Boy, if neocon talker Michael Medved (KTTH m-f, 12-3p) is a closet liberal, he's so deep in the closet, he's back there with the leisure suits, platform shoes, and the not-yet outed gay Republican congressmen.
(The closet seems to be the real big tent in the GOP).
We're bringing that up because Brian Maloney at the rightie Radio Equalizer suspects otherwise- and he's judging Medved partly from our post last week about John Moe's experience in the studio during the Medved broadcast from Moe's book, Conservatize Me.
Moe found Medved pretty congenial with him which surprised Moe since he works for the conservative Great Satan, NPR.
But he was even more surprised to find that Medved is a consistent listener to NPR and considers its newscasts the best in radio and better than most newspapers.
Medved & crew, it seems are not fond of Fox News, preferring CNN in studio. This is heretical in conservative circles, where Fox News is the best thing since sliced Mexicans.
Even bright, educated righties revel in the Murdoch tabloid news coverage that chooses not to run news that counters their dearly beheld beliefs. When occasionally they must, they run it through a "news anchor" such as the big fat head, Billo Reilly.
Needless to say, Brian Maloney was none too amused.
"... Medved ...comes across as either an ideological faker and/or someone who is bitter regarding the success of others. A fair question, however, is to what extent a person must adhere to a certain set of lifestyle likes and dislikes in order to "fit in" with the cause.
Lefties are notoriously intolerant in this regard, for instance, admitting to eating meat (or even consuming dairy products) in Berkeley or Santa Cruz these days can lead to outright social ostracism."
Moe quoted Medved's critical remarks about Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and even said Rush was a little embarrassing.
"That's pretty damning, isn't it? Maloney asks, "Fine, not every conservative is compelled to like FOX News, but what exactly does Rush Limbaugh (who is quite tame these days) do on the air that is ever embarrassing?"
(Maybe it's what Big Pants does off the air that's embarrassing to the Kookie Kultural Krusader of Mercer Island, who like Hannity got their biggest breaks in radio by filling in for Rush back in the 1990's).
Maloney had an interesting experience in June, sitting in a Manhattan restaurant with Hannity, Medved and a group of other radio pros.
Sitting right next to Sean for most of the evening was Michael himself and there was no apparent indication of personal dislike on either end.
Ordinarily, the account of a lefty book author alone wouldn't get much credence here," writes Maloney, "but your Radio Equalizer has past personal experiences to consider as well, some of which match Moe's contentions. ...
Maloney worked in Seattle at KVI when Medved was there, and at KIRO, who's shares Entercom space at their Eastlake media center with KTTH where Medved holds forth daily. [I have]"... observed some of the same curious ideological ambiguities as those indicated in Moe's book. And beyond that, Medved has a bad habit of seeing himself as the only sensible person in a land of extremists," he writes.
Maloney says Medved, having some of these opinions, could call himself a moderate, but goes on to charge, "... some of these statements seem to go a lot further than where a mere centrist would stand."
"In the end," Maloney asks, "does any of this really matter? In fact, it does, from the standpoint that it's important to know who's legit in this business and who isn't."
After the initial wave of conservative talk radio success led by Rush Limbaugh in the early 1990s, a number of people jumped on board, including some with questionable backgrounds. Now, we're even seeing a few suspect individuals claiming to be on the left in order to get "progressive" talk shows. There is fakery on all sides.
He's may be right about the situational ideology of some talk professionals, but Medved by our liberal lights, is one of the most conservative talkers we know. He's a pro-life, fundamentalist Bible-thumping Jew; an authoritarian and elitist; a neo-con; a rock-ribbed Republican. He even buys Intelligent Design (!) and supports President Bush (publically at least) no matter what he does, no matter how far he tips.
It doesn't make Medved a lefty if he's embarrassed at the fatuous, farting, philandering, pharmaceutically phoolish Limbaugh who
frequently reaches so far in his overheated hyperbole, he's a cartoon.
That he might be critical of the repetitive, talking-pointed, ah-shucks
polemics, and self-satisfied bluster of ultra-goyboy Sean Hannity
doesn't necessarily mean he's gone all squishy lib.
Hannity and ABC Radio bought their way into the Seattle market pushing Medved out of his 12-3p live spot on KVI. After that experience, his resentments of the phenomenally successful Hannity might be about something besides right-wing purity.
Or it might be simple envy.
Medved is not on the left. I have increased respect for him, however, since hearing he has the ability to know truth when he hears it as in his preference for NPR.
It is obvious that the right believes truth is on the left . . . so leave them to their faux news.
Posted by: joanie | October 12, 2006 at 08:08 AM
Medved is a conservative but he is also a realist trying to survive in the cutthroat world of radio ratings. He wants to appeal to a broad based audience. Thus, on the air, he is a Jew for Jesus and a conservative with love for liberal media.
Posted by: umo | October 12, 2006 at 08:47 AM
Michael Medved told the editor of ABC News the other day that he didn't think Nixon did anything serious enough to resign over. The newsman was incredulous and basically rendered speechless. My B.S. censors told me Medved was being the real Medved in that interchange, even though my fraud detection alarm has gone off with Medved at various times in the past. Medved is the disgrace- not Michael Savage.
Posted by: Committee for a Styble-free Overnight | October 12, 2006 at 11:24 AM
Michael Savage is erudite, eloquent, compelling and provocative. Medved is a little leaguer compared to Savage.
Posted by: umo | October 12, 2006 at 11:47 AM
Michael Sewage is a punk, threatening a former Sec of State with hanging, He should be rounded up.
Posted by: coiler | October 12, 2006 at 12:42 PM
Can I be a member of the comittee for a Styble free overnight
Posted by: Rich | October 12, 2006 at 04:28 PM
You don't have to join a committee, your radio should have some sort of tuning capability, it's just that easy.
Posted by: Liz | October 12, 2006 at 04:51 PM
Ya, its called the OFF/ON switch!
Posted by: sparky | October 12, 2006 at 05:05 PM
sure, Rich. Just say the following pledge and your in-" I, Rich, being opposed to an undue prudery, priggishness and/or censorship on the p[ublic radio waves, do hereby join the Committee for a Styble-free Overnight".
Posted by: Committee for a Styble-free Overnight | October 12, 2006 at 05:08 PM
Neocon extremist, and authoritarian religious "superiorist" Michael Medved has John Moe on right now, and Medved just admitted that he has sent his daughter off to an Orthodox Jewish college in New York. Too bad the daughter couldn't have grown a spine and chosen her own college. He raises his children with no television in the house. What a frigging jerk.
Posted by: Tommy008 | October 13, 2006 at 01:34 PM
Gee, Tommy, no TV! Imagine what she's missing . . . What an abusive parent Medved is! Unbelievable!
I'm beginning to like this jerk better and better. . .
Posted by: joanie | October 13, 2006 at 01:42 PM
There sure are a lot of Mikes and Michaels in this blog.
Posted by: Mike Barer | October 13, 2006 at 11:44 PM
I noticed that too Mike.
--Mike
Posted by: Mike Hunt | October 14, 2006 at 01:59 PM
gimme that mic, Mike and Mike! I noticed that, too. let's tell Michael to mic-up Mike Siegel & Mike Webb...More Mikes mic-ed, Mikey!
Posted by: mikethedyke | October 14, 2006 at 02:40 PM