Women, minorities, autistic children: Conservative radio's vitriol not reserved for Obama
As Media Matters for America documented, the nationwide network of conservative radio hosts -- personalities without the national prominence of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh -- engaged in an all-out effort to foment hate and suspicion of Barack Obama by participating actively in an echo chamber of smears and falsehoods about the primary candidate and then Democratic nominee. But these same radio hosts were by no means discerning in their vitriol and did not save their ire solely for Obama. The smears ran the gamut, both in the context of the 2008 election, as Media Matters noted in the previous report, and beyond. Immigrants, female politicians (and women in general), the LGBT community, the poor and homeless, minorities, progressives, unions, college students, and even autistic children were targets of these radio personalities' invective. Media Matters and Colorado Media Matters have compiled some of their more noteworthy attacks on these groups.
Immigrants
In discussing immigration reform or immigration in general, conservative talk-radio hosts have repeatedly smeared immigrants -- Latino immigrants in particular -- as violent, uncivilized, or having sinister motives against the United States. Media Matters has documented several instances of talk-radio hosts baselessly blaming undocumented immigrants for the mortgage crisis, citing bogus statistics -- refuted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- to claim that they held a significant percentage of subprime loans.
- G. Gordon Liddy
On the June 5 broadcast of his radio show, G. Gordon Liddy asserted: "[T]he problem that I have is with people who come over here and instead of wanting to become Americans, you know, fly the American flag, learn English, and so forth, they want to fly the Mexican flag, they want to speak Spanish, you know, and other varieties of illegal alien." Liddy later added: "They want to reconquer America, they say."
- Jim Quinn, Lee Rodgers
On October 10, KSFO's Lee Rodgers repeated a variation of the claim that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that it gave "5 million illegal aliens" subprime loans which have not been paid back. The same day, Quinn & Rose's Jim Quinn also claimed that "[f]ive million of these bad mortgages went to illegal aliens" without citing a source for the figure. But neither noted that HUD has reportedly stated that this statistic is false.
- Michael Savage
Savage: "Illegal aliens" have "raped and disheveled" the Statue of Liberty
Discussing the Italian government's reported decision to deploy soldiers on city streets to combat violent crime allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, Michael Savage said during the August 4 broadcast of his radio show: "So they've done there what we need to do here. We need to get our troops out of Iraq and put them on the streets of America to protect us from the scourge of illegal immigrants who are running rampant across America, killing our police for sport, raping, murdering like a scythe across America while the liberal psychos are telling us they come here to work." Savage added: "[Y]ou turn on the cable news, they're covering again a missing child. Not a missing country but a missing child. ... We hear about the rape of a woman, but not about the rape of the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is crying, she's been raped and disheveled -- raped and disheveled by illegal aliens."
Michael Savage asserted on the June 23 broadcast of his radio show: "We're getting refugees now who have never used a telephone, a toothbrush, or toilet paper. You're telling me they're going to assimilate? They will never assimilate. They come here and they bring their destitute ways to this country, and they never assimilate." He continued: "And then their children become gang-bangers. It is a disaster." Savage added that earlier immigrants to the U.S. "had used toilet paper and toothbrushes and they knew how to survive in this country. They took a job or they worked. They didn't come and sit and have 16 children and eat beetle nuts."
On the January 29 broadcast of his radio show, while discussing President Bush's AIDS spending proposal in the State of the Union address, Michael Savage responded to a caller's assertion that he "do[es]n't know anything about Africa" by unleashing a series of attacks on the continent and its people, including the claim that AIDS "got" to Africa "because it was spread from eating green monkey meat" and that "in Africa ... people settle arguments with machetes."
On September 16 broadcast of The Savage Nation, discussing a caller's claim that "Muslim fundamentalists" are "walk[ing] around Northern Virginia as if they own the place," Michael Savage asked, "Why would a nation that is as evolved as America, and as liberal as America is socially, want to bring in throwbacks who are living in the 15th century?" He also asked: "What is the societal benefit of bringing in throwbacks, some of whom are no doubt terrorists, and some of whom are gonna produce children who will become terrorists?"
Sex and gender
As Media Matters noted, right-wing talk-radio hosts have also repeatedly made sexist comments about female politicians -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- often highlighting a woman's physical characteristics, in one instance referring to Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's "smoking-hot" looks while calling Obama a "little bitch." Others referred to Sen. Hillary Clinton as a "bitch" and, in numerous instances, remarked on her voice, with one describing it as "screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice." Also, as Media Matters noted, hosts and guests have attacked progressive women as "ugly skanks" or "whores," impugned women's abilities as political leaders, and some have even questioned allowing women the right to vote.
- Chris Baker
Baker called Obama a "little bitch" who "won't even stand up to" "smoking-hot" Palin
While discussing Palin's assertion that Obama was "palling around with terrorists" on the October 6 broadcast of his radio show, Baker called Obama a "little bitch" who "won't even stand up to a smoking-hot chick from Alaska." Baker did not note that The New York Times article Palin cited for her claim about Obama's association with William Ayers reported that "the two men do not appear to have been close," or that the Obama campaign did indeed respond to Palin's claim.
On the October 3 broadcast of The Chris Baker Show, Baker said Palin "shoulda had a little cleavage going" during the vice-presidential debate, and that he "noticed a panty line on her."
Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote"; "I'm not that excited about women voting"
On the October 2 broadcast of his radio show, Baker said, "I don't think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest." Baker later said: "But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine. All right?"
Minneapolis radio host said Code Pink protesters "ought to have all their tubes tied"
During the September 5 broadcast his show, Baker stated of McCain's speech at the Republican National Convention, "I'll tell you, though, in the speech -- the best part of the speech was when those Code Pink nuts -- another bunch that ought to have all their tubes tied. All right? I can't stand these Code Pink broads."
- Mark Belling
Belling: "When you think of Hillary Clinton," the word "bitches" comes to mind
Milwaukee radio host Mark Belling declared on his September 11 radio show, "What's the process that determines which potholes get patched the fastest [in Milwaukee]? I'll tell you what it is. No, they don't go and judge it on severity. ... It's who -- can I use this word? When you think of [Sen.] Hillary Clinton what do you think -- what word comes to mind? Yes, can I use that word here? All right, it's who bitches the most."
Belling called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled old bag," "old witch"
During the September 4 broadcast of The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show, Belling called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled old bag," "old witch," and "embittered old has-been" and also stated that the "previous generation" of feminists "were so ugly you couldn't stand to look at them." Belling made these remarks while discussing Steinem's September 4 Los Angeles Times op-ed, in which she criticized McCain's choice of Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.
- Jon Caldara
On Caldara's KOA show, Coulter claimed women's suffrage "explains the destruction of America"
Appearing as a guest on the June 16 broadcast of Jon Caldara's Newsradio 850 KOA program, Ann Coulter asserted that women aren't "concerned with how capital is generated and created," and claimed that women's suffrage "explains the destruction of America." Her remarks echoed those in a 2007 blog posting that quoted her as saying, "If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president."
Caldara asked Coulter if Clinton was "bitch-slapped" in debate
Discussing the January 21 CNN Democratic presidential candidates' debate, Caldara during his broadcast that evening asked Coulter whether it was "fair to say" that Clinton "got bitch-slapped tonight."
- Bill Cunningham
On the October 29 broadcast of his Cincinnati-based radio show, host Bill Cunningham stated: "Traditionally, we think of women as Democratic voters because a lot of women who are single are vulnerable; they need like a daddy government to keep an eye on them."
- Mark Levin
Addressing his September 4 comments on Sean Hannity's radio show, in which he called the National Organization for Women, the "National Organization of Ugly Women," Mark Levin said on his September 8 radio show: "I just wanted to underscore that maybe I shouldn't have called them the National Organization of Ugly Women. For now on, it's the National Organization of Really Ugly Women." Levin first made his remarks while discussing with Hannity NOW's opposition to Palin.
- Quinn & Rose
On his syndicated radio show, Jim Quinn referred to the National Organization for Women as "the National Organization for Whores," and said of Philadelphia Daily News columnist Fatimah Ali: "[Y]ou know, Fatimah, what's your real name? Come on, seriously. I mean, get an American name, will you, if you want to be an American." He then asked: "You don't suppose she's a liberal black Muslim, do you?"
After reading from a blog post about a Georgia teacher who reportedly informed the school principal and campus police that a picture of a vampire one of her students had drawn might contain gang symbols, Quinn stated on the November 6 broadcast of Clear Channel's The War Room with Quinn & Rose that the incident is evidence of "the chickification of schools, the feminization of society, and the war on masculinity." He then stated that "the goal of the public school system -- the feminists in the public school system -- is to make male behavior illegal, a crime."
On the October 6 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Jim Quinn claimed that Gloria Steinem opposes Gov. Sarah Palin because Palin "refused the sacrificial right of passage, better known as the Eucharist of the feminist church: abortion. That's right. She declined to slaughter her own unborn child, Trig, to the goddess of feminism, even after doctors told her that he was one of those Down syndrome 'throw-aways.' "
On the September 15 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Quinn stated: "If you don't agree with the feminist scolds, then you're not a real woman -- even if you are a very feminine working mom. But even if you're an actual man, never mind a childless feminist who looks like a Bulgarian weightlifter in drag, you're a real woman solely because you nod your head like a windup clapping monkey every time you read the latest editorial from Ms. Magazine." Quinn made these remarks while discussing, among other things, prominent feminists' opposition to Palin.
Quinn introduced segment about Hillary Clinton by playing Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back"
On the August 27 edition of the syndicated radio program The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Quinn introduced a segment on Sen. Hillary Clinton by saying, "By the way, that brings us to our Hillary Heads-Up," and then playing audio of the Elton John song "The Bitch Is Back." Quinn then said, "I was going to play 'Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead.' But you know what, I -- you never know with the Clintons."
- Lee Rodgers
On the October 17 broadcast of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, Rodgers said: "[Y]ou look at many -- perhaps most -- but many of the women who are professed leaders of the feminist movement in this country, and they're a bunch of hags." He added: "They couldn't get laid in a men's prison, let's be honest about it." Rodgers made these remarks while discussing, among other things, feminists' disapproval of Palin.
Returning to a previous claim he has made, Rodgers asserted on September 23: "I believe that the reason a bunch of puckered-butt Democrat women hate Sarah Palin is because her idea of choice was choosing not to have an abortion." Guest Steven Hayward of the American Enterprise Institute responded in part by saying: "[T]here is that very vocal segment of feminist opinion that celebrates abortion as a positive good in the same way that, you know, Southern slaveholders 150 years ago celebrated slavery as a positive good."
On the September 17 broadcast of his KSFO radio show, Rodgers said that "the female leadership of the Democratic Party" is made up of "ugly skanks." He also stated: "Sarah Palin's good-looking and they hate that." He also declared: "I think we have to ask: Would you like Sarah Palin better if she got pregnant again and did have an abortion, because it's obvious, with a lot of liberal women, killing babies is the main priority they have."
On the August 27 broadcast of his radio show, Rodgers said of Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention, "With that screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice of hers, it is impossible for Hillary Clinton to deliver a great speech." Rodgers later said that Bill and Hillary Clinton are hoping Obama "falls flat on his face so the Hilldebeest can have another run in four years, and Billy Bentpecker can hide behind the curtain in the Oval Office telling Hillary what he wants her to do as president of the United States."
On the June 11 broadcast of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Program, host Lee Rodgers said: "[T]he historical voting records show that Democrats have, historically, enjoyed a huge advantage in women voters. Why is that?" Rodgers continued: "Well, some women may be offended by this, but here's another dose of reality. We have a lot of women in this country who get knocked up and they don't have a husband. In effect, the government becomes Daddy in terms of paying the bills. And that accounts -- that's not all of it, but that accounts for a large part of that vote."
Media Matters has identified numerous examples of smears pertaining to sexual orientation or targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans that are routine among conservative talk-radio hosts. As Media Matters noted, legal rulings and ballot propositions regarding same-sex marriage prompted several radio hosts to target the LGBT community, in some cases suggesting that same-sex marriage will "lead to legal human-animal marriage."
- Jon Caldara
On Caldara program, Coulter called John Edwards "the very definition of faggy"
Referring to a National Enquirer report alleging that former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has an illegitimate child with "his mistress," a "blonde divorcée," Coulter told Caldara during his July 23 broadcast, "I just think John Edwards is an incredibly creepy individual and the very definition of faggy." Coulter's remark echoed her reference to Edwards as a "faggot" during a 2007 speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
- Dan Caplis
KHOW's Caplis again asserted that gay "conduct is not natural" and is "immoral"
During a discussion about same-sex adoption on his June 17 630 KHOW-AM broadcast, co-host Dan Caplis repeated his contention that gay "conduct is not natural," adding that "that conduct is immoral."
- "Gunny" Bob Newman
Discussing the California Supreme Court's decision invalidating a state statute banning same-sex marriage, Newsradio 850 KOA's "Gunny" Bob Newman on May 15 asserted that "under the crushing tyranny of the left, America will legalize gay marriage at the federal level -- or at a minimum recognize gay marriage in states with such laws." and that "[s]ome Americans fear that this will lead to legal human-animal marriage." Newman similarly warned of "[l]egal polygamy" and "[l]egal marriages between [parents] and their offspring."
- Michael Savage
On the October 29 broadcast of his radio show, Savage said of a California ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, "[T]here's a ballot initiative on homosexual marriage that is more important than you could imagine. It's called Proposition 8, and you must vote 'yes' if you're sane. If you're insane, hate the family, hate man and woman, hate your mother and father, hate the Bible, hate the church, and hate the synagogue, of course you're in favor of 'no' on Proposition 8." The next day on his program, Savage stated: "[T]he people who don't have families don't understand that, as difficult as family life is, life is impossible without it. They don't understand that. They don't understand what the family unit is. It's the strongest bond on Earth, which is why homosexual marriage is such a threat to civilization itself."
On the October 1 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Savage said: "[Y]ou may say, 'Why should we care about homosexuals trying to destroy families through the mock marriage that they perform in order to mock God, the church, the family, children, the fetus, the DNA of the human species? Why should we care about it while we have a financial meltdown?' Because the spiritual side of the downturn on Wall Street is directly related to the moral downturn in the United States of America." Savage later said of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: "Today it's the gays, tomorrow it'll be a man marrying a horse."
Discussing the Folsom Street Fair, a leather-themed adult-entertainment event in San Francisco, Savage declared on the September 29 broadcast of his radio show: "This country today is far beyond the excesses of the Weimar Republic that led to Adolf Hitler. God forbid that should ever happen here. But the German people, who were not all Nazis prior to Hitler's arrival on the scene, were shocked by the degenerates of Berlin. They were sickened by the perverts, sickened by the artistes, they were sickened by the leather fetishists, they were sickened by the degeneracy, and they couldn't handle it."
Savage: "The children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia"
Responding to a caller who said, "I had to explain to my young son why these two men were holding hands the other day," Savage stated on the June 16 broadcast of his radio show: "You've got to explain to the children ... why God told people this was wrong." He went on to say, "You have to explain this to them in this time of mental rape that's going on. The children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia, that's my position. They're raping our children's minds."
- Brian Sussman
On the June 16 broadcast of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, guest host Brian Sussman hosted theologian Charlie Self, whom Sussman called "Dr. History," to discuss the California Supreme Court's May 15 ruling overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriages. In the course of the discussion, Sussman referenced a post on Self's blog and said to Self: "On your website -- it's interesting you're addressing this very topic, Dr. Self, and you talk about how gay and lesbian radicals actively recruit through our schools and the media in order to swell their ranks. Talk to us about that for a moment." After asserting, "It is amazing how little the traditional family is pictured in either drama or comedy on TV anymore," Self said that "[t]he only way that you are going to grow the ranks of this kind of movement is this kind of onslaught because it is simply not part of the nature of things as designed or as evolved or as historically recorded for thousands of years." During the interview, Sussman also claimed that "Darwinism just doesn't jibe with gay marriage" and asserted: "[I]n our society we say, here are the rules: man and a woman, you can't marry anyone under this particular age, you can't marry a family member. So, the rules are the same for all of us, Dr. History. But, for some reason, the gays want to change those rules. I just don't understand it."
- Quinn & Rose
Quinn: "Gay sex produces AIDS"; "They should charge homosexuals more for their ... health insurance"
On the November 6 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Quinn said: "The only thing that -- the only thing that gay marriage produce -- well, gay marriage doesn't produce anything that the state has an interest in. Gay sex produces AIDS, which the state doesn't have -- or should have an interest in. They should charge homosexuals more for their -- for their health insurance than they charge the rest of us." Quinn made the comment while discussing the passage of a California ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Race and ethnicity
Several right-wing radio hosts have promoted insulting stereotypes regarding African-Americans, Mexicans, and other groups.
- Neal Boortz
On the May 29 broadcast of his radio show, while discussing reports that six Muslim women were fired from a Minnesota tortilla factory because of dress code violations, Boortz asked: "Muslims, making tortillas? You know, this world is really screwed up when Muslims are making our tortillas, folks." He added: "I mean, with all of the illegal Mexicans in this country, we can't find some Mexicans to make those tortillas?"
Boortz's commentary on his inability to use a floor buffer: "I would make a lousy Mexican"
On the April 10 edition of his radio show, Boortz asserted, "I would make a lousy Mexican." Engineer and "sidekick" Royal Marshall asked Boortz: "Why is that?" Boortz responded, "Well, because I wanted to scrub the hangar floor the other day, so I went and rented one of these big buffers," later adding: "I turned on that buffer, and it damn near killed me! It was dragging me across the hangar floor, throwing me around like I -- it was like a dog shaking a cat or something like that. You know, that's skilled labor."
- Bill Cunningham
Cunningham on Obama Sr.: "That's what black fathers do. They simply leave"
On the October 28 broadcast of his radio show, Cunningham stated of Obama's childhood: "[I]magine at the age of 1 or 2 seeing your father for the last time. See, his father was a typical black father who, right after the birth, left the baby. That's what black fathers do. They simply leave."
Cunningham guest Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson: "[M]ost black people today are racist"
On the October 20 edition of Clear Channel's The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, guest Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson said of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama: "[H]e's clearly for the color of the man and not the character." Cunningham replied, "Great comments, and if Obama was white as chalk, do you think that Powell would be endorsing the Democrat? He didn't endorse [Al] Gore, he didn't endorse [Sen. John] Kerry. I think color trumps everything in his mind." Peterson responded: "That's right, because if it was about what Barack Obama stood for, then he would have endorsed Gore and all those guys, but he did not. You know, it's so sad, my friend, that most black people today are racist. Not all, not all -- but most of them are racist."
During the October 10 broadcast of The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, Cunningham stated: "I think there will be 100 cities burning if Barack loses. Yeah, that's what the black intelligentsia says." Cunningham also asserted that "Flavor Flav, 50 Cent, and Diddy" are "really in charge of the [Obama] Inaugural [Ball]."
- G. Gordon Liddy
In sketch on Corsi's detention in Kenya, Liddy played audio of "jungle telegraph drums"
On the October 7 edition of his radio program, Liddy discussed the detention of Jerome Corsi in Kenya and aired a sketch in which he said: "We've used the satellite connection to Kenya, and we are now focusing in on the trial of Dr. Jerome Corsi. ... [H]e's being accused of impersonating a human being. My Zulu's not -- not as good as Obama's, but -- yeah, they're really upset with him. You can probably tell." Liddy then aired a clip apparently from the 1950 movie King Solomon's Mines, which featured characters speaking in Kinyarwanda (not Zulu), one of the official languages of Rwanda, and playing music on drums.
- Quinn & Rose
On the October 20 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, co-host Rose Tennent asserted that former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Obama "because he doesn't want to be known as an Uncle Tom anymore. He wants to be black again." Co-host Jim Quinn later said of Powell, "He's tired of being called an Oreo."
- Lee Rodgers
During the October 3 broadcast of KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, arguing that "some things never change," Rodgers claimed O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder because of a "racial vote" by the jury and said of polls that show "98 percent of black voters voting for" Obama: "[A]re we to assume they all agree with him on all his principles? Or could there be a hint of racial brotherhood in that vote? Come on, we know the answer to that." Rodgers also declared, "If any white person, for whatever reason -- because they think he consorts with terrorists or communists, or believes in all the things that black racist preacher said for 20 years votes against him for that reason -- no, no, no, no. If you're a white person voting against Obama, you are a racist."
- Michael Savage
Savage on Obama: "America's first affirmative action candidate about to become president"
During the October 27 broadcast of his radio show, Savage said: "Obama and I are on the opposite sides of the political spectrum, as you can well imagine. While he benefited from affirmative action, stepping over more qualified white men, I actually lost as a result of affirmative action, many times in my life. Although I'd get near 100s on certain exams, they put me at the back of the bus because they said -- the ACLU said -- certain people will have to put their futures on hold in order to let others advance, and take a look at where we are today -- we have America's first affirmative action candidate about to become president."
Savage: "Kenya is going to move to America if Barack Hussein Obama wins"
During the October 10 broadcast of his radio show, Savage baselessly accused Obama of running a "corrupt campaign," suggested that white liberals "hate white people," repeated the discredited charge that Obama "won't produce his birth certificate," and asserted "Kenya is going to move to America" if Obama wins the election.
Attacks on the poor
Several talk-radio hosts have attacked low-income and homeless Americans over the past year, characterizing them as "welfare broodmares" and "lack[ing] values, morals, and ethics." Some have advocated that the poor be disenfranchised, or even that the homeless be sent to "work camps."
- Chris Baker
Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote"; "I'm not that excited about women voting"
On the October 2 broadcast of show, Baker said: "I don't think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest." Baker subsequently added: "But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine. All right? And we'll see that, I'm sure, on a lame-ass website very soon. But I don't think hobos ought to vote at all. They're nuts. And I think that there needs to be a little more care in who votes."
- Neal Boortz
Boortz: "Single mothers receiving public assistance" are "welfare broodmares"
On his August 19 program, Boortz described "single mothers receiving public assistance" as "welfare broodmares." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a "broodmare" as "a mare [a female horse] kept for breeding." Boortz made the comment while discussing a report that women in Georgia who received public assistance gave birth at more than three times the rate of women who did not receive public assistance, according to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau figures.
Boortz again referred to victims of Hurricane Katrina as "parasite[s]"
On the June 19 edition of Cox Radio Syndication's The Neal Boortz Show, host Neal Boortz asserted that "the real question" concerning the difference between the current floods in the Midwest and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is as follows: "[W]hy is it that the people who are being affected by the floods in Iowa and the upper Midwest, why is it that they seem to be so much more capable of taking care of themselves and handling this disaster than were the people of Katrina in New Orleans?" Boortz continued, "I think the answer's pretty clear, is that up there in that part of the country, you find a great deal of self-sufficiency. Down there in New Orleans, it was basically a parasite class totally dependent on government for their existence." Boortz described this as being a "cultural issue, not a racial issue."
Boortz: "[P]rimary blame" for Katrina goes to "worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans"
Boortz asserted during the January 30 edition of his radio show: "I am fed up with this conventional wisdom that Katrina and the disaster that followed was George Bush's fault. It was not. The primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans who you -- couldn't even wipe themselves, let alone get out of the way of the water when that levee broke."
- Bill Cunningham
Cunningham: "[P]eople are poor in America ... because they lack values, morals, and ethics"
On the October 28 broadcast of his radio show, Cunningham asserted that "people are poor in America ... not because they lack money," but "because they lack values, morals, and ethics." He also said that "unlike many countries in the world ... we have fat poor people. We don't have skinny poor people. Ours are fat and flatulent." Cunningham made similar remarks on the October 23 broadcast of his radio show, asserting that "[t]he reason people are poor in America is not because they lack money, it's because poor people in America lack values, character, and the ability to work hard."
After declaring on October 27 that "most responsible couples engage in birth control so they don't bring children into the world they cannot afford," Cunningham claimed that "[a]mong the so-called noble poor in America, just the opposite is true. Birth control is not used so illegitimate children can be brought into the world, so the mom can get more checks in the mail from the government." Cunningham then added: "And then once the child is born, that is the key to financial riches in the poor communities -- white and black -- in America. And that key is Section 8 housing and vouchers; the key is food stamps, no work -- if you work you're punished."
- G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy: Obama is relying, in part, on "the welfare class" to win Pennsylvania
On his October 30 program, Liddy said of Obama's electoral prospects in Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania has been described as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with Alabama in the middle. Obama is counting on the urban elites and the welfare class to win the state for him. But he's putting on a show for the rest of Pennsylvania."
- Quinn & Rose
Quinn stated that unlike welfare recipients, slaves "had to work" for food, housing
On the November 6 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, Quinn compared "slave[s] in the Old South" to welfare recipients today, stating that the "difference" is that "[t]he slave had to work for" the benefits Quinn said they received. Quinn said: "You know, if you were a slave in the old South, what did you get as a slave? You got free room and board, you got free money, and you got rewarded for having children because that was just, you know, tomorrow's slave. So, you got a free house, you got free money, and you got rewarded for having children. Can I ask a question? How's that different from welfare? You get a free house, you get free food, and you get rewarded for having children. Oh, wait a minute, hold on a second. There is a difference: The slave had to work for it." The show then aired an audio clip of a buzzer sounding and a voice repeating, "Insensitivity!" Quinn then stated: "Ah, the truth stings, does it not?"
Responding to Media Matters item, Quinn defended comparison of welfare recipients to slaves
On the November 7 broadcast of The War Room, Quinn addressed comments he made on the previous day's broadcast comparing "slave[s] in the old South" to welfare recipients today, the "difference" being that "[t]he slave had to work for" the benefits Quinn said they received. Quinn said: "Now, naturally, the point that I was making was that there are two forms of servitude: There's the servitude that you can be forced into, and there's the servitude you can be coerced into, I mean, the horrors of slavery notwithstanding -- naturally, that was my point." He later added: "[W]hen you think about it, the slave had more personal nobility than the welfare recipient, because he or she had no say in their station in life. The welfare recipient actually volunteers for it. It is the liberal plantation."
On the October 30 broadcast of The War Room, Tennent said of the families featured in Obama's 30-minute ad: "Well, OK. They were sad stories, but I'm looking at the background. I'm not looking at the person talking in their home, I'm looking at what they have in their home. They have color television sets; they have everything that I have in my house. I'll bet you they have an iPod, I bet you they have, you know -- I'll bet they have a lot of luxuries in that home. They are not poor." Tennent later said: "So don't put -- don't put that jive out there in front of me, devil, and tell me that these people are hurting when they are not hurting. All they need to do is make some cuts and figure out a way to do this."
Quinn: "Originally, if you didn't have land, you didn't vote, and there was a good reason for it"
On the October 21 broadcast of The War Room, while reading from an opinion column by conservative blogger Scott Johnson that discussed the history of taxation and property rights in the United States, Quinn declared: "Originally, if you didn't own land, you didn't vote, and there was a good reason for it: because those without property will always vote away the property of other people unto themselves, and that's the beginning of the end." Quinn added: "But, oh no, that was -- that was just too mean-spirited." Moments earlier, Quinn said, "Now -- I mean, I can hear the appeal to the masses: 'It's not fair, it's not the American way that you don't get to vote,' but let me ask you a question: If I don't own anything, what kind of a problem do I have with voting for a measure -- a tax, a law -- that takes somebody else's property and gives it to me? I have no stake in personal property ownership 'cause I don't have any. Now, back in the day, when this was the law of the land, anybody who wanted to vote needed to step up to the plate, achieve, get a stake in America, and then vote."
- Michael Savage
On his October 22 show, Savage asked: "Do you think a person on welfare has the right to vote? I don't. Why should a person who is on public assistance maintain the right to vote? Tell me why. Where is it written that they should have the right to vote?" He added: "I support them, and they should have the same vote I do? That would be like saying an infant has the right to vote or an insane person has the right to vote. Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote? They're only gonna vote themselves a raise."
Savage's answer to homelessness: "Why not put them in work camps?"
On the June 6 broadcast of The Savage Nation, Savage responded to a caller's question about how Savage would address the "problem with the homelessness in this country" by asking, "Why not put them in work camps? Most of them are able-bodied." He went on to say that "since they're already receiving public assistance, I'd pay them nothing." He later asked: "Why do you have to pay a man who's right now living off the fat of the land?"
Other attacks
Beyond smears of Obama, his supporters, racial and ethnic minorities, women, gays and lesbians, and the poor, talk-radio hosts often directed their ire toward a broad range of other groups of people: those with HIV/AIDS, people with autism, teachers, other radio hosts, comedians perceived as progressive, Democrats in the House and Senate, and the organizations that document their attacks.
- Chris Baker
Minneapolis radio hosts Baker and Perry are "convinced" that Magic Johnson "faked AIDS"
On the October 8 broadcast of The Chris Baker Show, Minneapolis radio host Langdon Perry stated, "I'm convinced that Magic [Johnson] faked AIDS," to which Baker replied, "Yeah, me too." Perry then called Johnson "the only cured AIDS guy ever."
Baker: Media Matters "can kiss my supple buttocks"
Responding to a Media Matters item documenting previous remarks he made about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Baker said on the September 19 broadcast of his show: "Media Matters people can kiss my supple buttocks. What I say is what I say, and if they don't like it, instead of hiding like a bunch of commie girls, they can challenge me if they like."
- Mark Belling
Belling smeared "greedy, overpaid unionized schoolteacher[s]" who talk about global warming
On the August 12 broadcast of his show, Belling referred to schoolteachers who talk to their students about global warming as "idiot union teacher[s]," "liberal unionized hack[s]," "greedy, overpaid unionized schoolteacher[s]," and "fruitcake[s]."
- Neal Boortz
Boortz: Teachers unions "do more damage to this country than all the drug pushers together"
While discussing the issue of public education with a caller on the April 16 broadcast of his radio show, Boortz stated: "I think the most dangerous -- the single most dangerous entity, group of people in this country right now are the teachers unions." He continued: "I think teachers unions do more damage to this country than the Los Angeles Lakers. They do more damage to this country than all the drug pushers together. ... If I had a button right now, two buttons -- push this button and it gets rid of all the drug dealers; push this button, it gets rid of the teachers unions -- I'm getting rid of the teachers unions."
- Mark Levin
On the July 16 broadcast of his radio show, Levin said, "As you know, from time to time, we monitor Jon Leibowitz, a.k.a. Jon Stewart, as well as some of the other nudniks out there." While discussing remarks Stewart made on his Comedy Central show, Levin stated, "I'm really tired of these phony intellectuals -- and that's what they are, phony -- arrogantly looking down their sizable noses at our armed forces."
- "Gunny" Bob Newman
Commenting on Air America Radio's April 10 announcement that host Randi Rhodes would be leaving the progressive network following her April 3 suspension for using vulgar language to insult Sen. Hillary Clinton at an off-air event, Newman on his April 10 broadcast suggested possible replacements for Rhodes, to "stay true over at Air America to their programming ideology." In addition to Clinton, Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and former President Jimmy Carter, Newman's suggestions included "Osama bin Laden. [bin Laden collaborator] Ayman al-Zawahiri. Robert Mugabe, the dictator down in Zimbabwe ... [former Ugandan dictator] Idi Amin," and "[a]dmitted terrorist Nelson Mandela." Newman also stated that former cult leader "Charles Manson would be a fantastic Air America host" and included Joseph Stalin among "those characters [who] would fit right in at Air America."
- Lee Rodgers
KSFO's "gentleman" Rodgers lashes out at Media Matters
On the September 18 broadcast of his KSFO radio show, responding to a Media Matters item documenting his comments that "the female leadership of the Democratic Party" consists of "ugly skanks" who "hate" that "Sarah Palin's good-looking," Rodgers stated that "one of the little left-wing websites" "inferred that I had said that these women, prominent women in the liberal movement, are prostitutes. And of course I didn't say any such thing as that because I am a gentleman." Rodgers also said that "left-wing bloggers ... are men in their 30s and 40s who are single and likely to stay that way" and are "[s]till living at home with one or both parents." He added: "And, of course, handwriting analysis has revealed that ... they have to use tweezers to masturbate."
- Michael Savage
On the September 29 broadcast of his show, Savage said of Rep. Frank's role in proposed federal financial bailout legislation: "Barney Frank should be in the gallows for this. Barney Frank should be in jail for doing this."
On his August 25 radio show, Savage said, "The Democrat [sic] Party is the minority party. ... Obama is a minority, a half minority at least. The membership is made up largely of minority blocs, the Hispanic caucus and the gay caucus -- caucuses that are all against the white person." Savage also claimed: "Now, the white women generally are not as hard-nosed about things as the white male, and so many white women don't even understand that they're being duped, and they vote for a Democrat, not knowing that they're digging their own grave."
Savage reportedly likened Media Matters to HIV
A July 22 WorldNetDaily.com article reporting on the controversy over Savage's July 16 remarks about autism stated that Savage "told WND that Media Matters itself is as much a part of the story as autism," adding: "Acting like the HIV virus, he said, 'they invade the body politic and mimic the defense cells until they poison the entire organism.' "
Savage on Media Matters: "They have no place in America"
On the July 21 broadcast of his radio show, Savage repeatedly attacked Media Matters, calling the group a "Stalinist," "anti-family," "illegitimate, dangerous fascist group[]," and asserted that Media Matters "ha[s] no place in America." His comments came after Media Matters documented, with transcript and audio, his July 16 remarks describing autism as "[a] fraud, a racket." Those comments have sparked protests and generated widespread media attention.
On his July 16 program, Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket," and went on to say, "I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' " Savage concluded: "[I]f I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, 'Don't behave like a fool.' The worst thing he said -- 'Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot. Don't act like a girl. Don't cry.' That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You're turning your son into a girl, and you're turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That's why we have the politicians we have."
Savage referred to Pelosi as "Nancy Mussolini"
On his July 15 show, Savage referred to Pelosi as "Nancy Mussolini." As Media Matters noted, during the June 27 broadcast of his program, Savage similarly referred to Pelosi as "the Mussolini in a skirt," "Nancy Pelosi Mussolini," and the "Mussolini-like woman of the day." During his June 27 show, Savage also said of Obama: "We don't know whether he'd be more like Mussolini or Stalin, but one of the two would work."
On his May 21 show, Savage stated of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), "His poor health does not excuse him from what he has done to our nation, and so, now, the Soros-run media sets on Michael Savage for daring to disclose the truth about Ted Kennedy's legacy." Savage added: "Just as in a Soviet show trial, Michael Savage is now being persecuted for refusing to take the party line that the great lion of the left must be praised -- all praise, all praise." On May 20, Savage aired the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles" while discussing Kennedy's diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor. Savage again aired the song during his May 21 broadcast.
On the March 31 broadcast of his radio show, Savage stated: "Cops are getting knocked off all over the country because of the rules of engagement, written primarily by the scummiest class in America, the vermin of vermin, which are the left-wing lawyers who should be put in Abu Ghraib with hoods over their head, as far as I'm concerned." He then stated: "If I had the power by executive order, I would round up every member of the ACLU and of the National Lawyers Guild, and I'd put them in a prison in Guantánamo and I'd throw the key away."
Savage claimed Lantos used the Holocaust as "a weapon the rest of his life"
Discussing the death of Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Savage stated on February 11, "You're not supposed to talk badly about the dead. I generally wouldn't do it. But in the case of Tom Lantos, I'll make an exception. I think he was one of the most -- he was a scoundrel. And I'll tell you why I detested Tom Lantos. The man survived the Holocaust of World War II and used it as a weapon the rest of his life."
THE SHOWS
The Chris Baker Show is a Minneapolis-based talk-radio show that airs weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT on KTLK-FM. Baker previously hosted two different Houston-based radio programs before reportedly being dismissed in November 2007. Baker joined KTLK in February and was nominated to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in June. Since moving to KTLK, Baker discussed with a co-host being "convinced that Magic [Johnson] faked AIDS"; claimed that "it's very rare to find a woman worthy of serving in political office"; said that Gov. Sarah Palin "shoulda had a little cleavage going" during the vice-presidential debate; and declared "I don't think homeless people should vote."
The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show is carried on News/Talk 1130 WISN-AM in Milwaukee, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Talkers Magazine includes Belling in its "Heavy Hundred," which it describes as "the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America." According to 1130 WISN-AM, The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show "is regularly rated number one in its time slot in the Milwaukee radio market and is the highest rated afternoon drive talk show host in the country." In 2001, Belling was awarded National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award for medium-market "Personality of the Year." Belling has said "[w]hen you think of Hillary Clinton" the word "bitches" comes to mind; has called Gloria Steinem a "grizzled old bag," an "old witch," and an "embittered old has-been"; and has smeared teachers who have talked about global warming as "idiot union teacher[s]," "liberal unionized hack[s]," "greedy, overpaid unionized schoolteacher[s]," and "fruitcake[s]."
The Neal Boortz Show is an Atlanta-based program that airs weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The program is nationally syndicated by Cox Radio Syndication, which says that it "partners with the Jones Radio Network to service more than 200 affiliate stations with programming listened to by several million people each week." According to Talkers Magazine, the show is the seventh-rated talk-radio program and averages at least 4.25 million listeners a week. Boortz has repeatedly referred to Hurricane Katrina victims as "parasites"; commented that he would "make a lousy Mexican" because of his inability to use a floor buffer; and described "single mothers receiving public assistance" as "welfare broodmares."
The Jon Caldara Show airs on Denver's 850 KOA-AM on weeknights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. MT. Caldara is president of the "free market" Independence Institute and has had a public role in numerous anti-tax and anti-government spending campaigns. Caldara also hosts a "current affairs" television program, Independent Thinking, on Denver's KBDI-TV. Caldara has asked a guest if it was "fair to say" that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) "got bitch-slapped" during a primary debate; and he described Colorado Media Matters as a "hate group" for highlighting his remarks.
The Caplis & Silverman Show airs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. MT on Denver's 630 KHOW-AM. Co-host Dan Caplis, an attorney who in 2007 publicly discussed running for U.S. Senate as a Republican, has also made occasional appearances on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. Caplis has asserted that gay "conduct is not natural" and is "immoral." While discussing a photograph of Obama wearing Somali clothing, Caplis questioned why Obama would "put on similar clothing to the outfit worn by the man [Osama bin Laden] who personally ordered thousands of Americans, including women and kids, to be burned to death."
The Big Show with Bill Cunningham is a weekday Cincinnati-based radio program that airs from 12:25 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Ohio's WLW-AM. The program is also simulcast on XM Radio Channel 173. Cunningham, a former Ohio assistant attorney general, also hosts a nationally syndicated Sunday-night talk program titled Live on Sunday Night, It's Bill Cunningham, which is broadcast live on 325 affiliates, according to its syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks. In 2001, Cunningham received the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award for large-market "Personality of the Year." Cunningham has alleged that "Obama wants to gas the Jews;" compared Obama to Hitler; has repeatedly suggested that if Obama lost the election "there will be 100 cities burning;" has invoked "six-six-six" and "the beast" while discussing Obama; has asserted that "a typical black father... simply leave"; has repeatedly claimed that poor people "lack values"; and has claimed that "the so-called noble poor" don't use birth control so that "the mom can get more checks in the mail from the government."
The Mark Levin Show is a nationally syndicated program hosted by Landmark Legal Foundation president Mark Levin. Based in New York City, The Mark Levin Show broadcasts from WABC-AM Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET and is syndicated by ABC Radio Networks. According to Talkers Magazine, The Mark Levin Show reaches a weekly average audience of at least 5.5 million listeners and is tied for the ranking of fifth among talk-radio programs nationwide. Levin has compared Obama to Hitler; has referred to the National Organization for Women as the "National Organization of Ugly Women" and "the National Organization of Really Ugly Women"; and while discussing Comedy Central host Jon Stewart complained of "phony intellectuals" who are "arrogantly looking down their sizable noses at our armed forces."
The G. Gordon Liddy Show is hosted by convicted Watergate felon G. Gordon Liddy, who often refers to himself as "the G-Man," and is nationally syndicated through Radio America. Talkers Magazine lists Liddy in its "Heavy Hundred 2008." Liddy has advanced claims that Obama was not a U.S. citizen; has said that undocumented Mexican immigrants "want to speak Spanish, you know, and other varieties of illegal alien" and "want to reconquer America, they say"; and claimed that Obama was relying, in part, on "the welfare class to win" Pennsylvania. In the 1990s, Liddy reportedly advised his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents.
The Gunny Bob Show, hosted by "Gunny" Bob Newman, airs weeknights on Denver's 850 KOA-AM from 7 to 10 p.m. MT. Newman is the author of Minefields to Microphones: Global Asymmetric Warfare, the Radical Left, and Winning the War on Terror (Paladin Press, September 2006), which, according to its publisher, "exposes the treason and treachery of America's maniacal liberal machine while laying out a roadmap to victory in the war on terror that will stun the enemy and infuriate America's wild-eyed left." Newman has described Obama as "just another blowhard, make-believe thug" and "a far-left, terrorist-hugging politician"; has asserted that "there will be an invasion of Muslim terrorists" if Obama is elected; posted doctored photos of Obama on his website depicting Obama as meeting with Osama bin Laden and dressed as "Che Obama"; has suggested that legalizing gay marriage could "lead to legal human-animal marriage"; and declared that "every Muslim immigrant to America" should be "required by law to wear a GPS tracking bracelet at all times."
The War Room with Quinn & Rose is a syndicated radio program based in Pittsburgh on Clear Channel's 104.7 WPGB-FM. Talkers Magazine lists Quinn & Rose on its "Heavy Hundred." According to the show's website, it airs on 18 radio stations and XM Satellite Radio Channel 158. Jim Quinn, who co-hosts the show with Rose Tennent, has repeatedly described the National Organization for Women as the "National Organization for Whores"; told columnist Fatimah Ali to "get an American name"; has said that, in the past, "if you didn't own land, you didn't vote, and there was a good reason for it"; and often introduces segments on Hillary Clinton by playing audio of the Elton John song "The Bitch Is Back."
The Lee Rodgers Show is the morning drive-time talk program for San Francisco's 560 KSFO-AM and airs Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 a.m. PT and from 5 to 7 a.m. PT on Saturdays. The show features co-hosts Lee Rodgers and Tom Benner, known on-air as "Officer Vic," and is listed as one of Talkers Magazine's "Heavy Hundred." The program is sometimes guest-hosted by KSFO's Brian Sussman. Rodgers has described many "professed leaders of the feminist movement in this country" as "a bunch of hags," who "couldn't get laid in a men's prison"; has said that "the female leadership of the Democratic Party" is made up of "ugly skanks"; and has referred to Hillary Clinton as "the Hilldebeest" who has a "screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice."
The Savage Nation is a top-rated nationally syndicated radio program hosted by Michael Savage. The program, which airs from 4 to 7 p.m. PT, is based in San Francisco and is syndicated through Talk Radio Network. Talk Radio Network claims that Savage is heard on more than 350 radio stations, and, according to Talkers Magazine, The Savage Nation reaches at least 8.25 million listeners each week, making it one of the most listened-to talk shows in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show. Savage has attacked everyone from politicians to children with autism. He has insisted that Obama was a Muslim; has described Obama as an "unknown stealth candidate who went to a madrassas in Indonesia and, in fact, was a Muslim"; has referred to Obama as an "affirmative action" candidate and complained that "affirmative action" stole his "birthright"; has claimed that "illegal aliens" have "raped and disheveled" the Statue of Liberty; has linked "homosexuals trying to destroy families through the mock marriage" to "the downturn on Wall Street"; has claimed that "[t]he children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia"; has asserted that "welfare recipient[s]" should not "have the right to vote;" and has described autism as a "fraud, a racket," and said, "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out."
Media Matters just gave us an all-star list of some of the most vile , disgusting radio personalities. They are by far the bottom of the barrel. Liars and haters all of them.
Who would hire such people? Why would advertisers want to be associated with such people? Why? Why? Why?
Because right wing christianity demands their voice be heard?
guardians of the Constitution my a$$. Self sering individuals not at all related to christianity who fell on their heads when born. Eight million sperm and they are the winners, bummer. I actually saw Hannity beside himself yesterday when Alan Colmes interviewed his wife Jocelyn Crowley PhD ahd sge put him in place when the stupid one asked her about being a liberal. Hannity could not understand how her sister Monica Crowley is a conservative and J is not. Complete mistery to the buffoon.
Yeah. Good one. "Christian" thuggery. And we probably never hear most of the worst of this stuff, broadcast on all of those small-audience, explicitly religious stations. Beliefnet.com published a post-election survey showing that more than half of McCain-Palin voters believed Barack Obama either is (around 30% I think) or once was a Muslim.
I confronted one of those misbelievers with the evidence ( he goes to a christian church admitting it is not the same faith exactly as mine and hers ) and all she said was he is fooling me by going to church. So I am guessing getting this misinformation drilled in to your head for three months is the time require to actually believe this drivel. I am convinced this country has a large population unable to exercise critical thinking skills. Even their beloved leader and counselor has said on national tv president elect Obama is not a Muslim.
correction- I meant to type arab and assume most americans think arab and muslim is one word. There are arabs who are christians.
Most of my family are Arab Christians from Lebanon...
"Eight million sperm and they are the winners, bummer" lol, wolf.
Maybe when the rightwing nuts say "drill, baby, drill" they mean drilling misinformation into the noggins of their dittohead sheeple.
Because taking jabs at Hillary, NOW, MoveOn, the Sharptons and Jacksons of the world, radical Gays and Lesbians, illegally invading parasites, etc is not as offensive to some as it is to others. And some of the stuff is actually pretty funny.....Rush's "Justice Brothers" comes to mind.
OK. Keep the funny stuff and get rid of the ignorant, hate-filled, offensive stuff that calls itself entertainment but really exists to play on people's fears and resentments, and come election time, serves to prop up an ethically and ideologically bankrupt political party that has brought this country and the entire global economic system to the brink of economic disaster.
I've re read the threads posted by MMFA and can't find one that I would consider "hate" speech. Calling Hillary a bitch? C'mon. I think it all comes down to the listener who may or may not consider it "hateful". MMFA can call it anything they want.
"can't find one that I would consider "hate" speech"
You must be reading them through Troglodyte-colored glasses.
Perhaps I am. I admit I have a bias. But somehow calling Hillary a bitch, calling NOW ugly, or calling Edwards "faggy" may not have the same effect on me as it has on you. I've stated, its up to the listener to decide what may be offensive. I personally don't feel its hate speech. You may....that's fine.
"people are poor in America ... not because they lack money," but "because they lack values, morals, and ethics."
If not this, then, what, exactly, would you consider "hate speech?"
Swaztikas on churches, the word Ni**er, etc. That's hate speech. Stop being so thin skinned.
Personal opinions on what makes one poor I've been called on this very website by your friends and fellow posters. I've been told I lack values, morals, and ethics. I've also been called a Troglodyte on occassion.
Nerzog, The term "hate speech" has been recklessly broadened by some so as to the detriment of it's own intended meaning. It minimizes it's effect, where some will just shrug it off. That is harmful. Not only that, it even becomes more dangerous when it's expanded beyond real hurtful hate speech, and infringes on free speech.
You can't confuse hate speech with trashy shock radio to get attention, which is what most of this is.
Wiki defines it: "Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, hair color, etc.), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability."
You and Dave have your own parameters for this. I understand your point, but the cumulative effect of these kinds of comments is toxic. If does affect emotions, and deranged individuals don't need much of a tipping point. Our airwaves should really be used to inspire.
I understand that, but you also can't police the airwaves to the point of avoiding any controversial speech that might set someone off. That is dangerous ground, and not consistent with our freedoms affored all of us. The stations that broadcast this stuff have a responsibility for sure, but I don't want hate speech to be expanded to include insulting political speech.
Hate speech is not illegal in America, nor should it be. So, by calling it such there is no danger of it being censored. Hate speech is illegal in some European countries but I disagree with them on First Amendment grounds.
There should be a groundswell of economic pressure put on the sponsors of these shows. Look what happened to Imus. That's exactly what should happen to these guys. No government regulation needed. The free market acting at its finest.
I don't disagree at all, however I just think that misusing "hate speech" only minimizes real hate speech, I am speaking more from a cultural perspective than any legal one.
Oh, and that tell to your friend Brabantio, who would have Sarah Palin in prison for her "hate speech" against Obama.
I don't think he ever said that she should be in prison, only that her rhetoric was linked to an increase in threats against Obama. This is a fact.
Prison was hyperbole, admittedly. People can go back through the archives and read it all for themselves.
You call it "hyperbole", I call it "lie". It's the same kind of strawman distortion that Rush and his cohorts use every day to try and make their points.
I guess you didn't think I'd remember the actual discussion you had with Brabantino. Perhaps you didn't remember that I was involved. I have a pretty good memory for this sort of thing.
"rhetoric was linked to an increase in threats against Obama. This is a fact"
Prove it.
The Obama campaign was provided with reports from the Secret Service showing a sharp and very disturbing increase in threats to Obama in September and early October, at the same time that the crowds at Palin rallies became more frenzied. Michelle Obama was shaken by the vituperative crowds and the hot rhetoric from the GOP candidates. "Why would they try to make people hate us?" Michelle Obama said to a top campaign aide.
Source: Newsweek
I am waiting for a direct link, "palling around with terrorists" occurred in October, "at the same time" in Sept and early October is not direct, it's circumstantial.
She first gave birth to "palling around with terrorists" on about Oct. 3. Her supporters began yelling "kill him" in direct response to her "hate speech" at the end of Sept. Gotta go...
You mean Bristol gave birth to the phrase on Oct. 3 and Sarah just pretended she created it.
Your taking Barbantio out of content here. In any event, the Secret Service reported a spike in death threats made against Obama at the same time Palin was calling him a terrorist at here rallies. Had Obama been harmed by a supporter of hers, I think she'd be somewhat accountable.
This was argued before Governor, your case is no stronger now than back then.
Why do you call me that?
You can run but you can't hide Governor, but the Colorado schtick is cute.
I am not who you seem to really want me to be. Sorry.
You'll notice (if you haven't already) that Tommy really isn't as smart as he claims to be. He thinks you're a recent nemesis who hasn't been seen around for a while. He'll use that to dismiss you, especially when he doesn't have a rebuttal to your argument.
Tommy, as I understand it you are free to say whatever you want. However, depending on what you say there could be consequences. All I ask is that the right be held to the same exact standards they applied to the Dixie Chicks.
There are always consequences for our actions, and our words. If anyone is treated unfairly, or illegally, then they should pursue the matter appropriately.
Mary, if someone is so close to a Tipping Point, it is not going to be the radio that tips them, if it is, turn the channel. Toxic or not, it is free speech. I am also in a wait and see mode for Obama, he has already taken down his ideas off his website, that tells me that he is going to change them already.
"..he has already taken down his ideas off his website, that tells me that he is going to change them already..."
The campaign is over. Duh.
I wish the so-called well-wishers from the right would just admit that they can't wait to jump over every scandal real or manufactured regarding Obama. Mark's post above shows that he's willing to read the most nefarious motives behind anything and everything. Just admit it. You want Obama to fail.
Markb, if someone is at the tipping point they ain't a gonna turn the channel. People who froth at the mouth too often create rabies in their listeners. These rabid sheeple then roam the countryside biting their neighbors and hapless relatives. Without mental health treatment, they have to go through a painful series of shots
>>Perhaps I am. I admit I have a bias. But somehow calling Hillary a bitch, calling NOW ugly, or calling Edwards "faggy" may not have the same effect on me as it has on you.
Perhaps not. I find it to be a very lame attempt to be edgy to the family values crowd.
Nerzog, give me a example of Hate Speech.
In the United States, government is broadly forbidden by the First Amendment of the Constitution from restricting speech. Jurists generally understand this to mean that the government cannot regulate the content of speech, but that it can address the harmful effects of speech through laws such as those against defamation or incitement to riot.
As much as you may not like them, they have a right to their opinion, much like Randi Rhodes, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Al Frankin (when on the radio), Thom Hartmann and the left wingers on the other dial. I would not want them to be quite, they can say what ever they want as well.
Many examples have already been given.
Hate speech that doesn't incite violence is legal, but that doesn't mean that pressure shouldn't be put on sponsors. That's the American way. That's what the right did to Bill Maher. It's good for the goose and the gander.
I don't recall advocating censorship of anyone.
Of course they have a right to their opinion, and we have a right to label it hate speech, and you have a right to disagree.
Now, if there is some legal definition of hate speech which allows prosecution in court, then I agree, these examples have not crossed that line.... in my opinion.
Just for grins, I wonder how often the Righties accuse us of "hate speech"?
Nerzog, give me a example of Hate Speech.
You can hear dozens of examples of hate speech every day on conservative talk radio - far too many to list.
many of the points are valid if exaggerated. the left used to defend free speech no matter how vile. wonder why the right is worried now that the left favors responsible speech...
It is a bit overwhelming to read this compliation in one sitting. Are these the people and their listeners (All republicans!) that Obama is supposed to cross the aisle and work with in a bipartisan manner? Two unfinished wars and the worst resession in nearly a century seem like an easier goal.
Just this morning I heard one of my local yahoos say that Barack Obama is trying to bring Communism to America and that -- get this -- "all of his associations are with Communists."
Shouldn't this have come in December when we all get together for the MMFA Awards?
Anybody feel like expounding on the Market Forces that elevated this ignorant bigotry to monopoly status in virtually every city in the country?
The market forces at work here are simply the most elementary advertising techniques - get your name into the eyes and ears of as many people as possible.
The sociological forces at work are also the most elementary. Those people without the self-confidence to tolerate those different from themselves (xenophobics) hold tight to simple well-defined tenets that echo their fears and beliefs. They swarm to voices which reflect those beliefs and fears, creating an easily-targeted and reliable audience.
The above-named programs and hosts produce a nucleus around which the aforementioned audience convenes, and it is supported financially by advertisers who recognize the ease with which they can target and deliver their message to this dense and stable demographic.
This combination of the above universally creates a psychiatric symbiosis of organisms coalesced by ignorance, fear, and greed, with a little narcissism thrown in as a stabilizer.
Very well said.
And let's not forget the Rich Conservative Sugardaddies who buy up dozens of radio stations and use them to peddle their regressive propaganda.
Does anybody remember how much money Fox News lost in their first seasons? They always talk about how Air America "failed" and ignore their own losses.
To Fakes News, it was just a period where their investment dollars were not yet being offset by their profits. After awhile, they began to take their ratings and viewership numbers to their potential sponsors, and selling ad time became easier and more lucrative, until they reached the point that they were finally making a profit. The sponsors also realized that the programming they were sponsoring drew an audience that had convinced themselves that they were isolated and unique. The loyal fan of Fakes News was more likely be loyal to the sponsors of such programming, and see the sponsors as allies, not just advertisers.
An example of this is how Ruth's Chris Steakhouse only uses Hannity's endorsement on Hannity's show. This is to avoid embarrassment when promoting their restaurants out in the real world, where Hannity is recognized as a loon. But among his listeners, he can even convince them to fork over $50 for a steak and a baked potato at a glorified Sizzler. They do it to combat liberalism...
And then call Obama an "elitist" because he likes arugula.
I think -- is there any doubt? -- that FOX News and conservative talk radio are symptoms of our economically troubled times. People are struggling to make ends meet, working more than one job, working overtime, both parents are working, etc., and they just don't have time for anything more complicated than what FOX and friends deliver. And they are resentful (Barack was right) and angry, and conservatives sure know how to give them something or someone to hate.
It's like the "Best of MMFA".
Redundant?, yes. A subtle jab at Democratic lawmakers to get moving on the Fairness Doctrine?, ??
"tou-che"
I think they should publish it in comic book form.
Ahh , the Fairness Doctrine and the end of AM Radio as we know it.
You're an optimist.
Quite a pile of evidence.
Quite a gallery of rogues.
A massive effort to distract the population from real problems, much less intelligent efforts to do anything effective about them.
Which makes two agruements that few in the media are left to carry.
What are the true problems? Fights against placing the blame on abortion, gay rights, women, imigrants, apparently anyone not a white male. A certain population holds onto these arguments with a religious fervor.
Given a good identification of problems, corrective actions fight against arguments that these solutions can be shown to have associations with socialistic, communistic, or even secular thought.
I don't presume to give advice on how to deal with this media problem to the incoming administration. Some thoughts have occurred to me, I'm hoping a few similiar thoughts have occurred where they'll do some good.
They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. We could designate one week where we record and post online the garbage that is spewed daily. (I think MMFA's list barely scratches the surface.) Then, let's confront the advertisers. Shame on them, too. Personal responsibility and accountability are supposed to be core American values, not to mention truth-telling. Let's see if we can apply them even to conservative talk radio.
**** the Fairness Doctrine and whoever wrote it.
Agree. It's because Pete, and I know you realize that even through all this idiocy and nonsense spouted by these egomanical radio talk show hosts, it's all about the message. If the Democrats, or Republicans, can articulate their message honestly and with candor to all of us, then that "cream", so to speak, will rise to the top, may the best message win. In this case, Obama delivered it in a way that people responded to positively......and these screamers on the other side look like fools.
Really think so?
How many years have we been learning and teaching about evolution? And yet, among all those voices - eloquent, talented and otherwise - not a single one managed to get through to Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, or Tom Tancredo.
I'm not convinced that the cream of truth can rise at all through a film of willful ignorance.
Nah, these talkers have the same appeal as Jerry Springer, shock value. Its Howard Stern without the lesbian strippers.
Nice try Tommy. Perhaps you don't know that we don't want to return to the fairness doctrine. That won't do it. Instead we need to move away from the consolidation of ownership of news outlets. More diversity of ownership is needed.
Wow. This is the first I've heard of the "Magic Johnson faked AIDS" b.s., and I actually feel ill after reading the comments on that article. Disgusting.
yeppers, quite the compendium of right-wingnut wackiness. however, had i not read about these people on here, i'd never have heard of them. i submit that their listener stats are also wildly inflated since, with rare exception, they are on AM stations, not normally known for their huge audiences.
this is in no way meant to discount the effluvium of idiocy they bestow on their 10 listeners, but one huge reason for it is their desire to hit the ranks of savage, limbaugh, et al. best way to do that is being just as nuttily outrageous as they can be.
Individually, they are just crack-fillers for the time left over by the Big Time Professional Liars like Limbaugh and Hanniturd.... but collectively, they are a blight on humanity.
Here's one of my favorites:
"With that screechy, fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice of hers, it is impossible for Hillary Clinton to deliver a great speech."
And then we get Simple Sarah with her Lilting Dentist-Drill Alaskan Drawl, mesmerizing the Troglodyte throngs like a dog whistle.
That one really amused me, too, Nerz. The rightys were so annoyed by Hillary's voice, then picked Grampy Gilbert Gottfried (HEHHH???) and Mrs. Loopner.But back to the enemies list;
Immigrants, female politicians (and women in general), theLGBT community, the poor and homeless, minorities, progressives,unions, college students, and even autistic children...
Nobody can deny that these are all dangerous, agenda-driven radical, special interest groups who would usurp the old white guys birthright if the right wing let down their guard for even a moment.
Immigrants, female politicians (and women in general), theLGBT community, the poor and homeless, minorities, progressives,unions, college students, and even autistic children...
and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, ...
OMG! I had cereal this very morning!
To think how close I came to being victimized...
Col., there are certain POSITIVE results coming out of the exposure of these hate-fueled individuals of which we speak. One is that their thought processes are displayed for ALL to see and hear, not just the hate-receptive audience. It is useful for us to finally see, brought into the open, the long-held ideology of the extreme right: e.g., that poor people are poor because they lack ambition, morals, and intelligence to succeed like their rich counterparts. This BASIC platform of the conservative ideology is now laid bare for all to examine in it's complete inhumanity. "Preservation of the Status Quo" is the curtain behind which this basic philosophy has hidden for decades. That curtain has been yanked aside. They can't hide anymore.
What's the point of this "report?" There is no context given for any of these things.
For instance, ILLEGAL immigration. Media Matters conveniently omits the word ILLEGAL. The discussion on conservative talk radio is against ILLEGAL immigration, not simply immigrants. Savage is the son of an immigrant, but Media Matters expects me to believe that he hates immigrants?
And under the race headline, those sounded like opinions, and as a black person, I know some of them are true. There is a problem in the black community with fathers leaving. Some were saying that there would be riots if Obama lost.
So again, what's the point? It's like Media Matters is saying, "look, people who don't share our opinion!" Big deal.
"What's the point of this "report?" There is no context given for any of these things."
Look up the meaning of the word vitriol.
It's one thing to say "There is a problem in the black community with fathers leaving."
It's quite another to use it as a bludgeon to attack someone seeking public office based upon the color of their skin. Barack Obama's father's departure was not his choice. To bring it up by stereotyping is divisive and vitriolic, not constructive.
"Some were saying that there would be riots if Obama lost. "
Who was saying this? Many state and local governments have laws against inciting a riot. Did you report them?
"The discussion on conservative talk radio is against ILLEGAL immigration, not simply immigrants."
Out of the four Savage examples that MMFA cited with regard to immigrants, only one of them pertains to illegal immigrants. In the other three examples, Savage broadbrushes Africans, Muslims and immigrants in general who "don't assimilate."
The point is that they lie, slander, and defame on a daily basis. If we can expose this insanity to the greater public. Show people how insane they really are, they might lose some of their influence. That would be a good thing. A local plumbing company in my area (no, really) has advertised on savages show with the tag line "Bill H**** Plumbing proudly supports michael savage". I will not ever use them, and strongly advise friends and neighbors to NOT use that company.
"I don't think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest."
"the female leadership of the Democratic Party" is made up of "ugly skanks."
"The primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans"
"people are poor in America ... not because they lack money," but "because they lack values, morals, and ethics."
So tell us, Kidork.... how does context help these statements?
The point has obviously sailed over your head. There is a constitutionally recognized line between merely incendiary or controversial speech, which is protected, and hate speech, which is not. These people walk that line daily and MMFA is just reporting on it.
That sounds fair. Incendiary speech was about all I saw in the thread. I saw no "hate" speech. As I've stated, making fun of certain people or groups are fine (being a Conservative, I've been on the receiving end alot lately), but saw nothing that would get anyone of the hosts in trouble with the Feds. IMO, this is just MMFA taking up space because certain people don't agree with them.
Re: "I've been on the receiving end a lot lately." I would be curious to know: what is the worst of what you have had to put up with?
What actual good would that do? You obviously come to this site and see the stuff posted about Conservatives and their agenda. You've read the posts. Hey, its a Liberal website and I don't come here expecting a warm welcome, but its always good to see what the "other side" thinks and I have no problem giving an opinion....it keeps me interested. But, if you wish, I've received nothing from this website from any poster that I would consider "hate" speech, either. I've been called many names, anti American, and considered morally bankrupt, but that's about it.
You forgot "fat cat sitting in his gated mansion gnashing his teeth at the peons ruining his hegemony". That's how I always think of you when I see your posts....fondly of course.
Of course
As one who has been called every name in the book by my friends here, I find the insults simply boring.
Many here practice the same "hate" speech they decry.
AA,
Who on this thread has called you anything close to what has been recorded by MMFA? What were the exact insults? If people have called you any of these things, they owe you and decency an apology.
Plus, there's a difference between calling a single individual name that may or many not be apt; like 'stupid'. It's another thing to lambast a whole group of people for the purpose of creating an "other" to rail against.
Fried, No need. I am no better than anyone else here and admit I am sometimes guilty of doing the same things.
In other words, you were just whining and have nothing to back it up. What a surprise, AA. You may be the biggest phony I've ever run across in my life.
Olympic class certainly.
Oh boo effing hoo dave. These same hosts that spew this bottom of the barrel garbage regularly go off on how "the liberals," "the far left," "radical loon liberals" and so forth are manifestations of all that is wrong and evil in the world and seek to actively destroy this country in order to enrich themselves. MM rarely talks about the daily "Two Minutes Hate" these hosts engage in and if they did they'd rarely have time for anything else. Being a conservative is not being part of some persecuted minority, it is not a condition one is born with or has inflicted upon them without being given a choice, it is not a circumstance of the world one has little control over, it is a political philosophy one chooses to believe. To try and compare any insults you have had to suffer on a website to the sort of lies, abuse and dehumanization that entire classes of people have inflected on them by what these highly paid professional mouthpieces broadcast is disgusting.
Ok lets all ban together and squash there free speech. This is what is sounds like to me, what doesn't MM put a list of all the falshhoods of the Left Wing talk shows???? I know it is MM, a heavy Democratic Website and they would never do that type of fair reporting. Again, if you do not like what they are saying, do not listen.
Nobody here is advocating banning free speech.
Uh. Yes you are.
Uh. No we aren't.
Ban? That's not the point at all. These dingleberries have the every right to say what they want, and Media Matters and the posters here have every right to point out the idiocy and bigotry in their diatribes. What's the problem?
Tippy the problem is nothing, but if MM is going to bring up the issue, they really should talk about how the leftwing nuts do the same thing. (which will never happen since this funded by the Democrats) It is what it is, just do not listen to it. I do not listen to individuals like Randi Rhodes or Keith Olberman. All they spew is idiocy, bigotry and tirades on their show. It is no differen then they were say that Palin made the statement I can see Russia from my house. She did not say that, but the leftwing radio shows said it over and over again as if she did. Just like she did not say anything about not know whom was in NAFTA, did not happen.
MMfA's stated purpose is "monitoring, analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation in the US media". "Leftwing nuts" are not MMfA's bailiwick, nor is the abridgement of free speech, no matter how silly or repulsive.
Palin said that you could see Russia from parts of Alaska as proof that she has foreign policy experience. The unembelished quote doesn't do the govenor any favors.
McCain's own aides made the charge about Palin not knowing who was in NAFTA, not the left.
I defy you to give us an example from either Rhodes or Olbermann that compares to the hateful, ignorant crap listed above. The only people they ridicule are Republicans, and nobody is born Republican.
Besides, the examples listed above go well beyond ridicule and satire.
But, they have a right to say it, and MMFA has every right to call them out on it. That's how the First Amendment works.
See, the TROGLODYTES (there I go) are miffed about MMFA because they got away with this crap for so long. Now, every time one of them says something STUPID or UGLY or HATEFUL, it shows up here..... AND THEY HATE THAT!
Nerzog, I have a friend who is a bio-chemist. She HAS grown a conservative virus in a petri dish over several nights in the lab. She says the only thing that kills it is exposure to the light of day.
Hey markbfoot199, do you have a national radio show? If not, someone is squashing your free speech!
All americans have the right to a national radio show.
Jeasus Crist, Awmighty! Can't you READ? MMFA's mission statement is as clear as you can find. NOWHERE does it say anything about "banning" ANY speech. It reports on misinformation (O.K., "lies") presented in the various media. It may disturb YOU that almost ALL of these lies come from Right Wing extremists, but as often, main-stream media through truncated reporting that is not accurate. The term "misinformation" includes any statement that results in an erroneous conclusion. CLEAR? Duh!
Many different opinions are shared on the radio and TV airwaves, in print and on the internet media outlets. The great thing is that if you don't agree, you have the freedom of choice to change channels or magazines or websites. The first amendment grants us the right of freedom of speech. Many have died fighting for us to have this right. When you act to silence those who disagree with your opinion you jeopardize your own opinion.
The media outlets are driven by listenership, viewership or readers and if they are unpopular then the product marketers will not pay for advertising on these outlets and they will shut down. The reason why Hannity, Limbaugh and the like prosper is because millions of people agree with their opinion and listen, watch or read their product.
It makes me worry about the future of our country when people talk about silencing others with differing viewpoints. Freedom of varied perspectives and differing viewpoints has always been a core strength that has made America a special place to live.
Don't worry. MMFA isn't out to silence anybody. Their purpose is to expose the Troglodyte gibberish to the broader public so that we know what kind of ignorance we're up against.
It's all part of that great big Freedom of Speech thing. The best way to combat speech with which you disagree is to ridicule it and expose it for whatever you think it is.....i.e. more speech.
What it comes down to is probably not the textbook definition of hate speech.
But one thing most of these people have in common is to use their nationwide pulpits to to disparage those who have no voice in our society.
If Christ were to come in our time, he'd meet the same fate, but at the hands of those who profess to have been saved by him.
There's a great post over at Kos that highlights a revealing article from a former wingnut radio insider. Don't miss it.
I have much more of a problem with media personalities being factually incorrect than being insensitive.
Listeners can easily decide if they want to hear insensitivity or not. But they can't easily decide if they want to hear falsehoods because there's no reliable mechanism to show listeners that they're hearing falsehoods.
Where's the conservative side of this website? The internet belongs to the public.
I can think of only two reasons you'd even bother writing a comparison like that that is so conceptually flawed as to jump in to the realm of self-parody:
1) You think you're funny.
2) You actually believe it.
Neither one speaks highly of your intellectual capacity.
He's a troll fossil that has been slumming around here for four years. He used to engage in debate. Now he just posts pathetic jabs every once in awhile. He got tired of having his brains beat in by the much superior liberal bloggers on here.
SkinChapeau, you've been slinking around this site for four years. You know as well as anyone that this site documents conservative misinformation. Now, you can slink back under whatever rock you come out from periodically.
The internet belongs to the public.
Exactly! That's why the internet is a better source of information than AM radio, which is owned by the right wing.
It's so nice to see you get something right, leatherhelmet!
Keep up the good work in documenting these people.
The real problem is why people listen to these nutjobbers and why they believe in everything they say. That's what scares me more than anything. Anyone can say anything they want in this country - that's the glory of our First Amendment - but most of us will know to turn away or stop listening if we know what that person is saying is full of kaka. But evidently, that's not the case with this crowd. So why? And how can fix that problem? Who cares what these blowhards say. The real problem is getting the truth to the listeners that hang on every word. If you can reach the listeners, show them the evil ways of these radio nutters, they won't have anyone listening to them anymore.
The other thing you can do is write to the advertisers of these shows and tell them you won't support their products as long as they continue to advertise on the stupid radio shows. Cut off their life line, so to speak.
A huge part of the blame falls at the feet of the real "News Media". They were given special Constitutional protection so that they could act as a watchdog on government and keep the people informed.
Unfortunately, they have squandered this mandate in the name of Corporate greed. They could call these Hate Radio cretins to the carpet if they had the balls.
It is obvious that MMFA wants to silence the opposition. It's supposed to be "hate" speech, but no riots or violence has resulted from what they said. I see what the LGBT is doing with regards to Prop 8 more threatening than people talking on the radio. Nobody seems to have a problem with what they are doing.
Free speech must always be protected. Today it's me. Tomorrow it's you.
MMFA exposes the truth about the media using their own words. It's up to the public to decide how to act on it. A boycott of all of these talkers and their sponsors would be a fitting response. If they get yanked off the air, so be it. That's market forces at work.
Exactly. Boycotting is a form of free speech, not an abrogation of it. The marketplace of ideas belongs to all of us.
I will make no bones about it. I think the Right in America are degenerates, nothing more nor less.
All you liberals care about is yourselves and your dollars. You have forgetton what this country was founded on and what this country is based on. I support all conservative talk radio and always will. When you try to shut them down I hope you are prepared for a fight with the listeners of all of the shows.
What was this country founded on that we have forgotten?
It's that defective Hannity brain chip again. The thing goes haywire in the middle of a rant and then you have gibberish. It's a shame.
You listen to them all? Do you work? Do you have multiple radios on at the same time? That must be challenging.
Of course you have every right to support talk radio - just as the posters here have very right to call attention to the juvenile and asinine content of talk radio. These talk show characters have every right to be nasty and stupid, too. It's just that when enough people stop listening to them they get to be nasty and stupid in the unemployment line. Is this a great country or what?
That figures my comment will not be posted due to the fact that you will only post things only if it serves your agenda and not the views of the AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Hey, are you one of Simple Sarah's "Real Americans" from one of those isolated pockets of virtue that "love America"?
Aren't the people who run MMfA American people? I know most of the posters here are American too. I know I am. Or is Nerzog right and there is some REAL American test that we don't know about? What do you have to do to qualify to be part of the AMERICAN PEOPLE?
Yeah, it's too bad none of your comments were posted, Jacquilynpuu;iam. I'm sure I really would have enjoyed them. Oh, wait, I just put my magic glasses on!
When the framers of the First Amendment sat down to write it, they could have not anticipated these slime-balls. Far from being harmless entertainers and comics, they actually influenced large numbers of the electorate, none for the better. Too late, now. We are stuck with them, similar to car alarms, Starbucks, and infomercials.
I agree; we're stuck with them. The best way to fight their message is to bombard them with our own free speech. That's why they hate Kieth Olbermann so much; because he's effective.
He is essentially doing for the Left what FOX has been doing for the Right for years, and they don't like it even a little bit.
I think it's you people who are out of touch and insane. I guess the 70% of blacks who voted against Prop 8 in California are hate filled to you people.
You are the ones who are intolerant to me. Even you "peace loving Libs" have to hate somebody I guess.
Love the intolerant, hate the intolerance.
The people who voted against Prop 8 need have their eyes opened to the need for full civil rights for everyone. It's a battle and though we're winning, it's not won yet.
We need to pay more attention to the "little guys"in talk radio... That's where the big dogs come from. We need to crush them while they're small. Small station talk-show hosts are enraging audiences in the country and turning huge swaths of people against progressives and Obama. This guy single-handedly turned his whole community against Obama when they actually had been prepared to vote for a Democrat for the first time since Johnson in '64.
It's easy to get rid of these guys when they are still in small cities, but impossible once they make the jump to bigger markets. Although, I must admit the guy is super talented and funny, it angers me that these tinhorn Napoleons can have such profound effects on communities. BTW,his radio show is also called RadioActive.
I see that the Flying Monkeys have been dispatched to defend the indefensible.
Many of these comments, while brutally honest, are accurate. Many illegals have come here and disregarded our laws, undercutting american worker's pay, bankrupting hospitals, and using government programs for food stamps, housing etc....in addition, there are an alarming number of DUI's by illegals as well as rapes and murders, and gangs....granted, there are plenty of American criminal scumbags, but we don't need to acquire more who don't even have permission to be here...If you take offense and want to refute these points of view, do it the American way...Run a SUCCESSFUL liberal talk show that advertisers will want to invest in (you know, one with listeners). DO NOT try to silence people who you find offensive...It is not a constitutional right to not be offended.
See? There's another one.... and he brought us a Straw Man.
Pretty gummy strawman.
The full moon drives them mad...madder.
i want your "vitriol" about me removed from this site; i am highly offended :)...so, do you refute my statements about statistics of havoc caused by many illegals, or just want to insult me? (which, by the way, is your AMERICAN right to do)....see, i don't desire to silence you
Just who is forceing liberals to listen to conserative talk radio? Why do you feel that someones free speech and others right to listen to what they want needs to be squashed? Do you not believe in free speech unless it agrees with you? Are you really afraid that what Rush and Sean and Neal and all the other coservitive hosts and hostess's are sayind is what the peole want to hear? If you can't allow both sides to be heard you obviously have something to hide. It's good for both sides to be heard. I think your biggest problem is you can't keep a liberal on the air long enough to collect a pay check, so you want everyone off the air.