Liberals Want End of 'Right-Wing Radio'

Originally posted by InSpiteOf

Originally posted by RRconservative
Examples...?

Higher taxes on the rich.

why are higher taxes for the rich a bad idea?

I shall try to answer this question.

If a person works hard for years and is able to make a small fortune is it really fair to take away money from this person because some other person did drugs and is now on welfare and did not sacrifice his time to make something of himself while the other went to college and studied for hours on end each day?Why should the person who succeeded be forced to pay for the stupidity of others? Why should we have a policy of the more you make the more i am gonna take? Is it really fair to punish success and productivity?

Also we have a trickle down economy where the wealthy invest their money and it comes down to the middle and lower class. Taxing the wealthy disproportionaly will make them invest their money less which would create fewer jobs and drive down the standard of living as a whole. Tax increases on the rich just makes them put their money elsewhere and not in the economy.


[edit on 23-6-2007 by spinstopshere]

you sure that the republicans don't want to do something with the conservative talk radios also??

I mean....the subject of prisoner abuse came up.....did any of the top republicans actually try to justify torturing the prisoners...I don't think they did. but the talk radio was blaring with justifications for it!! so, of course....we all kind of thought the the republican party felt it was okay to torture the prisoners because well, they're not citizens of the US and don't deserve the same rights, or they might have useful information and dang it, we need to know...or whatever else.
much of anti-liberal crap they talk about, well....all that did was tend to get people thinking that the republican controlled government was against half the US population, and thought we were the terrorists.
in the end of the day, I think the conservative mouthpeices like ole Rush did more to turn off alot of people who may have not been turned off if they they weren't reading and hearing about these guys hatefilled ramblings!

the republican party got too much power and got cocky, and that had alot to do with them losing big time in this election, and these mouthpeices are the cockiest of the cocky..if they want to win future elections, I think they have to do something to get these cocky sobs a little less obnoxious for the rest of the american population. the party is getting the backlash from them....people are assuming that this is what the party stands for....

and another example of these offensive ramblings is in the post above about trickle down economics...
no, my husband didn't go to college after high school, he joined the army and is a nam vet! he's worked and been on his own since he was 16. he's paid taxes that some of which went toward college aid that many of these college graduates used to get their diploma...he's a journeyman machinist..he's worked hard, all his life...and yet, he couldn't make enough for a family of five to live comfortably and have medical care...heck the two of working couldn't do that.
so of course, the answer is.....
he's a drug abusing lazy person..ya, that makes it much easier to accept all the negative effects of this malfunctioning economy, doesn't it...
ain't true...but much easier.








[edit on 23-6-2007 by dawnstar]

Originally posted by dawnstar

the republican party got too much power and got cocky, and that had alot to do with them losing big time in this election

That is 100% true. Though i believe the main reason that they lost is that they lost their fiscal responsibility and that is what got them the most votes.

Dawnstar, that's an interesting point. Right wing radio can sometimes be as much as a thorn in the side for Republican politics as well as Democrats. The Republican loss in Congress could be pretty much attributed to talk radio's criticism of their performance and urging listeners not to vote. More recently we've seen the campaign against the immigration bill that is strongly supported by Bush, and really heavy criticism of the failure to close the southern border.

It seems like they're realizing it's not a tool they can control as they please and they're getting pissed about it, so don't be surprised if we see Republican support for the Fairness Doctrine. In my opinion it's a dangerous piece of legislation that would kill ALL political discussion on radio. People don't realize how big a deal that is, but talk radio is the closest thing to a "voice of the people" that we have. Everything in TV and Newspapers is strictly controlled by editors and producers, and the Internet is a convoluted form of communication that doesn't even take place in real time.

Talk radio is the only place where a bus driver from Hoboken can give his opinion to millions of listeners instantly, and the government (any govt.) HATES and FEARS that!

Originally posted by semperfortis
Loam,

Pardon me, but a Free Speech Zone is a FAR cry from the LAW, YES A LAW, the Liberals want to silence Conservatives...

You're kidding right? Here's a more clear example...

NYCLU Will Assist with FBI Investigation into NYPD's Arrests of Convention Protesters

The most dramatic example of potentially criminal misconduct arose from the mass arrest of nearly 400 people during a demonstration near Union Square. Criminal court complaints filed by a high-level NYPD official claimed that group was arrested only after being given an order to disperse and refusing to disperse, but that official admitted recently in sworn testimony that no one gave such an order. The NYCLU, which has sued over this mass arrest, will ask the FBI to include this incident and other incidents in its criminal investigation.

And what about the current republican presidential front-runner, Rudy Giuliani?

"Lifetime Muzzle Award" for blocking free speech

In 2000, Mayor Giuliani received a "Muzzle Award" from the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Muzzles are "awarded as a means to draw national attention to abridgments of free speech." This was Giuliani's third such award, including an unprecedented first awarding of a "Lifetime Muzzle Award," which noted he had "stifled speech and press to so unprecedented a degree, and in so many and varied forms, that simply keeping up with the city's censorious activity has proved a challenge for defenders of free expression."

More than 35 successful lawsuits were brought against Giuliani and his administration for blocking free speech....

I fail to understand how violating laws that protect free speech are any less threatening.

As I said previously, the danger exists on BOTH sides.

Originally posted by semperfortis
Speech is already limited in many ways...

Try screaming FIRE in a crowded building...

I'm not sure I understand why you raise this point. Are you saying that because some limitations are good (as in the fire example) that free-speech zones are justified?

Let’s be clear here, we are talking about political speech. In fact, that is the very speech our constitution was intended to guarantee.

Originally posted by semperfortis
But if the Liberals get their way, the word Conservative will become banned, then the books then ... well who knows....

Semper

Aren't you just being a bit melodramatic? Where's your outrage for the actual examples of free-speech violations?

It’s not about the 'liberals'. On this issue, I believe that term to be as meaningless as the term 'conservatives'. Those terms might once have been useful, but now they appear to be nothing more than thin costumes.

Again, in the context of who wants to restrict free speech, it appears to be ANYONE seeking or protecting power.


[edit on 23-6-2007 by loam]

My Opinion

I personally dont think we should censor people just because of a disagreement

of opinion.

But yes I do agree in my opinion that alot of people may get turned off being a

republican because of right wing radio hosts opinions.

anyway thats my two cents

Originally posted by dawnstar
you sure that the republicans don't want to do something with the conservative talk radios also??

I mean....the subject of prisoner abuse came up.....did any of the top republicans actually try to justify torturing the prisoners...I don't think they did. but the talk radio was blaring with justifications for it!! so, of course....we all kind of thought the the republican party felt it was okay to torture the prisoners because well, they're not citizens of the US and don't deserve the same rights, or they might have useful information and dang it, we need to know...or whatever else.

Well, you are partly correct. Many callers expressed frustration with a MSM that called putting underwear on someone's head "torture" while at the same time ignoring the fact that these same "victims" routinely beheaded their prisoners.

But if you interpreted that as proof that the Republican party supported torture, then I must say that the problem is on your end. You simply misinterpreted it, that's all.

much of anti-liberal crap they talk about, well....all that did was tend to get people thinking that the republican controlled government was against half the US population, and thought we were the terrorists.

Once again, the problem was on your end.

the republican party got too much power and got cocky, and that had alot to do with them losing big time in this election, and these mouthpeices are the cockiest of the cocky..if they want to win future elections, I think they have to do something to get these cocky sobs a little less obnoxious for the rest of the american population.

spinstopshere had it right, about the lack of fiscal responsibility costing the Republican party. That was the major factor.

As far as winning future elections, muzzling a talk radio host is not the way to do it. Politicians need to win elections on their merits, not on their proficiency at stifling dissenting voices.

Originally posted by mythatsabigprobe
Dawnstar, that's an interesting point. Right wing radio can sometimes be as much as a thorn in the side for Republican politics as well as Democrats. The Republican loss in Congress could be pretty much attributed to talk radio's criticism of their performance and urging listeners not to vote. More recently we've seen the campaign against the immigration bill that is strongly supported by Bush, and really heavy criticism of the failure to close the southern border.

Hey, these guys don't get an automatic vote merely because they are part of the Republican party! If they are not following up on their campaign promises, if they are not preserving conservative values, then they don't deserve to win an election.

That's the true and honest way to cast your vote, not because of blind loyalty!

What I find so funny about this whole thread is its fear mongering.... the big bad liberal want to end right wing radio as if they wanted to shut the likes of mush loosebowels and Micheal Savage down when in reality the article in question says no such thing. But you restless leg syndrome conservatives read the title of this thread and become all unglued and go on the offensive against us commie liberals. ROTFLMAO!!!

For those of you who have not bothered with reading the article in question all it really does is point out the obvious, the predominance of the hard right on talk radio and note the lack of discourse as a result and call for a more diversified ownership of radio stations who are becoming more and more consolidated into a few hands.

For those of you who have never considered such things the lack of diversity of viewpoints in a society is not...I repeat is not a sign of its health, but rather a clear and evident sign of its decay.

jsobecky....
really I don't think it was on "my end"...I know from the discussions that took place on here and other forums that that cockiness I spoke of was pretty pervasive, and well....kind of a turn off. as far as the torture..sorry, I think more than just putting someone's underwear on their head was involved..and still say it was done at the urging to the upper levels. and, well, read back on the posts regarding the torture..see how many justifications turn up for torture.....many of which were probably first heard being spoken by rush or one of the other talk radio hosts...



I do admit that their lack of fiscal responsibility played a pretty big part in their downfall...but I would also attribute that to their cockiness...they were the majority, they had the power, and no power on earth could take it away from them, or so they thought...such self confidence can lead to some stupid mistakes, and their spending sprees were a pretty big mistake...

I agree though, now, talk radio is becomming a thorn in the side of both parties...and I also agree that passing legislation to "control" it would not be good...which is why my approach is to describe how I think these talk radio shows with their far, far right, or far far left agendas tend to hurt the parties they are trying to support...
maybe they'll chose to control themselves some.

Originally posted by grover

For those of you who have not bothered with reading the article in question all it really does is point out the obvious, the predominance of the hard right on talk radio and note the lack of discourse as a result and call for a more diversified ownership of radio stations who are becoming more and more consolidated into a few hands.

For those of you who have never considered such things the lack of diversity of viewpoints in a society is not...I repeat is not a sign of its health, but rather a clear and evident sign of its decay.

The article does not point out the obvious.

The obvious is that there is not a market for left wing talk. Even with support of Billionaire lefty, George Soros, and stealing money from Boys and Girls Clubs, AIR AMERICA failed. Nobody listened to it.

The obvious is the First Amendment! Hopefully this will refresh some memories...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

NO WHERE in the First Amendment does it say that speech has to be fair or balanced. BTW, Where is the Government balance to PBS and NPR?

If you want Government controlled Television and Radio, move to Cuba, Venezuela or China.

If this "Hush Rush" bill ever happens, will they try to shut down satellite radio next?

Actually up until Ronald Reagan signed a bill doing away with it the media, meaning radio, television and the press were required to give equal air time to opposing viewpoints.

...And lord help anyone with opposing views calling these very intelligent shows!!!

They get shUt off immediatly and in the case of OREilly, well, its worse, homeland security, Fox security and the FBI becomes involved- AND THEY REALLY DO! Not for swearing, not for dirty talk, not for unsavory claims, only for going against O'Reilly's grain.

The man is insane. Makes you wonder whats in any of this for him.

The Fox Security Team.

Isn't it amazing how some of these right wingers are getting upset over this? Nowhere does it say in this article to take mush loosebowels off the air, nowhere does it say anything about limiting right wing talk radio, it points out its predominance on the air waves and calls for more diverse ownership of radio stations, which you would think would be a good thing. The thing is the majority of the media outlets in this country are now owned by a handful of corporations and diversity, and difference of opinion are being systematically snuffed out and it is not being done by the left. Liberal control of the media and their blocking of conservative voices is a myth and the very subject matter of this thread highlights that point.

Originally posted by grover
What I find so funny about this whole thread is its fear mongering.... the big bad liberal want to end right wing radio as if they wanted to shut the likes of mush loosebowels and Micheal Savage down when in reality the article in question says no such thing.

It's funny, grover, that Limbaugh, Savage, Hannity, O'Reilly, etc., have been brought into the conversation by the liberals, especially you. And always with the disparaging tone, such as "mush loosebowels".

The hate is literally dripping off of you, and yet you have the nerve to say that the conservatives are spreading hate here.

But you restless leg syndrome conservatives read the title of this thread and become all unglued and go on the offensive against us commie liberals. ROTFLMAO!!!

I don't know what a "restless leg syndrome conservative" is, but it sounds disparaging yet again. Care to tell us what it means?

For those of you who have not bothered with reading the article in question all it really does is point out the obvious, the predominance of the hard right on talk radio and note the lack of discourse as a result and call for a more diversified ownership of radio stations who are becoming more and more consolidated into a few hands.

What The Center for American Progress is trying to do is to benefit from the success of the conservatives, having failed miserably in their attempts to draw an audience for their socialistic viewpoints:

The report dismisses the obvious notion that conservative dominance is attributable to "simple consumer demand,” calling that a "myth,” and instead maintains:

"The gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management.”

Notice the first paragraph. Total denial of the facts.:shk:

For those of you who have never considered such things the lack of diversity of viewpoints in a society is not...I repeat is not a sign of its health, but rather a clear and evident sign of its decay.

I asked you once already: what do you mean by diversity, and why is it good? And would you apply the same goal to our colleges and universities, which are overwhelmingly liberal?

Originally posted by dawnstar
I do admit that their lack of fiscal responsibility played a pretty big part in their downfall...but I would also attribute that to their cockiness...they were the majority, they had the power, and no power on earth could take it away from them, or so they thought...such self confidence can lead to some stupid mistakes, and their spending sprees were a pretty big mistake...

Because of partisan politics, the only real power that the majority party has these days is the chairmanship of the various committees. The Congress was gridlocked when the Republicans were in power the same way that it is today, now that the Democrats are in power. Forget having 51 votes.... you need 60 votes to get anything passed these days in the Senate.

Politics hasn't been so partisan in a long, long time.:shk:

Well you guys have referred to us as knee jerk liberals so I respond with restless leg syndrome conservatives.

Do I hold the right wing conservatives in contempt? You damned right I do and it is not because I disagree with your ideas, though I do, but because of your tactics and your sanctimonious self righteousness, your we are so much more patriotic and the real Americans and the liberal/democratic= traitor or un-American or evil and all that crap. AND so much of that bull hooey has been spewed from the mouths of talk radio. Do I want them silenced? Hell no I want more voices heard much more voices... to limit access ideas whether you agree with them or not is to restrict and ultimately prevent an informed and educated population so talk away mush loosebowels and all your ilk but don't whine when it is returned two fold because that is the type of society that is being built...two hostile camps, liberal/democrat and conservative/republican but it doesn't have to be that way.

Why is diversity important? Don't you want to hear different ideas and to make an informed judgement or do you only want to be exposed to things that already justify your pre-existing opinions?

As for universities and colleges... that is another right wing boogie man. It has been my experince that there are just as many conservatives in school as students and teachers and staff and I have never seen anyone harassed because of their political beliefs. If you want more conservatives in schools then get an education and apply.

Originally posted by grover
The thing is the majority of the media outlets in this country are now owned by a handful of corporations and diversity, and difference of opinion are being systematically snuffed out and it is not being done by the left.

So grover, is it your contention that these handful of corporations that run radio and media are mainly conservative and that is why they choose to broadcast conservative talk? That there is no other reason for them to broadcast other than their political leanings? Should they have to broadcast equal amounts of right and left leaning shows?

Would you still feel the same if say 100 different media companies chose to broadcast conservative talk radio as they know it will make them more money than other formats?

More "progressive" ( BTW, I love that term, I wonder what the opposite side is?) talk shows have been tried, the public doesn't seem to like them, at least not in any good radio demographic. Radio programs what people want. Look at the spread of country music stations over the last decade. Some vast Cowboy/Nashville Conspiracy? No. Money that's why.

Yes their should be lots of views out there. No those views should not be "quota-ed" by the government. Any media outlet, as long as they are not broadcasting obscenity, should be free to choose what product it puts out. Should ESPN have to devote equal time to men's and women's sports? It's only fair that they should, so why don't they?

I never said that there should be quotas nor did that article. As for why conservative talk radio is so popular, it really doesn't take a genius to figure it out.... Just take a look at clear channel, a friend of mine maintains their computer systems here. Like I have said the great majority of the radio stations in Roanoke Va are owned by Clear Channel and the balance are with the exception of NPR, are owned by its nearest competition. My friend tells me that they hire local voices for station breaks and chitchat but all the music (and programs including talk radio) for each station are piped in so it comes in as a package deal. It is not as if Joe Blow who owns WZIPPY down the street decides to broadcast some talk show... some do of course and they pay and they pay dearly for it, as they would for any show, but if a station is owned by a Clear Channel they do indeed not only pipe in their programing, but worse eliminate diversity. They have it set up so their overhead is a pittance to a local station that actually has to hire a staff and buy the music and programing and so undercut them in advertising costs, and eventually force their competiors out.

ahh yes, it's a lovely city we live in, isn't it grover....

didn't know you lived here also...

personally, I tend to listen to NPR alot..


by the way, becky...

you'd think that a gridlocked congress would be a good thing...they don't do nothing so at least the damage the government does is contained.
and the congress wasn't gridlocked the first four years of Bush's presidency, bush had a rubberstamp, and congress had non-veto sessions....and some of the worst, costliest laws were written!

[edit on 24-6-2007 by dawnstar]

Yes Dawnstar it is a lovely city just as long as you ignore the fact that the city government couldn't manage its way out of a wet paper bag...and if it isn't broke they will find a way to break it... that NPR is the only music alternative here to Clear Channel, that there are only two independent bookstores and the owner of the one downtown is crazy and that there are absolutely no independent music stores and well the list goes on. Pretty pathetic for a metro region of 250,000 and funnymentalist churches are sprouting up like mushrooms on a cow patty after it rains.