What's the deal with Ed Schultz?

[marbuc]

Sometimes, like this interview with Miles O'Brien, he comes off like a big conservative. I consider myself to be a "moderate liberal," but this guy veers far to the right sometimes, and I don't trust him. Discuss.

[caligirl]

1. He freely admits to having been one of them. Now a dem with repub

shadow.

[MissMarple]

2. I think he is a conservative progressive. He used to be a Republican.

He is not fond of the GOP and he is not a liberal progressive. He appeals to the working guys who have been listening to the GOP and are beginning to wonder what is going on, why are things falling apart. I think he is doing a good service, he can reach folks more liberal talk show people can not.

And he is a reminder that we need a variety of points of view, that we are better than the lock step GOP. Or we should be. We aren't alway going to agree on how to do things, it's just the American way. But, Big Ed does respect the average working person and knows how valuable a strong middle class is to our prosperity.

[Adelante]

5. Wes cross-posted, MissMarple

But you said it a lot better :D

[MissMarple]

8. Thanks,I think the two go quite well together,they complement one another.

:hi:

edit: spelling

[LittleClarkie]

28. Would that be a good way to describe Dean as well?

Ed also strikes me as someone who's still learning. Give him a good arguement and he will think about it. He changed his mind re: ANWR for instance and now does not favor drilling, whereas he started out not seeing the problem.

[Cosmocat]

37. Absolutely ...

I was able to catch a good deal of him for three months on XM, and I was really impressed with him ... I don't know where he was earlier in the life, but he calls himself a lib now, and I heard him go off on more than one block head conservative ...

I agree, he is VERY important in swinging working class Rs over ... I don't like that XM bumped him ... The movement needs guys like him to temper the raging Rhodes and Seders ...

[Adelante]

3. He's neither - not right - not left

He just speaks his mind and doesn't care if anybody likes it. He is a former Republican, I understand, and he gives them a good beating on a regular basis. He also has liberal Dems on his show all the time. The important thing about Ed is the audience he reaches, which is basically the audience RW radio reaches. You don't have to agree with him on everything, but you can trust him to tell the truth as he sees it.

[blondeatlast]

4. I'm a red-state lefty and enjoy him. He thinks

like many of the red staters I know.

To each his own.

[snowbear]

6. (((( EDDIE ROCKS )))))

If you don't like him, don't listen to him.

I love him!

[bigwillq]

7. I think Ed's a decent guy.

I am always entertained when I listen to him. He's a former puke, I think he's really trying hard to be one of us.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. Sometimes I get mixed feelings

I have listened to the show once or twice. The second time I did I didn't listen long. Don't remember why. What's his show website and does he have archives?

[Totally Committed]

9. He's a former Republican,

and most of the time he's too much to the Right for me... so, when he's on my last nerve, and I need something to listen to, I go to AAR and stream Randi.

TC

[snowbear]

10. Nagin is a former Republican too....

So what? :shrug:

General Clark is a former Independent. So what? :shrug:

The way things are going now, 90% of current Rethugs will soon be "FORMER REPUBLICANS" http://eliteleague.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/lol!.gif

[Totally Committed]

12. Nothing's wrong with it...

the question (I thought. Am I having one of my "hazy" days again? :shrug: ) was why is Eddie coming off so RW. I thought that to say he used to be a Republican was an answer and an explanation all rolled up in one.

BTW, a former Republican is the only kind of Republican to be. I commend all who disavow that Party, and come onboard. Truly.

TC

[marbuc]

13. I certainly do not have a problem with former Republicans

nor do I have a problem with conservative Dems. Perhaps I should amend my OP to say that I'm not sure I trust his sincerity, rather than the definitive statement that I made. Sometimes I just get the feeling that his ideology may not be as genuine as it should be, that he calls himself lefty to make a buck.

[FreedomAngel82]

27. With Nagin

does he rule democratically? He doesn't have to be a hard-core dem or anything but I remember reading he changed parties so he could win.

[AntiCoup2K4]

11. There's an audience out there that can benefit from listening to Schultz..

....but I'm not one of them. Thank God they took him off the XM Air America feed. Still gotta lose the FAUX whipping boy Colmes though.

[Cosmocat]

38. Good grief ...

Again, I think Shultz is an important crossover guy ...

Colmes ... He have his hands tied behind his back and sent back across the lines ... He is pathetic ... I didn't think about it like that, but I agree very strongly with what Franken says about Colmes in his book ... Colmes to Hannity and Colmes what the Washington Generals are to the Harlem Globtrotters ... Once I read that and looked at the show, I completely lost any respect for the guy ...

FLUSH HIM ... Put Shultz on in Springers slot, keep Franken, Rhodes and Seder/Garafalo where they are, and bump Springer to Colmes spot ...

IMO ...

[QC]

14. He's a witch! Burn him! burn him!! n/t

[dhinojosa]

33. How do you know he's a witch?

[NoodleBoy]

15. this will sound cynical, but... he reaches out to suburban white guys

you know, guys who fish and hunt but don't take camera crews along, guys who go to barbecues, grill the food themselves, and drink beer and watch football at the same time. guys who might not have gone to college, and if they did might have dropped out after a year or two.

Basically, the key demographic we lost in 1980 that we've been trying to regain ever since. these guys aren't ultra-conservative or ultra-religious, and they usually make fun of those guys behind their backs, but they don't vote for progressives because they don't "get" us. They vote for people they can grill ribs and shoot the shit with.

But that doesn't mean they'll never vote left. Bernie Sanders, the highest self-described Socialist in government, gets overwhelming support from the people I'm describing, because he lets them do the talking instead of screaming "THE MAN YOU VOTED FOR TWICE IS RUINING THE WORLD!"

And also, just because these guys aren't heavily involved in Dem politics DOES NOT mean they are dumb. They hold good jobs, raise good families, and do good things for their communities. Again, they vote Republican because they'd rather invite them to a barbecue then someone more likely to give speeches then talk to them as friends and neighbors.

[praisethelowered]

20. well. . . those guys need to wake up and figure out the difference

between sports and politics. . . I have mixed feelings about dumbing down politics to reach out to people who are unwilling to step up and take democracy seriously. . .

Ed definitely has a connection to the middle- right . . . but are they worth talking too anymore?

[NoodleBoy]

25. yes they're worth talking to, but most of these people have their minds on

many other things aside from "what will bush's tax cuts do to my kid's education?" or "how will john roberts weaken checks and balences on the executive branch?"

[kansasblue]

16. he's a ratings whore.

[Zodiak]

17. A fair and balanced critique of Ed Schultz, by a progressive

Ed Schultz is featured during the drive-home in Columbus, OH, my current haunt. I have been listening to him regularly now for about 8 months, and there are some comments on him I would like to make.

1. Ed Schultz sound like Rush Limbaugh as far as the timbre and resonance of his voice. That is a plus if you are trying to wean a Republican population from the teat of the Oxycontin gas-bag.

2. Ed Schultz engages in activities that many, many red-staters (and blue staters. too) love. He loves fishin', sports, and other outdoor activities, and that gives him a real homie-ness. This is another one of his "draws". As a Texan, I can really relate to such banter, and I understand the power of it.

3. Schultz has a reputation among leftie radio talk show hosts as a "fake" leftie. Many have claimed that Ed got into this market because it was "wide-open" and it was a simple matter for him to change stripes. I cannot verify th validity of this claim, but there it is.

4. Schultz absolutely adores power and those that wield it. It seems to make him feel important that he hangs out with Senators and Congressmen. In doing so, he is very, very soft on all of these individuals in interviews, which pisses me off. Ed's ambition is not an asset to him as a talk-show host.

5. Schultz does NOT have a very good command of the facts. He is not well-researched, and sometimes is forced to reverse himself overnight when shown the error of his ways. Now, this change in opinion could be a strength in that Ed is willing to listen to the arguments of others, but then again, he could be changing positions because he doesn't wish to alienate his audience. In addition, Ed's lack of research savvy allows him to accept RW bullshit when it comes his way because he does not have the facts to counter it. He inadvertently makes it look like the position of the left is far less tenable than it really is.

6. One of Schultz's main strengths is his ability to call out a Republican strategy before it happens. Because of his history with the party and his close connections with the Republican machine, he offers an insight that most of us lefties can only guess. I am glad that Ed is willing to show the bells and gears of the enemy...it is necessary, and frankly, too many of us lefties are naive and cannot relate to such machiavellan concepts. Our strength of character serves as a great weakness in this case.

7. Ed Schultz is not Randi Rhodes, and that is what really pisses me off the most. I know that I should be glad to have Ed, but I honestly think that (at least here in Columbus) Randi is chopped up by the Clear Channel AAR station on purpose, and Ed serves as a vehicle for that end. It is not Ed's fault, though.

Anyways, this about sums up my opinion of Ed Schultz. And yes, I could have screamed today when he let Miles O'Brien say that our air and water are the cleanest that they have been for 100 years. He made environmentalists sound like some sort of mafia that actualy wields power. Ed said he disagreed with Miles on a few things, but I REALLY wanted Ed to counter that point. Ummmm....global warming, mercury in ALL waterways, jet fuel additives saturating our soils, red tides, fish kills, huge holes in the ozone....is this thing on????

[praisethelowered]

21. #5 really bugs me

does he just not care enough to get the facts? I can't keep up with sports because I couldn't give a rats ass about it. I think Ed may be the same way about politics.

On the other hand you can tell that Rhandi at least keeps up on her reading.

Why? . . . .because she cares about what is going on. It matters to her.

[Zodiak]

22. I completely agree

If you are a former Repuke who wishes to speak for the left, then please serve the left as it wishes to be served and come to the table with facts. At least do that if you are going to have RWers on for interviews. Why would anyone go into combat without ammunition or armor?

[Adelante]

35. I doubt very much

He considers himself as speaking for the left. He's speaking for himself.

[FreedomAngel82]

29. I think personally the show

would be better if maybe he had a side-kick or something. Someone who was a true-blue democrat and then he/she can weigh in too. Know what I mean?

[Zodiak]

31. good idea n/t

[LiberalEsto]

18. He's not preaching to the choir (us)

He's able to reach out to the independents, the undecideds, and the people thinking about abandoning the GOP. And that's how you win elections.

I certainly don't agree with all Ed's opinions, but he's performing a valuable service by opening the eyes of some people for the first time. He gets them to really see the bullsh*t of the right wing, and gives them logical reasons for changing their views.

I'd rather see him doing that - converting them a few at a time - than regurgitating stuff to us progressive Dems we already know.

[Dr Fate]

19. Huge fan- he talks like people I know back in Georgia.

I listen everyday.

I dont agree with everything he says, but few agree with everything I say either.

[Zodiak]

23. For what it's worth

I agree with you practically all of the time...I have yet to roll my eyes at one of your posts, and that's sayin' something!

Ed does provide a valuable service, but he makes my teeth grind sometimes. Today was an example.

[digno dave]

24. Sorry, not all people think exactly like you, me or anyone else

An that's a good thing. Don't bash him for that.

[LittleClarkie]

30. Could you give us an example of what he said specifically that set off

your alarms?

He's only been a recovering Repub for a few years. Give him time. He's workin' on it, he's workin' on it.

He seems to be along the lines of a Hillary type Dem.

[marbuc]

32. It's the little things

like today he remarked about how much he enjoys Soledad and Miles O'Brien on the morning show, this after the well publicized exchange with Pelosi last week.

[LittleClarkie]

34. Conversely, he had Cindy on his show day after day when she was in

Crawford.

So it works both ways I guess. He's probably still recovering.

[Armstead]

36. I'm not crazy about him, but I do think he represents what Democrats need

Ed Schultz strikes me as a throwback to part of what Democrats used to be perceived as.

Working-class, personally conservative, macho -- but liberal in terms of economic justice because they instinctively understand the issues of class and money.

That's an important element of the populace the Democratic Party needs to win back.