The GENIUS that is Al Franken

[burythehatchet]

Earlier this week I turned Al off when he was at the DC republican puke-fest. It was tough to listen to his guests continue to spout off one idiotic statement after another. All the while Al trying to present fact after fact that went completely un-addressed by his guests. It was incredulous.

I had also heard recently that Al attracts a lot of non-liberals to his show. It makes sense. He is in my opinion a pretty conservative guy. But conservative in the very best terms of the word.

So I'm thinking, he attracts people who normally wouldn't listen to a leftie show, he always has conservative guests whom he treats fairly, what the hell could he be up to?

On Thursday I think he had on the editor of an on-line RW organization. He had written a piece decrying Jeff Gannon's unfair treatment at the hands of the bloggers...and then it hit me...The people who are listening to his show who are not necessarily liberal, but who do have half a mind, are putting 2+2 together. They hear the debate and I'm convinced that with every one of the these encounters where Al or Joe Conason kick a ritie's ass, maybe a couple of listeners are scratching their head as they try to deal with the cognitive dissonance.

That is all we need from talk radio. Give people the opportunity to hear a balanced debate. My faith in human nature tells me that when given the chance to evaluate the facts objectively, people will come to our side.

[Goldeneye]

1. I think there is hope for many of the Bush voters.

Most of them aren't freepers or neocons. I'd be willing to be a large number of them don't even know what a neocon is. The average American doesn't pay much attention to politics, and what little bit of info they do happen upon is more than likely going to be from the corporate media. If Al Franken can get a few of these people to pay attention he's making progress.

[wishlist]

2. Al played the tapes of O'Reilly talking about being in combat-brilliant

I usually find Al hard to follow and boring, but he rocked this past Thursday when he played the tapes of Blowhard Bill O'Reilly talking as if he had seen combat in the military (when in fact Bill had only covered some military operation as a reporter) Al played the tape where a man had called in to O'Reilly and exposed him on this deception and O'Reilly rudely insulted the guy. One of the more entertaining and revealing shows by Al Franken.

Al could be much more entertaining but I admire him for staying grounded and striving to be honest and accurate and factual while exposing the lies and deceptions of the RWingers.

[burythehatchet]

3. He's always had a hard on for O'Reilly but now he's going after

Brit Hume as well for Hume blatant lying about the original purpose of Social Security

[K8-EEE]

23. Hume And O'Reilly Have Not The Guts To Confont Al

Al rocks my world.

[Gold Metal Flake]

4. It is so hard to listen to sometimes.

That thing on Friday with that gangrenous oozing scab from the American Spectator, for example. Al is sometimes not quick enough.

But, you are right. Al is the "hands up" for many lost people to ascend from the depths of hate radio or plain old disaffection to the heights of stark truth provided by Randi, Thom, Malloy, Kennedy & Pap, Flanders, etc. Al is a gateway truth serum.

I think Big Eddie is also important in this regard.

We need these guys working for us. The shows frustrate us, but we already see the truth.

[burythehatchet]

5. That's the formula of success for AAR... a lot of different tastes

you listen to RW hate radio and its just one long broken record.

[CatWoman]

6. I kept screaming at the radio

that guy really pissed me off!!!!!

These people constantly contradict themselves -- they used homosexuality as a wedge during the last campaign, now, all of a sudden, it's "a personal matter"????

:wtf:

[Gold Metal Flake]

12. Yeah, personal. LOL!

Guckert was advertising over the Internet. It was as "personal" as buying a lawnmower at Sears.com!


Edit: changed "The guy" to guckert. Wow, that name is so hard to pronounce. Well, maybe for someone who can't pronounce "malfeasance".

[Sapere_Aude]

7. genius?

i listen to the guy occasionally. funny? sure, but i feel like I've lost 10 points of IQ afterward.

all I'm saying is this, he is not brilliant, he is entertaining.

[CatWoman]

8. where do you suppose that other 10 points went?

is it comparable to the IQ points lost when listening to Rush and Hannity?

I sure don't see those guys taking phone calls from the other side of the political spectrum.

just wondering.........

[burythehatchet]

9. OK

[retread]

10. Progressive, liberal voices have little or no outlet. Why use up the

small amount of air space we have with right wing propaganda? If I want lies, distortion, and vicious hate mongering, I can listen to Limpballs or watch Fox. That is NOT why I listen to Al's show.

[burythehatchet]

11. Do you continually need to have your beliefs reinforced?

The idea is not to make you feel better, its to reach into some thicker skulls.

[glitch]

13. The idea is to get real information. At least, that's my idea of radio.

AAR needs at least one daily news program, like Ring of Fire, only longer. A daily 3 hour Ring of Fire+Eco-Talk would make me so happy. As it is, they and Laura Flanders are relegated to the weekends.
Talk radio has it's place but AAR would be much better if the chatterers didn't dominate so much. IMHO.

[burythehatchet]

14. I agree 100%, there are subjects that we can really get some mileage

out of. But AAR is only a year old, so I have a lot of hope.

[glitch]

16. You're right. I think I am comparing year old AAR to how NPR used to be

when I put it that way they are phenomenal!

[burythehatchet]

17. NPR used to be phenomenol

funny how the people I used to like at NPR are shills now. Mara Liason, Cokie, Juan Williams.

If AAR devotes resources to producing some original reports or specials, i.e., Nightline, I would be delighted.

[glitch]

19. No, AAR is phenomenal because I am comparing new AAR to how NPR used to

be, which I considered excellent before their rightward collapse. Although I could never stand Mara, Cokie or Juan, even before their blatant self-outings. But they used to balanced by factual news. I stopped listening in 2000, so I can't really say what NPR is like now.

So even though I never considered NPR phenomenal, I do consider AAR phenomenal since I am comparing it, at a year old, to an experienced and (formerly) excellent news source.

Edited to add Wow, I need new glasses. I thought there was a question mark in your subject line and responded to that. Sorry! Looks like we still agree. :hi:

[retread]

24. I said "If I want lies, distortion, and vicious hate mongering, I can

listen to Limpballs or watch Fox. That is NOT why I listen to Al's show." From that you infer that I need to continually have my beliefs reinforced?

[DemoTex]

15. Al has really grown into the show. He is quite good at it now.

However, Joe Conason is better. Conason needs his own radio show on AAR. He is smart, articulate, quick, and has a damn good radio voice.

[theorist]

18. I agree. Also...

no matter who you are, you have to admit that Al and Kathryn do good radio. The show is well produced, but with a healthy amount of self-deprecation. He doesn't take as many callers as most talk show hosts. But then again, that's because he doesn't have to. He's just that entertaining.

[burythehatchet]

20. I don't think he should take many callers.

His style is too reasonable and he would end up spending 20 minutes with each caller. So when a freeper disruptor calls it will be a total waste of time unlike Randi or MIke who will just hang up when necessary.

[Snotcicles]

21. I like your sig quote

I don't know who said this but I like it also.
"It ain't what you don't know that makes you look stupid.
It's what you do know but ain't so."

[burythehatchet]

22. my first spiritual hero - Joseph Campbell