Posted on 01/12/2007 12:43:33 AM PST by raccoonradio
Listen to me, Tom Finneran. I’ll always be there for you when you have a problem at WRKO.
Think of me as your probation officer. Whenever you’re gripped with an overwhelming state-rep urge to, say, steal a hot stove, come to Mr. Carr. Consider me the ankle bracelet you should be wearing. And incidentally, keep your sticky felon fingers off my headphones in the studio. I have the phone number in Judge Stearns’ lobby, pal. You could still end up on the Bureau of Prisons (BOP.gov) Web site under “Inmate Locator.”
It would be easy to make jokes about this latest development in the one-man crime wave that is the former speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
I could say, there goes the neighborhood.
Or that radio companies just aren’t making moral-turpitude clauses like they used to.
But hey, as much as I wish that Finneran had gone to prison, where he so obviously belongs, he’s now working with me, so I’m trying to look on the bright side. Like, are the rumors true about how much money he’s getting - 400 large, a half-million? That would be real good news for me, because a rising tide lifts all boats.
Talk about a guy who was down to his underwear in the great strip poker game of life. Finneran had just been forced out of his $416,000 job, God willing, he’ll be disbarred, or at the very least, suspended from the practice of law, and he’ll lose his $30,000 state pension - knock on wood.
Cripes, if he didn’t get the job at my radio station, his fallback was the IHOP on Soldiers Field Road. You know what they say. When one door closes, another opens. In Felon Finneran’s case, it was going to be a swinging door, into the IHOP kitchen.
Powerful? Well-connected? Please. At the State House, when you’re out, you’re out, and he’s been out since 2004. Plus, it’s not like he was some kind of electoral giant. In his last real fight, 2002, he got a little over 7,000 votes.
His grip was apparently slipping to the point that he was annexing white precincts in Milton, not only outside the city, but outside the county. Not that I’m accusing him of racist motives. He was just trying to protect incumbents, white and black, starting with him.
Now that Finneran’s here at WRKO, though, he needs some advice, and I’m just the man to give it.
First of all, Felon Boy, you must apologize. I mean, a groveling, humbling mea culpa. Forget what you pleaded out to a week ago.
The larger crime is that by your actions as speaker, you are branded as a thief. You have stolen money from every one of your listeners who works for a living.
Hear me out, Felon Boy. We, the people, voted in the year 2000 to give ourselves the income tax cut the Legislature promised us in 1989. But Finneran thumbed his nose at the 59 percent vote and kept the tax rate at 5.3 percent. If you make $50,000 a year, Finneran stole $150 from you last year. And the year before that, and in 2004, and 2003, and 2002 and 2001.
Next, don’t talk down to your listeners. I’ve heard you filling in, and you leave the distinct impression that you think you’re smarter than everyone who’s tuned in. You think we’re all as stupid as the average Massachusetts legislator. That’s why you figured you could get away with lying under oath, because everyone was as dim as, say, Tommy Petrolati.
When it came to his pathetic rank-and-file reps, Felon Finneran had the exact opposite philosophy from Dean Wermer in Animal House: Fat, drunk and stupid was the way to go through life in Finneran’s House of Representatives.
Memo to Finneran: Your listeners are not as drunk as Paul Kujawski or Brian Dempsey. They’re not as crooked as Chris Asselin or Gulliver O’Leary or Bags McCarthy. They’re not as perverted as John McNeil.
Let’s be honest (and I know how much Finneran hates that word). He presided over a crew of totally worthless, self-serving reprobates. The fact that we elected them is something to discuss another day.
See you next week, Felon Boy. I’m flying down to Palm Beach this morning. If I run into Rush Limbaugh, I’ll give him your regards. If anyone is able to sympathize with your plight, it’d be Rush.
Now that I think about it, at least we got to see Rush’s mug shot. Where’s yours?
Howie Carr column ping. We'll also ping Howie Carr show fans here.
NOTE: As Howie is doing a Beautiful People long weekend in Florida, Col. David Hunt is filling in for Howie today. And VB fills in on Monday BUT WRKO will be running a 2 pm Celtics game so you'll have to rely on WCRN AM 830 or other sources (like howiecarr.com) to hear the first part of the show.
UPCOMING GUESTS
January 26
Ex–Democratic National Committee chair and political super–fund-raiser Terry McAuliffe joins us to discuss his new book What a Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals which he wrote with Steve Kettman. Isn't he the guy who said Sen. John Kerry was guilty of political malpractice?
Brief excerpt from yesterday's show (a caller and Howie about
job applications asking if you're a felon...via
http://www.savewrko.com and HubPolitics)
http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pf45a2ddc08a0be6e0bf79722fe04cdf3ZVx8RFREY2Nz.mp3
Re Finneran -- on yesterday's show, Howie credited Finneran with basically rendering the initiative referendum null and void in general -- not just for the income tax thing, but now for gay marriage. He said Barbara Anderson and others no longer feel it's worth going to all the trouble of getting signatures. I don't know what recourse there is.
>>He said Barbara Anderson and others no longer feel it's worth going to all the trouble of getting signatures. I don't know what recourse there is.
That's the state we're in...
Tom Finneran on WRKO's morning drive? That will work about a well as Air America.
I heard part of the Howie/Tom duel last night on the way home. I think Tommy is going to be in the 9:00 slot which was vacated because the former host dared to slur some pol. So, from someone who issued an insult to a felon.
Wouldn't doubt that the 'fat bastid' is setting-up a studio down there to do his show. He's been talking about getting out of this sh*thole of a state for months... and who can blame him.
Once I get a job offer from any red or purple state... Ma$$ can kiss my a$$!
"MOOOOOOONbats?"
"talking about getting out of this sh*thole of a state for months... and who can blame him."
Heh, make that years! At least for the year before I did... Oh I'm not bragging... ;)
VB sucks.
Good Monrin Everybody!
Finneran is scheduled to do four big hours, folks: 6-10 am
(acc. to WRKO site).
Some speculation as to whether or not WRKO will keep Rush.
Who knows. There is also speculation Howie may move to 2-6 pm due to Red Sox pre-emptions (games often start at 7 pm and there could be a 6 pm pre-game...)
Possible schedules? I emphasize POSSIBLE.
6-10a Finneran
10-noon another host
12-2 pm Rush
2-6 Howie
6 on Red Sox
(maybe Howie could do local stuff 2-6 and then regional/
national. They could re-feed the 2 pm hour at 6 to
some affiliates)
or
6-10a Finneran
10-noon one local host
noon-2 pm another host
2-6 Howie
or maybe Rush isn't leaving. Who knows.
Audio of Howie vs. Finneran
note: I saved it and can upload to my own site if WRKO eventually takes it off theirs
http://media.wrko.podzinger.com/archive/HowieCarr/2007-01-11_CARR_VS_FINNERAN.mp3
Re-pinging everyone. I have to work some OT so I won't be around after 2 pm today...btw for those who didn't catch first ping, Col Hunt in today, VB (who I think isn't bad) on Monday
(in a show that will have a big chunk pre-empted for Celtics
on WRKO.)
>>local stuff
oops I meant local stuff 2-3 pm...
Remember the days when Jerry W was on 2-6?
by the way everyone the radio boards are mentioning something about Howie losing some affiliates or losing/changing his
syndication deal. From what I've heard the likes of
WCRN Worcester MA, WVMT Burlington VT, and WGAN Portland ME
are still on board but I know that WKBK in Keene NH just dropped him and it was said the powerful WVOM-FM in
Howland/Augusta, ME "dropped him awhile back" yet their
website says he's on.
Strange...
Howie's affiliate list did add WCRN (I reminded them) but WVMT is not listed...and WVOM and WKBK are still on that page but I guess it needs updating.
some radio board discussion:
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,59914.0.html
I listened to some of Miller's show this AM which is when I realized that Finneran was taking over his turf. Wasn't aware of other doings. Howie's the best thing going on that station. Rush (at least at the present) is on enough stations that he can be received in many places on multiple stations.
AM drive time has been a mixed bag at RKO ranging from horrible to ok. Finneran will cause me to use my CD player more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.