So Much for a Warm Welcome

Even most of McCain's worst critics believe things will calm down. "Samuel Johnson once said that the prospect of hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully," says Hugh Hewitt. "Hillary and Obama are right over the hill; this might not just be a loss in 2008 but an exile for 16 years." Others, like National Review bloggers calling themselves Reaganauts for McCain, call for some perspective, reminding readers that right-wingers have long felt betrayed by the presidents they elect. "The Old GOP Establishment said terrible things, untrue things, about Ronald Reagan," the blog said. "Some in this new Establishment are also saying terrible and untrue things about another maverick conservative, John McCain."

Richard Land says the GOP will, in the end, do what it does best: unite. "I find it hard to believe that there are many conservatives who, when push comes to shove and they contemplate what it would be to have Hillary Clinton with the added pain of Bubba back in the White House, or Obama, that they won't eventually rally behind whoever the Republican nominee is as long as they are pro-life," says Land. "I don't want to minimize the impact of Limbaugh. He has influence. But there is a limit to where anyone can lead conservatives [if it's] where they don't want to be led."

Another conservative politico, Rich Galen, who worked for Thompson until he pulled out, argues that the Democrats are in far more trouble than McCain: "The lines are hardening between Hillary and Obama. It's going to go on for week after week. If you think fissures are bad there now, wait until Obama goes to the floor with more delegates, and the superdelegates come out for Hillary."

The talk-show brigade, however, is keeping itself relevant—and profitable—by continuing its tirade. "Part of this is a herd mentality," says Michael Medved, who claims he's the only talk-show host—liberal or conservative—to endorse McCain. "There are a bunch of talk-show hosts who wait to see what position Rush will take. They are the Mini-Me's to Rush's Dr. Evil." Medved and others suspect the right-wing rants are mainly a ratings grab. "The irony is that Limbaugh, by attacking McCain and having him win anyway, may end up with a larger audience because people that don't like McCain will rally around him," says Michael Harrison, editor and publisher of Talkers magazine, the main trade journal for the talk-show industry. "The person who takes the unpopular view in radio often gets the biggest audience because so many other people are competing for the popular view. Limbaugh is the smartest man on the air. He is a brilliant broadcaster and a great talent … Hillary would be better for conservative hosts than McCain. They are all salivating over the hope that Hillary will get elected." If the conservative leaders keep at it, they just might make their hopes come true.

With Pat Wingert, Suzanne Smalley, Daniel Stone, Martha Brant and Matthew Philips

© 2008