Response to Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson said on his program last night that what I wrote in my Huff Post blog "Live From New York...Vote for Hillary!" was a "conspiracy theory." He claimed the idea that some Republicans are rooting for Hillary was "deranged."

First off, I didn't say all Republicans are acting on a desire to see Hillary get the nomination. But it's a fact, not a conspiracy theory, that some are. Here's Rush Limbaugh explicitly saying so to guest host Laura Ingraham on the O'Reilly Factor four days ago.

INGRAHAM: Rush, I understand that the Rush Limbaugh audience is mobilizing in Texas for Hillary. Am I hearing that right?

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: ...I am urging people -- I am using a phrase -- the Republicans -- our nominee is chosen. It's John McCain. Texas is open. And I want Hillary to stay in this, Laura. This is too good a soap opera. We need Barack Obama bloodied up politically, and it's obvious that the Republicans are not going to do it and don't have the stomach for it.

And here's Glenn Beck this past October talking about why it's not a bad idea for Republicans to help nominate Hillary:

Glenn Beck: So how do you motivate your base to come out and vote if you`re on the right? Enter Hillary Clinton. 

To the Republican base, Hillary -- Hillary is a giant "get out and vote" campaign provided absolutely free by the Democratic Party. .... All of Hillary`s high negatives help Republicans.

Now this is hardly an organized effort worth calling the Justice Department over, after all there were no steroids involved. But it certainly is worth noting. I also stand by the idea that in the case of SNL it's worth remembering that someone with their own POV is writing that stuff. People think because it's comedy it's benign and reactive, like the Hannah Montana craze. But with political comedy there's always a choice being made by someone, even if it's a scene where Hillary announces that in an attempt to gain the critical "I'll do whatever my kids want because it's not worth the hassle of arguing with them" vote her running mate is Miley Cyrus.

My last thought is about the accusation, by Carlson, of perpetuating a conspiracy theory. When did this become the worst thing? We've just gone through seven years of non-stop actual bona-fide conspiracy theories and the phrase never comes up. No word or words have been this denigrated since "liberal" or "Freedom (just by Bush)."

The only conspiracy theory that's clearly in the clouds is the 9-11 theories we hear. But that's understandable given how traumatic the whole event was. Conspiracy theories always follow tragedies; Kennedy assassination, Pearl Harbor, AIDS...

So even though I was pushing a conspiracy theory, let's give them a cautious measured chance again. Remember the early seventies? Nixon, The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor... those were good times for tracking shady cryptic evil behavior. Let's bring em back gang!

Comments

[BrooklynLager]

If something is planned, publicly announced, and then carried out in a coordinated way is it still technically a "conspiracy"?

Let's see... "The Conspiracy to Elect Barack Obama" - no that doesn't sound right....

"Campaign" is the word. Adam, enough with your campaign theories! People publicly announcing things and then publcly doing them - is that all the evidence you've got?

[CanadianBeef]

Tucker Carlson is without a doubt the most loathsome commentator on television. When he's losing an argument, he starts laughing to drown out the person who's schooling him -- watch for that, if you can tolerate watching a hour of this guy. Another tactic is characterizing his opponents as being crazy so he doesn't have to really listen to them or rebut their arguments -- like he did in this case. He's Ann Coulter with chest hair. The only thing more repulsive than Tucker's self-righteous attack-dog act is the thought that millions of viewers think he's great.

[BrooklynLager]

I seriously doubt Tucher Carlson has hair on his chest, unless he glues on the hair when Ann Coulter waxes hers.

[LeoMarvin]

Mark Levin is another one. He's been touting Hillary since Barack won Iowa, using the same "string it out" argument.

[mommadona]

Tucker's brain just can't wrap around reality.

He's fathered children.

Now, THAT is scary.

[kellygrrrl]

I'm still trying to get my head around the possibility that ANYONE listens to Shmucker Carlson

[ignorantwillyharper]

Over all, this nation is in trouble once again for a legit leader.

Hillary is nothing short of evil, it's all Hillary, or nothing.

McCain is a back room deal making crook.

Obama, has plansd to have a "White Youth Helps America Program", this consist of all young white kids to sign up to pick cotton for two years...after all he is a lot like JFK.

But over all I'd pick cotton ,before voting for the other two.

[DRaymond]

It isn't a conspiracy theory when major republican figures have been touting it on the air and virtually every poll shows Obama doing better against McCain than Clinton.

[oscarp]

Sorry to disappoint you, but even though it is a Dem primary to get the nominee, we just need to start looking forward general election time, and many Dems, as well as Independents ( yes, we do count in general elections ) are considering switching the vote to McCain if Obama if he gets the nomination. And sorry again, but not for the stupid reasons the brainless media and the mindless people mention.

[Hugo de Balsac]

Ha! Limbaugh would claim he knows who has the "stomach" for politics! Someone give that good ol' boy some fudge.

[RealistDem]

Heres proof that much of Hillarys support in Texas was from republicans limaugh listeners who just wanted to keep the democratic race going. I got this from burnt orange report, a progressive texas site, link off daily kos.

For republicans in texas trying to keep this race going they only had to be 2% of the vote. Suddenly a 51-49 Obama win is now a 51-49 hillary win, but heres the real evidence:


Survery USA Texas head to head matchup in general election:
McCain 47%
Obama 46%

McCain 49%
Clinton 42%

Hmmmmmm wheres hillarys lead, seems those faux republican hillary supporters dont show up in a general, while Obama turns Texas into a swing state, wakeup democrats. Republicans want Hillary, their afraid of Obama. Obama can bring Texas to the Dems.

[gettysburg]

Hey Adam, if you hadn't written this blog about it, nobody but you would have ever known, because NOBODY watches that show. So, the next time you're watching that little moron and he mentions your name, just remember, "it's okay because I'm the only person in America watching this garbage."

[realpolitic]

Tucker is a pre-adolescent who is not worth responding to.

[BigBen]

If Republicans vote for Obama it shows how he appeals to the crossover voters. If Republicans vote for Hillary it shows how Hillary appeals to the crossover voters. So both candidates appeal to crossover voters.What is the big deal? The question is, does Obama appeal to black republicans?Does Hillary appeal to Republican women. These questions have to be addressed. Does Obama appeal to white republican men over fifty? Does Hillary appeal to Republican women under thirty? How will Obama appeal to southern white Republicans over forty? Will Hillary appeal to southern Republican women over fifty? These demographics are crucial in a general election.Does Obama appeal to young southern white males who are voting for the first time? Will young Republican women entering the work force for the first time identify with Hillary? I believe Hillary has an advantage here because racism will enter when the final moment to decide arrives and white southern people are faced with putting a black male in the Big House.The question of how black Obama is will not count for a dime at that stage; any black will be too much for the south to accept. Ever been around young Atlanta white males after work? They are still about the civil war!
Remember what the Banana Boat Song man said about Powell ? In the house yes but never master of the house.Harry is right.

[hunterjond]

Does anyone actually listen to conservative talk radio before they comment?
I tuned in to Laura Ingraham on March 4th, and she was encouraging republicans to vote for Sen. Clinton in order to prolong the race and "bloody" Sen. Obama. On Wednesday, she was encouraging her callers to let her know if they felt dirty when they voted for Hillary.
So this isn't a conspiracy "theory". It is fact.
Now mischief voting isn't new, by any means, but, don't you find it interesting that CTR is so afraid of an actual ideological debate that they want to do whatever they can by any means necessary to help nominate the democrat they feel they can demonize most easily in order to motivate their own base.
So much for the primacy of ideas in the republican party.

[findingthetruth]

Deranged? Carlson is telling the truth. His colleague, Joe Scarborough, campaigns for Hillary strategically ON A DAILY BASIS.

[Obamaalltheway]

SO TRUE...

[Grulg]

Wait-let's see here. The GOP 527 club(s) are in some smokefilled backroom, just tossing around their ideas for the 'Ideal Dem opponent'. Wouldn't THIS sound like a likely one:

Black.

Inexperienced

Doesn't fight back well.

Not that great in debates.

Peacenik

Moslem sounding name.

Lived in Moslem dominated area for a time.

Essentially the rookie of the year in the Senate.

Has escaped much of the usual level of media scrutiny so far, the Prince Obama thing can come crashing down realll fast if they get their hooks into him and actually find the dirt after they start digging.

Just saying, that's all. Like the Clintonistas or not, they KNOW how to play the Rove style game. Let's see if Prince Obama does, or can learn. He better, or he's gonna have some trouble come fall.

[newshawk14]

A truly crappy post. Obame has one major advantage, I think he's about an order of magnitude
more intelligent that Hillary, and about two orders of magnitude more ethical than the Clintons.

[Grulg]

A crappy post on Your part. You obviously have inhaled the Prince Obama Kool-aid bigtime. 'He's Smarter than Hillary and he's more Ethical TOO!' *CoughTony­RezkoCough­* Gimme a break.

[kingfishstew]

Yep, too bad the American people aren't the ignorant hicks you and the republicans take us for.

[AnotherTry]

And what are you possibly basing THAT on?

[mymonie]

Peacenik? Obama / Clinton are both for increasing the war in Afgan. How is that a peacnik?

[Dannydel]

Let me see if I understand this: You're worried about something Tucker Carlson said? That can't be right. Tucker Carlson has never said anything with enough gravitas to ground a small helium balloon.
Don't worry...it's only Tucker. To paraphrase an old quote from somebody in the media (originally aimed at Jerry Rivers...er, I mean, 'GERALDO'!), "NASA should fire him into space to test the effect of weightlessness on weightlessness".

[realpolitic]

Very good! Tucker is worse than Geraldo ever was because he thinks he is saying something important.