Daily Beast columnist, author and CNN commenator John Avlon names RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart and Charles Rangel as “Wingnuts of the Week.” Bickhart is being blamed for a truly contemptible RNC fundraising campaign that has backfired since a memo detailing how fundraisers planned to play the fear card and held party donors in mocking contempt were revealed by The Politico. Top Republicans had to jump in to do emergency damage control (expect to see the Democrats use the fundraising memo now for their OWN fundraising).
Here’s Avlon’s latest:
FOOTNOTE: Avlon also has a new book that is MUST READING for centrists, moderates and independents sick of the screaming and demonizing politics of polarization:
UPDATE: Avlon has drawn a reply by Rush Limbaugh who questions whether he is a centrist. Limbaugh INACCURATELY suggests that Avlon mostly focuses on right wing “wingnuts.” WRONG. We’ve posted his segments here and read his book and anyone who is willing to watch or read Avlon knows he is critical of both sides. Those who are in Whatever Rush Says Is Truth Mode who don’t want to watch and read for themselves will accept Limbaugh’s version which is — as in some other things Limbaugh asserts — factually (ahem) challenged. Actually, Avlon IS a CENTRIST: he was speechwriter and an aide to New York’s former Mayor Rudy Guiliani. This is quite typical in how people on the left and right will respond to independents or centrists who express ideas they don’t like or who dare to criticize them. As I noted HERE in THIS POST about another talk show host, this is really part of the modus operendi in how those on the receiving end of criticism from independents and centrists try to discredit them. FYI RUSH: Avlon is an independent, not a Democrat, and is one of the country’s top centrist commentators. If anything his ties are to Republicans — to Republican moderates (OOP! RINOS are probably socialists, don’t you know?).
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.