Clear Channel CEO Responds to Reid (Letter Hand Delivered to Senate)

The Politico ^ | Tuesday, October 2, 2007 | Carrie Budoff Brown

[kristinn]

Clear Channel CEO Mark P. Mays responded to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a letter hand-delivered to his office this evening.

Take a look at the letter here.

Full text:

October 2, 2007

The Honorable Harry Reid

S-221 United States Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20501

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

I want to thank you and your Senate Democratic colleagues for sharing your concern over recent comments made by Rush Limbaugh on his daily radio program. First, let me say that the men and women who wear the uniform in defense of our country deserve the utmost respect and gratitude from each and every one of us whom they serve to protect. I assure you that I fully agree with your statement that “not a single one of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends serving overseas is a phony soldier.” As a grateful American citizen, I would reject anyone’s contention to the contrary.

Mr. Limbaugh’s comments last week have stirred a lot of emotion, and I have carefully read the transcript from the episode in question. I hope you will appreciate that I cannot speak with authority as to whom exactly Mr. Limbaugh’s comments were directed, or what was his intent. Only Mr. Limbaugh can speak to those issues, which he has done.

I can say, however, that over the years Mr. Limbaugh has repeatedly praised the dedication and valor of our brave men and women in uniform. Given Mr. Limbaugh’s history of support for our soldiers, it would be unfair for me to assume his statements were intended to personally indict combat soldiers simply because they didn’t share his own beliefs regarding the war in Iraq. However, if Mr. Limbaugh’s intention was to classify any soldier opposed to the war in Iraq as a “phony soldier,” which he denies, then I, along with most Americans, would be deeply offended by such a statement.

While I do not agree with everything Mr. Limbaugh says on every topic, I do believe that he, along with every American, has the right to voice his or her opinion in the manner they choose. The First Amendment gives every American the right to voice his or her opinion, no matter how unpopular. That right is one that I am sure you agree must be cherished and protected.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel, I support each of our on-air talent’s right to express his or herself freely, as long as they do it within the confines of the laws set forth by Congress. For this reason, I have not and will not impose my own views upon any of our on-air talent. Doing so would, quite frankly, undermine the integrity of the broadcast, undercut the trust with our listeners that they are receiving the true and honest opinions of the radio host, and more importantly fly directly in the face the right to free speech that we hold so dear.

Each and every day, Clear Channel airs a broad diversity of viewpoints from Rush Limbaugh on the right to Air America on the left of the political spectrum. It is inevitable, with so many different perspectives, than an on-air personality will challenge or even offend another segment of the public. I too am sometimes offended by words that are directed at me or a particular belief I hold. However, as a broadcaster and leader of this company, I will always defend the right of our employees and contracted talent to voice their opinions under the protections provided by the First Amendment.

I want to thank you and your colleagues for writing me regarding this matter. Again, I regret that you were offended by Mr. Limbaugh’s statement, regardless of what its intended meaning may have been. I hope that you understand and support my position that while I certainly do not agree with all views that are voiced on our stations, I will not condemn our talent for exercising their right to voice them.

Sincerely,
Mark P. Mays
Chief Executive Officer

[Snapping Turtle]

What were those voters in Nevada thinking???

[JSteff]

“They think I’m a little nuts. Aaaaaauuuuuuggggghhhhh!!!! This is so frustrating.”

Were they all drinking Move On Kool Aid????

[clintonh8r]

Senators only know what their staffs and media advisors tell them. They don’t care about America. To them it’s a career, not a calling. They can go to Hell.

[Don Carlos]

I would have penned a letter telling Reid & Co. to shove their condemnation request right up their collective asses.

But don't you see the problem that would have created? Imagine the confusion! They have been talking out of their asses for so long, they wouldn't have a clue which orifice the condemnation request should be shoved into!

[rottndog]

People who vote for dumbocrats don’t think.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Classic,The Colonel would be proud!

[Miss Didi]

HARKIN: -- makes more news. It becomes in the news. More people tune in. He makes more money. Well, I don't know. Maybe he was just high on his drugs again. I don't know whether he was or not.

RUSH: Stop the tape. Now, with that comment right there, Tom Harkin said something about a private citizen on the floor of the Senate that he could not say about any other member of the Senate. He said something about a private citizen that I could not say were I a witness before some Senate committee in hearings. I could not say something like this about one of these senators. Would he say that to Patrick Kennedy if he disagreed with Patrick Kennedy, for example? Would he say that about Ozzy Osbourne? You can run the gamut here. So what we have, ladies and gentlemen, is not long ago Harry Reid takes a trip to New York on a Monday night; he meets with leaders of the anti-war movement. They were not identified by group. He comes back from that meeting, and I'm sure he got the riot act read to him. He also tried to explain to them the trouble they were having getting things done, because they don't have 60 votes in the Senate, which is what Pelosi is having to do to her kooks in the House, explain to her fringe base why they can't get anything done, because they don't have a veto-proof Congress over there. As such, he comes back and starts this campaign to smear a private citizen, and it is done, I'm telling you, to distract the outraged and disappointed Democrat Party base who expected to be gone from Iraq by now or for the process to get out and defeat to have begun by now.

And so they have to turn this and aim it against me. Now, we don't have the bite. It's not important. Elsewhere in Harkin's speech -- this is really surreal -- he attributes to me an article about seven soldiers in the New York Times criticizing the war. Two soldiers were later killed. Now, he bizarrely assumes and states that I was talking about them, when he says, "You castigate these soldiers." He talks about this New York Times article, then says, "It is despicable that I say these provocative things." Well, I didn't say it. This is the first time I have mentioned the New York Times article about seven returning soldiers. I have never referenced it on this program. He hangs what I didn't say around my neck, then accuses me of being deranged because I'm high on drugs. I never mentioned that article. I never mentioned those men. It is irresponsible of someone holding the position of senator in the United States of America to not understand the truth and to blatantly lie, as Senator Harkin did yesterday on the floor of the United States Senate. He took to the floor and accuses me of mentioning something I haven't mentioned. So if they are going to lie about one thing, is it reasonable to assume they are willing to lie about it all? This is a straw-man deception, folks, plus a slander for good measure.

Many of you have said, "You ought to sue." I can't, folks. I'm a public figure. It's not doable. It's part of the process. There are other ways of dealing with this. I was shocked when I heard Senator Harkin say it, and I've thought about what he actually said. I'm blown away. He attributes to me referencing seven soldiers in the New York Times story that I had never, ever referenced. I never have done so, until this very moment on this program. Now, there are also some people who are talking about this story. CNN did a story yesterday afternoon accepting the Harry Reid, Media Matters (founded by Hillary Clinton) premise. There have been others who have done so, and not one of them has gone into detail about Jesse MacBeth, the man I was referring to and others like him as "phony soldiers."

[VA40]

Well I don’t know, I took it as “only Rush can say what his intention was and he already did”. End of paragraph. In other words Rush said you’re wrong, period.

[eyedigress]

There was a lady from Nevada who called in today and said he was elected because they thought he would be good for Nevada. She was speaking in terms of a Byrd being good for WV or a Kennedy being good for MA. I hope she is right in saying he is toast.

[isthisnickcool]

Translation = screw you.

[new cruelty]

I’ll tell you the media is really affecting people's views that don’t know better like we do. We have a tough battle folks.

I agree. I was speaking with a friend last month about schumer's disparaging comments about our Troops in iraq. She had no idea who I was talking about, but then told me that he might be right because she had recalled seeing something on the news about how our troops were losing the war. I pressed her for what it was that she saw- she could only respond that it was on one of the network channels and from the look of things our soldiers were in bad shape.

[visualops]

Someone did, I forget which member of the House.

[Cementjungle]

It will take a lot of hard work and effort to defeat this smear machine, which is in high gear.

They're just warming up. Wait until 2008 for the real show.

[Rastus]

It’s like a Who’s Who of suck.

[doug from upland]

Just amazing. They condemn Rush but not moveon. We really do live in a Bizarro world.

[doc1019]

In a word … No. However, the Senate can introduce anything they wont to, legal or not. Anything they introduce becomes part of the Senate record and I believe that is their purpose.

[Bahbah]

What were those voters in Nevada thinking???

What do the voters of Vermont think everytime they return a man to the Senate who leaked secrets that probably got people killed? What do the voters who return Kennedy and Kerry to the Senate over and over think? What happens in Iowa where there are good people who send a dictator loving liar to the Senate over and over again? I do not know.

[LucyJo]

Congressman Jack Kingston (R) Georgia 1st District did that in the House of Representatives.

We need to let the Republican leadership in the House and Senate know what we think about this, and send a thank you to Congressman Kingston.

[kristinn]

October 2, 2007

The Honorable Harry Reid
S-221 United States Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20501

Dear Majority Leader Reid: I want to thank you and your Senate Democratic colleagues for sharing your concern over recent comments made by Rush Limbaugh on his daily radio program. First, let me say that the men and women who wear the uniform in defense of our country deserve the utmost respect and gratitude from each and every one of us whom they serve to protect. I assure you that I fully agree with your statement that "not a single one of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends serving overseas is a phony soldier." As a grateful American citizen, I would reject anyone's contention to the contrary.

Mr. Limbaugh's comments last week have stirred a lot of emotion, and I have carefully read the transcript from the episode in question. I hope you will appreciate that I cannot speak with authority as to whom exactly Mr. Limbaugh's comments were directed, or what was his intent. Only Mr. Limbaugh can speak to those issues, which he has done.

I can say, however, that over the years Mr. Limbaugh has repeatedly praised the dedication and valor of our brave men and women in uniform. Given Mr. Limbaugh's history of support for our soldiers, it would be unfair for me to assume his statements were intended to personally indict combat soldiers simply because they didn't share his own beliefs regarding the war in Iraq. However, if Mr. Limbaugh's intention was to classify any soldier opposed to the war in Iraq as a "phony soldier," which he denies, then I, along with most Americans, would be deeply offended by such a statement.

While I do not agree with everything Mr. Limbaugh says on every topic, I do believe that he, along with every American, has the right to voice his or her opinion in the manner they choose. The First Amendment gives every American the right to voice his or her opinion, no matter how unpopular. That right is one that I am sure you agree must be cherished and protected.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel, I support each of our on-air talent's right to express his or herself freely, as long as they do it within the confines of the laws set forth by Congress. For this reason, I have not and will not impose my own views upon any of our on-air talent. Doing so would, quite frankly, undermine the integrity of the broadcast, undercut the trust with our listeners that they are receiving the true and honest opinions of the radio host, and more importantly fly directly in the face the right to free speech that we hold so dear.

Each and every day, Clear Channel airs a broad diversity of viewpoints from Rush Limbaugh on the right to Air America on the left of the political spectrum. It is inevitable, with so many different perspectives, than an on-air personality will challenge or even offend another segment of the public. I too am sometimes offended by words that are directed at me or a particular belief I hold. However, as a broadcaster and leader of this company, I will always defend the right of our employees and contracted talent to voice their opinions under the protections provided by the First Amendment.

I want to thank you and your colleagues for writing me regarding this matter. Again, I regret that you were offended by Mr. Limbaugh's statement, regardless of what its intended meaning may have been. I hope that you understand and support my position that while I certainly do not agree with all views that are voiced on our stations, I will not condemn our talent for exercising their right to voice them.

Sincerely,

Mark P. Mays
Chief Executive Officer

[JSteff]

“they are getting hysterical. The cliff is in sight and they don’t know where the brake pedal is.”

We all need to take this for what it is, a test. The libs are seeing how far they can push this, and how far the pubies will bend in the wind.

We need to apply pressure on the pubies to get them to stand strong and push back. We need to push back too. The dems need to see that we will make this a mess if they are game on going that way..

This really is more of a chance to smack them hard than many can imagine.