Why stay up to watch Hannity?

Deneen Borelli.

Deneen Borelli.

Last night, my wife had to go to bed halfway through Megyn Kelly’s show. “Why does it have to be so interesting?” she asked. I didn’t have an answer for her. All I know is that the Kelly File is the show I now rely on to keep me up to date at a time when I can’t stand to read or watch other news sources without throwing up. She’s become my crib sheet.

Interestingly, though, she’s also having an impact on the shows before and after hers. O’Reilly is in reactionary mode, reverting to a kind of New Deal archaism that seems actually proud of its out of touchness, as if anyone under the age of 70 need not tune in. He’ll be gone in a year or so is my prediction.

Hannity, on the other hand, is upping his game. I’d written him off long ago. After he jettisoned Colmes, he seemed merely self indulgent, tossing that stupid football around and loading up his “panels” with dim bulb Imus sidekicks and country singers who fancy themselves pundits.

But if you don’t turn off the TV immediately after Megyn does her final sign off, Hannity shows up right away. What happened last night. (Sorry, honey.) And, yeah, it’s happened a couple of times lately. He’s actually getting better.

For one thing, he’s not afraid to schedule Mark Levin, once dubbed “The Great One” by Rush Limbaugh before he became a Limbaugh competitor and therefore a conservative nonperson. Just seeing Mark Levin and that intense angry stare of his reignites the fire in my belly and sends me back to the barricades with all weapons loaded.

There’s also my new favorite female warrior, Deneen Borelli. I can’t prove it, but I’m convinced she’s a Hannity discovery. Good on him. What a woman. Smart, cool, unflappable, and beautiful. My favorite candidate to replace the O’Reilly dinosaur when he retires to his estate in Jurassic, Long Island.

Also my Number One reason for staying up after Megyn to watch Hannity. She might show up.

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If she’s still fighting, we can do no less. Last night, she appeared to respond to a video clip in which an NAACP spokeswoman viciously attacked her as a traitor to her race and the cause of Civil Rights. She never raised her voice. She’s Shane. Stoic but fast, fast with a gun.

Thank you, Sean. The signal strength of a great executive is not being afraid to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. You are passing that test big time.

8 comments

  1. Alfa’s avatar

    She surely is amazing. Very interesting to see how the Fox nighttime lineup is doing.

    Added some fire to their bellies also. (But O’reilly is a hack. )

  2. Tim’s avatar

    “Just seeing Mark Levin and that intense angry stare of his reignites the fire in my belly and sends me back to the barricades with all weapons loaded.”

    I know, right? He had a particularly great segment on his radio show last week where he went after Jon Stewart. “I don’t trust any Jew who changes his name. Yeah, that’s right, I said it! Got a problem with that?” and, “I despise the self-loathers, folks. I really do.”

    This is encouraging news about Fox. And I couldn’t agree more with both of you on O’Reilly. He’s been a pompous douche for years.

    1. Instapunk’s avatar

      Yeah. Last night’s segment dealt with Stewart’s response to the Mark Levin assault. An acknowledgment but not a rebuttal. Retreating into pure comedy, as he always does when he steps on his own dick.

      Why do people, particularly conservatives, keep avowing that idiots on the left are “smart”? Obama’s not smart. He’s a drone. Stewart’s not smart. He’s a cunning thief of humorists long past. Everything about the left is old, old, old. Why do kids keep turning toward the old, the past, the dead husks of stupid, empty ideas?

      1. Tim’s avatar

        I don’t know. As Levin frequently points out, Stewart has an army of writers behind him. Everything is scripted. Where’s the talent? Personally, I’ve never even found him funny. I guess he’s supposed to be smart b/c he went to William & Mary? Every time I’ve grudgingly watched a clip of him (usually linked by Hot Air or Newsbusters in the context that he “destroys” such-and-such) it’s been the same shtick: same facial expressions after a video clip is played, similar one-liners, overdone yelling, bleeped-out f-bombs, etc. And for every time he half-heartedly goofs an Olbermann or Sibelius, he passionately slanders conservatives (or Israel) twenty times. He’s our enemy, not someone we should worry about impressing.

        And you’re right, I did not acknowledge Deneen. Sorry. I had not heard of her before but the quotes above are excellent. I will keep an eye out for her from now on.

      2. Instapunk’s avatar

        Tim: Can’t help noticing that you’re ignoring Deneen. Don’t ignore Deneen. We need her. And I’d rather have her on our side than Mark Levin.

        What’s more, I think Mark Levin would agree. Actually, I know he would.

      3. Barbara’s avatar

        Where are we now, RL, vis-a-vis Megyn Kelly? Do you and LL continue to see her as “Shark Eyes” and find her cold and inattentive to guests’ responses? I hope you’ve both relented. She’s my crib sheet too, the only hour that my television set is on. I think she’s the singular nighttime Fox personality who is upping the game — gets better every week even though she’s been damned good from the start.

        Could you kindly send an e-mail alert when Deneen Borelli makes her next appearance? I have not seen her. On the East Coast you’re six hours ahead of us so I’ll have time to tune in to Hannity’s repeat show at 7 p.m. here. Just cannot watch him. He’s nicer to look at than O’Reilly but has too many of the same flaws, principally the “your humble correspondent” self reference that snares him into making himself the centerpiece of conversations with guests. It’s astonishing to me that O’Reilly and Hannity, with their millions in salary and appearance fees, and swarming admirers, remain so insecure. Or is it narcissism? Or are they the same thing?

        O’Reilly and Hannity: Self reference and intellectual vapidity. Not a good combo.

        1. Instapunk’s avatar

          Couple points. I’ve jumped on Hannity and O’Reilly plenty over the years. (Do a search at the old Instapunk.)

          Also. I’ve said lots of good things about Megyn Kelly. You don’t seem to recognize it when I do. Shark eyes? Yeah. She’s got’em. Can not imagine being married to her. But that’s hardly the point. She’s a tough, sharp, quick-witted interviewing machine. Fox was right to bet their future on her, and she will drive O’Reilly into the retirement we all long for.

          And here’s a Deneen Borelli video clip.

          http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SMJJR1y33CI

          There are more at Youtube. Unfortunately, I can’t predict when she’ll be on Hannity. I only watch him by accident. But whenever you see a promo for one of Hannity’s “group” shows, with some kind of responsive, interactive audience format, she will absolutely be there.

        2. Instapunk’s avatar

          Proof on the Hannity/O’Reilly point. From Instapunk.com, January 2009:

          “Sean Hannity has one rant that he gives repeatedly, as part of every question he asks on his TV show and every bait and switch promo he performs on his endless radio program. O’Reilly isn’t a conservative at all, just a pea-brained reactionary New Deal dinosaur.”

          Actually, the whole post is not only worth reading but a confirmation of how right I’ve been for a very long time.

          http://www.instapunk.com/archives/InstaPunkArchiveV2.php3?a=1635

          Anybody with the energy and the know-how should feel free to convey this fossil post to Rush Limbaugh, who will know that I know what he and I always knew. Not that anybody cares. But the record is the record when all is said and done.

          The Hotair folks maybe not so much. But I do have the only known photo of Allahpundit. I may not have complimented his writing but I did acknowledge that he was pretty.

          Half a loaf is better than none. Or so they say.

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