If you troll talk radio or the blogosphere, it's easy to find partisan voices on any given debate engaging in rhetoric that goes beyond civility, taste, and reason. Such characters are often quickly disavowed by the party that they are ostensibly affiliated with. These figures are denounced as extremists whom aren't taken seriously, and we're told they don't represent the party, etc.
A case in point is Ward Churchill, a leftist professor at the University of Colorado who essentially said the victims of 9/11 deserved to die. The right trots out Ward Churchill to demonstrate how corrupt and anti-American the left is. If most of the left supported Churchill, the right would have a point, problem is, he's an isolated figure, a pariah denounced by everyone. The right knows this but also knows that it's easy to incite a mob so they continue to extract whatever mileage remains out of tarring Democrats and the left with Churchill.
Conservatives like to use the same defense when a nutcase on their side of the fence goes off the plantation. However, despite the common refrain from the right about the liberal media, the truth is that today's biggest media stars are from the right; they have the highest rated cable and radio shows with audiences in the millions, and are the highest paid. Perhaps the foulest, most racist, and most hateful among this group is Michael Savage - famous for telling a caller into his show that he hoped the caller died of AIDS.
If Savage, and to a lesser degree, the semi-hot, bat shit insane barbie twins, Coulter and Malkin, were ostracized from the Republican party, rejected by mainstream conservatives, then the analogy to Churchill would resonate. The truth, however, is that these right wing media stars are embraced and championed by the right. Coulter has delivered speeches at the some of the biggest conservative conferences and functions, events that featured Vice President Cheney, other elected republicans and prominent conservatives.
One of Savage's favorite guests is Tom Tancredo, Republican Congressman from Arizona and chief proponent of draconian immigration reform. Rather than challenging Savage, Tancredo nods in agreement as Savage spews racist and inflammatory hate. Tancredo is a hero on the right, a straight shooter with balls. By embracing Savage, he imbues Savage with aura of respectability, taking Savage from crackpot to organ of the message.
Media Matters provides the transcript of Tancredo's lastest visit with Savage.
A case in point is Ward Churchill, a leftist professor at the University of Colorado who essentially said the victims of 9/11 deserved to die. The right trots out Ward Churchill to demonstrate how corrupt and anti-American the left is. If most of the left supported Churchill, the right would have a point, problem is, he's an isolated figure, a pariah denounced by everyone. The right knows this but also knows that it's easy to incite a mob so they continue to extract whatever mileage remains out of tarring Democrats and the left with Churchill.
Conservatives like to use the same defense when a nutcase on their side of the fence goes off the plantation. However, despite the common refrain from the right about the liberal media, the truth is that today's biggest media stars are from the right; they have the highest rated cable and radio shows with audiences in the millions, and are the highest paid. Perhaps the foulest, most racist, and most hateful among this group is Michael Savage - famous for telling a caller into his show that he hoped the caller died of AIDS.
If Savage, and to a lesser degree, the semi-hot, bat shit insane barbie twins, Coulter and Malkin, were ostracized from the Republican party, rejected by mainstream conservatives, then the analogy to Churchill would resonate. The truth, however, is that these right wing media stars are embraced and championed by the right. Coulter has delivered speeches at the some of the biggest conservative conferences and functions, events that featured Vice President Cheney, other elected republicans and prominent conservatives.
One of Savage's favorite guests is Tom Tancredo, Republican Congressman from Arizona and chief proponent of draconian immigration reform. Rather than challenging Savage, Tancredo nods in agreement as Savage spews racist and inflammatory hate. Tancredo is a hero on the right, a straight shooter with balls. By embracing Savage, he imbues Savage with aura of respectability, taking Savage from crackpot to organ of the message.
Media Matters provides the transcript of Tancredo's lastest visit with Savage.
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4 comments:
Tom Tancredo. Piece of shit.
A little digging reveals that he is the descendant of Italian immigrants, who were no doubt as reviled by the ethnic white majority at the time as are Mexican immigrants by today's white majority, of which Tom is now magically a member.
When I rule the world and master the art of time travel, Tom will be sent back in time to (re)live the life of a tenement dwelling Italian immigrant.
hahaha...yeah nothing like a little perspective to change your world view. too bad though, until he will have his air time and his nonsense.
speaking of liars....I saw a bit of more information on that so called heckler with 26 years of experience as a CIA ANALYST that asked Don Rumsfeld why he lied to take us to war. Rumsfeld simply denied lying then said something about WMD then the former CIA ANALYST asked him didn't you know where the WMDs were? Rumsfeld said no, but on a March 30, 2003 morning talk show he said, "we know where the WMD are, they are east, north and south of somewhere." the former CIA ANALYST quoted him and Rumsfeld lied again. NO FUCKING SHAME.
How much influence? I guess we'll see in the next election. I see the Bush Administration moving to the center a little on certain things (e.g., inviting former secretaries of state, both Dem and Rep, to give advice on Iraq). Bush was supposed to be a "compassionate conservative" and heal the divides of the Clinton administration. Never happened and after 9/11 - big swing to the right, as if he wouldn't have gone there anyway. Interesting to see where the mainstream repubs are heading and whether they'll try to marginalize folks like Falwell, Coulter and Savage.
I'm trying to think of someone on the left who is as cuckoo for cocoa puffs as Falwell, Coulter and Savage and who gets just as much media play. Maybe Michael Moore. Obviously, Fehrenheit 9/11 had a negligible effect on the 2004 election. Not sure the left has another attack dog like Moore.
Big D - you're the blogspert - who's the most strident lefty who gets media play (or at least has a syndicated column/radio show)?
I can't think of many strident lefties who elected Dems openly associate with. As I wrote that entry the best example I thought of was the Black Dems associating with Farrakhan. I'm sure some attended the Million Man March, for example. But Farrakhan is no Limbaugh or even Savage, his reach on the airwaves is minimal, and it's hard to see Farrakhan invited to speak at prominent Democratic events.
The best examples I can think of leftys embraced by pols are Al Franken and Stephen Colbert- though it's a limited analogy. Neither of them base their message on hate so it's really not too risky for pols to associate with them. They might call a Repub an idiot, but they won't invoke Satan or the Nazis in describing them.
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