Fox News host Geraldo Rivera: GOP crippled by right wing radio hosts

On HuffPost Live, Rivera described those who listened to conservative hosts like Rush Limbaugh as “absolutists” who were fond of the 1950s. He said Republicans could never hope to regain the White House if they pandered to such demographics, who were stubbornly opposed to immigration reform and same-sex marriage.

“I think talk radio has driven the platform drafters in the GOP for at least the last several election cycles,” Rivera continued.

Rivera warned right wing radio had “helped cripple the GOP” through its influence on the party. He said Mitt Romney was defeated “right out of the gate” because of the conservative party platform that Republicans approved in 2012.