Conservative Radio Host: I'm Voting Democratic For The First Time

[Mr. Peabody]

I've heard this guy locally on WOAI when he fills in for Glenn Beck. He also fills in for O'Reilly on The Radio Factor and is a contributor to Fox News. He was a political appointee of Bush 41.

Head Strong: McCain fails the big five tests

His aim is untrue in too many areas, so a longtime Republican is voting for Obama.


By Michael Smerconish - Inquirer
Inquirer Currents Columnist

I've decided.
My conclusion comes after reading the candidates' memoirs and campaign platforms, attending both party conventions, interviewing both men multiple times, and watching all primary and general-election debates.

John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28 years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president. I may have been an appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, and master of ceremonies for George W. Bush in 2004, but last Saturday I stood amid the crowd at an Obama event in North Philadelphia.

Five considerations have moved me:

Terrorism.
The candidates disagree as to where to prosecute the war against Islamic fundamentalists. Barack Obama is correct in saying the front line in that battle is not Iraq, it's the Afghan-Pakistan border. Osama bin Laden crossed that border from Tora Bora in December 2001, and we stopped pursuit. The Bush administration outsourced the hunt for bin Laden and instead invaded Iraq.

No one in Iraq caused the death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Our invasion was based on a false predicate, so we have no business being there, regardless of whether the surge is working. Our focus must be the tribal-ruled FATA region in Pakistan. Only recently has our military engaged al-Qaeda there in operations that mirror those Obama was ridiculed for recommending in August 2007.

Last spring, Obama told me: "It's not that I was opposed to war [in Iraq]. It's that I felt we had a war that we had not finished." Even Sen. Joe Lieberman conceded to me last Friday that "the headquarters of our opposition, our enemies today" is the FATA.

Economy.
We face economic problems that are incomprehensible to most Americans, certainly they are to me. This is a time to covet intellect, and that begins at the top. Jack Bogle, the legendary founder of the Vanguard Group, told me recently that McCain's assertion that the fundamentals of the economy were "strong" was the "stupidest statement of 2008." In light of the unprecedented volatility in the market, who can dispute Bogle's characterization and the lack of understanding that McCain's assessment portends?

VP.
I opined here that Sarah Palin demonstrated the capacity to be president in her speech to the Republican convention. Sadly, there has been no further exhibition of her abilities, and she remains an unknown quan y. We are left questioning the judgment of a candidate who bypassed his reported preferred choices, Lieberman and former Gov. Tom Ridge, and instead yielded to the whims of the periphery of his party. With two wars and a crumbling economy, Palin is too big of a risk to be a heartbeat away from a presidency held by a 72-year-old man who has battled melanoma. Advantage Joe Biden.

Opportunity.
In a speech delivered on Father's Day, Obama lamented that too many fathers are missing from the lives of too many children and mothers. Look no further than Philadelphia for proof that the nation has a fatherhood problem at the root of its firearms crisis. And no demographic is affected by this confluence of factors like the black community. Among the many elements needed to address this crisis are role models, individuals whom urban youth can aspire to emulate. Little more than a year ago, Charles Barkley told me: "I want young black kids to see Barack on television every day. . . . We need to see more blacks who are intelligent, articulate, and who carry themselves with great dignity." Obama can be that man.

Hope.
Wednesday morning will come and an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe. The campaigns have foretold the kind of presidency we can expect from each candidate. Last Friday in Lakeville, Minn., McCain himself had to explain to a supporter who was "scared" of an Obama presidency that those fears were unfounded. Another told McCain that Obama was untrustworthy because he is an "Arab." Those exchanges were a predictable byproduct of ads against Obama featuring tag lines such as "Too Risky for America" and "Dangerous," and a failure to rein in individuals at McCain events who highlighted Obama's middle name, all against a background of Internet lore.

Last Saturday at Progress Plaza, I heard Obama say: "The American people aren't looking for somebody to divide this country; the American people are looking for someone to lead this country."

[JohnnyMarzetti]

Not all conservatives are idiots as proven here.

[Spurminator]

Obama has a better chance of actually walking on water than he has of "unifying us here at home." No matter who wins, about half of this country will be pissed off about it, and they will still turn to their sources of "news" to give them reasons to hate the President and all who are aligned with him.

[2centsworth]

Opportunity.
In a speech delivered on Father's Day, Obama lamented that too many fathers are missing from the lives of too many children and mothers. Look no further than Philadelphia for proof that the nation has a fatherhood problem at the root of its firearms crisis. And no demographic is affected by this confluence of factors like the black community. Among the many elements needed to address this crisis are role models, individuals whom urban youth can aspire to emulate. Little more than a year ago, Charles Barkley told me: "I want young black kids to see Barack on television every day. . . . We need to see more blacks who are intelligent, articulate, and who carry themselves with great dignity." Obama can be that man

I agree with this 100%.

[JoeChalupa]

I've listened to Michael's show and he does appear on Good Morning Joe from time to time and he's been pretty level headed as far as I'm concerned. Nothing like a Sean insHannity or Rush Limpballs.

[Nbadan]

Obama has a better chance of actually walking on water than he has of "unifying us here at home." No matter who wins, about half of this country will be pissed off about it, and they will still turn to their sources of "news" to give them reasons to hate the President and all who are aligned with him.

Blame talk radio...the country has never been more divided since wing-nut talk radio came into existence....

[cool hand]

besides Obama is really a right leaning democrat, Mccain is just a little more to the right, and that Palin pick was the dumbest ever.

[cool hand]

I agree with this 100%.

yes let this be the end of rap.

[Spurminator]

Blame talk radio...the country has never been more divided since wing-nut talk radio came into existence....

I'm going to blame talk radio, partisan blogs, 24-hour cable news-entertainment TV; people who lie on Internet message boards, emails and chat rooms to further their agendas; campaigns that perpetuate divisiveness, hate and deception; and a public that enables all of these things because it is generally ignorant about the issues but loves them some good sensationalism. You might consider if and where you fall into any of that.

[Anti.Hero]

Vote third party.

these world police rinos.

Hopefully real conservatives emerge after a decade of the far-left.

[101A]

Blame talk radio...the country has never been more divided since wing-nut talk radio came into existence....

You SURE about that?

Not even a stretch there in the 1860's?

[Mr. Peabody]

You SURE about that?

Not even a stretch there in the 1860's?

The Civil War's got nothing on Limbaugh and Hannity. Actually they are tame compared to Laura Ingraham and Monica Crowley. Those are some hateful es.

[RandomGuy]

I read through the OP, and will deliberately not read through any responses before making this prediction:

Replublican ideologues on this board will bring up ayers, acorn, etc etc etc, and give us tons of reasons why Obama is a bad person.

None of them will make a case on why to vote for McCain.

They are in the same position that Dems were in during the 2004 election.

Someone asked me at that time, "tell me why I should vote for kerry."

I didn't really have much of an answer, and neither to Republicans now.

They will go on and on with whatever talking point gets thought up at the RNC, distributed for endless parroting to Fox News and right radio, and look more and more desperate as time goes by.

[RandomGuy]

I'm going to blame talk radio, partisan blogs, 24-hour cable news-entertainment TV; people who lie on Internet message boards, emails and chat rooms to further their agendas; campaigns that perpetuate divisiveness, hate and deception; and a public that enables all of these things because it is generally ignorant about the issues but loves them some good sensationalism. You might consider if and where you fall into any of that.

Only an idiot would say something like that.






HA! j/k.

[Oh, Gee!!]

Michael Smerconish must be a traitor to our country and a race-baiter, if we use the same logic employed by Mike Gallagher when he described what Colin Powell did by supporting Obama.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm going to blame talk radio, partisan blogs, 24-hour cable news-entertainment TV; people who lie on Internet message boards, emails and chat rooms to further their agendas; campaigns that perpetuate divisiveness, hate and deception; and a public that enables all of these things because it is generally ignorant about the issues but loves them some good sensationalism. You might consider if and where you fall into any of that.

Amen. Absolutely -- amen.

[Mr. Peabody]

Michael Smerconish must be a traitor to our country and a race-baiter, if we use the same logic employed by Mike Gallagher when he described what Colin Powell did by supporting Obama.

Smerconsih isn't Black, so the same logic wouldn't apply. You see, Powell put his race above his country in supporting Obama, according to Limbaugh, Gallagher, and Buchanan. For Smerconish to put his race above his country, he would have to support McCain.

[Oh, Gee!!]

I'm going to blame talk radio, partisan blogs, 24-hour cable news-entertainment TV; people who lie on Internet message boards, emails and chat rooms to further their agendas; campaigns that perpetuate divisiveness, hate and deception; and a public that enables all of these things because it is generally ignorant about the issues but loves them some good sensationalism. You might consider if and where you fall into any of that.

what if you post your own brand of irreverent humor about the foibles and follies of modern american politics on a spurs message board?

[Oh, Gee!!]

Smerconsih isn't Black, so the same logic wouldn't apply. You see, Powell put his race above his country in supporting Obama, according to Limbaugh, Gallagher, and Buchanan. For Smerconish to put his race above his country, he would have to support McCain.

well I'm color blind, so I don't see black or white--only varying shades of taupe.

[Mr. Peabody]

what if you post your own brand of irreverent humor about the foibles and follies of modern american politics on a spurs message board?

That's the worst scenario. Because you are neither working at finding common ground with people at the other end of the spectrum, nor are you contributing anything insightful to the discourse. May God have mercy on your soul.

[Mr. Peabody]

what if you post your own brand of irreverent humor about the foibles and follies of modern american politics on a spurs message board?

What are you a very poor man's Dave Barry wearing a Manu jersey?

[Oh, Gee!!]

That's the worst scenario. Because you are neither working at finding common ground with people at the other end of the spectrum, nor are you contributing anything insightful to the discourse. May God have mercy on your soul.

I was just asking is all. not for me, of course. A friend of mine, he's the sardonic one--not me.

[rascal]

Blame talk radio...the country has never been more divided since wing-nut talk radio came into existence....

Agree. Talk radio has fuled an intense hatred for the left. Many who are polarized as conservatives have been through talk radio propaganda.