Conservative Commentator and GOP Press Operative Tony Blankley Dies at 63
- Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:32pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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(The Blaze/AP) Tony Blankley, a conservative author and commentator who served as press secretary to Newt Gingrich during the Republican takeover of Congress in the 1990s, has died. He was 63.
Blankley’s wife, Lynda Davis, says he died Saturday night at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington. He had been suffering from stomach cancer.
Blankley was an executive vice president with the Edelman public-relations firm in Washington, as well as a visting senior fellow in national-security communications for the Heritage Foundation. Before working for Gingrich from 1990 to 1997, he spent six years in the Reagan administration in a variety of positions, including speechwriter and policy analyst. From 2002 to 2007, he was the editorial page editor of The Washington Times.
Many became familiar with Blankley from his appearances on “The McLaughlin Group,” where he was a regular panelist.
Born in London, he moved with his parents to California as a child and became a naturalized American citizen.
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Comments (57)
PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:12amR.I.P. Tony, you were a great conservative and your voice will be missed.
Report Post »Coyote6
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 6:05amUck. I never heard of this guy, and now that I read the story, I’m sorry for it. He sounds like a really cool guy. I’m sorry I listened to the msm for so long. Maybe that’s why I never heard of him. Sincere condolences to the family. Cancer sucks.
Report Post »bronco83
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 3:35pmTo hear of him you have to be able to read hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »tbarr4
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:08amGod Bless Tony Blankley a “Great American”!!
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 2:35amTBARR4, I was going to post the same thing. I enjoyed listening to his opinions. He will be missed.
Report Post »Lucy Larue
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:04pmTBARR4,
Agreed and Amen.
Report Post »lodgerat
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:06pmThe David 11 post is another sign of how out of wack people of our country have become. My friend you are a sad example of how low one can go. To the Blankley family I express my sadness for your loss. God Bless Tony, he was a class act who will be missed.
Report Post »To the trolls please use some common sense and respect the loss of a good man.
ProudTeaPartyMember
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 9:27pmA really good man that I will miss. Rest in Peace Tony.
Report Post »GeneTracy
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:35amAmen
Report Post »WBOPP
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 8:40pmHis family is in our thoughts, He will be missed. As i scanned the channels i always stopped and listened to him. What a thinker…. safe travels tony.
Report Post »BeyondFedup
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 8:30pmSo sorry for his family, he was a great commentator. I hope he runs into Tony Snow in heaven.
Report Post »fuzzy20841
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 8:25pmTony was one of the good guys. He will be sorely missed!
Report Post »RIP……..
roadhog
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 8:14pmTony was one of the Smartest on air Analysis. He make the Cool Ade Drinkers like Cris Mattews look like fools. RIP Tony
Report Post »Alemary
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 8:07pmTony will be missed. His commentary was always welcomed in my home. RIP. As far as David11 is concerned, Classless.
Report Post »crazyrightwingmom
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:41pmHe was always a real hero of mine and a very brave man! I am so sorry to hear this.
Report Post »suz
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:11pmi always liked tony.
Report Post »nanzofsc
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:55pmTony was a great man and will be missed by many. I loved him on McLaughlin Group!! My condolences to his family. And those of you who have the need to post off topic or worse, say disgusting things when told of a mans death, shame on you!
Report Post »Grasshopper42
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:52pmMaybe, just maybe, DAVID11 is a Romney, Gingrich, Obummer, etc. plant. Now, I’m not a Ron Paul or any other supporter, mind you. But think about it. This troll makes no sense whatsoever! What better way to spread chaos amongst the ranks of those trying to get our country back. Ignore fools like this.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:35pmNot likely.
Report Post »He’s got his act down pat.
He’s part of the addle brained segment of Paul supporters that are so annoying.
Not all are like that but they have more than their share of empty headed parrots.
I.Gaspar
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:51pmA good man too young to go…my prayers go to his family.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:07pmAgree .. Rest in Peace.
Report Post »nick7
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:48pmFor a minute I thought I could read a list of comments from considerate people. But, some people can’t just stick to the topic. Certaining showing a gross imbalance with which they are infested fueled by a hatred of about everything. To build a satisfactory society this thinking must be eliminated not tolerated. Call it just retaliation.
Report Post »SheriS
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:32pmI saw him recently and thought he looked ill—had lost a lot of weight! Prayers for Tony and his family as he will be missed by a lot of us who have been used to seeing him on TV!
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:19pmPrayers and condolences for his family and loved ones.
Report Post »Tryharder
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:01pmThe passing of a great mind indeed. May he & other great conservatives be at peace & inspire all of us to fight the good fight.
Report Post »Diamond Girl
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:19pmRest in Peace Tony…you will be so missed by me…words cannot express how I feel about his loss to our nation…but it’s a big loss for me.
Report Post »neverending
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:16pmThoughts and prayers go out to his family and all his friends. He is a great loss to all conservatives.
Report Post »CONSERVAKILLA
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:15pmanother one bites the dust!
Report Post »crazyrightwingmom
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:42pmcould you bite some dust please.
Report Post »jsDway
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:11pmSorry to read of his death, Tony was a great conservative who loved his country! I am sorry he is no longer here to fight the good fight with us, will pray for his family.
Report Post »David11
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:57pmSantorum brought his DEAD son home to show his other kids the body and slept with his DEAD son overnight. That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard of and it shows how sick and mentally ILL Rick Santorum is. Santorum needs help and he best not walk but RUN to the nearest mental health center.
BenInNY
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:01pmAre you F’ing kidding me? What in God’s name is wrong with you? Notice what story you’re posting on?
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:08pmdavey,
Report Post »I would suggest YOU run to the nearest psychiatric hospital and beg them to let YOU in.
For you to make this comment after this story shows what a pitiful little man you are.
texasfireguy
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:13pmDavid is another Paulbot. I wonder if they get payed for the number of posts or volume of words typed.
Report Post »Nobar
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:27pmI’m becoming more and more convinced that 1/3 of all Paulies are for him for no other reason than the legalization of drugs. There can be no other reasonable explanation for their support.
Report Post »SheriS
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:34pmDavid, what a stupid comment to make when the story is about another great man who will be missed by a lot of Americans, but you feel the need to bash Santorum instead. Maybe the best place for you right now is in the corner asking forgiveness for stupidity!
Report Post »Stu D. Baker-Hawk
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:50pmDavid11 has a purpose in this world, and that purpose is to be the perfect reverse barometer for us who hold goodness and truth dear to our hearts. If David11 likes it, it must be bad and I will shun it. If David11 hates it, I’ll assess its good qualities, and embrace it for the positives it has to offer mankind.
Thanks, David11, your purpose is clear.
Report Post »texasnellie
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:00pmWhat is wrong with you? Have you ever heard of a wake?
Report Post »Follow the story or don’t post
welovetheUSA
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:31pmDavid11…………….true liberal……….no facts…….no heart………no soul …no where to go but down.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:48pm@DAVID
Get help.
Report Post »str8blues
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:30pmYou’re one sick pathetic individual David. You‘re parent should be proud of the find man they’ve raised. Mentally on the same scale as Jeffery Dahmer. A reflection of your parents.
Report Post »PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 9:08am@11 : You are a sick MF . You need to go back to HUFF POST. You are a hero there.
Report Post »David11
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:50pmAs President, Ron Paul will lead the way out of this crisis by:
* Vetoing any unbalanced budget Congress sends to his desk.
* Refusing to further raise the debt ceiling so politicians can no longer spend recklessly.
* Fighting to fully audit (and then end) the Federal Reserve System, which has enabled the over 95% reduction of what our dollar can buy and continues to create money out of thin air to finance future debt.
* Legalizing sound money, so the government is forced to get serious about the dollar’s value.
* Ending the corporate stranglehold on the White House.
* Driving down gas prices by allowing offshore drilling, abolishing highway motor fuel taxes, increasing the mileage reimbursement rates, and offering tax credits to individuals and businesses for the use and production of natural gas vehicles.
* Eliminating the income, capital gains, and death taxes to ensure you keep more of your hard-earned money and are able to pass on your legacy to your family without government interference
Nobar
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:04pmAnd people wonder why mainstream conservatives don‘t like Ronulus’ supporters. You people have no respect at all. Go back to OWS where you belong.
Report Post »BenInNY
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:05pmTo this I say it’s obvious the average RP supporter posting here holds nothing sacred, even stories of a man’s death are to be spammed with posts about completely unrelated campaign issues.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:14pmThey are definitely not helping their cause by spamming every thing on the site.
Report Post »Fritz_Katz
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:48pmI’m certain that David11 is actually a Romney supporter who is paid to post stupidity and off-topic crap on blogs all day. That way, we‘ll all start to hate Ron Paul because we’ll think his supporters are clueless idiots. Those Romney supporters are insidious!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:06pmYou Paulbots, OWS, Obama supporters … Dems .. really lack any class what so ever. Get help.
Report Post »KTsayz
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:28pmThis guy is obviously another plant for those who do not want to see Ron Paul elected.
Report Post »Someone hacked into Ron Paul’s twitter account to add a tweet about Huntsman, and an anti-Ron Pauler put up that disgusting video of Huntsman.
“Some anonymous person (“AN APPARENT SANTORUM SUPPORTER”!) has now created the YouTube account NH4Santorum and uploaded the same (Huntsman) video there, calling on viewers to vote for Santorum. NH4freedomRomney has also appeared (OBVIOUSLY CREATED BY A ROMNEY SUPPORTER!). It too features the “China Jon” ad, and calls on viewers to vote for Mitt Romney. Will the media now ask these candidates to disown the video, or will they suddenly be perfectly capable of seeing how ridiculous that is? The answer is obvious.”
http://www.theendrun.com/huntsman-complicit-in-false-flag-style-dirty-trick-against-paul
str8blues
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:32pmYOU! Are precisely why Ron Paul will not get my vote. He attracts the lowest form of life like yourself. Pathetic vile human being.
Report Post »Lucy Larue
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:04pmDAVID!!,
Re. your tasteless, inappropriate post.
Congressman Ron Paul is 78 freaking years old!
His foreign policy in the age of Islamofascism is insane.
He is neither a Republicican, Democrat, nor Independent.
He is a curmudgeon.
He is a big talker. Were he to become President he would be unable to do 80% of what he says he will do.
It is fantasy. Ron Paul does not acknowledge that EVIL exists!
You bought it. you’re dumb.
David 11…,please go to http://www.bigjournalism.com and read the article by Dr. Jason Williams. It is titled,”Credit Where It’s Due:Boston Herald (A LIBERAL RAG!) defends Santorum. Please do it. You need to.
You have managed to trash an innocent baby who died…., along with a true journalist who died too soon. Tres vulgaire!
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:36pmIs it possible to hear about the conservative commentators BEFORE they slip into the sunset?.Accolades are better when served they are alive.
Report Post »Tryharder
Posted on January 9, 2012 at 1:07pmExcellent point. We knew about Tony Snow’s cancer so we could be prepared for the inevitable. It is always such a shock when you read the headline of “______ has died” and didn’t know he/she was seriously ill. Maybe a privacy issue for the family not wanting the illness to be public while those in the know are aware.
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