In a fit of patriopathic® zeal, the sort that might have inspired Booth or Oswald, Sean Hannity, on his radio show, lashes out against a fearsome destiny that summons the faithful to the battlefield.
“I want to talk to you Republicans out there, both candidates and voters. Here’s some unsolicited advice: Ignore the polls, ignore the media, ignore the pundits. It’s 70 days to go. The end is not here yet. We still can turn this thing around.”
The “Thing” he hopes to turn around is the potential consequence of unrestrained democracy – a Democratic majority in Congress. So he issues what amounts to a fatwa.
“This is the moment to say that there are things in life worth fighting and dying for and one of ’em is making sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t become the speaker.”
If this isn’t a contract on the Democratic leader in the House, I don’t know what is. Even if this is not his meaning, it is grossly irresponsible for a broadcaster to make an appeal that could persuade loyal listeners to carry out a literal consummation of his ramblings. What would his response be if Ms. Pelosi announced that one of the things in life that is worth dying for is keeping Hannity off of radio and TV?
These are the kinds of desperate and fanatical statements that generally foreshadow an empire’s decline. They reek of intolerance, aggression and tyranny. They come from Pat Robertson, praying for Supreme Court justices to die. They come from from Ann Coulter, disappointed that Sen. Chaffee has not been assassinated. They come from Glenn Beck, fantasizing about choking Michael Moore to death. They come from Bill O’Reilly, inviting al Qaeda to blow up San Francisco. Now they come from Sean Hannity.
Obviously Hannity is not alone in his lust for blood or his aversion to democracy. The best we can hope for is that his listeners selectively heed his advice, paying particular attention to the admonition to ignore the media and the pundits, which, of course, prominently includes Fox News and Sean Hannity.