In defense of “our side”, Ed, Keith, Stef and the others

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

This will probably fall right off the page, but I really want to get something off my chest, as an older Dem, one who has followed politics with varying degrees of intensity since before St. Ronnie.

What I want to say is that there was time when our side had nobody, no voice, and definitely no media outlets. I saw the rise of the right hate talk from the beginning, and it was nasty, with no alternative view, much less having a spokesperson or even a radio station on our side. I was told that the (snarl) “liberals” had NPR, and that made it all equal. At the time, all I heard on NPR were nice stories about things like the big band era and baseball, but sure didn't hear anything that was relevant to my life, and certainly didn't hear anyone declare themselves liberal. In fact, the label liberal was something to run from, as fast and as far as you could.

At the time, my local dem leaders at the monthly meetings would tell me that hate radio was just a phase, a fad, and like any fad, it would have its day. That was actually said to me! I remember the Clinton impeachment circus, which was designed to humiliate not only the president, but anyone that openly identified themselves as a Dem. We had no one on our side to throw the crap right back at them! No one!

Al Frankin once said (paraphrasing) that liberals took it, and took it, and took it, and finally after being beaten down to pulp, they finally decided to fight back. I am grateful for the Air America experiment, all the local liberal radio stations that have sprung up around the nation, Stef Miller, Big Ed (I LOVE HIM), Keith, Rachel, TYT, and all the others….

I had a discussion with a good loyal dem about this very thing many years ago, and she told me she didn’t think we had to be like “them” to win. But, we lost, and we lost again, and lost again. I personally think that we should fight as hard and loud as we need to, to win.

I see much in common with the takeover of hate radio and the Citizens United decision. Dems seemed to have figured out how to deal with righty radio, but what to do about Citizens United? I don’t know, but I am glad that we have a progressive media to keep it in the spotlight (our spotlight, anyway).

I loved the rally, but very much disagreed with the message that both sides are equally polarizing. I also am somewhat suspect about the timing of the rally, and I would have much preferred that the main message be “vote, no matter who, just vote”.

Anyway, this meandering message is just meant to ask everyone to remember what it was like before we had a voice, any voice, for our side. As someone who was there, it was a nightmare. And think of those parts of the country that are still without an alternative to Rush and Faux.

That is all.

[moondust]

1. Excellent!

I remember it much the same. I've been especially glad to see Ed on the air standing up for working people who have never really had a strong voice on TV despite having done so much--and lost so much--through the years.

Thanks for the post!

[flamingdem]

2. Great points, I also think the perspective must include Citizens United

that's the future and something that could drown out the space we have gained.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Just one thing. Jon is taking on this

As an entity. By the way before Ronnie there was a news system that is an outlier in American history.

[TheKentuckian]

6. Good luck with the green light, credentials, and resources for actual news

I can't believe a soul is talking about tone when we need to be concerned about raw numbers and platforms for liberal voices. Times are what they are and we need voices that work for every audience where they get a chance to hear it.

Only with more general penetration of truth will there be a restoration of a demand for responsible reporting of facts laid out with minimal framing and editorializing not directly related to the facts at hand at the very least.

The environment sucks and the worst reason it sucks is because totally false nonsense is allowed to dominate the air, all but unchecked, and generally allowed to be seen as a "reasonable" perspective as "good" as any other for years and years.

A little bombast on our end is infinitely preferable to their unanswered blustering crazy talk of greedy depravity.

I understand a desire to make it better and applaud that but I rebuke calls for the few out there to change a damn thing.
Maddow is about as far as you can get because I think access and resources are tough to do the reporting that is needed to do a compelling news program to take on Faux and even the other fake News (more subtle pedantry for the establishment's interests) like CNN, ABC, CBS, and all the rest save PBS and BBC and they are semi-reduced to following the same distractions with a more sane slant.

News is just kinda banned as a waste of resources and a control mechanism.

Stewart of all people should understand, he about was a lone voice in the wilderness, making the guards chuckle and avoiding the axe.
He's calling for unilateral disarmament when we need to add, add, add while we don't starve the strong ones we have.

Mr Peabody and the Wayback machine or we get voices that stick with Masterpiece Theater, WWE, NFL, House, Survivor, and whatever you got but on our worldview with the truth as our ally so that it becomes a generally accepted (if not agreed with) point of view again.
The folks that like a little light jazz or classical guitar and wouldn't turn on a TV are somewhat a safe and small demographic (perhaps sadly small but small).

Keith Olberman isn't making Rush and friends shitty. They are shitty and aren't fixing to stop being shitty and their fans will listen to them at least until someone can reach them and it might not be Cronkite even in the best of circumstances. We are not all cut from the same cloth but quilts are awesome.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. He gets it

watch his cross fire appearance.

Any similarities are just coincidental.

he is talking of a SYSTEM... not one or two people in particular. This was deconstruction at it's best.

As to getting a Murrow news media, forget it. Time for people to get it... we NEED ALTERNATE MEDIA...

[Anser]

4. Rec..

I like your post, and agree with much of it. I actually just posted something with a slightly different take on the whole jon stewart/msnbc thing. I too remember when we had no voice, and I love that you've come to the defense of "our side." However, there are much bigger dangers to our side than Jon Stewart. In fact, if you look at his body of work as a whole, it seems he's right here with us.

[AmericanMan1958]

5. I remember..

years ago, being a young man, raise by a little German/Indian lady, 59" tall but she is 5 ft. and will hold her ground on that fact. She was a Democratic and thank God, she is still one today. She told me it wouldn't be easy to stand up for what was right. So she said go left, at least your feel better about it. We stood a lone for many years, being I was raised in Indiana. We had no one, people laugh at us and talked behind our backs. We never went right and be Damn if we will today.

I like Jon, a lot, when I want to laugh. He touched me Saturday, I did not attend because I was at the One Nation Rally. You remember the one all the liberal socialist and communist attend, that was me. The one that was rarely mentioned, that 125 plus thousand were in attendance. I don't say this out of anger, I mention it for you understand what we as a political group are up against.
What Jon and Steven did need to be done and said, I too wish they what at least told people to go vote.

But we as a political organization better protect those that speak on our behalf for they deserve respect for what they do. I do not hold them to higher standard then I hold myself or my mother. We try to be civil but those right-wingers and now this tea drink group can really get under your skin. Their self righteous ways can really "PISS" me right off. Even my 85 year old mother, a church goer I may add, has been known to let that "Dirty Fatherless" word fly. Of course she always adds a "I shouldn't say that" afterwords.
This has been a rough Midterm and we will need to stick together, for if money has it way, our biggest fights lay ahead.