And In This Corner...!

"I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me." ~ Dave Barry

I have said before I don't usually read the e-mails that Newsmax sends me. They are too right wing. I am right wing, too, but when I read the news, I want it unvarnished and non-partisan so I can make up my own mind.

Yesterday, however, when I was home for lunch, I checked my e-mail and found this intriguing line in the subject line of a Newsmax e-mail:

"Alec Baldwin v. Sean Hannity in Radio Donnybrook"

I had to open that one!

It seems Alec Baldwin, the actor, was a guest on a WABC radio program that airs on Sunday nights, with the host, Brian Whitman. While on air, and discussing various Liberal issues with which the actor was concerned, and taking phone calls from listeners, Sean Hannity called.

I understand that Mr. Baldwin is exploring the possibility of becoming a talk radio program host, and this was an opportunity the network afforded him to see what he could do. The following is part of what was said:

HANNITY: Alec, I wanted to give you an official WABC welcome considering you were supposed to come on my program last week and you didn't show up. What happened?

BALDWIN: No, I wasn't supposed to come on your program, Sean Hannity.

HANNITY: No, actually you were supposed to come on the program because a deal was made with your agent that if you were going to come on with Brian, first you'd come on with me.

BALDWIN: I wouldn't dream of coming on your program, Sean Hannity. I'm here with Brian. I'm here with a really talented broadcaster.

HANNITY: [Crosstalk] that you are, you don't tell the truth.

BALDWIN: Why would I want to come on the show with a no-talent, former construction worker hack like you?

HANNITY: Are you the guy that said of our vice president, while we're at war, while we're leading troops in harm's way - are you the reckless, third-rate Hollywood actor who said that Dick Cheney is a terrorist? Are you the guy . . .

BALDWIN: Yes I am.

HANNITY: ... Who said to stone Henry Hyde to death? Are you the guy who said our president is a CIA mass murderer? I wanted you to come on the program and defend that, you gutless coward.

BALDWIN: At first I thought this was a joke. But you can hear all the acid venom spewing hatred. It is Sean Hannity.

The exchange got even hotter when Mark Levin joined in.

LEVIN: We've only just begun - are you 40 or 50 pounds overweight now?

WHITMAN: Oh, C'mon now . . . .

HANNITY: Once and for all you need to be challenged. You want to call our vice president a terrorist - fine. You want to talk about stoning people to death, say it on my program. If you want to be irresponsible and call our president a mass murderer while he's at war leading troops in harm's way ...

BALDWIN: And what are you gonna do about it, Sean Hannity?

HANNITY: You don't have the courage to answer questions.

BALDWIN: And what are you gonna do? And what are you going to do about it, Sean Hannity. If I come on your program, what are you going to do?

LEVIN: He's going to show that you have a two digit IQ - that's what he's gonna do.

BALDWIN: What are you going to do?

LEVIN: I just told you - you've got a two digit IQ.

BALDWIN: And who's that - who's your little cabin boy there with you.

LEVIN: I'm not a cabin boy, butt-boy.

BALDWIN: What are you doing there, cabin boy? ... I now dub you Sean Hannity's cabin boy.

LEVIN: And you know what you are? You're "Brokeback" Alec.

The confrontation continued to spiral out of control, with Whitman intermittently trying to make peace and Baldwin repeatedly urging him to move on to other callers.

BALDWIN: Listen, Sean - you incredibly ignorant boob from Long Island ...

HANNITY: Oh, ouch, Alec.

BALDWIN: No, no, no, you've spoken, let me talk, Sean. Cause you've been spewing your ...

HANNITY: You're a third-rate Hollywood egomaniac.

BALDWIN: You're a no-talent, ignorant fool from Long Island. You should go back to building houses in Hempstead.

LEVIN: Why was your [former] wife [Kim Basinger] so pissed off at you, anyway?

WHITMAN: Now, c'mon guys.

BALDWIN: OK. We're done. [Gets up and leaves the studio]

WHITMAN: Come back. Come back. Alec? They're gone. Alec? Alec has walked out of the studio. Alec, please come back.

Now, doesn't that sound like two 6 year olds fighting over who got the biggest half of the chocolate bar? It certainly doesn't sound like grown up professional people.

OK. I've said it before. Sean Hannity can sometimes be rude and mean spirited himself. And he was this time, as well. What really infuriates me about him is, he continues to insist that only Liberals are like that. They are for the most part, in my opinion, but so is he. Hannity makes the assertion that Liberals are mean spirited in such a way as to imply that he doesn't do the same, but he most certainly does, as this transcript clearly shows.

I think it hurts your reputation when you lower yourself to the level of an abusive opponent. That's why I at least try to stay respectful when discussing ideology with those with whom I vehemently disagree. And yes, ER, sometimes I am not successful.

To be fair, Hannity did start off politely. Baldwin drew first blood.

On the other hand, Mark Levin makes no such claim. He is unapologetically rude. But he is funny. I listen to Levin's show every night, if there isn't too much static. The only stations that I can get that carry his show while making my nightly run are WABC out of New York City, and WMAL, out of Washington DC, which is probably a little over 100 miles from where I am when his show is on. I don't know how far New York is from me but it is quite a bit further than Washington.

If any of you can get Mark Levin's show on your local stations and haven't listened to him yet, you really should listen to him at least once. Yes, he is rude to Liberals, but he is a brilliant man. And, as I said, funny. For instance he announces that the phone number to call in on is 1-800-381-3811, and the special line for Liberals is "One eight hundred three eighty one, thirty eight eleven". Same number. He just says it differently.

Anyway, I listened to Hannity's show and he played the recording of the argument, but it was hard to understand at times because he played sounds of the theme from "Psycho" and the sound of a baby crying during the argument. I wanted to hear Levin's version of the event but it was not a good night for long distance radio. Too much static.

Overall, I thought the whole thing was too funny not to share.

Update: I was re-reading this and it reminded me of a great line from one of my favorite movies, "My Favorite Year" Here is a brief description to put the line in context:

Alan Swann, a 1950's "Swashbuckler" movie star, is drunk, and decides to repel down the side of a high rise condominium in New York City by fire hose. In his drunkeness, he slips and finds himself dangling several stories above the street. Two wealthy indutrialists are enjoying cocktails and conversation on a balcony during a fancy cocktail party, immediately above where Swann is hanging. Got the picture? The conversation goes like this:

"Remember that actor...What is his name?...Oh Alan Swann, that's it!"

"Yes, what about him?"

"Well, I think he's beneath us."

(here's the line) "Of course he's beneath us. He's an actor!"