Michael Smerconish is thinking of voting for Obama. The Philly talk radio host let it be known while subbing for Dan Abrams on tonight's "Verdict" on MSNBC. He actually did so, chatting with Ron Reagan, while criticizing Obama's flip-flops. But the bottom line is the bottom line.
SMERCONISH: I want to think big picture, and I want to do so by showing you a piece of that which was published in today's Washington Post by Charles Krauthammer, if we can put that up on the screen:
The truth about Obama is uncomplicated. He is just a politician . . . When it's time to throw campaign finance reform, telecom accountability, NAFTA renogiation or Jeremiah Wright overboard, Obama is not sentimental. He does not hesitate. He tosses lustily . . . By the time he's finished, Obama will have made the Clintons look scrupulous.That's Charles Krauthammer. Ron, I voted for the first time in 1980 for your dad. I have never voted for a Democrat for president. I voted for plenty of Democrats, but never for president. I've not ruled it out in this cycle, because I like this guy. But the events of the last 10 days or so make him seem status quo, make him seem like just a run-of-the-mill politician.
View video here.
So Smerconish is considering voting for Obama because he "likes" him? I mean, Obama might be a perfectly good guy to have in a group going to see Rashomon at the local indie movie house and chat about things afterward over a decent glass of Chardonnay. But what kind of Republican would consider voting for someone to the left of Barbara Boxer on abortion, who has said that Breyer, Bader Ginsburg and Souter are the kind of Supreme Court justices he admires, and who would leave the Iraqi people to the tender mercies of al Qaeda regardless of what his generals are telling him about progress on the ground?
Something to consider next time MSNBC would rebut charges of bias by pointing to Smerconish's presence on its panels.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Can I make ad
June 27, 2008 - 20:47 ET by the strugglerCan I make ad homana..uh..ada hominom...uh...Can I call Ron Reagan names?
Ron Regan jr.
June 27, 2008 - 21:28 ET by Jerry MackIf he was not Ron Reagan Jr. the only way that he could get on television would be to pay for it.
No way does Smerconish vote
June 27, 2008 - 20:54 ET by Hero SquadNo way does Smerconish vote for Obama. I believe he likes to posture himself as a thinking person who's willing to cross party lines from time-to-time, and I think he sees this as a moment to show his potential to do that.
He openly supports and wrote a book about the need for racial profiling of young Arab males at airports. Not exactly where the Obama crowd is going.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
believe
June 27, 2008 - 21:32 ET by Jerry MackIf you can not believe what a person says, how can you believe what they write?
The Gipper must be rolling over in his grave
June 27, 2008 - 21:22 ET by riff_raffWhy is it that every person of great accomplishment always has at least one dim-witted offspring?
On the bright side, I guess being a harmless, drooling half-wit is not as bad as instigating a coup d'etat, like Margaret Thatcher's son.
Who listens to Non Reagan?
June 27, 2008 - 22:28 ET by jefflebowskiIsn't he the ballet dancer? Is MSM that dangerous for on air talent? They'd be better served pulling people off the street.
Jeff Lebowski
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Smerconish is dead on
June 28, 2008 - 07:09 ET by motherbeltSmerconish is dead on target with one thing: In spite of all his talk about a "new kind of politics," Obama is the poster boy for the old-type politician: expedience and self-interest above all.
How long will it take before his worshippers realize he has feet, ankles and calves of clay?
Correction: Just realized Smerconish didn't say the above; he was quoting Charles Krauthammer.
(And on that note, Krauthammer's column is a "must read." The money quote: "By the time Obama is done, he will have made the Clintons look scrupulous.")
Still, how can Smerconish agree with that, and still consider voting for Obama? Oh, because he "likes" him????
All politicians are the same, so I might as well vote for the weasel that I find likeable?????
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
I have posted about Smerc
June 27, 2008 - 22:42 ET by bigtimerI have posted about Smerc til I'm blue in the face..he is not a conservative...the msm portrays him that way...he has been nothing but a kiss butt since he has been on Imus before he left msnbc...
He makes me ill.
I see him, I turn it.
Of course this is just my oinion.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
You are right on target
June 28, 2008 - 00:02 ET by Captain RepusSmirk is no more a conservative than any, I repeat ANY 'republican' or 'conservative' who appears on MSDNC or for the most part CNN.
They are simple token mouthpieces who are only allowed on because 1) they will do anything for money, and 2) they are easily intimidated and silenced by the loud-mouthed, overspeaking, rude and moronic gang of liberal yes-people that surrounds them.
If the terms white and
June 28, 2008 - 05:42 ET by motherbeltIf the terms white and black were substituted, he would be the equivalent of the black guy that other blacks call an "Uncle Tom."
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
He is a MSNBC "conservative"
June 28, 2008 - 06:19 ET by sms5217I am so sick and tired of all these "conservatives" who are trotted out on MSNBC and CNN and spill their verbal rubbish about "how conservatism used to be" and how THEY are above all that.
Every time I see Ed Rollins on CNN, I want to puke. Same goes to this Smerconish guy. For once, just once, I wish that those liberal left wing TV stations would put on a fire-breathing conservative who could really represent a conservative position. Alas, they never will have something like that, because their liberals would start crying and pout.
Trial lawyers are the scum of the earth
Smerconish is a one trick pony, he's got the Philly whine.
June 28, 2008 - 08:17 ET by CTThe "I've always voted Republican, but this time I may vote for (fill in the blank)" is a standard Smerconish line he uses to get credibility with his audience or whomever he is talking at the time. It is tiring like most of his whining, but it is his style, it's a Philly archetype style. I just can't listen to it so I switch it off, it doesn't matter what he says, it’s just the whine.
Smerconish has become a media whore
June 28, 2008 - 08:37 ET by MystapittI have listened to Mike on the radio for almost 10 years. He love the celebrity of being on TV. He is a typical Republican that gets a chance on MSNBC. In order to be invited back he needs to lean very hard into the Liberal camp. He is doing just that. I also bet that when the curtain closes in his voting booth, he will pull the lever for John McCain.
What's the problem?
June 28, 2008 - 10:18 ET by americaneagleYou write, "But what kind of Republican would consider voting for someone to the left of Barbara Boxer on abortion, who has said that Breyer, Bader Ginsburg and Souter are the kind of Supreme Court justices he admires, and who would leave the Iraqi people to the tender mercies of al Qaeda regardless of what his generals are telling him about progress on the ground? "
I say: The same kind of Republican that would support Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey; the kind of Republican that would allow the GOP to abandon former Senator Rick Santorum; the kind that joins in actions like "The Gang of 14"; and the kind that seeks comity with the Democratic Party and acceptance from the liberal media above all else. In short, the very type of Republicans that make up the GOP hierarchy, run the national Party apparatus, and sits at the top of the GOP food chain. Republicans like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, and John McCain.
Always remember, Conservative and Republican are mutually exclusive terms...you can be one without being the other!
Right on the Money!
June 28, 2008 - 15:35 ET by Rush FanI agree with you completely, and I couldn't say it any better.
My concern is that people who vote Republican seem to be moving to the left; hence, all the RINOs in Congress. Perhaps, if the Democrats take the White House and are also the majority in Congress for four or eight years, the country will be in such a mess, energy-wise and otherwise, that more conservative candidates will be elected again.
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Which political party is invested in our defeat in Iraq?
Smirk and Ron Jr have to be
June 28, 2008 - 11:08 ET by zhombreSmirk and Ron Jr have to be two of the silliest geeks on TV who do not share DNA with Olbermann. I could not care less what either one says or who either one intends to vote for. This is like watching bedbugs tussle.
Smerconish
June 28, 2008 - 11:21 ET by River CityMr. Smerconish has filled in for Glenn Beck numerous times on Glenn's radio show. I have never seen his performance on MSNBC. I guess I wasn't listening closely enough to learn he was such a tool. If Glenn has him on again I will not be listening and I wrote Glenn and told him so. I hope he enjoys the praises of the left while they last.
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." Ronald Reagan
So Smerconish is considering
June 28, 2008 - 13:56 ET by ConservativeRexSo Smerconish is considering voting for Obami? Big deal! I've heard this fella on the radio filling in for O'Rielly, and he didn't impress me about anything. We all make choices in this life, if Smerconish wants to lose listeners for him and BOR, he is more than capable to do it. I won't miss either one of them.
Like?
June 28, 2008 - 14:43 ET by okiehawk44My wife and I have always liked Bill Clinton. We think he would be a great guy to invite to a party, have over to dinner or go boating with, etc. But we don't respect Bill Clinton nor do we believe one lying thing he says and NEVER considered voting for this charming, smooth-talking waste of human skin.
Hopefully Smerconish and those like him know the difference too.
Really?
June 28, 2008 - 15:44 ET by Rush FanI, for one, would not trust horndog Bill Clinton around my wife or my daughter. I have great difficulty liking anyone who lies and can't be trusted.
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Which political party is invested in our defeat in Iraq?