Media Matters - Boortz accuses Media Matters of trying to manipulate "some whimpering old woman executive somewhere": "On the May 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host Neal Boortz accused Media Matters for America -- which he referred to as 'Media Myrmidons' and 'Brocksters,' a reference to Media Matters President and CEO David Brock -- of 'waiting for one little statement that you can take out of its total context and just go on a rampage with, with your Web postings and see if you can pull that Don Imus thing off all over again, see if you can find some whimpering old woman executive somewhere that'll just [say], 'Oh! Oh, my God! We've got to do something now.' ' Boortz also said, 'And it's not just me, you're doing the same thing to [right-wing radio hosts] Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and the rest of them."
Yeah, that's about right. But then, is there really a context in which "nappy headed ho's" is appropriate? Or for that matter, you saying a congresswoman "Looks like a Ghetto Slut?"
Yep, after years and years and years of hearing wingnut talkers such as yourself take everything any opposing political or social figure says or out of context and "demagogue" it, I understand how you feel. But after all the Purple Heart band-aids, the "Al Gore invented the Internet" jokes and the moronic jeering about climate change and peak oil, you gotta understand, Neal - when we feel for you, the word for what we feel is "Schadenfreude."
You see, Neal - I can call you Neal, right - Neal, you and your ilk have gotten so good at thinking and speaking in sound-bites, and so amazingly, totally fucking indifferent to the sensibilities of decent people that context doesn't much matter. Most of your paragraphs are self-explanatory.
Kinda like this:
"If you are a grown adult in this country who is not suffering from some hideous physical or mental disability, and you are trying to raise children on the minimum wage, then you are a 100 percent pure unadulterated loser. ... I am so sick and damned tired of all those left-wing bedwetters and sympathy pimps out there ... just moaning over these people who have squandered their American birthright by becoming just the dregs of socie[ty]."
Come to think of it, in your case, context just makes it worse.
Now you might just say that's your opinion, and you have a right to it. I'd agree. But it's a stupid, hateful and untrue opinion. It wouldn't even be terribly difficult to prove the untruth of it - but even if you were factually correct, it's still un-American, un-Neighborly and certainly Unchristian. Aside from that, I recall both David Duke and George Wallace being a little more sophisticated in their verbal attacks on the motives and moral failings of others.
Of course, you welcome such criticism as free publicity. And that's true enough - so long as your advertisers aren't embarrassed by being associated with such crap.
But increasingly, advertisers ARE embarrassed - because there are folks out there making sure they learn what their dollars are supporting. The thing about "free speech," Neil, is that the speech is free, but the studio costs money. When your speech starts costing Cox money, you can bet they'll find someone else to fill your slot.
Maybe even Al Frankin, if he doesn't become Senator Al.
Because, well, he is a lot more entertaining and he doesn't open his yap until he has facts to support his views. I believe you helped illustrate that point, and him handing you your ass on air sure didn't hurt his ratings.
Unhunh.In an appearance on CNN Daybreak to discuss the new liberal talk radio network, Air America Radio, Boortz claimed that the network's star, Al Franken, refused to host his show because he wouldn't get control of the phone lines.
After the network launched, Boortz appeared on Franken's show and Franken asked him about the comment. Boortz said "if you're reading from a transcript, that's wrong." When Franken pointed out "in context it doesn't make sense as anything else," Boortz responded "Hey, Al, don't get fixated on that, it's an error in the transcript or something. I've never asked you to host the show."
Franken later dug up the actual clip from the show, so he invited Boortz back and played that, along with Boortz's previous comments. The clip showed the transcript was accurate, so Boortz responded "Why are you so fixated on this, Al?" Al explained that he takes it seriously when someone lies, especially when they lie about him, and then lie again to cover it up. "Al, get over it," Boortz retorted.
Franken also played another clip from the CNN show. The host repeated a comment by Janeane Garofalo noting that "The American people have been conned into thinking liberal is a dirty word. Because of liberal reforms, we enjoy things like desegregation ..." Boortz responded "Let's see. Desegregation. You know, I thought the Civil Rights Act was passed over the objections of the Democrats in the Congress of the United States. You see? Janeane, pull that line on the air. Go ahead." Franken quoted Newt Gingrich saying "It was the liberal wing of the Democratic party that ended segregation," and pointed out that the Democrats who voted against it were all conservative Dixiecrats who became Republicans.
In response, Boortz sputtered "Be prepared to talk about some issues, not play a stupid, childish, moronic Al Franken game of 'Gotcha!' ... I am tired of playing the little nursery school thing with you, Al," and hung up. WMA audio clip of the above story
Later, even though he had specifically said, "I never asked you to host the show", Boortz responded on his website saying "You know what? Frankly, I can't really remember. After 35 years of talk radio how in the hell can you remember who you did and who you didn't ask to guest host." [6] He went on to attack Franken: "Al Franken approaches his show with a nasty demeanor and mean temperament. ... He's a comedian who has lost his sense of humor. He walks around with clenched fists, which makes it impossible to shake his hand."
Now the thing is, Neil; left, right or center, there's a big difference between KNOWING what you are talking about and just talking out of your ass. It's easy to get away with the latter if you screen your calls and shout down guests who have something intelligent to say in response. But thing is, Neil; aside from being obviously hate speech, your show is stupid speech and stupidity annoys me. You don't do your homework, you don't know the facts, you have no freakin' clue what the other side has to say, or what holes exist in your opinions until someone like Al sneaks up on you and hands you your head. It's embarrassing and painful to endure shows such as yours and Hannedy's where mere xenophobic resentment of change is substituted for Conservatism. Regan started the rot, replacing substance with style. His Republican successors lacked style - but brought no substance; not principles, not ideals, not even substantive ideas.
Real Conservative thought, which is all about hard questions and solid answers, is the logical anodyne and counterpoint for the excesses of Liberalism.
When "Shit Happens" - as it always does - you want a Conservative respons, based on a conservative, tested plan with a conservative - and pessimistic - view of what's possible and what's needed to achieve it.
Had there BEEN any actual Conservatives in charge anywhere NEAR the Oval Office, the Iraq war would have been over before it begun - and if it had begun, it would have been slow to start and quick to end. I say this, knowing a little something of Sun Tsu, Patton and Von Clauswitz.
And of course, there's that Katrina thing.
As a Libertarian, I'd like to see someone on talk radio that represented Middle America better than you, or any of the other successful right-wing talkers do. Granted, nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American People. Granted, you have a winning formula for market success within the Angry White Male demographic. But, the empty-headed yapping, whining and finger-pointing serves nobody's interests and is degrading speech in the public square. And since the same niche could be served just as well by someone smarter and better informed... I'm starting to ask, where the hell are they? Gresham's Law fuckin' bites.
I'd like to be able to listen to someone farther right than Ed Schultz without feeling like I need to take a bath afterwards, but so long as fools like you are taking up space and market share, the hope for that - and the return of real Conservatism to the political stage is dim indeed.
tag: Hate Radio, Hate Speech, Broadcast Spectrum, FCC, COX Media, Neal Boortz, Al Frankin, Air America, CNN, gresham's law
