Here is a crossposting from the latest entry on my blog. It's in reference to the caricatures the media and the Hillary's detractors use to diminish her - Chief among them, Townhall's very own Hugh Hewitt.
Updated: March 10. It seems this column has even preempted the news with the breaking story that an Obama aide has quit after causing controversy by calling Hillary a "monster" in a Scottish newspaper.

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In wrestling, a 'Heel' is a villainous characters. Someone the audience love to hate. In the past I've talked about heels, with Ann Coulter and Bill Kristol being effective antagonists to the left. Hillary Clinton has always been a 'heel' for the Right and as the Democratic primaries have heated up she's become a 'heel' type character for segments of the left.

Hillary is a special type of Heel, a 'Monster Heel'. In wrestling, a Monster Heel is an unstoppable juggernaut who squashes opponents and is open to using dirty tactics. They will be portrayed as unfeeling brutes, often adopting characteristics from classic movie monsters. Their appeal is generated not by charisma but rather their sheer dominance.

The descriptor of 'Monster' functions as a noun and an adjective. The distinction between a standard heel is that a 'Monster Heel' does not purposely antagonise the audience or actively seek disapproval. They are driven only by instinct, single-minded by nature, remorseless but often misunderstood (think Frankenstein, King Kong etc...). Whilst heels like Ann Coulter and Bill Kristol take great pleasure in courting derision with inflammatory comments. Hillary generates hatred by simply being a Clinton. She is perceived by the Right and some on the Left as someone who hungers for power and will devour anything that gets in her way. She has been a polarising figure for so long that people have forgotten why she is so despised, she has simply becomes synonymous with it.

After Hillary's revival with Primary wins in Texas and Ohio, many conservative commentators spoke of Hillary's comeback using some curious analogies. In a single 30 minute segment of Hugh Hewitt's show, there were at least a half dozen different analogies to describe Hillary's comeback. Most were monster comparisons.

Hugh likening Hillary to the Mummy
"She's coming out of the crypt, Hillary is back!</span>" and "<span style="font-style:italic;">I'm concerned that we have brought the mummy out of the tomb."

Hugh reading a listener's email, an interesting analogy for Hillary
"Hillary's comeback reminds me of the movie Fatal attraction, remember when you thought the crazy woman was dead in the bathtub."

Hugh likening Hillary to another movie monster
"If you have a chance the stake the vampire, ou don't give it a glass of water and say see you tomorrow."

Hugh likening Hillary to a movie monster featured in a current Release (Prince Caspian, 2008)
"It's like the Ice Queen... I think she's getting out of the ice"

My favorite analogy, Hugh talks about Hillary's ability to deflect controversy
"She's immune from this stuff, it's like the old Barbarians of the East who would take a little bit of poison every day so they couldn't be poisoned. There's been so much, so much about Hillary and Bill that nobody listens to it anymore. It's just assumed that they're felons."

But don't think, Hillary is the only one being demonised. A caller on Hugh's show expresses fear for a greater threat.
"But there's an even worse creature and that's Obama"

Listen and download the full Hugh Hewitt segment here

Hillary especially during this Democratic Primary has tried to dampen this 'Monster Heel' stereotype of her. She has tempered her infamous cackle, often lampooned by the right. She has bared her feelings by showing moments of vulnerability and resilience when men taunted her by heckling "Iron my shirt" or when she was moved and became teary eyed by a woman during a campaign stop.

She is also pitted against Barack Obama, one of the biggest babyfaces in politics possibly of all time. A baby face is the opposite of a heel', a heroic figure and crowd favourite. This dichotomy makes for a good rivalry and interesting theatre. The contrast accentuates her perceived villainry and some of her detracting qualities.

Her spirited fight with Barack has chipped away at her 'unstoppable' aura. In wrestling the Monster Heel persona usually occurs during the introduction stages of a new wrestler. They will often come in and go several matched undefeated creating their aura. As no wrestler can convincingly remain undefeated, inevitably the 'Monster Heel' will be defeated by a popular face. With these inescapable losses, eventually the monster heel will transition to a more mortal persona which creates a different appeal to the audience. Whilst this may be happening for Democrats, the Republicans will continue to and have a vested interest in making people think Hillary is a Monster.

Watch APF pundit Glenn Beck analyse Hillary's Cackle. Guess what? She's likened to another monster.

Read what Hannity supporters say of Hillary's cackle
Watch Hillary handle herself after being heckled with "Iron my Shirt' chants
Read what popular actress Natalie Portman says in defense of Hillary
Read other 'Heel' related posts
Read other 'Aura' related posts
Read about the "Real" Hillary Clinton
Watch a Wrestling Monster Heel in action. No talking unfortunately, but then again Monster Heels are not known for their mic work.

I had almost given up on my Townhall blog as I had misplaced my password. Thankfully I've found it. I will be posting some of my favorite Hugh Hewitt posts from my PunditFight blog.

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Anyone with the slightest awareness of conservative punditry will know that McCain doesn't have many supporters. APF Pundits from Rush, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin to Laura Ingraham have come out strongly on their radio programs and have even taken to print to discredit McCain. And that's putting it lightly.

Only 2 prominent conservatives come to mind as McCain supporters, Radio talker Michael Medved and NY Time columnist David Brooks. Both pundits during the early stages of the GOP debate were supportive or at least accommodating of the then front-runner, Mike Huckabee. After McCain's victory in New Hampshire and subsequent ascendancy, both pundits were more pronounced in their support of McCain. Some have contended that their  glowing editorials for Huckabee in the early stages of the GOP race was a ploy to pave McCain's path to the nomination. Hugh Hewitt, a radio stablemate of Medved's has contended as much.

The New York Times' David Brooks is gleeful that Huckabee has monkeywrenched Romney.  Huck can't be president, Brooks assures us, but it was good to see the party establishment humbled and McCain's way forward cleared.  "Mitt Romney is now grievously wounded," Brooks enthused.  "My guess is Republicans will now swing behind McCain in order to stop Mike."

Is the picture clearer this morning for all those Iowa evangelicals on why Mike Huckabee got the gentle treatment after his bizarre news conference Monday?

Anti-McCain feeling has been a staple of the Conservative pundit class. The clamour will only get louder with every McCain success in the primaries and polls. Its only been recently that I've heard hits against the McCain supporters such as Brooks and Medved.

Listen and Download Hugh talking with Medved as McCain is declared the victor in the New Hampshire primary.

This exchange is very cordial. Hugh's famed bias for Mitt Romney shows in the discussion as he downplays McCain's victory, Hugh's memes were challenged handily by Medved.

Hugh Hewitt: Michael you're a McCain guy, I'm a Romney guy. We're gonna go back and forth for the next month and we're gonna be friends after this. But I gotta say, aren't you a little disappointed.. the guy who got 60% 8 years ago is down to 37% and out of money

Michael Medved: Absolutely Not! Hugh I think you're really reaching... to beat... the first Massachusetts candidate in the history of the New Hampshire Primary to lose. I mean c'mon Mitt Romney had every advantage here, he outspent John McCain. A win is a win is a win.

Onto another Brooks/Medved rant. This time not as cordial. Mark Levin cuts a mean promo on the two pundits for their support of McCain. In signature Levin style, he calls Brooks a "foolish and almost incoherent man from the New York Slimes" and labels Medved a "backbencher".

Listen and Download Levin's promo here.
Read Mark Levin articulating his anti-McCain/anti-Brooks sentiments in print.

Whilst there is uniformity in the trashing of McCain from these pundits. Another thing is certain, McCain is held in high esteem for his service to America as a respected military man and POW in Vietnam. But as Hugh Hewitt is quick to point McCain is a Great American, lousy senator and terrible Republican.

My First post on Townhall. Good times.
I've had my own blog for a while, but i decided i needed to be amongst the people, so here i am at TownHall. I will be making new posts here as well as cross-posting content from my other blog.

If you've just stumbled on this blog,
you're probably wondering 'what it's all about?'.
 
 The APF was conceived because I had come to the realisation that I was addicted to political punditry, from both the left and the right. I was consuming it during and after work, supposedly my 'down time'. I wanted to create a website that acknowledged this interest as well as manufacturing an excuse to make animations.
 
 When friends asked me why I was so interested in politics, one of the analogies I would use was wrestling. At its root I saw it as a popularity contest, not a matter of 'what you do' but 'how you appear'. Obviously this is a cynical outlook, but as a graphic designer with a keen interest in youth marketing I had always been fascinated with the art of 'making people like you' or more aptly 'how to trick people into liking you'. In this way I see a lot of similarities in wrestling, politics and punditry.

   Of course there are pundits I genuinely like and agree with, others whose artistry I admire and some who get on my nerves. One thing I didn't want my site to be was solely ideologically driven and partisan. I wanted people to listen to pundits who they may ideologically differ from, deconstruct it and appreciate it for what it actually was.

One of the reasons I've used an analogy is to separate the pundits [even if its just one degree] from ideology but rather to look it strictly from a 'persuasion' point of view. Like wrestling I want the site to be community driven, the reaction and support of the audience will determine which pundits the public demand more of and which pundits don't connect.

With that said, I take politics seriously. Our political beliefs are to be taken solemnly as they are firmly held. But beliefs are only given power when actioned, tested in reality where its effects on our community and our livelihoods can be measured. Even then we must pressure those in power to carry out those tenets in good faith and for the benefit of the community.

Pundits whether through blogs, radio or TV are often at the forefront of debate and discourse on these crucial matters of politics. Whilst its partisan nature can be destructive, it can also inform much more incisively as it brings to the fore the key points of difference and base emotions and motivations behind each sides opinion.

Ideally the APF can be positioned as a lighter debating/deconstructing forum where people can discuss their favorite (or not) political talkers. I can only hope.

See Hugh Hewitt and the rest of the APF pundits at www.punditfight.com