Radio Free Liberal - Don't bet on any left-wing Limbaugh succeeding.

The Weekly Standard ^ | March 10, 2003 | William Tucker

[Dont Mention the War]

Radio Free Liberal

Don't bet on any left-wing Limbaugh succeeding.

by William Tucker
03/10/2003, Volume 008, Issue 25

"AL FRANKEN IS A VULGAR EGOMANIAC." That's the title of the book I'm going to have to write someday--if Al Franken becomes the new Rush Limbaugh. Chances are, he won't. Earlier this month, Sheldon and Anita Drobny, a wealthy Chicago investor couple, announced a $10 million project to fund a liberal radio network, starring Franken and designed to counter the baneful influence of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, & Co.

"The concern has been around for years," the New York Times solemnly reported. "Hillary Rodham Clinton first mentioned a 'vast, right-wing conspiracy' in 1998. But the sentiment has taken on new urgency with the rise to the top of the cable news ratings of the Fox News Channel, considered by many to have a conservative slant, and the Republicans gaining control of the Senate in November."

Does the phrase, "They just don't get it!" resonate?

Limbaugh and Hannity did not rise from obscurity through being sponsored by some sugar daddy. They have achieved fame and fortune solely by connecting with their audience. Fox skyrocketed after 9/11 when people got tired of CNN's subtle anti-Americanism. Oh well, it's not easy being a Democrat these days.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer, had his political coming-out party in 1996 with the book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot," which became a No. 1 bestseller. In fact he'd been a staple on the Democratic circuit for years. (He once threw a touchdown pass, using Bill Clinton as a decoy, at a Renaissance Weekend on Hilton Head.) Franken's style plays well with hard-core Democrats, but will it find an audience on the popular airwaves? That's hard to predict.

First, Franken is a vulgar egomaniac--so much so that he probably wouldn't dispute the description. For vulgarity, here's his response to a proposed constitutional amendment to criminalize desecration of the American flag:

Amendment XXIX--makes it a federal offense to take a whiz on the Statue of Liberty.

Amendment XXX--allows states to punish anyone "hocking a loogey" on a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence.

Amendment XXXI--makes it illegal for a tourist visiting the Lincoln Memorial to take a picture of a nude child sitting on Lincoln's lap.

Franken is so unrelentingly vulgar that you soon realize it's his essential rhetorical trick. The index to his book lists only references to Limbaugh's weight and body parts. But of course vulgarity doesn't mean he'll flop commercially. Think Howard Stern.

On the egomania side, Franken once did a "Saturday Night Live" skit in which he announced that while the 1980s had been the "Me Decade," the 1990s would also be the "Me Decade." "By 'Me' I mean 'Me, Al Franken,'" he intoned with admirable self-admiration. Franken is smart enough to realize he is an egomaniac--which is the basis of much of his humor. But will large audiences be amused?

Rush Limbaugh's self-mockery-- he has "talent on loan from God"--shows that egomania can work as shtick, but his act will be excruciatingly difficult to follow. Limbaugh set out to be funny and informative and popular--all of which place huge demands on any performer. But he never labored under the added burden of backers expecting him to do the heavy lifting for an entire political movement.

The Drobnys want radio success, and they want to save the Democratic party. They believe liberal radio failures--Mario Cuomo and Jim Hightower being the most notable--occurred because their shows were "sandwiched into a schedule crammed with conservatives." Thus their plan to have a schedule crammed with liberals. They're willing to invest $200 million over the long haul. They'll need every penny.

What liberals still can't admit is that Limbaugh, Hannity, et al. have won vast audiences because they discuss serious issues in a way that isn't done anywhere else. Satire is part of the package, but only part. "What really [will make] this work is tapping into Hollywood and New York and having a huge entertainment component, where political sarcasm is every bit as effective as Rush Limbaugh is at bashing you over the head," a Drobny spokesperson said. Well, maybe. Or maybe they will create a clown party, consigned to permanent opposition.

In perhaps the worst omen for the project, even the comedy on Franken's old show is moving in a direction that will disturb the left. Two weeks ago, "Saturday Night Live" opened with a skit about Colin Powell giving his speech to the U.N. As the secretary's solemn recitation progressed, however, it became clear the joke was not going to be on the Americans. "I theenk we should adjourn to a fancee restaurant vere ve can desscuss dees matter over lunch at U.N. expense," said the Belgian delegate. "I veel need a very beeg stretch limo in order to bring my vife and my meestress," said the French delegate. "Let us park our limos sidevays so vee can block more traffeek in Midtown," responded the Belgian.

Clearly, the Franken Democrats have their work cut out for them.

William Tucker is a columnist for the New York Post.

[John Lenin]

Their first guest will be Castro.

[Inglis]

I have seen stuff on this before here, on other website forums, in newspapers, etc. I have also seen a lot of ranting and raving by conservatives about this. The publicity this has received, particularly within conservative circles, is very disturbing.

I actually fear that this venture will be successful. I fear that conservatives will MAKE it successful.

Remember that the only thing that makes any type of media successful is the number of "viewers". Doesn't matter if the "viewers" are pro or con about what they are watching/reading/listening to. Just matters that they are tuned in and turned on.

I hope to goodness that all conservatives come to their senses and replace their dialog about this with a big collective YAWN.

My fear is that as soon as this gets launched it'll have a huge listening audience and a huge amount of people calling in.........and that most of them will be conservatives who tune in and call in so that they can rant and rave. I can picture it now as I happen to swing through the radio dial and hear, ".......and another thing, this is the most stupid radio show I've ever listened to. You idiots don't know a thing about a thing...........".

Yepper, it'll have high ratings and be a huge success. Only, that is, if conservatives are stupid enough to make it a success.

How about we quit posting stuff about this idiotic new launch? How about we quit talking about it? How about we let out a big collective YAWN and make a pact not to tune into it when it does come into being?

[beaversmom]

It's going to fail bigtime. It's too contrived. The masses are not clamoring for leftist talk radio. How can you buy an audience? However, I do hope the leftists that have any money spend a lot of their dough trying.

[AmericanVictory]

You need'nt worry a whit. The liberals are utterly clueless as to why they cannot generate widely popular talk radio and will remain so.

[Inglis]

I agree. They are clueless. They won't even be able to attract a liberal audience. They won't be able to produce anything that is entertaining in the least. It'll most likely be filled with long, serious, boring rants that go on and on.

On their own, they will not succeed. They will only succeed if conservatives get a case of cluelessness and make them successful by tuning in and calling in to go toe to toe with them.

Let's all just YYYYAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNNN.

[outpost44]

The lefty loonies don't understand a market driven economy. For them, government creates everything or in this case a "sugar daddy" as a stand in for the government (although NPR is tax payer funded).

Limbaugh, Hannity, et al. are prospering due to the clamoring for the views they espouse to, or reinforce in, their audience. We have TURNED to them in an effort to AVOID liberal garbage inflicted on all the alphabet channels. Liberal radio will fail...let's give it the burial it deserves.

[CFC__VRWC]

They will only succeed if conservatives get a case of cluelessness and make them successful by tuning in and calling in to go toe to toe with them.

Sure, you're going to get some conservatives who are going to be curious and check them out (especially at first), but most of them will quickly get bored with hearing the same old tripe about Republicans starving children and lynching minorities over and over again, with the occasional reference to bodily functions being the only thing that breaks the monotony. Then they'll abandon the lib shows in droves, leaving only a small hard core who enjoy trying to get a rise out of the liberal hosts. Hell, even the XFL had great ratings on it's first weekend.

That happens right here - there's quite a few Freepers who enjoy wallowing in the sewage over at DU, but even with their presence DU is to FR what a pimple on your ass is to you.

[Octar]

You are correct. They are clueless. And that is why they have failed in the past and why they will fail now. The successful talk hosts don't bore their listeners. The the liberal hosts who have attempted, and failed, persisted in snidely attacking republicans no matter what they are doing. The conservative hosts discuss the substance of the issue and criticize both democrats and republicans when criticism is warranted. It is the liberals who are doctrinaire. So, such preaching to the choir can't be anything but boring; even to the choir.

[BamaGirl]

Your post gives me an interesting idea. Many liberals (and most liberal organizations/charities/foundations) are very wealthy, having millions of dollars to throw at whatever illogical cause they believe in at the time.

Given that liberals' views of the world are so fundamentally flawed, there has got to be a way to relieve them of their cash! :D Intuitively there seems to be some kind of economic principle that we could leverage...

As the saying goes, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

[beaversmom]

That is a good idea. I don't know all the legal issues, but maybe an organization could be started to help establish and aid an all liberal radio network. BamaGirl and Beaversmom could be the head adminstrators--ha, ha. We'll advertise at the DU site. Nah, those fools don't have any money. We'd have to shoot higher than that.

[hippy hate me]

Oh...I'm sorry. I was distracted by a dust bunny. What was the question again?

[KaiserofKrunch]

Too right! The socialist slant is already OVER represented on the alphabet networks. The growth of talk radio, and FNC, was a response to this. Conservatives, libertarians, and those who were in the actual middle, had no voice in the electronic media.

But kiddies, remember the old Marxist saw: "It just wasn't tried by the right people."

[JoJo Gunn]

Limbaugh and Hannity and Fox News and (insert Conservative name/organization here) is lucky enough to have me in their ratings, considering I tolerate the incessant commercial interruptions and the TV screen covered 90 percent by useless graphics.

But I'm damned if I'll suffer through it all to listen to the gurgling of an overflowing toilet.