"You made up your mind a long time ago, you rat," one wrote to me. "Either you have no core beliefs, or you are just like all the other elitist Main Line snobs. My guess is both," wrote another. "Smerconish, you're one awful, greedy, shameless ratings hog. . . . You traded your soul for socialism," said a detractor."
That's a snippet of the nasty mail the talk-show host received when he decided to endorse Barack Obama. In all, Smerconish recounts in a column in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, he received around 2,000 critical emails.
Now, the fellow's no liberal patsy. Bill O'Reilly (remember him from a post or so ago?) wouldn't let anyone but a certified guy's guy substitute for him on The Radio Factor.
So his endorsement says something important about him, or Obama, or both.
As far as I can tell, from reading his articles, Smerconish is a moderate Republican with libertarian tendencies. Or maybe he's a libertarian who claimed the Republican Party as his home.
It doesn't really matter.
What is important is that there are thousands of men and women like him who don't recognize the party they love anymore.
See David Brooks slightly more erudite take on this in the NYT.
I doubt McCain's choice of Sarah Palin, with her conservative religious views, made them feel any more comfortable.
Until Republicans find a way to include suburban, pro-choice tolerant, anti-culture warriors, it runs the danger of having them defect -- at least for a season
Calling them rats and elitists might not be enough to lure them back.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire