COLMES HAD A GOOD LINE

I was listening to a progressive radio show and Alan Colmes spoke about the "Time for a Change" and how the GOP is looking to past by talking about Raygun (WWRD?) while the Democrats are talking about the future. It seems he got that concept from Frank Luntz¹:

LUNTZ: Yes, because the Democrats' attitude towards change is very futuristic and it involves universal health care. It involves getting out of Iraq. The Republican --

HANNITY: Raising taxes.

LUNTZ: -- involves less wasteful Washington spending. It involves going back to Ronald Reagan rather than forward.

Given that Hannity worships St. Ronnie, I'm surprised he didn't lash out at Luntz, especially after this exchange:

HANNITY: To some extent, Republicans, I guess, brought a lot of this on themselves when they abandoned some of their principles. They still haven't built that border fence. They've been spending much more money than they've been taking in. They've been seen as Democrat light for a long time.Is there any indication at all that they have gotten the message that they need to go back to their conservative roots?

LUNTZ: Bluntly, no. And this is why I've said on this show to you and to Alan that the Democrats have an advantage in the fall because those key independents, the people who make up the difference, right now they've shifted over and they're looking at the Democratic candidates more than the Republican candidates.

HANNITY: That's interesting. Are they going to vote because they want their taxes up? Do they really want retreat, defeat in Iraq? Do they really want nationalized health care? Do they really believe the government is capable of providing that? Are they answering those question?

LUNTZ: What they really want is accountability, and they don't think they get that from the Republicans.

HANNITY: Do we get more specificity out of them? In other words, it might be a platitude, a bumper sticker, a slogan to say I want national health care, but do they think it through? In other words, do they really believe government is capable of providing that?

LUNTZ: What they see is they're not capable of providing it. At the end of the week, they don't have enough money for the things they need, and so they need help from the government, and they see Republicans as having a tin ear to them.

Crooks & Liars had the video clip.

¹Fox News Network
January 9, 2008 Wednesday
SHOW: FOX HANNITY & CO 9:00 PM EST
Voter Reactions to Hillary Clinton
BYLINE: Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes
GUESTS: Frank Luntz
SECTION: NEWS; Domestic
LENGTH: 1690 words