Loose lips could sink the dip

Conventional political wisdom would dictate that, if in a tight election race, a candidate should not do anything to embarrass either themselves or the people he or she represents. Don't insult or alienate likely voters. And above all, don't rock the boat. That seems to be the sane thing to do.

Then again, Michele Bachmann is not necessarily a sane person.

The incumbent congresswoman, who represents Minnesota's 6th district, has garnered a bizarre reputation during her four years in the U.S. House. She's a hardcore partisan flamethrower. And she's flat-out nuts. She once greeted President Bush with a kiss on the lips. Then there was that time she hid in the bushes to spy on a gay/lesbian rally. She had paranoid delusions and once filed a suspect police report alleging she was kidnapped. She often spouted crazy conspiracy theories. And she worships Ann Coulter. Bachmann has even inspired two sites attacking her, unusual for a representative. She's the crazy reactionary Republican for people who think Katherine Harris is too normal and Sarah Palin too rational.

Bachmann has a hard-fought reputation for saying really crazy stuff to the media. And her most recent television appearance, on MSNBC's Hardball, could finally be her undoing.

In an interview Thursday with show host Chris Matthews, Rep. Bachmann seemed to be channeling former red-baiting Sen. Joe McCarthy. She demanded the news media investigate what she calls "anti-American sentiment" in Congress, and even slammed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama as "anti-American." She called for a resurrection of the old House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was charged during that era with fighting "un-American" ideas. Mostly, what they fought against was liberals and hippies. Sleazy red-baiting politicians like Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon infamously used HUAC to get their names in the papers and scare the hell out of their voters.

Bachmann held nothing back in her tirade. “What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would,” she said. “I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that.”

On Obama she said, “Absolutely, I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views.” Ironically, the day before, she said, “If the presidency would somehow go to Barack Obama, I would welcome him to the 6th District as well. As a matter of fact, I would put my hand on his shoulder and give him a kiss if he wanted to.” Obviously, her mouth moves faster than her mind.

As a former resident of Minnesota, I realize that the state has long had a reputation of bucking the national political norm. The state Democratic party is actually called the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), the result of a merger between two state parties back in the 1940s. Even Obama will have 'DFL' next to his name on Minnesota's ballots. State Republicans, for decades following Watergate, called themselves the Independent Republican Party (IR). Minnesota was the only state that went for local icon Walter Mondale in the 1984 presidential election.

And then there were the politicians themselves. Populist liberal crusader Paul Wellstone, one of the most-loved (by liberals and moderates) and most-derided (by far-right Republicans) politicians in the history of the state, was elected to the Senate (twice) with help from an off-the-wall campaign and a dilapidated green school bus. But he was running against incumbent Rudy Boschwitz, an utter flake who ran a really sleazy campaign that turned off many rational voters. Given many Minnesotans' cynicism toward typical political hijinks, 'third' parties are quite popular in the state. Independent campaigners were elected as governor twice in the 1990s. Former Republican-turned independent Arne Carlson won the seat in 1990 after waging a strong third party campaign, and was recruited by the Republican party only two weeks prior to the election after their own nominee got caught in an underage hot tub sex party scandal. Most famously, Carlson's successor, former wrestler and actor James George Janos, ran an independent bid for governor in 1998 under his stage name, Jesse Ventura, and beat two well-known party politicians. To be fair, his rivals, Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Hubert “Skip” Humphrey III, were stiff, predictable establishment hacks who were strongly aligned with their respective parties and didn't excite the population at large. The off-the-wall Ventura was effective at waving his middle finger at the two parties and promising to move away from politics as usual. Oh, yeah, then there was Harold Stassen, former governor and perennial longshot presidential candidate. And then there's this year's Senate election, where comedian and former Air America Radio host Al Franken has a very good shot at upsetting the incumbent, Coleman, who won his seat six years ago only after a tragic plane crash claimed the life of his opponent Wellstone merely a few weeks before the election. Not surprisingly, a credible independent, Ventura and Ross Perot acolyte Dean Barkley, is running relatively strong in that race.

Minnesotans, for the most part, tend to be very middle-of-the-road, not overly partisan. I think they're some of the smartest and savviest voters in the country. They are often too sophisticated to fall for typical political gimmickry and grandstanding. Witness perhaps the state's 'reddest' district, the affluent western suburbs of Minneapolis, where retiring congressman Jim Ramstad has garnered a strong reputation as a very moderate and inoffensive Republican who has constantly stayed above partisan squabbles, concentrating instead on serving the needs of his district. He's a very good congressman. Minnesota, considered a 'purple' state that still leans toward the Democrats in presidential elections, has a long reputation for keeping reactionary partisan flamethrowers out of public office, Bachmann aside. Right-wing political fundamentalism typically doesn't go over well with a constituency known for being mostly laid-back Lutherans. Bachmann's antics couldn't possibly be doing her any favors in her home state. She could easily win this district, as it is heavily Republican. In fact, these types of races are often stupid-proof for incumbents. Instead, she's inching closer to the political fight of her life. All because her mouth got in the way.

After accusing the Democratic side of Congress of being everything short of 'traitors' in her scathing, unhinged television tirade, Democrats fought back where it counts. Hard. Immediately, her DFL rival, El Tinklenberg, started receiving a windfall of support from across the country, with more than half a million dollars in donations flowing into the campaign's coffers. At one point, Tinklenberg's campaign was pulling in $200 a minute. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just made the race high priority in their 'Red to Blue' campaign of taking Republican districts. After running four or five points behind the incumbent in recent polls, Tinklenberg stands a strong chance of closing the gap, and possibly taking the whole thing. Overnight, Bachmann has become his strongest fundraiser.

The race was already closer than it should have been, with only a few points separating them in the polls. But Bachmann is obviously looked upon by many there as a hard-right goofball, much too fundamentalist, much too reactionary and too much of a grandstander for the polite, fiscally conservative suburban and rural Minnesotans she represents, and her latest antics could very well be the straw that broke the elephant's back. Feather boas are one thing in the Land of 10,000+ Lakes, but hard-right flamethrowing is tougher to swallow than lutefisk and Grain Belt beer in Miami. Considering that Democratic candidates across the country (and especially in Minnesota) are giddy about a potential Obama surge helping down-ticket candidates, and Republicans are grousing about being saddled with the dysfunctional campaign of John McCain and the much-derided Sarah Palin, this could be the year that some rather unsavory, vindictive and mentally unstable characters, like Michele Bachmann, finally get their walking papers.

There's a lesson to be learned in all of this. Playing the part of a crazed, obnoxious radical Republican typically only works if running for office in a safe cant-lose red state. Politicians in, say, South Carolina can wrap themselves in Confederate flags and claim Jesus rode dinosaurs and watch their poll numbers shoot through the roof (no offense intended, natch, to my faithful S.C. readers). But in a hotly contested state like Minnesota (and there's a reason the Republican held their convention in St. Paul this year), and in a lukewarm red district that seems uncomfortable with embarrassing partisan rhetoric, perhaps going apeshit on national television less than three weeks before an election is not the best political strategy. How “American” would she look if normal Americans tossed her out of office? At least she has a potential career as a crazy right-wing television pundit to fall back on. Move over Ann Coulter.

WCPT hits the FM dial

Fans of Chicago progressive talk station WCPT (820AM) can rejoice come Monday morning, as the station will be heard via three FM signals in the metro area.

NewsWeb will simulcast WCPT's signal on three of the company's Chicago-area FM stations. WKIE (92.7FM), located in Dekalb, serves the area far west of Chicago, including Rockford and Beloit, WI. WDEK (92.5FM), licenced to suburban Arlington Heights, can be heard from Downtown all the way up to Kenosha, WI. And Park Forest's WRZA (99.9FM) has a 50,000 watter signal serving areas south of Chicago, such as Joliet, and parts of northwestern Indiana. The new FM trimulcast will displace the Adult Hits format known as "9 FM."

The move extends the reach of WCPT's programming to northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana.

WCPT, a daytime-only operation, will still run from sunrise to sunset on 820AM. When the AM station signs off, progressive talk programming will continue on the FMs until 9A,when "Dance Factory," carried over from the 9 FM lineup, will take over until 5A. But the three FM stations will air progressive talk programming from 5A-9P.

"Breakout stars like Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller illustrate the enthusiasm that exists for the progressive Talk radio format," NewsWeb VP/Group Station Manager Harvey Wells said. "We're thrilled to be able to offer even more outstanding programming to the Chicago area."

With the move, there will be some schedule shifting. Mike Malloy has been dropped and replaced by the Air America shows of Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan, which fit in more effectively slot-wise with the start time of "Dance Factory" (which is brokered programming that is a guaranteed revenue earner).

Debating the debaters ( the 'Hey Joe' edition)

So, the third and final presidential debate is now in the books, and we now embark on the final 19 days until we find out who our next president will be. And with all that wrapped up, why not offer my own opinion of it. Hopefully this won't be as controversial as the Nova M article I wrote.

In the three debates that have transpired, we saw the two main candidates vying for the office. We saw them face to face. We heard their proposals. We observed their style. And we noticed how tightly controlled the campaigns and personnas of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are.

A common complaint heard over the past few weeks was how dry and boring the debates were. Media pundits were starved for red meat, and got soyburger. They wanted something juicy to write about, something akin to a face-slapping soap opera.They wanted yelling. They wanted gaffes. They wanted soundbytes. They wanted smackdowns. They really wanted blood.

I'm talking about Gerald Ford in 1976, claiming that the Soviets did not control Eastern Europe. Or Ronald Reagan telling Jimmy Carter "there you go again" or cracking a hilarious joke about his age in 1984 that even made his rival, Walter Mondale, laugh. Or Lloyd Bentsen telling Dan Quayle that he's "no Jack Kennedy." Or Bill Clinton scolding George H.W. Bush for attacking his patriotism. Or James Stockdale wondering who and where he was. Okay, nobody wanted Stockdale. Instead, we got two candidates who were heavily coached and were adament with their own styles.

Of the two, McCain was the most unpredictable. Throughout the debates, he has been aggressive, impulsive, agitated, confrontational and at times somewhat rude. He has also obviously shifted his demeanor based on feedback (mostly negative) from the previous two outings. Obama wisely used the debates as a closing pitch to people wondering what kind of president he would be. He consistently came across as calm, cool and confident, while clinging tightly to his seemingly well-informed policy agenda and swatting away juvenile cheap shots. After running through and surviving the Clinton Machine gauntlet earlier in the year, he seemed pretty hardened. He certainly was not intimidated, and there's no doubt that his style left a strong impression on viewers.

For last night, Obama was likely encouraged to play to his perceived strengths. Stay calm and cool. With polls showing his lead over McCain rising higher every day, he didn't need to deviate from the successful formula. If it ain't broke, why fix it? McCain, on the other hand, has been getting lots of heat from his supporters, who wanted him to get tough on his opponent. The war-loving crowd wanted aggression. They wanted bullying. They wanted to make Obama squirm. McCain, who's chances for victory have been shrinking day by day, promised he'd 'kick his ass.'

Of the three debates, last night's final showdown produced the most fireworks. As opposed to the traditional stand-up setting of the first one and the town hall format of the second, this one featured the two candidates seated on plush swivel chairs facing both the moderator, Bob Scheiffer and each other, only a few feet away. It was like a negotiation session at the kitchen table. And the looser format allowed each of them to swwp away many of their grievences.

The debate, taking place on a day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 700 points, opened with questions about their economic plan, and which of their programs they would have to sacrifice. Obama was down to business, though a bit vague on specifics. McCain started throwing verbal punches right off the ropes. He stumbled badly when he inexplicably went off topic launched into an explanation of his energy policy, likely leading viewers to likely wonder if he was channeling the spirit of Admiral Stockdale.

Of the previous moderators, Scheiffer was the most effective. He has a straight-forward, down-home style and seemed to be the only one not afraid to cut to the chase. With many media types and spectators wondering when they'd square off over unsavory types like Bill Ayers and Charles Keating, Scheiffer put it on the table, chastising the negative campaigns being waged, and challenging each of the candidates to Obama's 'say it to my face' challenge. McCain, who's campaign has devolved into 'don't vote for the other guy,' went first and feigned hurt at Rep. John Lewis' comparison of McCain to George Wallace, while appearing to fight back fake crockodile tears. Oh, and he brought up Ayers in the same breath. Obama retaliated effectively, telling McCain virtually everything he should know about his relationship with Ayers. And he also wondered why McCain didn't denounce the people at McCain/Palin rallies who shouted things like 'terrorist' and 'kill him.' McCain's rationale of waging a hostile campaign because Obama would not participate in a series of town hall debates with him was transparent and weak.

In a later question, designed to get some sort of reaction from Obama about McCain's controversial running mate Sarah Palin, Obama didn't take the bait. He merely acknowledged that Palin has been successful at rallying the far-right base. McCain strained to find ways to attack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden.

We didn't get a whole lot of 'gotcha' moments last night. The closest was a well-rehearsed line that McCain directed toward Obama. McCain knew Obama would compare him to President Bush and when he did, McCain saw his opening. He snapped, "if you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have done it four years ago." Obama wasn't rattled in the least, landing a quick comeback that it was hard to tell the two apart. In the meantime, McCain, who had obviously not been listening to Obama, kept up the 'tax-and-spend liberal' meme, making me wonder if he thinks he's running against Walter Mondale. The Bush line will get play on the news channels, but I don't think it will go further than that. We all know McCain has been building his political ambitions over the past few years by kissing Bush's ass.

Following the debate, snarky media pundits jumped over each other to declare a Toledo-area plumber named Joe Wurzelbacher to be the winner of last night's debate. McCain initially brought up "Joe the plumber," who was shown a few days ago talking with Obama during the Democrat's door-knocking tour of Toledo (and is allegedly related to former McCain sugardaddy Charles Keating). Obviously, McCain took delight in a voter (in Ohio, no less) telling Obama that he was a small businessman who is wary of his tax plan. But bringing up Joe was a move that could easily backfire in the long run. The main thing that the low-key exchange between Obama and Wurzelbacher showed is that Obama took five minutes, I repeat, FIVE minutes expaining to one person how his economic plan would benefit him. Considering that the impatient and short-tempered McCain likely does not have these types of lengthy exchanges with individual prospective voters, this is pretty damned impressive. Obama is actually willing to discuss his plan one-on-one with a guy who is obviously not a likely Obama voter. That says alot, particularly since the next president will be having these types of discussions with other detractors, such as Vladimir Putin. But McCain obviously likes Joe, and wanted to milk the situation for all it was worth. In fact, he mentioned him roughly 11 times last night. McCain was able to use the likely bewildered Joe the plumber as a way of explaining his proposals, but for the most part, he did Obama a favor by further showing how he connects with individual voters. Joe the plumber could come back to haunt McCain.

McCain had the toughest challenge last night. His last two debate performances were a bit erratic, but not terrible. To jump-start his campaign and have any chance of building momentum, he had to be on top of his game. And he needed Obama to stumble. Obama, playing it safe, was virtually the same guy he has been - calm, cool, confident and collected. He was unflappable, and as a result, many could fairly claim that he came out on top once again.

McCain has been reinventing himself every week, and has done little to combat the Obama campaign's charges of erratic behavior. His underdog campain has been reeking of desperation as of late. It appears that more and more people are feeling more secure with Obama's steely approach than McCain's high-strung panicky demeanor. Obama seems a man in control. McCain seems like a man trying to control himself.

So, that was the third and final debate of the 2008 election campaign. It was obviously designed as a media smorgasbord with lots and lots of red meat. It was supposed to provoke controversy. It was supposed to spice up what could have resembled yet another wonky episode of "Meet The Press." And it was probably supposed to allow the candidates, who have been launching verbal volleys at each other for months, to clear the table with all the negative attack stuff and to vent their hostilities. Here's hoping that worked. All in all, it was the best of the three debates.

Nova M(assacre)?

Following recent events at Nova M Radio, more is coming out as to what is going on at the fledgling syndicator and radio station operator.

Last week, the broadcaster announced the addition of a second Phoenix-area signal to compliment KPHX. And they announced the departure of program director/afternoon host Jeff Farias. Now, it appears there's more to the story.

Along with Farias, several other staffers have been let go, including CEO John Manzo, sales director Kim Macias and webmaster Billy Foster. No official explanation has been given for any of the departures.

Rumors have been swirling about, with Nova M reportedly claiming that Farias left on his own terms, according to a statement on their website. But Farias and others close to him are claiming that they didn't jump – they were pushed. What's going on here?

A lot of the internet scuttlebutt claims that it all started with a power play showdown between Manzo and owner Sheldon Drobny. The story (not confirmed, and denied by Manzo) goes that Manzo was let go and the other three, who sided with him, departed as well. A few supporters, however, have disputed this scenario.

Farias is not publicly commenting on the situation, likely due to legal advice, but Leonard Clark, a former contributor to Farias' show, has started a website and posted a few diary entries on Daily Kos here and here in support of Farias, and to help explain his side of the story.

Replacing Manzo at Nova M is Arizona radio executive Art Mobley. No replacements have been announced for the other former staffers as of yet, though the Air America shows of Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan are currently airing in place of Farias.

UPDATE: Some more info gleamed about KPHX's new stablemate, KNUV (1190AM). And yes, it appears that Nova M will indeed purchase the station outright, in contrast to the current LMA agreement the company has with Continental Media to lease KPHX (1480AM). This all lends to speculation that Nova M may eventually relocate altogether to 1190 once the KPHX lease runs out. Again, that's all just speculation.

UPDATE II: John Manzo emailed me, and said that he is unable to offer comment at this time, which is understandable. He also informed me that he has not been hired by Randi Rhodes, which I had reported. That has been corrected. He did ask that I remove the article. I am unable to remove the complete article at this time, since the information is already widespread around the web, including some reputable trade publications and scribes. I have, however, done some rewording of the article, in respect to Manzo. And I will consider the request to remove the article, if deemed prudent. For right now, it will stay, albeit with corrections.

In addition, there will likely be other additions to this article, as some other people connected with the matter have emailed me.

Things we said today

Another day, another catch-all entry...

Michael Savage hates us for our freedom

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films (creator of documentaries such as "Outfoxed") is suing reactionary radio talker Michael Savage and and his syndicator, over allegations that Savage filed a takedown notice against the plaintiff's YouTube channel. The reason was that BNF used a clip of Savage's show in a video posted on the site.

The clip, called "Michael Savage Hates Muslims," was posted on YouTube and BNF's associated anti-SAVAGE website. Savage's syndicator, TRN, allegedly filed a takedown notice on October 2, and that lead to BNF getting terminated from YouTube due to previous infractions. Viacom complained about BNF last year over use of some of the company's content, though Viacom later dropped the complaint.

Greenwald's company maintains that the use of Savage's show, and other clips, is permitted under fair use.

TRN has denied that neither Savage nor anyone else involved with his show had anything to do with the YouTube complaints.

In 2007, Savage sued the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations over its use of the very same audio clip in a similar video, claiming copyright infringement. The court dismissed the case entirely, concluding that the CAIR's repurposing of the audio was fair use.

And of course, Savage is no stranger to odd behavior. This past July, he landed in hot water and lost several affiliates after a nasty on-air tirade directed at disabled children.

Compassionate Conservatism

Okay, the next time some reactionary nutcase tries to tell you all liberals are hatemongers, you have my permission to laugh in their face (with extra spittle).

Last week, we saw those raucus McCain/Palin rallies that featured death threats aimed toward Obama, racial taunts aimed toward African-American technicians working at the rally, and even some racist nutcase with a toy monkey named "Little Hussein." In other words, all the fun you'd expect at a Dixiecrat rally in 1948.

And now we've got the case of KTLK-FM (100.3) in Minneapolis (not to be confused with the Los Angeles AM liberal talker with similar call letters). One of their newest wingnut hosts, Chris Baker, is talkin' tough and saying nothing. He recently called presidential candidate Barack Obama "a little bitch." And just like McCain, he likely wouldn't say something like that to Obama's face.

Last Wednesday's show, however, generated even more press. And it certainly pissed off basketball legend Magic Johnson. Baker and cohost Langdon Perry claimed the former NBA star "faked AIDS." Johnson, who retired in 1991 after disclosing he had contracted HIV, released a statement saying, "I am outraged Chris Baker and Langdon Perry would minimize such a serious and deadly issue." The station quickly came out to quench the controversy, which of course would not be there if they actually sought to hire responsible broadcasters instead of whiny loudmouthed brats.

Chris Baker and Langdon Perry, the turds that wouldn't flush.

Air America stuff

Shelly send some more programming notes:

First, it’s Air America’s "Debate Night in America" airs Wednesday October 15. Air America coverage of the third and final debate will air from 8P-12A ET, and will be anchored by David Bender and Ron Reagan.

Immediate post-debate commentary will be heard from Rachel Maddow, Ron Kuby, Mark Green, Lionel, Thom Hartmann, Jon Elliott, and the rest of the America team. Listener calls will also be taken.

In semi-related news, Republican Nominee John McCain claims that he will bring up William Ayers at the debate, signalling that he has no more ideas and marking the embarassing beginning of the end of the McCain campaign juggernaut.

Also, Air America has partnered with London's The Guardian for a cross-country election road show. The tour, which begins in Los Angeles, features Air America’s Marc Maron and “The Guardian’s” investigative reporter James Ridgeway, along with GuardianFilms’ team of filmmakers and editors led by Patrick Farrelly and Kate O’Callaghan, travelling to key battleground states across the country, ending in Washington, DC on Election Day. Maron and Ridgway will be joined by politicians, opinion-makers and ordinary citizens to discuss the forces shaping the US vote in the presidential election.

Oh, those big government conservatives!

As part of the Republican Party's quest for smaller, less intrusive government (sarcasm alert!), President Bush signed into law a controversial bill yesterday that would stiffen penalties for movie and music piracy at the federal level.

The law creates an intellectual property "czar" who will report directly to the president on how to better protect copyrights both domestically and internationally. The Justice Department had argued that the creation of this position would undermine its authority.

In similar news, Bush also announced this morning that he will scatter $250 million to the winds. And they call us liberals like it's a bad thing. Sheesh!

Urban talk comes to Macon

Okay, it's not a liberal talk station, but it does include a few talkers that, well, are listed in the middle column of this very blog. So it's something, right?

Clear Channel's WIBB (1280AM) has flipped from Rhythmic Oldies to black-oriented talk. Included in the lineup are shows from the Reverend Al Sharpton, Warren Ballentine, Michael Baisden and Bev Smith. Former MACON City Council President Anita Ponder will host mornings with Todd Haygood.

The rest:

Another day, another Rachel Maddow article. This one's from the San Jose Mercury News.