Sean Hannity on "demoniz[ing]" Hillary Clinton: "That's my job"

Summary: On Fox News, Sean Hannity stated, "If Hillary was chosen [as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee], this would have electrified" the DNC. Juan Williams replied: "I agree, but I can't believe you are saying this. You demonized Hillary." Hannity then said: "That's my job ... I led the 'Stop Hillary Express.' By the way, now it's the 'Stop Obama Express.' "

On the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity asserted, "[I]t would have been electrifying, in my view, had [Sen.] Barack Obama picked [Sen.] Hillary Clinton" as his vice-presidential nominee. Later, during a discussion with Fox News contributor Juan Williams and Democratic pollster Doug Schoen, Hannity said, "If Hillary was chosen, this would have electrified this place [the Democratic National Convention]." Williams replied, "I agree, but I can't believe you're saying this. You demonized Hillary." Hannity then said: "That's my job ... I led the 'Stop Hillary Express.' By the way, now it's the 'Stop Obama Express.' "

As Media Matters for America documented, on the August 21 edition of Hannity & Colmes, when Fox News contributor Geraldine Ferraro criticized the media's coverage of the Clinton campaign, Hannity asserted, "I think I was more fair to the Clintons," despite his lengthy record of smearing the Clintons.

From the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: I find it amazing, you know, the pick of Joe Biden. First of all, it would have been electrifying, in my view, had Barack Obama picked Hillary Clinton.

[...]

HANNITY: But look at these polls. Look at the Rasmussen polls -- only 39 percent were enthusiastic about the selection, only 33 percent of women. If Hillary was chosen, this would have electrified this place.

SCHOEN: Exactly. I agree with that.

WILLIAMS: I agree, but I can't believe you're saying this.

HANNITY: I -- listen --

WILLIAMS: You demonized Hillary.

HANNITY: That's my job. I led -- I led the -- I led the "Stop Hillary Express." By the way, now it's the "Stop Obama Express."

WILLIAMS: But now -- but now you miss Hillary, huh?

HANNITY: No, no. It's not that. She would have -- she got 18 million votes, Juan.

WILLIAMS: Right.

HANNITY: He barely crossed that finish line at the end of that race.

WILLIAMS: I agree.

HANNITY: You know, but one of the reasons I would argue is that the radical association issue didn't come out until later. Then it's the children of the world, him playing the race card. You know, he's an orthodox liberal, really hardcore, number one liberal in the Senate, picks the number three liberal in the Senate. That's gonna be hard to sell.

—M.B.B.