Despite rumors to the contrary (and wishful thinking on the part of leftists), conservative talk radio continues to wield power and influence.
Newsweek put Rush Limbaugh on its cover this week, placing him at No. 1 in their "Power 50" list of "America's highest paid pundits and politicos."
Glenn Beck ranked No. 2, with Sean Hannity (No. 3), Laura Ingraham (No. 10) and Mark Levin (No. 13) placing near the top.
Levin, however, took issue with the magazine's earnings reports, telling his followers: "Much of this Newsweek list is inaccurate. I know what a lot of these people make, and I know what I make. Enough said."
Rush Limbaugh
"Compromise? We won in a wipeout!"
Rush Limbaugh opening monologue on the day after the election was definitely one for the "Best Of" files! (FREE audio).
"The Democrats know Obama's poison," Rush told listeners. "Obama has lost his momentum. There is going to be a power struggle in the Democratic Party. ... Blood is in the water, there are Democrats who think they can be a better president than Obama."
He also celebrated Republican victories by introducing a new Paul Shanklin song parody (It was a 'Rushslide.'"
Newsweek magazine ranked Limbaugh the No. 1 most influential pundit in its "Power 50" list. In the same issue, Limbaugh revealed a list of his own: his top picks for the 2012 Republican presidential run.
Sean Hannity
In an exclusive interview with Radio Equalizer's Brian Maloney, Sean Hannity reacted to the startling news that an Alaskan talk show host was suspended after complaints made by write-in candidate, Senator Lisa Murkowski.
On Saturday, Hannity told Maloney, "These intimidation tactics are a disgrace. Clearly, Murkowski needs to read the Constitution. Radio hosts and all Americans still have the right to freedom of speech."
On Wednesday, Hannity took to the airwaves, telling listeners, "Yesterday was about you. The results are about you. This has always been about the kind of country we want to live in. You made this victory possible. All of you that when out and voted, rallied, participated in town halls, campaign events – you made history happen. Yesterday was about pulling the country back from the edge of disaster, and you did it!"
He added, "This is not the end of our political battles; it is the first battle in a political war for the heart and soul of this nation – that begins today" (audio archives are members only).
Mark Levin
Having heavily promoted and supported Delaware tea-party candidate Christine O'Donnell, Mark Levin was disappointed by her Tuesday night loss.
However, Levin declared, "The conservative movement is back and growing."
After the election results were in, Levin issued a clarion call on the air: "Defund Obamacare" (FREE audio).
Mark Levin's guest Ed Gillespie called in to set the record straight about a recent article that appeared online. Gillespie told Levin that Politico.com lied about him in their recent anti-Palin hit piece.
When he told the editors they'd completely misrepresented his views about Palin, they replied "they were told by someone that [that] is how he felt" (FREE audio).
Remember: access to the audio archives at Mark Levin's official radio show site is FREE.
Michael Savage
"I was wrong."
Michael Savage had been pessimistic about the GOP's chances during the mid-term election. On Wednesday night, Savage told listeners he'd underestimated how well the Republicans would do – but warned them to remain skeptical about how much these newly elected tea-party candidates can accomplish (FREE audio).
Savage's new book, "Trickle Up Poverty," is still in the Top 10 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
One critic hailed it as "one of the most illuminating books ever written."
Savage is taking heat from "gay" magazines and websites for "blaming throat cancer on being gay." However, Savage was simply reporting the results of a new medical study.
Laura Ingraham
Before the election, Laura Ingraham spoke live to powerful Republicans Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney.
One highlight early in the week was Ingraham's heated exchange with Mike Allen of Politico, who she accused of writing a cheap "gossip" piece about Palin (FREE audio).
On Wednesday morning, she analyzed the election results with "conservative king maker," Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. (FREE audio).
Then Laura memorably blasted former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for using her grandchild as a "human shield" to avoid taking post-election questions from the press (FREE audio).
Glenn Beck
The Monday following the Washington, DC "Rally to Restore Sanity" hosted by Daily Show host Jon Stewart, Glenn Beck offered his unique perspective on the event: "It was terrible."
Having hosted a far more successful event in the same spot, Beck was in the perfect position to critique Stewart's show, comparing it to "a high school production" (FREE video).
In one of the strangest and most pathetic manifestations of the media's "Glenn Beck Derangement Syndrome" so far, the Huffington Post actually ran a story called, "How Glenn Beck Spent the Day of the Rally to Restore Sanity."
On Wednesday morning, Glenn Beck's co-host "Stu" stole the show, with a sustained and very original rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again" that quickly went viral (FREE video).
P.S.: Meet the little boy who dressed as "Glenn Beck" for Halloween this year, complete with grey hair and running shoes.
And now, from the left side of the dial ...
For all the false and libelous accusations of racism aimed at Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk radio hosts, it's a dirty little secret that "progressive" pundits aren't immune from making politically incorrect (not to mention offensive) racist "jokes."
If I hadn't heard it myself, even I wouldn't have believed it; however, Brian Maloney has the actual audio that accompanies this clip from self-proclaimed liberal Stephanie Miller's radio show. Here she is chatting just before the election, with a "liberal blogger" named Lee Papa:
STEPHANIE MILLER (21:08): One of your posts is if Republicans lose on Tuesday, there will be blood, because there is always a chance in a democracy that the pundits could all be wrong.
LEE PAPA: That's right. If black people decide that rain won't hurt them [Miller laughs], then that way they and there's a huge turnout for the Democrats and they get out the vote factor comes into play, then yeah, there is a vague chance.
Papa refers to himself online as "the Rude Blogger." I guess it's nice to see the fellow has at least a modicum of self-awareness.