People are often shocked to learn that I don’t particularly like Sean Hannity. Hannity is one of the most prominent voices in the conservative movement, but I often find him to lack intellectual consistency and to be all too willing to say anything to make it seem like he’s on the side of whoever is at the front of the pack. That approach is fine if you’re just being a cheerleader, but if you want to move things forward in real, limited government policy, sometimes the leader needs a critic rather than a cheerleader.
In recent years, Hannity has shown this kind of sympathy with Donald Trump when it comes to the subject of Brian Kemp. For example, when Governor Kemp called for Georgia to reopen before any other state, Hannity said that was “a stupid idea. And some of his other ideas are pretty stupid.”
Hannity attacked Kemp when he selected Kelly Loeffler, now one of Trump’s most successful fundraisers, for the U.S. Senate. At the time, he said, “Brian Kemp is appointing (someone) who appears to be an untested major donor to Romney and is referred to by many as a ‘RINO.'”
We now know that Sean Hannity never believed the Georgia election was rigged, even though he allowed his show to be used to spread that story.
When David Perdue entered the primary race against Brian Kemp, Hannity resumed his role as cheerleader, telling his audience, “Brian Kemp has lost the trust of the people, the Republicans and the conservatives in Georgia. David Perdue is by far the stronger candidate to face Stacey Abrams. Kemp would also hurt Herschel Walker in his race against Raphael Warnock.”
Narrator’s voice off-screen: It wasn’t him.
I mean, it’s almost ridiculous how long and how wrong Sean Hannity was about Brian Kemp.
When Governor Kemp released a video of his interview with Sean Hannity last night, in which Governor Kemp reiterated for the umpteenth time that he supports the Republican presidential candidate, I looked at it from the perspective of someone who still remembers all the criticism Hannity has leveled at Kemp over the years. And if you take nothing else away from this post other than this, then that’s fine with me: Brian Kemp is a better Christian than I am.
The only thing I hadn’t heard before this interview was Sean Hannity’s praise of Governor Kemp. That part is new. Every single word, even the support for vulnerable GOP lawmakers and especially the support for Trump, are all things I’ve heard Governor Kemp say before. And please note how uncomfortable Hannity is right at the start. He’s spent so much time criticizing Kemp on this show that I could actually sense how uncomfortable he was praising the governor now.
A few minutes after the interview aired, Donald Trump finally thanked Governor Kemp for his help on social media.
It’s almost as if the last few weeks of Trump’s repeated criticism of Kemp never happened. So why the switch between Hannity and Trump?
Here is a theory that, although expressed in jest by the original author, I find plausible.
I mean, Donald Trump is known for being unapologetic, so this internal polling data must have been a real wake-up call for Donald Trump. Brian Kemp is more popular in Georgia than Donald Trump. Trump needs Kemp, and Kemp has proven he can be himself without Trump.
A few weeks ago, your intrepid squad at Peach Pundit heard that there was a push among elected Republicans in Georgia to end Trump’s one-sided feud with Kemp. As I was shaking the bushes there this morning, Rumors suggest that it may actually have been Sean Hannity who brokered the peace deal. I have no way of knowing for sure, but our second-hand rumor mill is pretty much undefeated.
But let’s call it what it is: a surrender by Donald Trump. No, it was not an apology. But Trump has abandoned his nearly half-decade of vicious attacks on Brian Kemp, and Kemp has never changed one bit. So it should also be an important lesson for every elected Republican in this country. There are times when Donald Trump is right, and in those cases we should cheer him on. But there are times when he goes completely off course, and there is actually an advantage to taking your stand when you are right, even when there is some busybody at Fox News trying to skewer you. Trying to defeat you at the ballot box. Allowing things to be said about you on his show that he doesn’t believe are true.
Don’t be afraid to stand up if you feel our party is going in the wrong direction. Your legacy is not Donald Trump, it’s what you do. It’s your own actions.
The way I see it, Trump licked Kemp’s shoes clean. And all Kemp had to do was never stop being himself.
