Democrats should forget studies, hit the airwaves (Clueless alert)

St Paul Pioneer (de)Press ^ | 11/14/02 | LAURA BILLINGS

[Valin]

Now that the Democrats have had their backsides handed to them, analysts are expecting them to spend a lot of money researching such things as why they were so roundly rejected by exurban voters, and whether Al Gore has any life left in him for another run in 2004.

But I wonder if they might do better if they just saved their money and bought up some talk radio stations. When the political scientists start studying this midterm election, I think they'll find that conservative talk radio was the GOP's most effective secret weapon — "secret" only because people who don't know or care what a "dittohead" is have no idea how powerful it is, or what a role it plays in the lives of independent voters stuck in rush-hour traffic.

Radio may seem like such 20th century, Mondale-era technology, and yet self-proclaimed "21st century" candidates like U.S. Sen.-elect Norm Coleman have been very effective at riding its below-the-radar wave for getting voters on the bandwagon. Remember our former mayor's faux-folksy KSTP show in which he referred to himself as "Norm from St. Paul,'' a title that belied his Brooklyn accent? The radio career of Jesse Ventura clearly helped his name recognition in his run for the governor four years ago. And he used his bully pulpit on WCCO's "Lunch With the Governor" to rant about his personal peeves and rail against the "despicable" tone of the Williams Arena service after Paul Wellstone's death.

In fact, talk radio's reaction to the Wellstone memorial service offers a textbook example of why Democrats should be shopping around for a transmitter of their own. Let's review:

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, there was a remembrance service for Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter, and three staffers. The event included some beautifully humane eulogies, several reprises of the disco hit "Love Train," and a few unfortunate moments in which a grief-stricken staffer appealed to Republicans to help win Wellstone's seat back, and when some audience members booed Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., when they saw his face on the Jumbotron.

These moments were fleeting in a memorial service that lasted more than three hours, but on talk radio the next day they took on an eternal life all their own. For instance, KQRS' Tom Barnard, who led an on-air campaign for Coleman, and who, several weeks before the plane crash, wished Wellstone would "drop dead,'' was fuming over the event and claiming that he was now a full-blooded Republican — as if any of his listeners could possibly be in doubt. (If you think the moronic ravings of his Morning Crew couldn't possibly matter in the world of politics, keep in mind that Tim Pawlenty appeared on the show the morning after the election. Voters stuck in traffic were some of his biggest supporters.)

Rush Limbaugh made those few minutes at Wellstone's memorial the subject of days and days of fulmination on his program. Of particular concern to him was that Minnesotans in mourning were unable to overcome their partisan feelings when honored dignitaries came to pay their last respects. Of course, Limbaugh was not so outraged a year ago, when firefighters at a concert to honor the dead of 9/11 booed New York Sen. Hilary Clinton. In fact, Limbaugh cheered along.

On Wednesday after the memorial service, the callers on local conservative talk radio were predictably whipped up about what they saw as a free advertisement for the Democrats. But their calls that day had to be forwarded all the way to the White House lawn, where President Bush was hosting "Radio Day." Some 50 conservative radio hosts and reporters, everyone from our own Joe Soucheray to Oliver North and Sean Hannity, were on hand five days before the election lobbing softball questions at the likes of Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, Condoleezza Rice and Karl Rove. On that day, hearing call-in listeners complain of a "partisan tone" or "liberal media bias" was plainly hilarious. If the Democrats had any guts at all, they would have asked for equal time.

Of course, the Democrats haven't had guts in awhile. That's one of their myriad problems, the main one being an inability to communicate a message that actually moves people on issues like education, the environment and peace-making foreign policy.

The Republicans had one, and broadcast it loud and clear. It was so successful that this week, Tom DeLay invited Rush Limbaugh to the Capitol to say a few words to the GOP's incoming freshman class.

If the Democrats got one, and broadcast it loud and clear, maybe a few years from now Al Franken and Garrison Keillor could be prevailed upon to say a few words to the incoming freshman class, too.

Laura Billings can be reached at lbillings@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5584.

[Valin]

If the Democrats got one, and broadcast it loud and clear, maybe a few years from now Al Franken and Garrison Keillor could be prevailed upon to say a few words to the incoming freshman class, too.

You will pardon me if I don't hold my breath waiting for this to happen.

[anniegetyourgun]

Oh yes, please...please....please make Al Franken the party spokesman! I'm beggin' ya' here.....

[mewzilla]

Note to Ms. Blillings: Haven't seen Donahue's ratings, have you?

[Lead]

I can't help but chuckle when I hear the words remembrance, humane eulogies, and Jumbotron in the same sentence. It am sure there is a oxymoron hiding in there somewhere.

[GreatOne]

This woman is a complete idiot, and always has-been. On a Helen Thomas-level of intelligence, if you will.

Note to Ms. Billings: every DemoRat talk show host has been a complete failure, as has been every t.v. show host (Allan Colmes the obvious exception, and for obvious reasons). Gee, let's think about why that is, shall we?

[Minnesoootan]

They just don't get it,do they?
The "public" Liberals are just not interested in the "politics",if they were,they would admit we live in a constitutional republic!
All they need to do is look at ratings of shows like Donahue to see what would happen to a Liberal/Democrat radio "personality".They just aren't ...interesting!
This guy is clueless on Hillary being booed,it wasn't a political rally,it was a memorial to the dead and she was using it for political face time,like the Wellstones did with Paul's death.And the fact that they actually had her speech edited to take out the boos,proves it!
Damn,I hate the Twin Cities papers...

[Minnesoootan]

Note to Laura: "Of course, the Democrats haven't had guts in awhile. That's one of their myriad problems, the main one being an inability to communicate a message that actually moves people on issues like education, the environment and peace-making foreign policy."

That's because the majority already understands these issues,get rid of NEA,environmental issues are junk science,and peace making foriegn policy amounts to killing those that want to kill us.....swing the Dims to that sort of thinking you just might get some votes back,as long as you sign a promise in blood and swear to your mother and God and...

[Valin]

They just don't get it,do they?


It's nice to know in this ever changeing world there are somethings you can count on.
Here it is nine days later and the rats arre still in denial.

[Brookhaven]

saved their money and bought up some talk radio stations. Interesting that she thinks Democrats should buy radio stations to force their way onto the air. Republicans don't OWN any radio stations.

There's no conspiricy amoung radio station owners to promote conservatives and lock out liberals. Talk radio stations are out to make money and will put on whoever will draw the most listeners (a lesson MSNBC should learn.)

Why do conservative hosts draw more listeners? I don't know. But even in so called liberal areas, conservative radio hosts seem to do better.

[Joe Bonforte]

But I wonder if they might do better if they just saved their money and bought up some talk radio stations.

Please, please, let the socialists do this. The money they spent would quickly be flushed down the toilet, since they would be unable to attract listeners and sponsers, and the value of their radio stations would plummet. If this strategy could possibly work, why is National Public Radio the only significant liberal/socialist presence on the radio airwaves?

Of course, being socialist, the author has no clue of market forces, and is therefore ignorant enough to think that this might work. And then when it failed, she would be crying foul, claiming conspiracy, anything to avoid facing the fact that her socialist philosophy is in total contradiction to the real world.

[Holofernes]

pffft... no one I know in MN liked Keillor or Franken very much, especially if they had the misfortune to meet either of these cretins in person (as I did). "Famous" people often complain about their lack of privacy, but when you treat them like anyone else (i.e. as "normal humans"), they sure throw a fit in a hurry!
So let them rave... it's all the Dems have for the next few years after bungling on such a massive scale!

[ServesURight]

Of course, Limbaugh was not so outraged a year ago, when firefighters at a concert to honor the dead of 9/11 booed New York Sen. Hilary Clinton. In fact, Limbaugh cheered along.

As different as the temperatures between Florida and Siberia.

[Minnesoootan]

Denial is right,and evertime you see someone from "that" party getting facetime it is all about the party getting back in power....I hope they keep it up!!!
One thing I have started doing since the anti-smoking anti-drinking anti-suv anti-gun anti-everything movement started is,well,you notice people say
"Eeeeeew! you smoke(etc. etc. etc.)? that is soooo gross and bad for you"...
when I get a Liberal/Dem that would rather name call than debate I say
"Eeeeeew,you vote Dem? that is soooo gross and bad for you!"

[Valin]

From all I've heard Keillor could be the posterboy man person for jerks r us.

[Slyfox]

Back when Rush Limbaugh began his nationwide program, the head honcho media types had proclaimed radio a dead medium. Now that it has been made the home of flyover conservative thought the libs think that maybe they can jump in and make a difference for their stupid party? Good luck and hey, spend a lot of money while you try again and again to 'revive' liberal thought. Buy up all the radio stations you can. There is nothing more transparent than a liberal speaking on the radio. A lie is much easier to detect when you hear it rather than see it.

But I warn ya, the genie is out of the bottle, the truth has already begun to set us free.

[amused]

Let's see in the Wellstone case, GOP senators found a good man even if they vehemently disagreed with him and wished to pay their respects to him.

In Hillary's case, she showed up for the photo-op, the firefighters knew and expressed how they felt. Not because they were all conservative but that Hillary is a self serving b*tch so craven as to use a memorial of heroes as political fodder.

[RnMomof7]

Note to Ms. Billings: every DemoRat talk show host has been a complete failure, as has been every t.v. show host (Allan Colmes the obvious exception, and for obvious reasons). Gee, let's think about why that is, shall we?

Soon to follow would be government subsidies for failing talkshows..

[newgeezer]

Oh, as if it's not enough to own ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, Westwood One, etc.!

Garrison Keillor

Admittedly, I was able to turn a tidy profit once, thanks to Garrison Keillor...

Back in '98, after having bought a number of goodies on , I thought I'd take a turn at selling. I just wanted to experience the selling process; I really didn't care if I got a bid, let alone made any money. So, I went to my closet, and found an unused postcard. Some months ago, I'd found it in my yard, while mowing the grass. It was a terrible picture of Old Faithful geyser. On the back, it had a picture of Keillor where the stamp would go, and mentioned Prairie Home Companion was going to broadcast live from Yellowstone Nat'l Park to commemorate the park's 150th anniversary, or something like that. It had probably blown out of a neighbor's trash can, having originated as an insert in a solicitation for contributions to NPR, PBS, or something similar. Anyway, it was in perfect condition and, being a pack rat extraordinaire, I'd simply thrown it in the closet near my childhood postcard collection, rather than throw it away (again)...

To make a long story less long, it sold for $34. The guy who won the auction was elated. So was I. And, as for Garrison Keillor, I can no longer say I never had any use for him.

[KriegerGeist]

"Note to Ms. Blillings: Haven't seen Donahue's ratings, have you?"

Those would be slightly higher or just under "West Wing"? I read that "The Bachelor" beat out "Left Wing"...and Donahue...
I'm loving this: "Liberal Democratic Party initiating the ship's self-destruct sequence"....in 4 years - 10 months - 9 days...

[facedown]

There's no conspiricy amoung radio station owners to promote conservatives and lock out liberals. Talk radio stations are out to make money and will put on whoever will draw the most listeners (a lesson MSNBC should learn.)

They've been trying to take Bernie Ward nationwide for years - can't sustain an audience.