Local Pols Indulge Willie to Their Own Peril

The rest of America is finally getting to see what all but the true believers in Cincinnati have known for years: Willie Cunningham is a buffoon, and not a very creative one at that.

CityBeat has written before about Cunningham's and WLW’s juvenile, "angry white man" antics, but this time ol' Willie is causing headaches for the national Republican Party. With the GOP already on the ropes when it comes to this fall's presidential election, nobody is laughing now.

In his usual over-the-top style, Cunningham introduced presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain at a Cincinnati appearance Tuesday by referring to his likely Democratic opponent several times by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, in an obvious and lame attempt to play into fears that Obama is a Muslim version of The Manchurian Candidate.

Worse, Cunningham called Obama a "hack politician" and implied he was involved in shady, possibly criminal deals in Chicago.

McCain quickly repudiated Cunningham’s comments after the appearance. That, in turn, caused Cunningham and local conservatives to go ballistic on McCain, stating an apology was unnecessary. This sorry spectacle was given airtime on ABC, CNN and other major TV networks.

On his own radio talk show after the incident, Cunningham blasted McCain and said he would vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton in protest. As Bill Sloat astutely points out on his Daily Bellwether blog, Cunningham continues to steal material from his fringe brethren on the national stage, swiping that line from Ann Coulter.

(Sloat also notes how often Cunningham has been wrong on issues over the years, recalling Willie’s insistence that Pete Rose never bet on baseball. Cunningham should be thankful radio listeners have short memories.)

Never one to miss a chance for publicity, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann phoned into the show, defending Cunningham and blaming the controversy on the far right’s favorite scapegoat, the media. Readers will remember Hartmann: He’s the Republican running this fall for the Hamilton County Commission without an endorsed Democratic opponent thanks to a deal agreed to by Dems Todd Portune and Tim Burke. Thanks, fellas.

Greater Cincinnati Republicans have got to learn they're not the center of the universe. McCain's election this November won’t depend on attracting more conservatives; it will depend on persuading more independents and some moderate Democrats to cast ballots for him. This type of gutter-level politics that focuses on personal attacks and innuendo instead of substantive differences on issues probably will turn off those voters, polls show.

At the very least, Cunningham’s crude remarks once again paint Cincinnati as a backwater burg in the minds of many across the nation.

Cincinnati has self-esteem issues, and here’s my take on why: While many of the people who live here — Republican and Democrat — are reasonable people who are fairly tolerant and forward-thinking, those who comprise the Powers That Be in town are backward, provincial people whose outbursts routinely give the Queen City a black eye in front of the nation.

— Kevin Osborne

Comments

[Breen]

Right, Kevin! And the "powers-that-be" are all "of a certain age," too. So, when they kick the bucket, Cincinnati will finally get its chip off its shoulder and live up to its full potential.

[Political Junkie]

When will conservatives realize that "friends" like Willie, Rush, Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter hurt their cause more than help in the Internet age?

[Not the Mamma Cass!]

Kevin: you've been in this business far too long not to know tht Cunningham's show is just that: a show. When he's on air he is a performer putting on a show. Please put his comments into that context.

Cunningham also didn't "steal" from the Fascist Party Doll: he mentioned her by name and said he was joining her.

Writing of people not wanting to miss a publicity opportunity, you neglected to mention Mark Mallory.

[LDaumeyer]

Right on, brother.

What an idiot he is. Even if it is just showmanship, he's not doing any favors for his party or his city--only the democratics. And for that I thank him.

(hope you're well, kevin!)

[Neal]

I like the word used to describe Cunningham, "buffoon." That he is.

He was very indulgently interviewed on Channel 5 by their talking heads after the debate last night. They continued to let him rant on, attempting to defend his ignorant position.

Bill Cunningham represents all that is bad about Cincinnati: racism, ignorance, red-neckism, intolerance. Need I continue?

[David E. Gallaher]

I think Willie has brainwashed himself. Think of how many times he has repeated that "Great American" shouted, confrontational spiel. It's boiler plate.
I guess it works for talk radio. I wouldn't know. I don't listen to it much.
But Mike McConnell is not always using some spiel for a crutch is he?

Still, even if Allistair Cooke were a talk radio dude, I wouldn't listen. (Okay he's dead already, anyway.) I can't stand the frequent long commercial breaks.

[Dan]

I'd like to think of this as a defining moment in this election campaign. The GOP has officially "jumped the shark". Willie's grandstanding put the final bullet in the Republican Party's chances to win the presidential race. They're done...it's over - stick a fork in 'em.
And hopefully, this carries forward locally. I'd like to think Cincinnatians have finally had enough of Deters, Streicher, Hartmann, Leis, and their ilk. Change is in the air and it feels good.

[Kevin H]

What a bunch of ignorant libs...
What has repeating Obama's full name have to do with Racism...?
Its not about race...it's about character, and experience.
Martin Luther King Jr said that he dreamed of the day when a man would not be judged by the color of his skin, but by his character.
I couldnt care less what race Obama is, I care about what his character and ideals are, and his do not match mine. So that makes me a racist? No, it means I do not agree that this unexperienced man who has no knowledge of foreign policy is the right man to lead our country. That's what Willie is trying to get across.
But its conveniant to drop the race card because Obama is obviously dark skinned. I don't care that he's black, I care that he's super liberal and he will lead the country to ruin.
I ask you , who are the racists? The ones playing the race card and telling us we can't even question him because of race? or the ones who question character?