Paranoia and “Propagandapalooza!”

Desperation leads some to make some pretty transparent gestures.

Here's the situation. Your approval ratings have been hovering in the low-to-mid 30s for quite some time. Your war is going horribly. Your party is on the verge of collapse and may very well lose control of Congress in the upcoming elections in two weeks. Your base is turning against you and your party. Americans are even starting to call you out on your persistent fear-mongering. People are just plain getting sick of the GOP shuck n' jive and are ready for the grown-ups to come in and clean house. You're even starting to trip over your own lies.

Here's another hint: Ever notice Dubya stutters and stammers more and babbles like an idiot when in panic mode?

So, what does Georgie Porgie do? On Tuesday he decided to throw a big tent party on the White House grounds for his biggest lackeys, as well as a few who have strayed from the flock. Lawn darts, pony rides, jugglers, chocolate cake. Well, not that kind of party. But there were plenty of clowns on hand. For his little children's party, he invited talk radio show hosts, both local and national, to the White House for a go-round of Bush Administration shills. A cornucopia of the usual suspects, including Karl Rove, Tony Snow, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Dan Bartlett and the usual gang of idiots. People are turning against his party, so it's time to rally the base, and suck up to the propaganda brigade that has slowly started to move away from him.

Not to be confused with his little propaganda pow-wow a few weeks ago, this one was a much bigger event. And it took place on the South Lawn. 'Fair and balanced'© syndicated squawkers such as Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz, Glenn Beck and others were among the 42 talk radio hosts there. There were quite a few anonymous local Rush Limbaugh clones in attendence as well.

So, with this being a rather unrestricted access event to some of the key members of our government, i.e. the ones who collect paychecks from us, one would expect a representative sampling of hosts spanning the political spectrum, right? Or, heaven forbid, even some real journalists? After all, who's paying for this little picnic anyway? Who's footing the bill for the big tent and the porta-potties? You'd thing an event like this would be open to what passes for our mainstream media, right? Well, there was no sign of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, etc. And certainly no liberal talk show hosts either. Rachel Maddow of Air America Radio requested an invite, but her request went unanswered. Reportedly, the same thing happened to Ed Schultz, who hosts a highly popular afternoon show on over 100 stations across the country. Well, in the interest of fairness, Robert Siegel of NPR was in attendence, because NPR is never mean to anyone. Very low threat level there. FOX News token liberal Juan Williams, who also works for NPR, was there. These are obviously examples of media figures the White House considers 'liberals'.

So, the White House opened the doors once again to so-called 'journalists' who spout things like, "The liberal media wants to suppress the vote, they want to convince you that this race is over, they want you to go away and they want us to lose. I'm here to tell you that you have the power." That is what Hannity told a Republican rally in Cincinnati last week in a jab at the so-called 'liberal mainstream media'.

What's ironic is that Hannity IS PART of the 'mainstream media', though the irony obviously went straight over his head. Well, at least he's an out-front media whore when he's not helping gay men find their soul mates.

Perhaps it is best to see this little shindig for what it really is. The GOP is in panic mode. First was the whole Foley thing and subsequent fallout, which made the party of 'family values' look like complete frauds to the rest of the country that hadn't quite figured that out yet. Then the Bob Woodward book showed them to be liars. And a former White House insider, miffed at how much the Bush Adminstration ridiculed their Christian fundamentalist base, spilled the beans, claiming that Bush, Rove, etc. thought they were just a bunch of “nuts”.

And just the other day, after actor and Parkinson's sufferer Michael J. Fox's campaign ads for pro-stem cell candidates began airing during the World Series, Rush Limbaugh went on the air and accused him of hamming it up and faking it, even (gasp!) going off his meds. He even tried a half-assed backpedal when even his own listeners turned on him. Yes, the same Rush Limbaugh who elicited sympathy for his hearing loss a few years back. Yes, the same Rush Limbaugh who's hearing loss could have been attributed to his massive, near-fatal intake of hillbilly heroin (aka OxyContin). And yes, the same recovering drug addict Rush Limbaugh who was held at airport customs for trying to smuggle Viagra into the Dominican Republic for him and his male buddies. Yes, the same Rush Limbaugh who is a hypocritical drug-addicted pile of whale shit.

Of course, it's hard work reigning in your loyal lapdogs. Otherwise the White House would be able to control walking freak shows like the evil, shrill Melanie Morgan, a conservative radio/TV lunatic who practically abandoned her own family to fuel her expensive gambling addiction, yet tries to spread vile lies about Cindy Sheehan, a woman who lost her son in Iraq. Then again, this would take all the fun out of watching these people embarass themselves.

Update from Air America Milwaukee

Here's the latest email from the grassroots effort in Milwaukee, WI from Nova M to bring progressive talk to the Brew City:

To all of you who have supported this drive to bring progressive radio to Milwaukee, we have some news for you – it probably won’t be through Air America.

By all indications, that grand experiment known as Air America is on life support following the filing for bankruptcy protection.

A setback, yes. But as Randi Rhodes points out, Faux News lost money for quite some time before it became profitable. And progressive talk show host Stephanie Miller explains here why the progressive format is not only alive but poised to expand.

By reaching a weekly nationwide audience of five million listeners, Air America showed that progressive talk radio could be entertaining and informative, and serve as a means to rally the troops. Factors not related to this audience or to their ability to deliver the goods ganged up on AAR.

We were working through the founders of Air America, Sheldon and Anita Drobny, whose goal was to help create community-supported AAR stations throughout the country. Circumstances, however, have compelled them to split with AAR and form their own radio network. Their new course is laid out here and here.

The Drobnys’ company, Nova M, will become a provider of progressive content to high rated radio stations. The Nova M roster will include Mike Malloy, Joe Trippi, pollster John Zobgy and possibly other AAR personalities. Sadly, though, they no longer have the funds available to help us purchase a station.

So where does this leave Milwaukee?

First piece of business. The Happy Hour Party we were planning to have... next week is cancelled. Go and campaign for your favorite Democrat and get set to get down to radio business after the election.

It is clear we just don’t want progressive radio in Milwaukee. Milwaukee needs progressive radio.

Thanks to “in kind” donations by the Journal Company and Clear Channel, the power of conservative extremists in the GOP has been magnified. Moderate Republican politicians have either been silenced or run out of office in the Milwaukee area.

Thanks to right wing talk radio we now have the uninspired leadership of a Republican hack leading county government in a Democratic area.

Progressive radio can lead the way to a brighter future.

Following the election, we will explore a number of options. Still on the table is the possibility of purchasing a local station entirely with community investments. That’s a tall order, but depending on the outcome of this election, more progressive money might be available to make this a possibility.

No doubt the Drobnys will help out where they can. They and their new network would be a source for programming for a Milwaukee progressive station along with others including Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, and Amy Goodman.

We will need your energy, time, contacts with community organizations and yes, money, to make this happen. Even if you don’t have the funds to invest in a major way, anything you can do will help. And perhaps you can also help us make a connection with someone you know who does have major funds to invest.

Give this enough thought and you come to one conclusion – this in an investment we all have to make to keep the progressive revolution going in Milwaukee.

So hit the streets and send Democrats to Madison and Washington, hold off the onslaught of the Green campaign, and don’t let the sponsors of the marriage discrimination and death penalty referenda send us back to the Middle Ages.

As for after the election – STAY TUNED.

Unsecured creditors fighting Air America for money

From the Sacramento Bee:

Paula Nelson, owner of KSAC (1240AM) in Sacramento just wants her money. She claims it to be close to $1 million.

Whether she sees that amount, or whether she'll be paid at all in the Air America Radio bankruptcy reorganization case remains to be seen. And nobody has said what the disputed amount really is, or why it is owed.

Nelson is chief executive officer and president of Sacramento-based Diamond Broadcasting, which owns radio station Talk City KSAC, 1240 AM. She was named Tuesday as part of a trio representing unsecured creditors in bankruptcy proceedings involving the liberal-leaning radio network. The trio also includes William Kimball, executive producer of Air America's flagship "The Al Franken Show," and a representative from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).

The next court date in Air America's case is scheduled for Oct. 31, according to Tracy Klestadt,the attorney representing the radio network. Klestadt declined to comment further on the case Tuesday.

Air America programming was heard on KSAC until last November, when the network switched to KCTC, 1320 AM. Air America officials at the time cited KCTC's stronger signal and ability to reach outlying cities, such as Stockton and Yuba City. Nobody has really said in public what the real reason for the switch was. Other rumors circulated at the time regarding KSAC often preempting programming. Again, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

But the KSAC/Air America split seemed to have become personal. In a Sacramento Bee story in October 2005, Nelson said the relationship between Talk City and Air America had eroded and that the network had turned its back on the Sacramento station, even though KSAC built a following for Air America's progressive programming.

Nelson also claimed that she persuaded Air America to affiliate with her station, though they had no plans to enter the Sacramento market. Then, she accused them of dumping her.

"I put a tremendous amount of resources building up their profile in Sacramento," Nelson said then. "I convinced them they could get a following. Now, they snub their noses at us and go to another station."

The unsecured creditors such as Nelson, Kimball and others are much lower on the totem pole compared to secured creditors such as former Air America chairman and RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser, who is owed $9.8 million. His loans are secured by collateral, and are at the front of the line. Unsecured creditors get what's left.

According to the Associated Press, Kimball is owed nearly $85,000 in back pay. Nelson's claim is for $500,000 but is listed as "disputed." She claims the amount is really closer to $1 million.

"No hard feelings on my part," Nelson said. "I just want my money."

Malloy, Nova M gearing up for debut

From Sheila Samples at OpEdNews.com:

"Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking."~~John M. Keyne

Much to the dismay of the Bush Crime Family and the Flying Monkey Right, their most fervent nemesis, talk-show host Mike Malloy, will return to progressive airwaves on Monday, Oct. 30 -- a whole week-and-one-day before the mid-term elections. When you consider the corruption and scandals oozing like slime from the right over just the past week-and-one-day, Malloy's return is not a moment too soon.

Mike Newcomb, a Pheonix physician and award-winning radio host, has joined Sheldon and Anita Drobny, the original co-founders of Air America Radio, to form the progressive Nova M Radio Network,Inc. which will feature the popular Malloy nightly from 9PM-MID ET on KPHX (1480AM) in Phoenix, the nation's 5th largest city and 15th largest radio market; and on KDXE (1380AM) in Little Rock, AR. More information on podcasting, Internet streaming and archives will be posted in the interim on the Nova M site and on Malloy's website.

Earlier this week, Malloy said, "We're starting out on two stations, but we're already getting requests from affilliates over a wide spectrum, such as Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Madison, Ann Arbor...This is for real," Malloy said. "We're in it for the long haul. We just sat down together and said 'Okay, dammit -- We've had enough of this. We're gonna fight back!'"

Newcomb, Nova M CEO and Chairman, couldn't agree more. He and the Drobnys plan to lease or to own and operate radio stations across America. In his Introductory Letter to "We the People," Newcomb announced that Joe Trippi, of Trippi and Associates, has joined the Nova M team. Newcomb said Trippi, who changed electoral politics forever by his revolutionary use of Internet fund-raising and campaigning during the Howard Dean presidential run, will help Nova M Radio to "reach out to millions of us who share common values and common goals."

Well-known pollster John Zogby will co-host a weekly one hour show entitled “The Pulse of the Nation”. Zogby will poll particular hot-button political issues and cultural issues, and each program will include expert guests and audience participation. At the end of each show Zogby will reveal the poll's secret results so listeners will know if they have their fingers on "The Pulse of the Nation."

Nova M will also take over syndication of Peter B. Collins' daily 6-9PM ET show, which already airs in several west coast markets.

You can read more about Malloy, where he was when he found out he was fired from Air America Radio, the real story behind the 'right-wing management', their financial obligations toward him, and the root of that network's problems at OpEdNews.com

Papantonio not worried about Air America Turbulence

From the Pensacola News Journal:

Pensacola attorney and political firebrand Mike Papantonio isn't dismayed by troubles at Air America, the liberal talk radio network seeking protection in bankruptcy court.

Papantonio is an investor in the network, which he predicts will stay in business just as airlines and other corporations survive despite bankruptcy proceedings.

Documents at thesmokinggun.com indicate Air America owes him more than $682,000, but he says he's an investor in the network, not a creditor.

Potential buyers are inquiring about Air America, so he feels good about its future once financial problems are addressed. A court document lists assets at $4.3 million, liabilities at $20 million.

"All we're doing is getting a breather," said Papantonio, who co-hosts the syndicated radio show "Ring of Fire" with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Air America has outlets in 97 cities but has struggled to find its voice on talk-radio stations, where conservative personalities rule the airwaves.

Papantonio said liberals were slow to realize the power of talk radio.

"Progressives had an elite, look-down-their nose attitude toward AM-FM radio" but now appreciate it, he said.