Whose Hyperbole?

Remember a few weeks back when the City Weekly (among others) chided Rep. Jason Chaffetz for signing on to Rep. Mike Pence's "Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2009". We were told that the Republican concerns were an "obsession" and "heavy on hyperbole and light on reality". Well I wonder what those same people would say about these remarks from Senator Debbie Stabenow?

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan told radio host Bill Press this week that she thought there needs to be more balance in broadcasting and suggested there would be hearings in the Senate during this Congress on possibly reinstating the fairness doctrine...

Asked whether it was time to bring back the fairness doctrine, she said “I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else.”

Note the shift in verbiage. Sen. Stabenow knows that "Fairness Doctrine" will not fly with the American people, but who wouldn't support a "fairness standard". I mean after all - don't we all want fairness?????

But that's just talk you say. No legislation has been proposed - no hearings scheduled....RIGHT?????

Press asked her whether she could be counted on to push for hearings and she answered: “I have already had discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that’s gonna happen, yep.”

Heavy on hyperbole you say???????

Of course Sen. Stabenow didn't tell Mr. Press about her conflict of interest in forcing the issue.....it appears that her husband is a VP of Air America!

In 2003, Stabenow married Tom Athans, now the executive vice president of Air America. By this marriage, she has a stepdaughter, Gina.

This is the SAME Air America that lauched with such spectacular press only to fail with the listening audiences. The thing is, there are successful liberal radio hosts out there. Fast Eddie Shultz comes to mind - along with Alan Colmes of Hannity and Colmes fame. Ed and Alan have succeeded is that they have managed to put forward a show that is political entertainment - they really are the "Liberal Rush Limbaugh's. They are not joyless, angry scolds like Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Jeanne Garafolo are. It's not that there is some conspiracy out there preventing the progressive word from getting out on the radio airwaves. The reason that these hosts are not gaining market share is because they are simply not good! If Air America were able to find more hosts like Ed Schultz or Alan Colmes their fortunes may have been much, much different!

Like him or not, Rush Limbaugh succeeds because he manages to make politics entertaining! He makes people think and makes them laugh at the same time. Silencing Rush and his ilk will not make it any easier for progessive radio to get a foothold...if anything it will do the opposite. Because by reinstating the "Fairness Doctrine" (or whatever you want to call it today) you will do nothing more than kill radio period. Because no one will take a chance with ANY political talk as long as there is the remotest of remote threats of federal intervention in programming. Killing the medium that saved AM radio from extinction will simply put even more people out of work at a time where any job at all is a plus.