he comes on FOX, I change the channel.

Huckabee is a clown, a preacher/rock star wannabe. Huckabee is a Wannabee.

If you walk down the middle of the highway, you're going to get hit from both directions...an adage that huckabee has obviously not understood to date.

[DJ Frisat]

Oh, I’m going to turn off Rush for Chuckle-bee!

Yeah, right...

[Cicero]

[Ramcat]

Huckabee?

[skeeter]

Three months. Thats all.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Huckabee, for people as dumb as Delbert in ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou’.

Today on the program, David Axelrod on Obama's plans to run as the Reform candidate...

[nutmeg]

Oh, I’m going to turn off Rush for Chuckle-bee!

Yeah, right...

LOL! Any bets as to how long Chuckle-bee's radio show will last?

[b4its2late]

[RitaOK]

So, Mark got canned? Who replaces him, do you know? I hear him when in Dallas, but not often enough to know of his softness with liberals, so I find your take intriguing.

What the heck happened? Any news links on the that story you would recommend?

[jakerobins]

“This is going to be safer from a commercial standpoint, and more respectful from a listener’s perspective. I think that environment has been sorely lacking in talk radio

Sounds like a boring show......More “Respectful” and “Safer” sounds like it will be a show from the Mushy viewpoint of the Moderates. YUCK!

[DirtyHarryY2K]

LOL.. These liberal republicans are nutz.. Rush is where he is because he tells it like it is.. Nobody will stop listening to El Rushbo to hear a sack-less moderate liberal idiot like the huckster..

[aruanan]

“Our tagline is, ‘More conversation, less confrontation’,” Huckabee told POLITICO. “I’m going to treat every guest with respect and civility. Nobody is going to come on and get into a shouting match with me. That’s just not my style.”

Shows how completely out of touch the poor soul is. I've listened to Rush since the late 1980s. He doesn't get into confrontations with guests. He does treat callers with respect and civility. Huckabee is just a shark looking for someone to jump him.

[GOPJ]

Huckabee’s falling for an old game. If he was half the ethical person he thinks he is, he'd go for a timeslot OTHER than one held by an established conservative. Shame on his pettiness, shame on his gullibility.