Faux News Channel: 2006/11

Making Liberal Radio Successful

Step One: Ditch the conservative formula.
Step two: Give us something to think about.

As you know, Air America Radio has filed for bankruptcy. And now it seems Al Franken is planning on leaving Air America Radio. Is progressive radio falling flat? And if so, why?

I have a good idea why.

We lefties aren't content hearing someone tell us something we already know. Especially if the people telling us what we already know are making no attempt to add humor/insight/creativity into the mix.

Consider the following radio hosts:

Rhodes. Seder. Garofalo.
Limbaugh. Hannity. O'Reilly.

What do all these radio talk show personalities have in common? Easy - you already know they're going to say before they say it.

How do the first three differ from the second three? Again, the answer is easy: ratings.

In order to entertain a liberal, you've got to be creative. Not so for the right-wing moonbats. Give 'em Sean Hannity. No intellectual stimulation required.

One of the biggest reasons right wing radio has flourished over the past decade is because it is so easy to do. Put a guy on a mic, have him tell his audience what they want to hear. Stick it on a cheap (read, a.m.) radio station. Comfort food for the soul.

It doesn't take a great deal of money or creativity to occupy the conservative mind:

World Wrestling Federation.

A two-millennium-old story about a dude's wife turning into a pillar of salt.

Bass fishing.

But we lefties don't get the same kick out of mindless predictability. Teach me something. Show me a new way of looking at cartoons. Or anthropology. Or hell, just make me laugh.

In fact, the best formula for success in the world of left-leaning political discourse -- at least in recent years -- has been humor. Stewart and Colbert on TV; Stephanie Miller on the radio, for example.

This is not to say we're not a serious bunch. But humor can be a vehicle for more serious material. Consider Mark Twain. Rent Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Or just watch Keith Olbermann for a while.

When he was on, Al Franken could be pretty damn funny himself. And original. But he was fairly temperamental, and too often his show would get predictable. And boring. Not Hannity boring, mind you, but definitely not the type of thing I'd prefer over Radiohead, or an unedited Boondocks episode.

I couldn't tell you the first thing about running a radio station. But I knows what I likes. And hearing someone tell me what I already know, or preach to me what I already believe, gets old. Fast.

I'm no conservative. Give me something to think about.

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Believe it or not, AFN (the DoD's radio network) airs Ed Schultz daily, right before Limbaugh's show. I got to hear good ol' boy Ed a few times when I was deployed this summer.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Neocon bravado from these past few days

I should've kept better track of some of the insane shit neocons had been blogging up until last night -- some of their predictions about the election are now hilarious. Yes, hindsight is 20/20, but it's not so much their predictions providing the humor as it is the overly confident manner in which they made them.

There's a negative correlation between introspection and personal resolve. The less you're able to objectively examine yourself, the more likely you are to misinterpret, or underestimate, your weaknesses. Progressives tend to be more introspective; neocons resolute. And a steadfast resolve looks great in a victor's past, but it can be a laughing stock when coupled with bravado and then examined in light of such a political upset.

And so, now that the obnoxiously vociferous right has been crushed, it's time for a laugh or two:
My favorite, from a week ago, came from the "mind" (sic) of Icythus, as posted on redstate.com.

Quote:

"Stick A Fork In Jim Webb

(Religion/mythology-fueled, nonsensical diatribe about
conveniently-out-of-context excerpts from some of Webb's decades-old works of
fiction, the existence of which the GOP would have us believe they just
discovered last month)

Game over, man. Game over."

See what I mean? These guys are no better at seeing the writing at the wall than they are at planning and executing wars. If not for the vaccuum created in 1987 when Reagan successfully vetoed Congress's attempt to make FCC policy into law, they'd never have scared the masses into voting the GOP into power 12 years ago.

Incidentally, is it not ironic that nearly two decades after Reagan waxed libertarian via said veto the "freedom loving" (sic) GOP is wielding the FCC like a machete?

Now that the Dems are coming back into some power, perhaps the mistaken view of many foreigners -- that we are obtuse on the issue of genuine freedom -- can be corrected. It is not we, the citizens, who are so misguided on the issue of genuine freedom of speech, but rather the majority of politicians representing us for the past 12 years. The fundamentalist, sex-fearing neocon politicians, and their blind followers.

Like Icythus.

Here's an interesting read, straight from FreeTARD central.

"Montana Doesn't Look That Bad!"

At this time there are 99 responses to the original poster, who actually showed some admirable enthusiasm (or was it foolish extrapolation?). What really makes this thread interesting is following the conversation that followed. You can hear the bubble burst at post #81.

Youch!

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George Allen is Toast

Crispy, burnt, stale trash.

Guess this Newsmax cover was a bit premature, huh?

Naturally, being the hypocrite he is, Allen will demand a full recount, and being the hypocrites they are, the GOP will fully support the bigot's demand.

Football-lugging, bravado-riddled, blockhead
Allen won't go down muttering Macaca. Oh no,
George of the Bungle will whimper away in true-
blue GOP fashion: blubbering Ma-wah-wah!

ROFLMAO!!!

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