My E-Mail to Laura Ingraham Today
Here it is. If she responds, I'll post that here too.
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Dear Laura:
I'm just back in from my morning run here in L.A. I listen to you every day and think you are a bright spot on the radio dial. Even so, I'm disappointed and sad about what has happened with Harriet Miers, and the way you participated in that story. Miers' nomination worried me, but I thought she should have gotten a hearing. I'm a conservative, but it seemed to me we needed to be fair to her, and we were not.
You seem sensitive to charges of unfairness on your part. I rarely agree with Senator Specter, but his statement that attacks on Miers were "disgraceful" rings true with me. Your show was not among the worst offenders, but I did hear a lot of ridicule and laughter about Miers from you and your colleagues over the last 3 weeks. I don't mind when you use that tactic against Democrats and liberals, but this was a Republican nominee to the Supreme Court by a fine Republican president, in a time of war. Your hard-edged and frequently unfair criticism rankled.
Other conservative Miers opponents likened Miers to Caligula's horse. Peggy Noonan referred to her as Bush's "office wife." (That one shocked me, coming from the always-classy Noonan.) I never heard you disavow such statements, or even call for a higher road to be taken. I heard little but shrill outrage and nasty, condescending digs coming from your show for three weeks. It seemed to me that you were piling on with everyone else. So it surprises me to hear you express puzzlement over how anyone could accuse the conservative Miers opponents of misbehavior.
I am simply urging a little self-examination. John Hinderaker at Power Line, one of the most reputable and influential conservative blogs, was, like me, no fan of Miers, but said something you and your producers should bear in mind:
A lot of conservative pundits are feeling triumphant today, but there are
millions of rank and file Republicans who supported the Miers nomination, many of whom--including many dyed in the wool conservatives--believed, rightly or wrongly, that the criticism of Miers from the right was arrogant and elitist. Miers was a poor choice for a number of reasons, not least because her nomination needlessly divided the party.
We need thought leaders like you to help heal that rift. Continued hammering on Miers, or gloating, will not help. Enough already! You called your show a gloat-free zone, but it doesn't sound like one to me, not today at least.
I hope the time will come soon when I can enjoy listening to your show again.
posted by Lowell Brown at 8:57 AM
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7 Comments:
An outstanding post. I wrote a much briefer email stating essentially the same thing. Today, she was interviewing Judge Bork as I drove to work and she brought up Arlen Spectre's comment about Mier's treatment being a disgrace. Laura whined to Judge Bork that she had been fair but had some laughs. I pointed out that last week she had said that Miers didn't have the intellectual chops to be a justice. I asked her if that was fair. I asked her to moderate her tone otherwise I'll go back to sport's radio.
Posted by Jeff G
Great letter Lowell, I'm feeling exactly the same way about Laura Ingraham, and about a lot of the other people I generally admire and listen to/read. On the day of Mier's withdrawal, Laura should at least have had the decency to remove all the mocking sound clips, even as she claimed to be in a no-gloat zone. She shared crocodile tears with Bork--who said it was sad Miers had been so savaged--he, who declared her "unable to write, except in cliches." It was grotesque. I remember the very day after the nomination, when I heard Ann Coulter say: "you know, some of us actually went to top law schools." I wanted to gag. I'll never look at some of these folks the same way again.
Posted by Paul S
Always a class act, Lowell. And, always on point. Hope we get to hear you talk this over with Hugh on-air today.
Posted by Okie
I agree with you on this. I stopped listening to Laura the day she injected her brand of venom into the Miers debate. I drop by every once in a while to see if she's on another topic, but I generally steer clear.
Thanks for voicing exactly what I felt trying to listen to the morning talk radio with Laura. The whole disclaimer that we "really just want to get someone that's qualified", seemed empty when it was coupled with so much mockery. I'm afraid that the obtaining of the objective, to get Harriet Miers off the slate, may be the undoing of many people. I'm afraid the arrogance now, that will come with the whole idea of "approving a president's pick" may just lead us to a point beyond reasonableness. All during his hearings John Roberts talked about his "humility before the law" and indeed I think he really is a very humble, reasonable man. This process that just took place among conservatives was so far from humble and reasonable, I'm not sure how to classify it. Hope something comes along that makes me think it isn't as bad as I think it is.
Posted by V. Schroeder
Lowell,
Bulls eye,the very best commentary on this mess
and for Rush and company the whole thing could
turn around and bite all of you right in the a$$.
Posted by SUB HUNTER
I have enjoyed Laura for about a year now. It seems to me she has become close to Air America in the constant negative view of the Bush Administration. An example to me is: that we all would like to enjoy a simple solution to the illegal imigration problem,however it seem to me that a problem that has been ignored for the past forty years cannot be fixed in the eight year term of any president. The Pres. has offerd a long term solution (?) to the problem. He is the first since Reagan to address the problem. Do these rabib law an order folks really believe that we have, or could gather the resourse toround up the 10 mil+ Illegales and send athem back across whatever border thet have crossed illegally?
Posted by Jim Galloway
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