Randall Bloomquist at Newstalk Edge writes today about Indiana GOP Governor Mitch Daniel's recent heresy that the Republican Party needs to expand by reaching out to “those who never tune-in to Rush or Glenn or Laura or Sean.”
Daniels was promptly punished by such as Rush Limbaugh who said:
"You don't diss the people who are already audiences of those shows...who won election for your party year after year after year after year. And all of this, of course, done to impress the mainstream media."
But Bloomquist points out that Daniels was only trying to expand the GOP base, not replace it... and, he writes (agreeing with us) that expanding the base would be good for radio, too.
In this age of increased competition and smaller available audiences, why wouldn’t a talk station, especially an FM outlet, try to expand its appeal? Yes, radio is a niche medium, but have we allowed the talk niche to be defined too narrowly over past decade? I’m not suggesting that any station should drop successful conservative fire-breathers like Rush. But I question the wisdom of building an entire line up of fire-breathers who address the same topics from the exact same place on the ideological spectrum all day long. Why not reach out to right-of-center listeners who are interested in politics, but not obsessed? This is the ideological pig-in-the-python. Give this huge potential audience an entertaining line-up that covers a broad spectrum of topics (a.k.a. “real life”) across the day with a conservative sensibility and you’ll have a winner.
sounds depressing and bland.
Posted by: rich | March 24, 2011 at 01:29 PM
Water down the message?
How to bore the base. It is more likely time to light a fire under the asses of our conservative broadcasters and get them back on track.
It is time to put an end to Obama's honeymoon and get tough on him and to put an end to babying the babbling fools that are the majority in the Senate.
Posted by: chucks | March 24, 2011 at 01:43 PM
Something people have accused Beck of, but not right-wing radio in general, is that they had burned out their audience on promises of Doom and Gloom once Obama got his hands on our wallets, but now honest middle American conservatives must be thinking to themselves "is this the socialist shit-storm they had warned us about? I'm not feeling any burning sensation, nothing falling from the sky..."
In fact just the opposite seems to be happening. Public opinion is turning against the radical-reform and Tea Party candidates such as John Kasich and Scott Walker, who rode into office on a wave of their own making, and now their approval ratings are going the way of KVI.
Posted by: Andrew | March 24, 2011 at 04:46 PM
You are misreading the tea leafs Andrew.
The nation is in pain and that pain is needing 2012 to retake either the POTUS and/or the Senate.
Posted by: chucks | March 24, 2011 at 06:11 PM
Their approval ratings may be going the way of KVI but they are still in office and their ability to alter our democracy is profound. I remember someone commenting that we've been watching unions lose traction for decades and no one has lifted a finger to stop it. Down to the last of the powerful unions? What's next? Can you say?
Posted by: The Anti-Dori | March 24, 2011 at 06:40 PM
Chuck S, the nation is not in pain. Egyptians, Libyans, Bahrainis are in pain. It's pretty funny seeing you talk about pain while you sit around the house all day and buy your groceries with money you received from Obama's government. It's too bad Republicans didn't kill unemployment benefits, you'd have appreciated the much needed motivation that starvation brings I'm sure.
Posted by: Andrew | March 24, 2011 at 07:43 PM
Excellent
Posted by: Coiler | March 24, 2011 at 10:11 PM
I kind of screwed up and quit collecting the unemployment. It was extended but I got to feeling a bit guilty for acting like a democrat and mooching. Was fun for a while but got really old.
Now I just work part time while practicing for retirement. Just work 3 or 4 days per week for several dealers so their finance people can get more days off or not have to come in while sick.
Posted by: chucks | March 24, 2011 at 11:32 PM
Chuck is just a robo-responder. They're all over the place. Trying to reason with one of them won't work. They're clever and slippery. They lie and have no moral center. They're mean and bigoted. Their blatent hypocrisy can be seen by looking at their posting history on the internets. ('Internets' used for right-wing readability.)
The 'human' auto-responders all think they have their own 'show'. Only difference between (a-HEM) 'people' like chucks and people who have real shows is tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. The whole perspective is different when you're in that tax bracket. chucks will carry their water anyway. "Oh chucks... be a good chap and bring me another Mimosa, won't you..."
Mr. chucks, I listen to Rush Limbaugh. I hate Rush Libmbaugh. Mr. chucks, your no Rush Limbaugh. ('Your' used for right-wing readability.)
Posted by: Where's My Mimosa chucks? | March 25, 2011 at 02:45 PM
Trying to decide what my favorite Republican stunt is for the week...
is it the Main Gov taking down the mural of union workers because it "offends the business community"....
or is it Larry Klayman's conspiracy theory that Hillary is no longer interested in killing Obama outright, but will release his "real" birth certificate to the world, which will cause his impeachment.....or is it the Indiana politico who wrote an email to Gov. Walker, encouraging him to hire someone to dress up as a union worker ( jeans and workshirt? dirt on his hands?) who will attempt a fake shooting of the Governor, to illustrate how crazed union workers are.....
Posted by: sparky | March 25, 2011 at 05:59 PM
Keep the truth coming, Sparky.
Report cards today. It's been a harrowing week. Can you imagine the majority of men working as much as teachers do? Well, I think they're going to find out. The days of overpaid RV salesmen are few and far between.
How did such an email make it to the public? That's crazy.
Posted by: joanie | March 25, 2011 at 06:42 PM
hahahaha what is the obsession with Joanie over ridiculing the "RV salesman" thing. She's had a monomania about this for years now. Has the Joanmeister ever worked a sales job? or a job where you depend on a comission or return on investment , like flipping houses or stocks, not guaranteed money from the government? She must hate real estate agents. They make straight commission and the pricier the house the more moolah they make. Those young twentysomething real life agents on Million Dollar Listing, selling exclusive mansions in L.A.'s finest neighborhoods, make 500 or 600 k on the sale on just one of their highest end houses. Easy, undeserved riches , she would say....except she could never do it and succeed at it... hahah Joanie haha Joanie.... bitter, jealous old troll......
Posted by: Tommy008 | March 25, 2011 at 07:32 PM
Another run-on paragraph. I thought you were a writer. Tommy: the wannabe writer and the wanbnabe millionaire. How's that coming, Tommy? Earned your first hundred thousand?
And I ridicule until like the husband who apologized to his teacher wife, the RV guy apologizes to the people who really work for their money. Is that you, too?
Posted by: joanie | March 25, 2011 at 08:09 PM
the no paragraph look is my signature on here. Any fool knows how to make a paragraph, and of cpours i use them in my real writing. duhh. folks, you see this is what a coward like the Joanmeister does when bested in the arena of words- she retreats to her base, evil level of jeering and taunting ,,,, she's a wannabe "Martha", the vicious ballbusting female lead in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf, constantly taunting her husband with mocking, emasculating comments about his "failed " career as a professor.......except in this case there is no failed career.... how much am i making from stocks? for me to know and the Joanmeister to find out......i do know that my latest double (that's 100 % return on investment , for our state and local government workers trying to keep up) was achieved in about two weeks on 3 stocks. Do you know how fast your money grows when you continue to double, even once a quarter ( im running a faster rate than that already)? It's called an "exponential " rate of return . get your calculator out sometime and do the math All i know is , my doubles are now coming easier and faster......oh no Mr. Bill... doesn't bode well for the Joanmeister's dreams of my financial failure does it? haah Joanie ....A for effort though ... a nice try......
Posted by: Tommy008 | March 25, 2011 at 09:25 PM
I get an A for effort and you get an I for idiot. And look how few words it took.
Posted by: joanie | March 25, 2011 at 09:33 PM
I keep asking myself the same thing Tommy. My best guess is she was either dumped at the altar or traded in at the prom by one or someone who became one.
Posted by: ProgBlogJunky | March 25, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Joanie's thought process.
RV salesman - Bad.
War - Good.
Posted by: ProgBlogJunky | March 25, 2011 at 10:16 PM
Still begging. Putz tried that. It didn't work for him either.
Posted by: joanie | March 25, 2011 at 10:24 PM
Joans is home tonight during her work hours. Word is, she works swingshift at Deja Vu, bartender /bouncer. At least a little bird told me so. Heard she pushes those five dollar cans of soft drinks across the bar like a champ , salting up the air with the mouth of sailor. My source just told me that Big Hoss works the bar and door on fridays, giving the little lady her fridays off.
Posted by: Tommy008 | March 25, 2011 at 10:56 PM
"the inexorable, stunning march to untold riches that occurs when the individual investor doubles his money each quarter is truly awe-inspiring- $5000 turns into 1.28 million dollars in 2 years. The man who has mastered the art of doubling their money each quarter possesses an awesome power indeed. God help the enemies and detractors of such an individual"- Mortimer J. Snerd, famous investor
Posted by: Tommy008 | March 26, 2011 at 01:10 AM
Yes Joanie, i'm begging. I'm begging you getoff your ass and start leading and get this troupe of yours going. Speak out against this WAR in Libya. Bring back the Black Rhino. Bring back Jim and the twins. The more voices we have the better we will prevail and move our Movement forward instead of backwards. You are still a Progressive right? Look at Canada. They just recalled thier whole Government. With the voices on the streets we can make that change we voted for, not this change we blindly walked into.
Posted by: ProgBlogJunky | March 26, 2011 at 08:32 AM
They voted no-confidence. It means they will have an election--if the Conservatives hang on to their ridings, the PM will be right back in office--for another 5 year stint.
Tempting as it might be to wish for that, in reality, the same politicians are circulated through the parties, sometimes for longer periods than here in the States. At least here, sometimes someone can come out of nowhere and win.
Maybe instead of joanie-bashing, you and Tommy could do a little online research into Canadian politics.
Posted by: sparky | March 26, 2011 at 10:57 AM