Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Stop the presses!
Politico has a scoop: right-wing radio talk show hosts like right-wing presidential candidate Ted Cruz:
Glenn Beck wants listeners to pray for him. Mark Levin says Fox News is out to get him. Hugh Hewitt calls him an “intellectual leader.” Rush Limbaugh thinks his campaign launch was “masterful.” Laura Ingraham hails him as “Reaganesque.” Erick Erickson considers him a “good friend.”
They might as well just call off the Republican presidential primary and hand the nomination to Ted Cruz. Although ... praise doesn't always translate into endorsements. Erickson and Hewitt aren't endorsing yet, Limbaugh is currently most actively praising Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and, oh, Michael Savage has called Cruz a "warmonger" and a "lunatic." Then there's this:
No question — in past elections, conservative radio hosts have struggled to translate their enthusiasm for a candidate into a winning presidential campaign. But the frequent encomiums to Cruz will provide him with a reliable supply of free media and powerful, sustained validation from some of the most important gatekeepers in the Republican sphere.
Riiiight, but if Cruz isn't the only candidate getting such encomiums from these sources,
and radio host endorsements don't equal electoral success, then what's the story here? Beyond that right-wing radio hosts have nice things to say about a right-wing candidate they are not yet endorsing. I think the real story here might be that Politico is expecting a slow news day and is rolling out the stupid stories.