President Crazypants Loses His Shit, Fans Stick With Him

This hasn't gotten any less surreal. And I'm still baffled at how
anyone can look up to this buffoon. Image from source.

What can even be said anymore, about what's actually going on in the country?

Traditional news outlets have been deemed "Fake News" by no less than the president himself, and the phrase is repeated by his cult of personality acolytes. Likewise, they refuse to believe anything that doesn't either conform to their already preconceived notions, or to the narrative the president wishes to be true.

Meanwhile, absolutely untrustworthy outlets like right wing talk radio and FOX "News" are now considered to be real news. This would be an awesome time to be a nutbag radio talker. They've got the president's ear! Anything they think might light his fire will be played up, and he's likely to believe it, hook, line and sinker, no evidence necessary.

Always bad at analogies and false equivalencies, conservatives are now apt to make wild comparisons that make apples and oranges seem like an inapt cliche. Maybe apples and Buicks? They're usually that far off. For instance, the comparison now being drawn between the Russia/Trump story--a story with many tangents, and lots of meat on the bone--to Trump's post-midnight Tweet-storm about President Obama having wire-tapped him illegally. There's literally nothing to the latter, and tons of info on the former. Yet, they're comparable as topics to conservatives.

People who were saying there should be no investigation into the Russia charges, because there "is no evidence" are now demanding an investigation into Trump's bizarre Twitter accusations! It's preposterously inconsistent. But, let's circle back to that lame argument, that you can't have an investigation if you don't have hard evidence. Really? Nearly the entire CBS prime time lineup is devoted to police procedurals on the eternal quest for evidence where none had existed. And I know these people watch TV!

[Excerpt]

Congress will investigate Trump's wiretap claims

Key members of Congress say they will honor President Donald Trump's request to investigate his unsubstantiated claim that Barack Obama overstepped his authority as president and had Trump's telephones tapped during the election campaign. A US official said the FBI had asked the Justice Department to dispute Trump's allegation, though no such statement has been issued. . .

Read more at: Business Insider

Right-wing World: Second Scariest Email Ever

I was cycling through my email box this past evening, and what pops up, but the scariest collection of humans--the ones I recognize, mind you--ever in one photo (particularly after I clicked it and it expanded). Don't get me wrong, I have no negative opinion about Tim Tebow. As with Jesus, I am much more leery of his followers. And I think it will be hilarious to watch the rest of those heads explode if Tebow should ever come out of the closet (just a hunch, but I'm often right!). Otherwise, this is a frightening collection of scary, scary people. The former leader of this group, The Christian Coalition of America, was Pat Robertson. He used to seemingly pray that God would wipe out sinners with tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. I think God could do a lot more good hitting this convention!

Glenn Beck (crazy), Jedediah Bila (no idea), Sarah Palin (also too), Mark Levin (apparently a comic book supervillain) Rush Limbaugh (glamor shot), David Limbaugh (coattail rider), Matt Drudge (closet case allegedly!), Larry Elder (who?), Erick Erickson (who whoerson?), Michelle Malkin (horrid), Ed Morrissey (dunno), Tammy Bruce (quisling), Newton LeRoy Gingrich (pantload), Mary Katherine Ham (mmm, ham!), Sean Hannity (moron), Rick Perry (oops), Karl Rove (turdblossom), Thomas Sowell (ugh), Hugh Hewitt (ugh ugh), James Hirson (hack), Mike Huckabee (goober), Tim Tebow (hail, mary!), Fred Thomson (very tired) and Brad Thor (The Mighty Thor! Spare this one, Jeebus!)

Source: CCA

Incidentally, this was my scariest email ever: Scariest E-Mail EVER: Karl Rove is Following Me!

Odd Timing: Las Vegas Right-wing Radio Changes Formats During Primaries

As I've mentioned before, I often partake in the swill that is right-wing talk radio on my short drive to and from work.  We have no liberal radio in Las Vegas, so what the hey. I figure it's opposition research for the blog.

The radio business is very changeable, with format changes occurring in the blink of an eye, usually with no warning.  Many markets that have had success with liberal talk radio for instance, have had their stations become all sports, all news, or even right-wing for no discernible reason.  But it's another thing altogether when a popular right-wing station shakes things up in the middle of primary season.

KXNT-AM 840 in Las Vegas is the home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. To give it a little local flavor, they had Alan Stock in the mornings, and two winners of the American Idol-like "Radio Star," Casey Hendrickson and Heather Kydd in the evening drive time.  Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin are harshly anti-Obama, Reid and Pelosi needless to say.  Stock, Hendrickson and Kydd offered little difference in that regard.  Stock has a bit of D-list celebrity for having been featured on Hannity and Colmes and other FOX "News" programs.  Hendrickson and Kydd have been on for a while, but both were youthful, and seemingly a little too certain of their far-right views for their relatively young ages.  Whippersnappers, my grandpa would have called them.

The latter two were jettisoned late last week, and Stock was switched to late afternoon/evenings.  This bumped Levin's show to the late-night replay hours, and opened up the morning show for a news program.  I discovered this on my morning drive, where I was surprised to hear the news reporters--previously relegated to brief updates--running the whole show.  It was clear that the seams were still showing, with some rough transitions, and former bit performers becoming full-fledged hosts.  One segment, called "Strip Tease," was a 90-second report on the happenings on the Las Vegas Strip.  It was a potentially cool feature with a tragically lame name, and it was repeated in Stock's evening show.

Alan Stock is an arch conservative, and I have locked horns with him in the past (when KXNT had a message board). He seems to have softened a bit in recent years, but still functioned as of last week as a Limbaugh-lite.  Now, he's been shoe-horned into a "news" program, so it remains to be seen if it will be more punditry or actual news.

All of this comes at a curious time, politically speaking.  In Las Vegas, we're currently in early voting for the 2010 primary.  On June 8, the primary proper will be held.  Up for consideration are embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Congresswoman Dina Titus and Shelly Berkely and our wacky Governor Jim Gibbons.  The entire former lineup was solidly in the hard-right conservative camp, with little tinges of Tea Bagger.  Things are heating up right. This. Minute.  So why would KXNT, the voice of Nevada's segment of Teabaggistan, change formats now?

To be sure, "Newsradio" KXNT's old motto: "Voices you know, news you trust" was never a very good fit. The only news they had was CBS on the hour (a news source right-wingers do not trust) and local news every half hour.  Maybe 4-1/2 minutes per hour were relegated to news?  Now at least, they have the morning news program, and Stock's questionably newsworthy evening show. 

And whither Hendrickson and Kydd?  If they follow in former Stock co-host Heidi Harris's footsteps, they'll land at a different right-winger station, and do well.  I'd lay higher odds (this is Vegas, after all) on Hendrickson than Kydd.  Hendrickson has developed into a pretty good radio professional, despite my 180-degree difference in his politics.  Kydd on the other hand has never felt completely cooked.  She's pretty though, so maybe she could end up as a FOX "News" Anchorbabe.

My biggest happy dance is because of the fact that Levin has been banished to late-night.  This loud-mouthed, whiny, incredibly hard to listen to ("there, I said it!) scumbucket is only half a notch better than the vile, contemptible Michael Savage. Ironically enough, Savage plays at the same time--on a different station--from Levin's old slot. So if Stock loses ratings to anybody, it will be to Michael Weiner Savage! Schadenfreude, baby.

Rachel Maddow's Political Enthusiasm Creates Stir

Image from source, TV Squad

I've said several times here that I occasionally listen to the conservative talk radio station on my short drive home from work. We have no liberal station here in Las Vegas, and I like to keep tabs on what the right-wing talkers are up to anyway. It can get difficult to even attempt, because on  my ride home Mark Levin is the voice I have to hear (unless I want to completely scramble my brain, and listen to Michael Weiner Savage).  Levin is nearly as bombastic, much more whiny, but--I suspect--more sane, at least when the microphone is off.

Liberal talker Randi Rhodes (who I can only listen to on my computer) does a great Levin impression: "Statist! Marxist! America hater! THERE, I SAID IT!" And she's dead on the money. Anyway, today Levin played a clip from MSNBC's primary election coverage, and it sort of mystified me. It was a clip of Rachel Maddow expressing enthusiasm about the political news of the day. Levin was implying something about the clip below, but what it was I can't be sure. He called her a misogynist, which made zero sense to me.  I'd forgotten about it, until I saw that it was an item on TV Squad, one AOL's entertainment pages. They're not usually political, so I figure this event must've been making a bigger dent than I supposed.

Is it because she used the word "vibrating?" Something sexual? Something to do with the fact that she's a lesbian? I still can't be sure. Because in the context of Rachel's overall personality, excitement about election night is par for the course. She's not excited by a particular candidate, or by a particular party, she's just excited about democracy and politics in action.  I'm still baffled by the fuss.

[Excerpt]

Rachel Maddow's Chris Matthews Moment: "I Am Vibrating Off My Seat" With Excitement



. . .Describing her enthusiasm, she told Keith she was having "election night sweats," and that she was "vibrating off my seat at a height of about six inches." Olbermann visibly struggled not to burst out laughing, and instead warned Rachel that she was "getting into Matthews territory here," a reference to his co-host's infamous "I feel a thrill running up my leg comment" after listening to a Barack Obama speech. Always self-deprecating, Rachel laughed it off and told Keith she appreciated the warning. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

Glenn Beck Takes a Hit in Teabaggistan

Image from EncyclopediaDramatica

First the right turns on their golden boy, Scott Brown (R-Cosmopolitan), and now they're turning on Glenn Beck. I know, right? I thought Beck was like Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin. Namely, that they could get away with anything with this crowd. Please keep it up, guys!

[Excerpt]

The Right-Wing Backlash Against Glenn Beck: Stop Being A ‘Clown’ Who’s Trying To Divide Conservatives

Over the weekend, Fox News host Glenn Beck delivered a spirited speech to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he attacked not only his usual villains — Democrats, Van Jones, and the New Deal — but also the Republican Party, which is supposedly becoming too progressive. . .

Read more at: ThinkProgress

Battle of the Radio Hosts: Mark Levin vs. Glenn Beck

Image from Associated Content

I love it when right wing world starts spinning lopsided. I've heard lots of them have love fests for each other plenty of times. Shoot, Mark Levin--given his nasty personality and worse radio voice--probably wouldn't even have a radio show were it not for Sean Hannity featuring him on Hannity's program, and calling him The Great One. Not only does that sound gay, but Levin has no shame about it, even going to the lengths of playing Jackie Gleason's theme song on his show.

But once in a while, the yakkers take each other on. I've lost track of all the mini and major feuds, though I've heard Levin trash Michael Savage, and I've heard Savage trash about everyone else. The latest one to get it, again from Levin, is Glenn Beck. Good. Keep it going, boys!

[Excerpt]

Mark Levin: I have no idea what philosophy Glenn Beck is promoting. And neither does he

. . .I have no idea what philosophy Glenn Beck is promoting. And neither does he. It’s incoherent. One day it’s populist, the next it’s libertarian bordering on anarchy, next it’s conservative but not really, etc. And to what end? I believe he has announced that he is no longer going to endorse candidates because our problems are bigger than politics. Well, of course, our problems are not easily dissected into categories, but to reject politics is to reject the manner in which we try to organize ourselves. . .

Found at: Mark Levin Fan

Mark Levin Calls the Kettle Black

Image from CNSNews

This evening--again, during the brief 15-minute trip home--I listened to a bit of the always dreadful The Mark Levin Show. It's horrible, take my word for it. Not only is he a paranoid, delusional nutjob, he's got one of the most grating voices on radio. So how weird is it to hear such a man making fun of other people's voices?

The two people he was ragging on were Tom Brokaw and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Brokaw has a slight speech impediment, and Kennedy has Spasmodic Dysphonia, a voice disorder. Levin then began to make fun of Rep. Jim Webb (D-Va.) for his appearance. With a face for radio, and a voice for print like Levin, such commentary is not only juvenile, it's ironic. How on earth is this guy so popular?

5 Funniest Glenn Beck Parodies

Every once in a while, you're bound to look at a pop culture fad or celebrity and shake your head, wondering, "what does everybody see here that I'm not getting?" Whether it's the never-ending trend for boys to wear their pants BELOW their ass cheeks (seriously, it looks good on NO ONE), or the surging popularity of batshit crazy pundits. Mark Levin on the radio is one of them. His whiny voice and nasty disposition (unless you're in 100% agreement with him) makes his show almost unlistenable. And on TV, we have a similar problem, an unwatchable show that has paradoxically become a cable-news hit.

I've tried watching Glenn Beck a couple of times. It's not like Hannity, where a nakedly partisan (and arguably dim) host steers every topic and every segment into a anti-Democratic, pro-Republican viewpoint. It's not The O'Reilly Factor, with a pompous, blustery wind bag. No, Beck is his own special breed of. . .well, something. He's paranoid. He's emotional. He cries. He's showy. He has that peculiar George W. Bush affliction, where he can smile or make a goofy face when talking about something serious. He plays "six degrees of separation" with any subject, and can tie it to a radical Marxist/socialist/communist/"Democrat" super-secret agenda. His show feels like a classroom, and his students feel like a cult leader's congregation. Nutty, nutty, nutty. The only weirder/worse show on FOX "News" is Huckabee.

[Excerpt]

The 5 Funniest Glenn Beck Parodies Of All Time



It's hard to mock Glenn Beck. He's sort of become a caricature of himself, leaving little room for others to inject more humor into the situation. But brave men have tried and these five succeeded. Enjoy!

Read more (with more video) at: Huffington Post

FOX "News" - MSNBC Merger? It Could Happen.

Republicans seemed to hate everything Bill Clinton did while President. But lot of his liberal criticism comes from those who think he helped open the floodgates for media consolidation. Just looking at the TV networks, we now have ABC/Disney (ESPN, Disney Channel, ABC Family, etc.), CBS/Viacom (Paramount, MTV, etc.) CW/Viacom (Warner Bros. is in there somewhere), NBC/Universal (Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, etc.) and of course, FOX/NewsCorp (FX, FOX News, etc.).

Now, it looks like that already conglomerated mass could get even more amalgamated. Rupert Murdoch, gruff patriarch of Newscorp might be after NBC/Universal, bringing the five broadcast channels under the control of three companies. Doesn't sound like a particularly good idea to me.

Editor's Note: If you think that I made a jump with the merging of the news divisions, I actually got that from far-right radio back-bencher, Mark Levin, who was crowing about how "we" could make MSNBC a branch of FOX "News." Which should tell you right where FOX "News" really fits in the bias department.

[Excerpt]

GE to have right to sell stake in new NBC venture

General Electric could start to exit a new NBC Universal joint venture with Comcast Corp as soon as three-and-a-half years after the ink is dried, two people familiar with the talks said on Monday. . .

Read more at: Reuters

News to Nobody: Mark Levin is Disgusting

Image from Associated Content

Since Michael Jackson died, I've filled my short drive home with his music (no, I'm not obsessed, it's a 15-minute trip). Today, I'd had my fill of the Jackson 5, the Jacksons, Michael and even the Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger duets. So, instead, I flipped on the right-wing jabber on KXNT (sponsor of the stellar Sean Hannity Freedom™ Concert). Since my hours have been reduced, that puts me into the middle hour of The Mark Levin Show.

If I'm not mistaken, Levin is the 4th or 5th-rated talk show on radio. This would be impressive were it not for the top three, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael the Savage Weiner. Let's see, drug-addled gasbag, dumb as a box of rocks and certifiably insane, respectively. I see what each of the top three have to offer, though none of them do a damned thing for me. What Levin has though eludes me.

Like Savage, Levin has a barely tolerable voice, especially when riled. Which is often. This is usually seen as a liability in radio. Also like Savage, Levin is prone to paranoid rants, and idiotic nicknames for various people and entities. Unlike Savage, I believe that Levin believes what he is saying. I don't think he's an act. I think he believes he the smartest pundit going, and that he buys his own shtick. Supposedly, Levin is the guy who supplies the talking points that fill Hannity's empty head. And so, the theory goes, Levin was awarded with his own show.

So on my short trip home today, I heard Levin tearing apart journalists, and The New York Times ("Slimes" in Levinese) in particular. He first brought up economist Paul Krugman, and wasn't sure how to pronounce his name. No big deal, but then he called Krugman "freakish" looking, which is rather shocking coming from a face for radio like Levin. Next he went after Maureen Dowd by trashing her "dye job," but saying that it is black, when as far as I know, Dowd is a redhead. So as you can see, Levin has a tendency for personal rather than substantive attacks, right? But he wasn't done yet.

The core of his complaint was opinion columnist Frank Rich, who had written a piece on (saint) Sarah Palin. All through the bit, Levin portrayed Rich as a swishy, mincing gay man. This based on--again, as far as I know--the fact that Rich used to be a theater critic. Whaa? I only listened as I said, for a few minutes. And in that time Levin by his manner and voice kept up the anti-gay theme, with a sing-song voice, calling Frank "Richie," and more.

Now it's one thing to make fun of a public figure, be it with good-hearted humor, or even with a thick layer of snark. There are even ways to mock homophobia or homophobes using similar jocular jibes. I can even roll with lower humor than that, from shows like South Park or Family Guy. But there has to be actual humor, and a perceived absence of malice for that to work. There was no humor here, and Levin's voice drips with malice. I can't imagine listening to more than a few minutes of this show without boiling over into a rage. Levin gets stuff wrong, lies, distorts, and confounds logic. Inside of 90 seconds, I can find three things that aren't true in his rants. All with a voice that can make your ears bleed. Why is this clown so popular?

New Republican Buzzword: "Statist"

Image from Associated Content

Today, on the way home from work, I once again made the silly decision to listen to The Mark Levin Show on the radio. I really don't know why I keep doing this to myself. The program is thoroughly unpleasant, for many reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that when the host gets excitable (which is often) his voice becomes an eardrum-shredding horror.

But you do pick up a few interesting things. For instance, a while back I heard the genesis of "The Censorship Doctrine" as a replacement phrase for "The Fairness Doctrine." Thereafter, I heard or read the phrase in more than one location, though it didn't take off as well as Levin probably hoped.

Lately, there has been the birth of a new buzzword. Not satisfied with calling Democrats (and Barack Obama specifically) Marxists, socialists, communists, terrorists, what have you, there's a new word tripping from the likes of Levin. "Statist" is the word, though I'll confess to never hearing it before. In fact, the first several times Levin said it, I thought he was saying "sadist" or "stasis." I'm not sure the word has much sting, so whatever. We'll see if it catches on.

Wonder Woman Lynda Carter: Right Wing "Spreading Hate"

They are, of course. Tune in--even for a moment--to Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity or Michael Savage--and you're likely to hear it for yourself. But you don't have to put yourself through that. Take my word for it, and Lynda Carter's too. She's got super powers, after all.

[Excerpt]

‘Wonder Woman’ Lynda Carter Says ‘Right Wing’ Is ‘Spreading Hate’



Actress Lynda Carter, best known for her role as Wonder Woman on television, said that while there always is a loyal opposition to the party in power, the political “right wing” in America is “spreading hate.” Carter, who spoke with CNSNews.com at an event to raise awareness about mental illness, also said “it’s pathetic that we don’t do more” for the homeless in America. . .

Read more at: CNSNews

Conspiracy Corner: GOP Now Wearing the Tinfoil Hats

On the way home from work, I again sampled a little of the almost unlistenable Mark Levin Show. Don't try this at home, kids. In the very few minutes I listened, I heard the host and his callers addressing the motives of President Barack Obama, his administration, and the motives of liberals in general. They seem to believe that there is this list somewhere of "agendas."

Apparently, whenever a policy is enacted, Democrats have these secret agendas in mind. Now, anyone who follows Democratic politics knows that getting all or most of them to agree on just about anything is a herculean effort. But Republicans--recent history excepted--are known for getting all lock-steppy. So, in a classic case of projection, they assume that liberals do the same thing.

I have an example to show you, this time from FreeRepublic, the arch-right wing site. The subject in this case is the fight over California's Proposition 8. The subject could be almost anything, but since this one has to do with gay marriage, it makes for a particularly good example.

Here are a few of the comments, with a few responses from me.

"It’s war, and the left believes in winning by any means necessary."

Actually, it's a war on their side. The left--those of us concerned with gay rights, anyway--simply wants those rights respected.

"Social conservatives have been right all along. The legal radicals use of the gay agenda is not about gays or their agenda - the leftists don’t really give a dam about them - it has, all along, been an assault on marriage."

Right. We don't care about equal rights for all. We don't care if gay people get treated like other law-abiding taxpayers. Our agenda is to destroy marriage.

"The goal is the destruction of the traditional, nuclear family."

Where do they get this stuff? Who exactly is calling for this? Politicians? Activists? Bloggers? Who?

"The radical process is NOT about and NOT in service of a “gay agenda”. It is about the destruction of marriage. Everything else, including any “gay agenda” are just useful idiot tools in the process."

More of the same, and also assumes the existence of the mythical "gay agenda," something this gay person has never seen outside of right-wing blogs and satire.

"Oh to be sure. They are horrific people."

Yes, horrible! Funny, the people seeking rights are "horrific," and those seeking to squash those rights are not.

"It isn't fear of homosexuality -- just recognition of the bigger picture and the ultimate goals. Ever read the goals of the Communist Party? Try these two for starters:
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents."

They really think that liberals have some undisclosed, clandestine agenda to do these things.

"Marriage is under coordinated, long-prepared legal attack. There are hundreds of homosexual attorneys working right now on a Constitutional attack on marriage. Their goal is the Supreme Court, where a closeted Justice Souter waits perfidiously to offer their lying briefs a civil reception. "

OK, I'm done. This is just too crazy for words. But I would like someone to explain a couple of things to me. First, if same-sex marriages were instantly legal in all 50 states tonight, how would that "destroy" marriage? What tangible damage would be done? And secondly, which people are involved in the effort to dismantle marriage, exactly? Names, evidence, something besides the ravings of these loons?

Source: FreeRepublic

Behind the Blogger: My Talk Radio Addiction

From time to time, I like to say a little about myself, to bring a little personal touch to the blog, which is named after me, after all. This one has to do with a possible character flaw: I listen to talk radio all day, every day, 5 days a week.

Most of us know somebody who listens to a steady stream of radio blather. They're often banished to their garages by wives who do not want to hear nine steady hours of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. If the listener is too hardcore for that trio, he may tune to Michael (Weiner) Savage, or if the person is a woman, maybe it's Dr. Laura. There are many other imitators, also-rans and never-weres, but the result is the same: you're a radio-listening weirdo.

My vice started with a steady stream of Air America Radio, which has had a fairly rocky history, even for radio. So my listening became more fractured. But to keep from having to seek out a different link on my computer ever time a show ends, I found a radio station (KTLK-AM, Los Angeles) that carries pretty much what I'd seek out on my own. Currently, that line-up is the last hour or so of The Stephanie Miller Show, followed by The Thom Hartmann Program, The Nancy Skinner Show (this one is filler for me, until Randi Rhodes comes back) and The Ron Reagan Show.

How can somebody listen to that much blather? Well, actually, I'm not always listening. Like any radio, it's sort of background noise, until I hear something that makes me pay attention. And I'm up and down from my desk much of the time. Truth be told, if I'm at work for an 8-9 hour day, I probably hear about 4 hours worth. But that isn't 4 hours worth of talk, if you pay attention to how radio is actually programmed. I'd be surprised if there is actually a half-hour of actual program to any of these shows in a given hour. Radio works like this:

0:00 - 0:06 - News/traffic/weather and commercials

0:06 - 0:08 - Intro music, montages of the host's voice clips, etc.

0:08 - 0:15 - First segment, bumper music

0:15 - 0:23 - Commercials

0:23 - 0:28 - Bumper music, second segment, bumper music

0:28 - 0:35 - Commercials

0:35 - 0:45 - Third segment, sometimes with bumper music, and more montages

0:45 - 0:53 - Commercials

0:53 - 0:58 - Last segment, sometimes with closing music, and host's traditional "sign off"

0:58 - 1:00 - Commercials

When you subtract out all of the bumper music, montages and other filler, I think my half-hour estimate might be a little high. And if the host is an egomaniac, like Levin, even more time is eaten up by that stuff. So, next time you roll your eyes at the talk-radio fan, remember that his all-day habit isn't quite as bad as it looks on the surface. Unless he gets all of his information, news, and political ideology from those shows. Then, he has both a bad habit, and he's an idiot.

David Frum Dares to Go After Limbaugh

I once again made a poor decision as it pertains to my radio listening. On the way home, I listened to a short portion of The Mark Levin Show. You may not have heard of him, but his show has been catching on of late. If sources like Randi Rhodes and Stephanie Miller (with cohorts Jim Ward and Chris LaVoie) are to be believed--and I think they are--Levin is sort of "Sean Hannity's Brain." Which would mean he's responsible for inflicting The Manatee on us, and in return has garnered some fame of his own.

Anyway, Levin is a particularly nasty brand of talk radio host, with a horrible, whiny voice. He's Rush Limbaugh without the charm, if that makes any sense. And tonight he was blasting conservative pundit David Frum. He'd apparently been on the tirade for a while, and by the time I tuned in, Frum himself was on the phone with Levin. To say Levin was rude to Frum would be an understatement. It was at once unpleasant and fascinating.

I'm no fan of Frum's, but the short article that caused all the furor was basically trying to separate mainstream conservatism from the radical, right-wing brand that Rush personifies. Unfortunately for Frum, it's the radicals that rule the roost right now. You're with Rush, or you're against him. So that leaves ordinary conservatives without a party.

There are a couple of ironies here. First, is that I agree with Frum. He's right, if mainstream conservatives don't extricate themselves from the radicals, the Republican Party is not going to regain its footing. "The base" is great for helping to win elections, but they can't win it alone. See, though I agree with Frum, I'm not anxious to see this all sorted out. From my perspective, the longer conservatives are out of power, the better.

With the trashing Levin gave Frum, and the beating he's taking elsewhere, it's not likely his message is going to be allowed to catch on anyway. So the second irony--one that Levin and his listeners are blind to--is that they are shutting out actual answers that might help revive their party. The elevation of people like Limbaugh (and Levin) to mainstream status is dooming their party, unless they manage to convert more middle-of-the-road conservatives to their radical status. Good luck with that.

[Excerpt]

LIMBAUGH AT CPAC

. . .And for the leader of the Republicans? A man who is aggressive and bombastic, cutting and sarcastic, who dismisses the concerned citizens in network news focus groups as “losers.” With his private plane and his cigars, his history of drug dependency and his personal bulk, not to mention his tangled marital history, Rush is a walking stereotype of self-indulgence – exactly the image that Barack Obama most wants to affix to our philosophy and our party. And we’re cooperating! Those images of crowds of CPACers cheering Rush’s every rancorous word – we’ll be seeing them rebroadcast for a long time. . .

Read more at: NewMajority

Socialism and the Right

Image from Media Matters

There has been a lot of whining, raving and--in Mark Levin's case--shrieking about socialism since the issue of the stimulus plan came around. It goes back further, actually, with most of the right-wing blowholes calling Barack Obama a socialist during the election. But the fact of the matter is, we've had elements of socialism in the United States for a very long time.

Roads, schools, police departments, fire departments and many other things are essentially socialized. Other than schools (screwls, in Limbaugh parlance), you don't much hear right-wingers complaining about these things. But, if it is health care, jobs or entitlements, well my friend, we are on the road to ruin! Now, I am no financial expert, and I have no idea how good or bad this stimulus plan is really. But I feel confident that the Limbaughs, Hannitys and Levins are wrong, because they usually are.

The Huffington Post has a great article up right now with a challenge. If the stimulus plan is evil socialism, well then don't participate. Give the money back! Don't take the job! Do you think they'll do it?

[Excerpt]

Sean Hannity's Ridiculous War Against Socialism

. . .There was Sean Hannity on television: breathlessly announcing the red dawn of "socialism you can believe in." "The New America." He called the recovery bill, "a liberal hijacking of the American way of life." Uh-huh. Hijacking. Terrorists rather than goblins on the wing. I get it. And even though we just wrapped up eight years of the largest government expansion in our country's history, Hannity derided the recovery bill as "the largest government expansion in our country's history. . ."

Read more at: <>Huffington Post

OK, Obama's President. Now Where's That Change He Promised?

Image from Barack-Obama.tv

My friend and occasional contributor Stupid Monkey Planet sent me the link to the excerpted article below, and I thought it was worth sharing here. Already, blow-holes like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin are blasting every single step Barack Obama makes, and mocking his theme of "change." This article takes that tack--with a heavy dose of sarcasm and snark (always welcome here)--and demonstrates what has already changed.

[Excerpt]

So? Where's the change?

Geez, Louise.

Where do we send our complaints? He's been president for 23 hours, (and dancing for 6 hours of the time, by my count) and what has he accomplished?

NOTHING! NADA. NOT ONE THING. Well, OK, he stopped the Gitmo horror show. He stopped all environmental law changes Bush tried to shove through at the last minute. . .

Read more at: Capitol Hill Blue

A Rant About Over-inflated Conservative Opinions

There is only one reason for this post, and that was an extreme irritation with an on-air promotion on the local Las Vegas right-wing talk radio station. Well, the leading one anyway, there are lots of them, and none is liberal/progressive.

Anyway, what got my dander up was a simple promotion for Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Hannity has christened Levin "The Great One," for no other reason than their snake-eating-its-tail relationship. And Hannity also calls each of his callers "Great Americans" if they've mastered the ability to dial a phone, and bleat echos of his viewpoints. They almost unfailingly return the favor.

Both monikers have stuck in the world of conservo-talk, and so KXNT has made a commercial touting that you don't have to go anywhere else, because all the Great Ones and Great Americans are in one place. This made me want to hurl, but all I did was yell at the radio. Both men have done a great deal to tear down and divide America, despite their incessant metaphorical flag-waving.

Levin has the most obnoxious voice in radio (which is saying a lot), and is smart enough to know that he's stoking an already unstable base of listeners. Hannity isn't smart enough to know any of that, but he's still good at it. I'm apparently immune to being "Hannitized," which is good, because it is brainwashing by a brainless man.

To make matters worse, the little commercial was followed by another promo for a new program, The Curtis Sliwa Show, which--given what a freak that guy is--shows they'll play anything associated with FOX "News." Of course, it airs at 2am, so only the craziest of the crazy will ever hear it. Just yuck.

Rush Limbaugh & Sean Hannity Skirting the Law?

A while back, I mentioned that I overheard the creation (or at least an early stage) of a new conservative "meme" while listing to just a couple of minutes of The Mark Levin Show. I do not recommend this listening activity, by the way. And it turns out I was right. Sean Hannity--who liberal talker Randi Rhodes maintains gets virtually all of his shtick from Levin--has been using the phrase "censorship doctrine" instead of "fairness doctrine" on his show.

This is sort of a spin of a spin. Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin and other conservative talkers have been working their listeners into a lather over the fairness doctrine, a repealed FCC rule that dictated that political speech should be balanced on broadcast TV and radio. They maintain that Democrats are eager to reinstate it, and that it will restrict their "free speech." But the fact is, there is only tepid support by mainstream Democrats for such a thing. It's just spin to create a new bogeyman. And changing "fairness" to "censorship" is just one more layer to their stinky onion.

But are they breaking the law? I sure hope so, because seeing any of these guys--particularly Hannity--in an orange jumpsuit, with a cell-mate named Bubba would be almost as good as seeing Karl Rove in the same scenario. . .

[Excerpt]

Radio Treason? Right Wing Talkers Skirted Disclosure Law

. . .Airing this week on talk radio shows have been a slew of "538" ad buys, confusing listeners into thinking a revived Fairness Doctrine would muzzle partisan talk. Hannity in particular began referring to the law as the "Censorship Doctrine" but quickly laid bare in an L.A. Times piece, we saw the effort was an intentional "cry wolf", meant to begin a messaging campaign - that is, conditioning listeners to have kneejerk reactions at any mention of the Fairness Doctrine. Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, who calls it the "hush Rush" bill should perhaps be gearing up to answer different questions about disclosure requirements on public airwaves. . .

Read more at: OpEdNews

New Right Wing Talking Point: Fairness Doctrine = Censorship Doctrine

Picture of Mark Levin, most annoying voice in radio, from WMAL

This week, I have listened to right-wing talk radio for probably a total of 20 minutes or so. I often listen to it in the car on the way to and from work, and sometimes when on errands. But I don't ever have to drive very far, and talk radio is notoriously stuffed with commercials, music bumpers, vanity "audio collages," and filler. So the actual programs don't fill much air time.

Still, I managed to suss out a brand new right-wing talking point in those brief minutes. While catching a few minutes of The Mark Levin Show earlier in the week, I heard a caller say that the "Fairness Doctrine" really should be called the "Censorship Doctrine," because "fairness" sounds too nice. He argued that liberals already had a leg up on conservatives using that word. How very Frank Luntz of him.

The Fairness Doctrine was a rule in place years ago that required opposing political viewpoints to be presented on broadcast radio. Ronald Reagan rescinded that rule, which gave birth to all right wing radio, all the time. Thus, you can listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Levin in a eight-hour block, with no contrary opinions to clutter your head. While there is some very slight buzz that somebody out there wants to reinstate the doctrine, many liberals have said they aren't interested.

But in right-wing world, the eeeevil liberals are hellbent on restoring the doctrine, in an effort to silence the right. Forget that this would also effect liberal shows like The Stephanie Miller Show, The Rachel Maddow Show, The Randi Rhodes Show and The Thom Hartmann Show. This is however, the new bogeyman from the right.

So, I was not surprised to hear Levin say, a day or so later, the "censorship doctrine." I was even less surprised to hear Hannity use the same phrase today. Expect dittoheads, right-wing blogs, conservative pundits, FOX "News," and Republican politicians to begin using censorship doctrine exclusively from here on out.