In an April 13 article about the cancellation of Don Imus' radio show by CBS Radio and its simulcast by MSNBC, the Los Angeles Times reported that “over the years, Democrats such as [former Rep. Harold] Ford [TN] came to count on Imus for the kind of sympathetic treatment that Republicans got from [radio host] Rush Limbaugh or [Fox News host] Sean Hannity." It was not until near the end of the article that the Times noted that not all Democrats could “count on” such “sympathetic treatment” from Imus: The paper informed readers that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), whom Imus vowed never to allow on his show, was “a frequent target of Imus' jokes.” Moreover, while the Times noted that Republicans, such as Sen. John McCain (AZ), have also appeared on Imus in the Morning, it did not note that Imus said in January, “I'm going to vote for McCain at this point,” or that he subsequently expressed support for former New York City Mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

In addition, the Times offered only thin evidence for its assertion that “some Democratic strategists are worried about how to fill the void” left by Imus. Of the two strategists the Times quoted suggesting that Imus' firing posed a problem for Democrats, one -- Dan Gerstein -- worked for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (CT) in 2006 when Lieberman ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to challenger Ned Lamont:

With Imus' show canceled indefinitely because of his remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, some Democratic strategists are worried about how to fill the void. For a national radio audience of white men, Democrats see few if any alternatives.

“This is a real bind for Democrats,” said Dan Gerstein, an advisor to one of Imus' favorite regulars, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). “Talk radio has become primarily the province of the right, and the blogosphere is largely the province of the left. If Imus loses his microphone, there aren't many other venues like it around.”

Jim Farrell, a former aide to 2000 presidential candidate and Imus regular [former Sen.] Bill Bradley [D-NJ], said the firing “creates a vacuum.”

Addressing the Times article in an April 13 online chat, Washington Post congressional reporter Jonathan Weisman wrote: “I find Dan Gerstein's judgment on this to be suspect. I like Dan, but he's not exactly the spokesman for mainstream Democrats anymore.” In an April 8 New York Post column, Gerstein described Giuliani as “a socially tolerant 9/11 hero” who has “an impressive record as a governmental CEO.” In a March 30 post on his personal weblog, Dangerous Thoughts, Gerstein referred to Giuliani and McCain as “the two straight talkers currently leading the field.”

The Times also reported that “Ford strategists believe his relationship with Imus was central to earning credibility in the eyes of white voters in conservative regions of Tennessee.” However, the Times did not quote any Ford strategists and did not report that any Ford strategists believed Imus' firing would hurt Democrats in the future.

The article, headlined “Democratic politicians lose a soapbox with firing of Don Imus,” cited Imus appearances by Ford, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Bradley, and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), whom Imus endorsed for president in 2004. From the first three paragraphs of the Times article:

They came by the hundreds that hot August day in tiny Johnson City, Tenn., gathering on an asphalt parking lot to meet Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. It was not just that he might become the state's first black senator. More than that, even in Republican eastern Tennessee, the Democratic congressman was a celebrity -- a regular guest on Don Imus' radio show.

And today, with Imus' career in tatters, the fate of the controversial shock jock is stirring quiet but heartfelt concern in an unlikely quarter: among Democratic politicians.

That's because, over the years, Democrats such as Ford came to count on Imus for the kind of sympathetic treatment that Republicans got from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.

Not until the 11th paragraph of the 15-paragraph article did the Times acknowledge:

Not all high-level Democrats were drawn to the self-styled “I-Man.” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), a party presidential front-runner and a frequent target of Imus' jokes, said she never had the desire to appear.

The Times did not address the content of these “jokes.” As Media Matters for America has noted, Imus has referred to Clinton as “that buck-tooth witch, Satan.” On April 4, Imus pledged not to allow Clinton on his show "[b]ecause she and her fat, stupid husband screwed me about 10 years ago, and I'm not going to get over it."

Moreover, while the Times noted that “such GOP figures as Sen. John McCain of Arizona” also appeared on Imus' show, it did not note that during Dodd's January 11 appearance on the show, Imus announced: “I'm going to vote for McCain at this point.”

From the January 11 edition of Imus in the Morning:

IMUS: I tell you who I saw last night who was very impressive is Barack Obama. I'm not one of those Hollywood phonies jumping on the Barack Obama bandwagon. I'm going to vote for McCain at this point, but --

DODD: But now, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute, now. I mean, this, you know -- I come on the program, I blow everybody else off. I announce here, I mean, at least leave the door open for me a little bit here. I mean Charles and, you know, everybody,

IMUS: You -- no, no.

DODD: A little quid pro quo here. This is politics, you know, Imus. I mean --

IMUS: You're gonna have to open --

DODD: And I'm your pal. Fourteen years together.

IMUS: Yes, I know you are.

DODD: You don't just walk about from me like that.

IMUS: I'm not walking away I'm just saying that --

DODD: Just leave that door open a little bit.

IMUS: No, no. You've got to open it.