Posted on 08/24/2005 5:35:23 AM PDT by PolishProud
(I am a staunch conservative converted to the right by Rush Limbaugh. I remember the exact issue of my conversion - Limbaugh pointed out that so called cuts in federal spending were actually cuts in the growth of spending. Clinton's duplicity in using the words "spending cuts" insulted my sense of what defines honesty as did Clinton in general. But over the years I have become critical of talk show hosts. )
In my opinion the best hosts are as follows; Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Denver's Mike Rosen and Laura Ingraham. Hosts that suffer by comparison include Sean Hannity, Bill Bennett, O'Reilly (radio and TV), Michael Gallagher and Michael Savage. The worse host, by far, is Michael Savage. He gives conservative talk radio a bad name. When liberals excoriate conservative talk, they use Savage as an example and rightly so.
The most overrated talk show host has got to be Sean Hannity. His show consists of promoting his TV show (40%), and telling us what will be on in the next hour (25%). Once in a while he works in a caller, mostly women. Sean really likes women callers. His interviews with politicos are predictable. And the object of recently program content has been used to take advantage of tragedy TV ratings, i.e. the Natalee Holloway's epic.
Rush Limbaugh is very articulate and knows what turns his audience on. But at times Limbaugh takes us back to the sexual innuendoes of the 1970s. He seems to relish "dirty talk." I can remember when, for one week, he talked about women "farting" in their cars. He thought it was so clever that this double entendre could also refer to women putting on make up in their cars. The other day, he was obsessed with the word "condom," asking if anyone on his staff had a condom in his or her billfold. I kept thinking he was getting some little charge in his neither parts as he said "condom." I don't know where the condom bit was going because I turned him off - and besides the next story, was going to be about a guy who died after having sex with a horse.
People listen to Limbaugh for his political bent, but Rush thinks he's a sports talk show. I and others, judging from Rush's own comment about listener input, don't tune in to hear Rush's NFL predictions or golf scores. If you want to get on Rush's show ask him a NFL question. In talk radio there's a conundrum - news talk shows want to be sport shows, and sports shows wants to be news talk shows.
While Rush relates to his audience on most subjects, he disconnects when he talks about social security as an entitlement. He doesn't accept that the government has made a contract with taxpayers; whereby, in return for the payment of social security taxes, the government promised to provide monies for retirees.
Hugh Hewitt is radio's would be PBS talk show host - that is, when he's on the air. He takes more vacations than President Bush. I'm sure talk show listeners can't wait for Hewitt's to feature Shakespeare, religion, extreme sports or NASCAR - at times Hewitt sounds like a religious show host. Whereas Medved doesn't give much worth to single people, Hewitt doesn't take old people seriously, despite talk show listener demographics. For some reason Hewitt comes across as someone trying to make up for his 5 foot 7 inch stature although I have no idea how tall he is. His most redeeming facet, which puts him in my top five, is his recent work on judicial nominations. Plus he has finally realized that his listeners can discuss complicated issues - whereas in the past he would toss out one line questions any idiot caller could answer.
Mike Medved and Mike Rosen are the best debaters. Although recently Medved has gotten off on social rather than political issues. I mean - how many times do we need to discuss homosexuality, TV is bad, movies are good and being single is unnatural? Medved also annoys with his "conspiracy day" where he takes advantage of sickos who tell us over and over that the moon landing was staged in a Hollywood studio and that the secret Yale "Skull and Bones Society" runs the world. Still his debating skills secures the number two spot in my book.
Caustic and irreverent, Denver's Mike Rosen does not suffer fools gladly; but at times, he becomes a sport show host when he shills for the hapless Colorado Rockies - not coincidentally his station, KOA, carries Rockies games. The other day he jeopardized his top five standing when he did a segment on bad breath. I suppose, when you're on air some thirty plus days a year, some shows will stink - pun intended.
Last but least is the Laura Ingraham show, or as it should be known, Laura's musicfest. What Laura does not seem to understand is, while she may be tired of political talk, her audience isn't. Listeners want political talk not music and movie reviews. As the old saying goes "you gotta dance with the one that brung you," and Laura did not get where she is with her personal taste in music. But Laura does scores big with her attack of lefty sound bites. She and her staff must watch every political TV program aired and it pays off with an entertaining show.
The worse talk show host of a national syndicated program is Mike Gallagher. He doesn't bother with research. You will not hear anything new from Gallagher just the latest issues that gets calls. His demographics seem to be pissed off red necks.
While conservative talk appeal to millions of listeners, advertisers don't think much of its demographics as demonstrated by ads for hair growth, belly fat reduction, gold investing and dating services. Surly conservative talk show listeners aren't as dumb as advertisers think we are.
In any case, yes, Laura is good. Really good.
I have missed the innuendos. Dammit!
I have never heard Hewitt, but have disagreement with him on stuff that I see posted on here. I can't stand Medved; for openers his voice irritates me so much it's hard to listen to what he's saying. Right after Rush (who is The Master and way above the others mentioned here) I put Jim Quinn. I know not everyone has heard him which is difficult for me to understand why he is only regionally syndicated. (Because his previous "bad boy" reputation still precedes him?) Glenn Beck is fine sometimes, sometimes not, but as you said should be added to the positive list.
Ignore Rush. Look at what the Supreme Court says about the issue:
http://www.ssa.gov/history/nestor.html
Case name: Flemming v. Nestor 363 U.S. 603
No. 54. Argued February 24, 1960. - Decided June 20, 1960. - 169 f. supp. 922, reversed.
[snip]
2. A person covered by the social security act has not such a right in old-age benefit payments as would make every defeasance of "accrued" interests violative of the due process clause of the fifth amendment. pp. 608-611.
(a) The noncontractual interest of an employee covered by the act cannot be soundly analogized to that of the holder of an annuity, whose rights to benefits are based on his contractual premium payments. pp. 608-610.
(b) To engraft upon the social security system a concept of "accrued property rights" would deprive it of the flexibility and boldness in adjustment to ever-changing conditions which it demands and which congress probably had in mind when it expressly reserved the right to alter, amend or repeal any provision of the act. pp. 610-611.
Not a contract, not a contract, not a contract. Congress can change or eliminate the program any time they want to. You could be celebrating your 65th birthday with a trip down to the SS office, reach for the door and an employee could lock the door and put up the closed for business sign. All you could do is try to get different senators and representatives elected next November to reverse that decision.
Rush is good at what he does. I have listened to Rush off and on since he was a local in Sacramento.
I heard the "farding" bit live, and it only took me about 10 seconds to catch on, and he did say "fard" with the hard "d" and not the other word.
But Rush does not need me to defend him, except to say what he says himself, he is an entertainer.
I sometimes get bored with him, and when that happens, I turn him off. Truth is, I don't think anyone can be 100% all the time. But he is close.
Don't like Rush, turn him off, there are pleanty of host I don't listen to.
I believe the word is "farded" and not "farding." I standed corrected if I am wrong.
I have to agree that the author sounds more interested in joining the crowded ranks of those who think their opinion is so enlightened that they think others are not only interested, but will not notice whether they know what they're talking about or not.
Although other amateurs have taken advantage of this forum as their personal op-ed opportunity over the years, if I were a Moderator serving Jim Robinson's interests I'd tell you to start a blog on your own dime if you want to editorialize your opinions.
Anybody who says government had the right to take this money (and yes there is a Supreme Court Decision to that effect) is wrong or lying or both. There is no Constitutional authority for any of the socialistic programs. None!
I love Rush - am a member of his site. And yes, when he talks dirty, I turn him off. He does have a slightly twisted sense of sexual humor.
Fortunately, he doesn't do it that often. And when Rush is on fire, there is nothing like him. He seems to almost have a supernatural insight into the way people think.
Tony Snow is wonderful too. He is honest and informed.
As an old-timer myself, I understand that we all get a little short-sighted as we age.
At least part of the reason I have all but stopped listening to Rush is that he has become increasingly 'dirty' as you say. Maybe it comes from being comfortable with his audience.
At any rate, when I find out (on FR) that Walter E. Williams is the guest host, I listen. Professor Williams is the man. He's brilliant, and he's squeaky clean on the air. Some people say that's boring.
To each his own. If I'm not Rush Limbaugh's target audience, no problem. I can always find something else to do.
Oh, and Mike Gallagher? Our station dropped that ranting gasbag for Tony Snow. It's a huge improvement, to say the least.
Two words for you DONT LISTEN.
I say let the liberals keep attacking Bush... Bush is not running for President again, so they are wasting their time and energy attacking him.
"But at times Limbaugh takes us back to the sexual innuendoes of the 1970s."
I agree. Rush gets hung up on sexual innuendoes. It gets pretty disgusting. I am embarrassed for him because he starts to sounds like a pimpled face juvenile. I also turn him off at that point.
No attack can go unanswered.
Rush is JUST FINE, leave him alone! Sean is working on being a good host, give him some time! You didn't mention the Great One: Mark Levin, what's the matter, you chicken?
Those are my favorite talk show personalities, and they are doing just fine, thank you.
Check out Cato. Ending Social Security does not mean that the United States is going to screw the people who have paid into the plan. Without going into detail, the boomers who are presently counting on Social Security as the main-stay of their retirment are going to find that their purchasing power does not live up to their expectations or even close to what it did for prior SS beneficiaries. SS is going to end, but if it is not ended under something akin to the Cato plan, everybody dependent on SS will end up being impoverished or destitute. Here is a link to the Cato web site:
http://www.socialsecurity.org/
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