How Hugh Hewitt Could Shape All the GOP Primary Debates

[Draggingtree]

Commentary : How Hugh Hewitt Could Shape All the GOP Primary Debates

Seth Mandel | @SethAMandel03.13.2015 - 12:20 PM

There were several reasons that Republican primary debates have had such an impact in the last couple of election cycles for those seeking the GOP nomination, including that neither year had a Republican incumbent, the growth in influence of the grassroots, and the participation of non-politicians as candidates. But an additional reason the debates had such an effect was that the mainstream media moderators insisted on asking migraine-inducingly stupid questions. And so the increasing role of conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt is, as Jim Geraghty notes this morning at NRO, an encouraging development. But I wonder: with an adult in the room like Hewitt, will liberal moderators get serious too?

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[Valin]

@Draggingtree

 

Hugh Hewitt Wants A 'Serious' GOP Primary And Will Be Assigning Homework

Michael Calderone
03/12/2015

 

NEW YORK -- When radio host Hugh Hewitt questions Republican candidates at CNN’s first primary debate this fall, he says, viewers will be “much more likely to hear about the Ohio-class submarine than contraceptives.”

 

What, you ask at this point, is the Ohio-class submarine?

 

“The Ohio-class nuclear submarine is the biggest line item debate that will be held in the next 15 years,” Hewitt said in a Wednesday interview with The Huffington Post. “Presidential candidates ought to know about it. They ought to be up to speed on it. That tells me seriousness.”

 

Hewitt, 59, has carved out a niche in the conservative talk radio world as Mr. Serious, an unapologetic wonk in an industry full of bombast. And he's ridden that reputation to fairly prominent heights lately, becoming perhaps the most important conservative media figure of the still-early 2016 election cycle. Virtually all the prospective candidates have sat down for an interview with Hewitt. And Hewitt, in turn, has set intellectual bars that they must clear. Guests can expect to get into the nitty-gritty of foreign and domestic policy issues -- and they know to come prepared, lest they be embarrassed on air. Often, they leave with homework.

 

(Snip)

 

 

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On reading the comments I discovered

1. Hugh is an A…hole

2. Not serious

 

&

 

3. Conservative are not intellectually curious....but of course you knew that.

 

 

The comments go rapidly downhill from there.

[Valin]

Is Hugh Hewitt the GOPs Warwick? %5BUpdated%5D

John Hinderaker

March 13, 2015

 

(Snip)

 

UPDATE: A high government official who unfortunately must remain anonymous adds:

 

 

You missed one reason for Hughs success. He does his homework, without fail. He doesnt interview authors without reading the book the author wrote, and on more than one occasion, authors have expressed surprise at the depth of his analysis. I dont want to minimize Hughs analytical skills, but much of that comes from simply reading the book. (Its astonishing how many interviews you hear/read where the host has no idea what the book is about, other than the one line on the schedule for the day that describes the guest).

 

And it doesnt matter if its an author his audience would expect Hugh to praise, or one for whom the praise is likely to give some in his audience pause. (Recent examples, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Nicholas Kristof).

Very true. I am sure Hugh would say the same: it is amazing how far you can go when you are well-prepared.