public airwaves: we gotta get us some...

KVI talker John Carlson (m-f, 3-6p) will be an adviser to Safeco CEO Mike McGavick's senatorial exploratory committee, so we learned last week

The news was greeted with hoots by those who remember Carlson's quixotic run at Gov.Gary Locke in 2000. Carlson gained only 40% of the vote, not even coming up to the Christian extremist Ellen Craswell's laughable 1996 vote total.

You wouldn't think Carlson would be of much use to the squeaky-voiced  McGavick. Brenda over at Washington State Political Report even suggests McGavick might as well bring in perennial candidate Mike the Mover for some advice.

But we doubt Carlson was brought in for advice on how to run a gubernatorial campaign as much as to bring his considerable political capital to the candidacy of a business Republican who wants the blessings of the state's hard right, with its goofy fundamentalist grassroots.

Though he didn't win in 2000, Carlson's shown though the Undo Gregoire unrest and anti-roads repair initiative campaign that he can influence the electorate handily...and as important, he's become the face of the new faux populism discovered by the Republicans, who took it up after they'd failed for years to win any statewide elections.

As a symbol, Carlson is taking the place of Tim Eyman the initative who's fading into irrelevance and horsesassedness.

This, thanks to being allowed by his corporate bosses at Fisher Broadcasting and by foggy public disclosure law to not only advocate on the radio(which is his blessed First Amendment right) but to directly partipate in the campaigning.

This was an unholy trinity of conservative talk radio, right-wing bloggers, and GOP professionals.

We were thinking today of how much easier it is to succeed as a radio blabberjockey than it is to succeed as a public servant.

Recently we discussed the horrifying idea that Sean Hannity might run for president. It was mostly tongue in cheek, but we concluded that Hannity is such a provable liar, he couldn't possibly be elected.

That's the problem for so-called "advocacy journalists" should they try to go into elected politics--and few have actually done it. It's like how hard it is for a US Senator to run successfully for president because of the paper trail and public record of the inevitable sausage-making that must be done to be effective for your constituency in a legislative body.

Politicians equivocate and avoid hard answers because their job depends on compromise. The job of a talk host, on the other hand is, as radio consultant Walt Sabo has said, "to get you riled up and establish absolutes, because only an absolute point of view produces phone calls, which are really hard to generate."

That's why callers are always telling these egotistical blabberjockeys they should run for something-- because they sound so clear and strong.

But that's because the opinions spouted so bravely, they'll never have to account for in any real way. About the only thing they can be fired for is being boring. We always complain about boring politicians but what if but what if Ron Sims could run up his favorables by jumping out of an airplane like Dori Monson?

John Carlson is one of the few talkers to ever run for a major office. There were many reasons he lost, but some of it was his years as a broadcaster advocating for the hard conservative side on many, many issues.

Try as he might, Carlson couldn't keep a moderate face in his campaign because of this record. On Sunday nights for years, Carlson debated southpaw historian Walt Crowley in a point counter point setting on KIRO TV. In these popular weekly dust-ups, Carlson voiced opinions on creationism, apartheid, nerf balls--he was against them--as he was condoms, rail transit, low cost housing and  publically-funded speying and neutering, (though he was for castration of rapists). He couldn't avoid having to answer for all of that.

But why should he--or a Sean Hannity--even want to run for office? With their unfettered loudspeakers and publicity departments, the likes of which no politician could afford, they have far more clout than most politicos and almost never have to account for shooting their mouths off.

What an easier, softer way to amass power--and they've done it on our public airwaves.  Public airwaves: we gotta get us some......

Comments

[Duane]

What is it about people who's name starts with an "H" being liars?...Hannity is a liar, Hillary is a liar, Hitler was a liar....hmmmm. I think I'm on to something.
Thanks Michael, your column today was my virtual cinnabon with my coffee.

[Michael B.]

Let's not throw in Hannity & Hillary with Hitler, OK? Poor taste.

[PeakLimiter]

Nicely written piece Michael, now how about some real news about your darling "start up" radio network. The failure that is Air America Radio. 2 years and counting and still no ratings...ANYWHERE!
Air America is being investigated in New York for diverting federal/local funds--possibly "hundreds of thousands of dollars"--meant for inner-city kids and senior into the station's coffers.

Um, why isn't the New York Times, which has spilled tons of adulatory ink on the liberal radio network, covering this scandal on its front page?

Radio blogger Brian Maloney has the lowdown. Read the whole thing. He sniffed out the story when he spotted this tidbit buried in the NY Daily News about Air America being targeted in a NYC Department of Investigation probe of kids' and seniors' programs being ripped off in the Bronx:

A Bronx congressman yesterday praised the smooth takeover of dozens of programs serving thousands of youngsters and seniors across the borough after the city yanked funding from two sponsoring agencies that have come under a cloud.
The nonprofit Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club and its affiliate Pathways for Youth found their city contracts, running into the millions of dollars, abruptly ended last month by the city Department of Investigation...

In its initial announcement, the DOI said it was probing allegations that program officials "approved significant inappropriate transactions and falsified documents that were submitted to various city agencies."

According to published reports, the allegations involve Charles Rosen, the founder of Gloria Wise who has stepped down as executive director, investing city contract funds in Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network.

Evan Cohen, Air America's former chairman, had served as Gloria Wise's director of development.

A local community paper, The Bronx News, covers the Air America troubles ignored by the national press:

The Bronx News has learned, through informed sources, that the diversion of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in Co-op City to the liberal Air America Radio is at the center of the city’s probe of corruption at the local club.
The money, which was reportedly paid to Air America as a loan, was supposed to be paid back with interest, two unidentified informed sources told the News. One source added that Air America officials, led by an official of the Gloria Wise Club, agreed to help the local club by publicizing its activities.

To date, no indictments have been handed down in the New York City Department of Investigation’s ongoing probe of the Gloria Wise Club’s reported transfer of funds to Air America...

...The city’s DOI is pursuing the probe because the Gloria Wise Club depends heavily on city funding for its operations. These funds are subject to extensive audits, as are funds received through the state and federal governments.
The Co-op City-based club, which Rosen has built into an empire in the Co-op City community, reportedly has 19 contracts and at least one grant with the city, worth a total of $9.7 million.

Over the last year, Rep. Joseph Crowley has secured two major federal grants for the Gloria Wise Club, one for a day-care program for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers and the other for the community’s NORC program for senior citizens. The grant for the program for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers was for $250,000, while the grant for the NORC program was for $99,410.

In 2003, Crowley secured a $218,500 grant for a mentoring program that the Gloria Wise Club runs.

Cohen, who is reportedly at the center of the Gloria Wise probe, is a Guam-based investors who was reportedly a key principal in the start-up of Air America...

Will Air America's self-proclaimed champions of the poor and downtrodden--Franken? Garafolo? Springer?--touch this story with a ten-foot pole? Will Randi Rhodes trot out her gunshot sound effects to blame the messenger? Or will the gabbers continue maintaining their radio silence?

Like they say: Stay tuned...

[Scrilla]

Public Airwaves...
"With their unfettered loudspeakers and publicity departments, the likes of which no politician could afford, they have far more clout than most politicos and almost never have to account for shooting their mouths off."

Help me understand why Conservative Talk Radio is more pernicious that an Op Ed board that provides blanket Demo endorsements? Is it audience size? Immediacy?
Clearly, they are providing/manufacturing something in demand. You seem to regard the audience as some kind of indentured servants. The market is the message. The book comes out Thursday.

I am a native NWster. I am a pro-abortion, anti-government waste, pro-environment atheist veteran. I have watched my money pissed away by successive Dem legislatures. Me and at least 400,000 other "fed uppers" are sick of this shit and talk radio is accurately reflecting my sensibilities. I am one of the public and the airwaves need to reflect all opinions. But they DON'T HAVE TO IF THERE'S NO DEMAND!! It's called a marketplace. I won't subsidize a commercial venture. I will reward businesses that have things I want.
Is there a blogger that complains to Seattle Magazine about the unfair influence that FOOD WRITERS and restaurant critics have!
"Hey! They never write about the 'Dick's Deluxe' or the Kidd Valley cheeseburger! I demand an alternative!"

...more later, a Natalee update is on MSNBC.

[blathering michael]

Peak limiter: I saw Brian's piece, and will definitely give it some play if it truly involves Air America, which was an earlier victim of Evan Cohen. He was a con-man who promised capitalization for the fledgling network he could not supply, leaving them high and dry. This is all very well documented (there's even a movie).
AAR hasn't been on the air two years yet, I suggest you keep watching those ratings--we'll be getting some new ones next week.

[blathering michael]

Scrilla, Scrilla, I salute your right to be pissed off and to hear what you want to hear.
The Republicans figured out how to use talk radio as a potent tool to use your pissed-offedness...
I'm just saying: we need to get some of that--and you know? we will.

[David]

Wow, can anybody guess what the Republican talking points were today? (Hint, something about Air America). The exact same quotes appeared in Horses Ass' comments over and over. The Republicans sure like to change the subject when things get uncomfortable for them.

[chris]

Yes they do change the subject and what's even more perplexing is the 'sore winner' attitude they have taken since Nov. You'd think any party that was in charge wouldn't have to continue with the 'liberal' baiting. The Moveon.org effort has paid off evidently if this is the case. I'm anxious to see the results of the state elections probe into KVI and the anti-gas tax intiative.

[Duane]

Hey Michael, wasn't it Richard, the Dick, Durbin, senator from Illinois who used Hitler as a comparison to Gitmo? Please, be intellectually honest...the liberals have invoked Hitler a few times recently.
And how many more times will Durbin step on his own dick?

[blathering michael]

To be intellectually honest, I don't really care about those Hitler remarks except it gives Republicans the perception of moral high ground and a way to change the subject from the problems Bush is having with the war, his domestic agenda and his poll numbers.

[Michael B.]

I think the use of Hitler minimizes the enormity of the Holocaust. It is probably for the best if everyone on the left and right and center used some discretion before invoking the name of the 20th century's 2nd greatest mass murderer.

[Duane]

Michael B. YOU are correct. The liberal democrats invoked that heinous man into a comparison to our troops. Absolutely digusting and shameful. But what else would you expect from Durbin, Boxer, Pelosi, Reed, et al.? UnAmericans parading around as US Senators.
Political discourse is fine and healthy, but being unamerican about it isn't.

[Tony Miller]

"but we concluded that Hannity is such a provable liar, he couldn't possibly be elected."

ROFL!!! And you can say that after Bill Clinton was elected? The "character doesn't matter" president? :))