Vermont’s independent Rep. Bernie Sanders – who is running for election to the U.S. Senate – has challenged liberals to take on what he termed “right-wing nuts on talk radio.” He also demanded that local radio stations and newspapers “provide alternative points of view.”
(Do Vermont dailies like the Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald do this?)
CNSNews.com quoted Sanders as saying: “The fight to allow people to hear different points of view is as important as any other fight, so I would urge people at the grass roots to start taking on the local media.” (And please remember newspapers and news magazines give 1 percent of their space to letters to the editor. Talk radio gives 40 percent.)
I am honored to be a talk-radio host and to do a daily two-minute commentary, plus a once-a-week 15-minute appearance on talk radio in Vermont. This is on WVMT in Burlington, a dominant station that has regularly hosted Congressman Bernie and Sen. Patrick Leahy, with whom I often disagree – but enjoy. So I was saddened indeed when Bernie’s press secretary in Washington promised to inquire and phone back (but never did) while his campaign office in Vermont had a recorded response and nothing else.
Hence, I am unable to learn whether Senate candidate Bernie regards me and my delightful WVMT hosts, Charlie and Ernie, as (in his reported words) “right wing nuts.”
I also noted in CNS’ report that Senate candidate Bernie told the “Take Back America” conference:
“Well, you know what? Things have changed. The liberal network Air America is doing very different talk.”
Mr. Sanders’ citation of this network struck a real chime of remembrance of my meeting on a panel one year ago at a talk-show hosts convention in New York with Al Franken of the Air America network (which candidate Sanders apparently loves).
On this panel (with other talk-radio hosts, including now White House Press Secretary Tony Snow), I asked Mr. Franken:
“Should the media avoid reporting details of last night’s confrontation? Or should they report full details of what could be described as a Franken-stinian filibuster?”
Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine and organizer of nine of these annual conventions had, the previous evening, introduced Franken as the recipient of Talkers’ Freedom of Speech Award (which appalled many of us).
Freedom Awardee Franken promptly demonstrated his devastating confusion of liberty with license. His acceptance speech was so long and so openly hostile on so many issues that Harrison took the stage with Franken and made a polite request that he conclude.
Franken was by no means polite in refusing to do so. Whereupon, there ensued a shouting match that I fully suspected would devolve into standing wrestling – or even fisticuffs.
The New York Post also reported details of this verbal brawl, identifying Franken as “The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave.”
Another question I asked of the head of the network (which candidate Bernie Sanders approves) pertained to Mr. Franken’s statement that “Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity routinely lie; they spread hate.”
I also asked about the following spot aired on Franken’s network:
“A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn’t safe anymore, so he’s going to fix it for us. Well, here’s your answer; you ungrateful whelp!” (AUDIO: FOUR GUN SHOTS)
“Just try it you little bastard!”
So I asked Mr. Franken: “Was this assassination suggestion really aired on Air America? And if so, why?”
To my considerable surprise, Franken actually apologized and explained how it got on the air without his or another Air America hosts’ knowledge.
But Air America is saluted by U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Sanders – who by CNS News is nowhere quoted with any references to “left-wing nuts.”
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WND Staff