RE-POSTED FROM OUR OCT. 2022 PRINTED EDITION:
LAMBERT EXPOSES REPUBLICANS FOR PARTICIPATING IN
DEMOCRAT PROTECTION PLAN
by Lonnie Brennan
They tried shooting the messenger (Ed Lambert), but it backfired. They should know better. You need a howitzer to even scratch the man.
Ed Lambert, host of the Ed Lambert show on WXTK Cape Cod radio pulled at a string. Then another string, then another, and another. (The man does not let up when seeking the truth.)
It took a few days of shows, but Ed Lambert refused to sit down, refused to be silenced. They tried to blow back at him. Why in the world, they asked, would he dare say anything against a Republican?
Cape and Islands Republican State Committeewoman Judy Crocker tried to silence Ed – told him to move along, nothing to see here. Judy’s efforts not only failed, but Ed got her to out-right admit that Republicans participate in a Democrat protection plan. In short, Ed hit paydirt – exposed the whole scheme.
What happened? In a nutshell, over a period of many weeks last month, the long-time talk host blew the lid off the dirty deals elected Republicans and certain high-profile and influential Republicans have made with Democrats. And it’s not just on Cape Cod. The Democrat protection plan/pact apparently extends to Cape Ann and most likely much of the state.
Yes, Lambert exposed that elected Republicans as well as certain elected Republican State Committee member/s (the governing board of the Massachusetts Republican Party) have an unwritten rule: Don’t endorse fellow Republicans if they are challenging incumbent Democrats.
After reading note after note on-air and taking calls from current and former candidates who received no visible support from elected Republicans, Ed named names.
His public exposure of the “deal with the devil” – Republicans refusing to support Republicans against sitting Democrats – irritated State Committeewoman Judy Crocker who called into the show, blasting: “I just ended a campaign meeting short that I had at 7:00 a.m. and I have another campaign meeting at eight and I ended it short because I got 47 phone calls and text messages and emails about YOU this morning.”
“OK. Good, people are listening,” Ed replied.
“Yeah. People are listening,” Judy retorted, “which is why my clients advertise on your show. OK. What do you need from me? I haven’t heard the show this morning, but I heard you were calling me out. So, what do you want?”
Ed went on to summarize how he had discussed with callers and candidates, as well as read on air many communications noting how Republican Reps. Dave Viera, Tim Whelan, and Steve Xiarhos “will not support a Republican candidate against a Democrat incumbent.”
Judy’s reply did not set well with either Ed nor his subsequent callers when she tried to explain “support is, is a, is a term that can be used in a lot of different ways in politics.” She went on to state that endorsements don’t win elections, and that while “people may not publicly put their name on things, that doesn’t mean they’re not helping behind the scenes. And, and by the way, they, the Democrats, have the same rule. This isn’t a one rule situation. Like the Democrats, the Democrats. Yeah. All right. If there’s an incumbent rep., you know, a Republican who has an opponent, they stay out of it too. OK? As far as endorsements though… But people go to campaign meetings, people sit in people’s living rooms and discuss people, take phone calls and help. Yeah. You know, they may not put their name on something, but that doesn’t mean they’re not behind the scenes helping others.”
Ed asked Judy – the voice of the Republican Party on Cape Cod – “why can’t somebody put their name on something? Judy, why is that an unwritten law? Why?”
“You know what, Ed,” Judy replied, “I’m tired. Listen, we’ve been talking about this for three days.” She went on to try to change the subject to lack of support of Republican Scott Brown, then had to ring-off for a “meeting,” but said she would call back in half-an-hour. After a long pause, Ed said he looked forward to her call.
In the interim, Ed fielded call-after-call from Republicans who expressed their disdain with Judy and Republicans who refuse to openly support/endorse fellow Republicans. In reference to Judy, one caller gave his blunt opinion of her exchange, then asked Ed: “Can you say crap on the air?” Another caller complimented Ed on “getting Judy Crocker to admit, to admit there is a rule.”
Another poignant caller noted: “This is ridiculous. And she’s about to come [back] on, give you a song and dance. I think you need to bring out your Clinton dictionary,” he said, referring to Judy’s definition of invisible support.
Other callers cited past Republican candidates who got the sharp end of the stick from elected Republicans. The list was long, dating back at least a dozen years. Still other callers and writers castigated the talk show host for exposing the unholy alliance. “Do you want more liberal progressives in office … then keep beating up on the Republicans on the Cape …. Why are you doing this? Please stop it.”
When Judy called back in, the first thing she did was explain that her comment about having her clients advertise on Ed’s show was not a veiled threat against the host. She went on to lecture Ed about needing to support Republicans, citing how Scott Brown lost his re-election because Republicans thought he was too liberal. Ed attempted to get her back on track to the unholy alliance. She wasn’t budging, instead noting: “I’ve been getting a lot of emails. I’ve been getting emails saying you need to go on Ed[‘s show] and tell him to move on.”
“I’m not going to move on,” Ed replied. He asked her repeatedly why he should move on?
“You know what, Judy? Why the hell? Why the hell? Why should I move on? When Will [Crocker] your husband [and fellow Republican State Committee member] told me yesterday there’s no such thing as an unwritten rule, you told me this morning: Yes, there is. So why am I moving on?”
The conversation drifted downhill with Judy ringing off.
Lambert’s listeners let everyone know how they felt about Judy. Over a period of more than a week, more and more candidates who apparently thought they were the only ones shunned by sitting Republicans came forth and discussed their situation with Ed; Republicans not supporting Republicans against Democrats – protecting Democrats from opponents – give the Democrats a near free-pass.
The best word on the show: “integrity.” Ed Lambert did not bend, did not bow down, did not let go, did not back off, and any attempt to blow-back at Lambert failed because of that one word: integrity. Listen to Ed Lambert: streaming at https://95wxtk.iheart.com. ♦
