The noise from radical bloviators is sometimes so loud that we imagine them to be as influential as they’d have us think they are. New York Times conservative columnist, David Brooks, offers a very thoughtful examination of their actual effect in the ballot box.

But if we have to vote for our favorite bloviator, Stephen Colbert wins hands down. This is one if his best rants ever!

I grew up in Northeast Ohio and was delighted to find this creative plan to split our differences with the other half of the state. Love to know what you think.

The past few weeks have been seriously unkind to the lightning rod Governor of Alaska and it’s clear that Senator McCain needs to consider advice being offered him by conservatives such as George Will, David Brooks and William Kristol to dump her from the ticket. But who would be the right pick to save his faltering campaign? Rosanne Cash has bravely offered to join up and offers a humorously cogent argument for why she’s more qualified than Ms. Palin.

  

Don’t vote. Who cares? (Certainly not Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker, Jonah Hill and Sarah Silverman.)

This is one of the most extraordinary times in our nation’s history. Following the events of 9/11 and our (over)reaction, two never-ending wars, Katrina and its legacy, Gitmo, the evisceration of the Department of Justice and so many other departments entrusted to look out for the best interests of the American people, and now, with four months remaining on their clock, this amazing plea for another super-sized bailout following closely on the heels of aid to investment banks, brokerage houses and mortgage insurers the President gives yet another speech advising us to be very afraid. In it, he actually cites the historic legislation created by F.D.R. in response to another crisis brought on by unfettered, unregulated greed. Irony so thick you can cut it with a knife. Through it all I’ve been wondering if someone in Congress feels as I do. Well, here she is. Meet Marcy Kaptur:

Like everyone in our musical community, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Dee Henderson, the longtime voice of Cap’n Pete’s Blues Cruise on WEVL/Memphis. Though it goes without saying that Henderson is being mourned by loved ones and colleagues, as a 26-year member of the Memphis music world, the sudden loss of this distinctive cultural voice is felt far and wide.

 

As we know from our dialogue with radio stations across the country, DJs can truly change lives and shape communities as they accompany listeners through their daily lives. In public radio, this connection is epitomized in the very mission of shared ideas. As a volunteer, Henderson contributed to the oral tradition of American history through his extensive knowledge of the blues, and shared with his listeners something we all hold so dear; a pure and simple love of music.

We hope you’ll take a moment to read this eloquent New York Times tribute to a music lover.

I went to see Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio on Broadway expecting a witty portrayal of the industry in which I’ve worked for six years, and I was not disappointed. However, as the play is set in 1987, I didn’t expect it to make such a profound statement about today’s political and cultural climate.

The decision to resurrect Talk Radio in 2007, twenty years after its debut, is an inspired one. The modern day version, set in a post-Reagan-era Cleveland, stars Liev Schreiber as the egomaniacal late night talk show host Barry Champlain, who struggles to hold it together on-air on the night he learns a major media corporation is interested in syndicating his show for national broadcast.

For the entire two hour production, Champlain monopolizes the stage as he sits virtually alone at his mic (besides a few supporting characters, which frankly are not needed). He’s pissed off at America, but on this night, no one wants to talk about it. Much to his vexation, the callers range from the deranged (Chet, a neo-Nazi threatening death to the Jewish host) to the hopeless (Lynn, a sixteen-year-old left pregnant by an older man). Even with references to the Iran-Contra affair, and Champlain’s recurring avowal that “this country is going to pieces,” no one will bite.

It is Champlain’s wrathful responses to the callers that drive his show, and the play. No one escapes Champlain’s contempt. (To an African American caller: “I love black people, I think everyone should own one.” To Bob the paraplegic: “Gotta run! I know you can’t, but we can!”) He is sick and tired of the stupidity around him, scornful of those callers who keep him in work, and equal parts narcissistic and self-loathing.

The very nature of Champlain’s show – reality entertainment – serves as a vehicle for Bogosian’s derision of the triviality and self-absorption of American culture. Twenty years on, the circus that takes the stories of the pathetic and parades them as entertainment has only grown. Watching how dismal reality entertainment was in 1987 only compounds the wretchedness of its enormous success today.

Moreover, the scorching tirades of Champlain as he unleashes his fury and disappointment at America onto his listeners serves as a sobering reminder of just how little political progress we’ve made, if any. Two decades have passed, and we’re angry about the same things as Bogosian’s character. There’s another Bush in the Oval office. We’re fighting the same fight in the Gulf with no end in sight. One listener whines that Iran is all she hears about, and it’s hard to recall a day that Iran didn’t make the front page. Whether it’s reality shows or the war in Iraq, we don’t ever seem to learn our lesson.
Rather than dating his work, Bogosian’s choice to present the reprise version of Talk Radio in the context of its original era only enhances the cultural message; if Champlain was pissed then, he’d be outraged now.

–Julia Clarke

In observance of President’s Day, Michael Franti & Spearhead are calling on one and all to make submissions to their “Letter to the President” Contest. Submissions can be letters, songs, or poems no longer than one page in length, and should contain “your thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams–for or against, now matter how spicy, cheeky, irreverent, or downright pissed off they may be.” All letters will be judged for their thoughtfulness, passion, and humor, and must contain some form of constructive criticism (What would you do?).

Three winners will be selected to attend one of three shows over President’s Day weekend. Two are at the Warfield in San Francisco and one is at the Montbleu Resort in Lake Tahoe. Winners will receive a pair of tickets with VIP access plus $100 toward travel. Winners will also be asked to read their letters in front of the audience before the show.

Submissions should be emailed to contest@stayhuman.org by February 7, 2007. You can also email your letter directly to the White House: comments@whitehouse.gov.

So much has been written about the deteriorating situation in Iraq and what the President or Congress should do to remedy it. Almost everyone now agrees that the status quo is unacceptable and a change in direction mandatory. In After the Fall, David Brooks imagines a future when we look back on those changes as the beginning of even darker times. This is scary shit.

Keith Olbermann (Countdown, MSNBC) has become the best commentary writer and purveyor on TV. He speaks for many who are outraged over what goes on in Washington and elsewhere under the guise of keeping us safe. On the 5th anniversary of 9/11, he shocked me with his honesty and deserved outrage over the utter inadequacies and blatant missteps of the Bush administration since that fateful day, lambasting them for their inability to make this country more secure, and for their failure to shepherd the process of rebuilding anything at all–whether it be functional space or a memorial–at Ground Zero. Then he came back two weeks later with a commentary about former President Bill Clinton’s now-infamous discussion with Fox’s Chris Wallace, “…a monkey posing as a newscaster…” and President Bush’s new tactic of blaming his predecessor for 9/11. It’s astonishing, and it’s exactly what we need to be hearing right now.

You might also be interested in seeing a prior commentary about Donald Rumsfeld.

Click the links above to watch any of the videos, if you missed the commentaries the first time around. Looks like it might be time to start TiVoing Countdown…

–Sean Coakley