The Fairness of the Fairness Doctrine

Serendipity offers a nice recitation of the battleground's history, but may throw in too quickly with the Democrats' purported desire to thrust fairness on the right-wing radio infrastructure:

For the last two decades, Rush Limbaugh, and his many clones that dominate our airwaves, have grown increasingly bolder in their vilification of opponents. A constant stream of extremist Right Wing propaganda is offered (free-of-charge) 24-7 throughout the frequency range of radio.

In many areas (such as Western Pennsylvania) there is no alternative voice available. Huge conglomerates like Clear Channel and Sinclair Broadcasting have used the powers of monopoly to keep competitors outside of the market. The costs of setting up an operation to rival the corporate media giants are prohibitive. Nutty "conservative" programming runs rough-shod over a vulnerable segment of the populace that is more than willing to accept the lies on offer. Something needs to change, and the "Commons" of the air restored to The People.

I become very nervous when it comes to the exercise of FCC authority and its unwieldy rules and regulations. I become especially nervous when the FCC starts to take exception with the content of certain messages, backed by a frothing mad Democratic Congress eager to settle some old scores.

If there is a demand for liberal voices, such demand will ultimately drive the marketplace. If Clear Channel could make more bucks showcasing Randi Rhodes rather than Rush Limbaugh, it would not waste another megahertz of radio bandwidth on conservative banter.

Rush Limbaugh exists because millions listen to him. Randi Rhodes hardly exists because hardly anyone listens to her, relatively speaking.

FOR THE RECORD: Republican Apparatchik Guarantees McCain Victory!

Liberal Halloween Fright Fest! Could you imagine a successor cover for the New York Times on November 5, 2008? I cannot. I will not.

The Potatoe gives you its first installment of "On The Record," where we record for posterity the most brazen and bold of the uber-right-wing pundit class (i.e., the "conservative elite," spawned from McCain's "I know everything" debate performances) predicting - and, in some cases, guaranteeing - a rousing comeback by the GOP ticket in the final days, culminating in a shocking defeat of Barack Obama on Tuesday.

The "Dewey Defeats Truman" whisper campaign has begun to trickle out (oh, sorry, trickle down) to the grass roots Republican rabble in the pit, now begging their conservative lords to guide them in their hour of uncertainty.

Fear not, Real Americans! The polls are bogus. The media deceives. Obama is a Muslim!!!!! Hear me!!!!

(1) Let's begin with the man who once called Andy Martin an "Internet powerhouse," Andy Martin. Andy predicts McCain by a "whisker, and not much of a whisker at that":

"Let me make my prediction. John McCain wins the White House by a whisker. The race could admittedly go either way. But if present trends continue, McCain will squeak through to victory. He is not George Bush, heaven forefend, and he is not Bob Dole."

You remember Andy Martin and his special brand of grass roots conservatism. He's the guy who once called a federal bankruptcy judge a "crooked, slimy Jew, who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race." By the way, you should visit Andy's website obviously entitled The Andy Martin story: A detailed biography of Andy Martin's inspirational life story. Pretty impressive bio. Perhaps that's what attracted Hannity when he agreed to give Martin airtime on his Fox News weekend show. I'm giving Hannity the benefit of the doubt here. I'm presuming that Martin's great success as a jurist who once penned in a complaint, "I am able to understand how the Holocaust took place, and with every passing day feel less and less sorry that it did, when Jew survivors are operating as a wolf pack to steal my property" wasn't the angle that enticed Fox News' booking agent.

Oh, here's a picture of Andy Martin in case you see him on the street and want to invite him to Shabbat dinner:

(2) My personal favorite. Gene Owens makes a no-guarantee guarantee:

"John McCain will be the next president. If McCain wins, send this column to all your friends, and maybe to The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN. If Barack Obama wins, forget I said it . . . McCain is a long shot, I know, but if the prediction is off a tad and Obama wins, nobody will remember. If it's on target, I go straight to the top of the prognosticating heap and maybe I get invited to join the best election team on television as, at least, a consultant."

Way to climb out on the ledge over that two foot drop, Gene. Then again, we admire your keen understanding of our king-making culture. The Potatoe is similarly cognizant of the mechanics of lightning-in-a-bottle American fame. But we will go a step further than Mr. Owens and over a three foot precipice: The Potatoe predicts that Barack Obama will win. He if doesn't, John McCain will win. And Ralph Nader will not win. You heard it here first.

(3) Ah, let's wrap up this first edition of "On The Record" with the progenitor of right-wing talk radio, the godfather, the pill-popping pillar of "Real American" values, the corpulent champion of conservatism, the "IT WAS ABOUT RACE!!!!!" raconteur of Republican virtue, El Rushbo. Wonder what his take will be:

My gut is starting to talk to me, ladies and gentlemen. As you know and as I discussed over the course of the previous week, my gut was not giving me any indication whatsoever, and my gut started talking to me last night. Barack is headed back to Iowa. That should be a lock. It's a dead heat. Sarah Palin headed there on Monday, to Dubuque. Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Nevada -- well throw Pennsylvania out of there -- Florida, Ohio, Nevada, look like pretty good McCain certainties here, pretty good, depending on who you listen to. It's Friday, and let's go . . .

Wait for it . . .

Dead heats in two key swing states now, even The Politico reporting this, North Carolina and Missouri, "Even though Obama is strongly outpacing McCain in two of those states' crucial battleground counties, according to new Politico/InsiderAdvantage polls." I'm telling you, things are tightening up out there.

Wait for it . . .

My gut tells me this can be won. This is about turnout. This is about voting. This is about everybody showing up to vote. I am getting e-mails from people who are literally scared of what an Obama presidency will mean to this country. I have never seen this kind of fear among people. I mean what got in reaction to President Clinton's candidacy in 1992 was nothing compared to the overall fear that I am seeing from people in the e-mail and when I talk to them personally about the election of Barack Obama.

Annnnnnnnnnd, cue pander! I said "cue pander?" Hello?

Admittedly, Rush stop juuuuuuust shy of guaranteeing a McCain victory . . . until he was interviewed by London Telegraph correspondent, Nigel Farndale, and could no longer contain this gassy belch:

Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh says that Sen. John McCain will score a stunning upset over Sen. Barack Obama and win the presidency on Nov. 4 . . .

Limbaugh said the mainstream media has been pushing Obama’s candidacy because “They want to be able to say they did it if Obama wins.”

To which Farndale countered, “Well, he is going to win, isn’t he?”

Limbaugh’s response: “No, I don’t see it Nigel. I think [Obama has] been dead in the water since the primaries. He is going to need to be up 10 to 12 points to win by 3 or 4.”

I'm sure the Potatoe will have an update as Rubenesque Rush brings his whopper of a prediction into better focus.

In honor of Limbaugh, this story is "expanding . . ."

Does Obama Even Have a Grandmother?

Rush must have upped his dosage.

Hoo boy. Strait out of crazytown, USA, Rush Limbaugh calls Obama's trip to visit his ailing grandmother a hoax. You idiot voters have been bamboozled! In Rush's own words, here is the real reason for Obama's recent trip to Hawaii:

Who announces days in advance they're rushing to the side of a loved one who is deathly ill but keeps campaigning in a race that's said to be over, only to go to the loved one's side days later? See, I think this is about something else. You know what's really percolating out there? I've been laying low on this because it hasn't met the threshold to pass the smell test on this program.

This birth certificate business, this lawsuit that a guy named Philip Berg filed in Philadelphia in August for Obama to produce his genuine birth certificate and he still hasn't replied. You've got a deathly ill grandmother, you are going to rush to her side a few days from now, when you first announced this, you're going to rush, you're going to hurry, you're going to make tracks, you're going to get over there because you don't want your grandmother to die before you got there like your mother did, but somehow you keep campaigning, you take three days to get over there, if he's left yet, and this birth certificate business, I'm just wondering if something's up.

I have no clue, and folks, I'm telling you, this has not reached the threshold until now, and it's popping up all over the place. There are a lot of people now that are starting to speculate and be curious about this.

I don't know, let's say for example that somebody does come up with proof that something's screwy with his birth certificate and something's screwy about the fact that he's allegedly a natural citizen, American citizen, but may not be, dual citizenship, born in Kenya, who knows, there's all kinds of stuff out -- so what? What's going to happen this late in the campaign? Do you think if it's proven that they're going to dump him? That's not going to happen. But still, these are just questions that I have.

Sorry about the bold. Maybe I put the emPHAsis on the wrong syLAble.

But he is right. It is pure speculation and he has no clue. Kudos, Rush, you miserable low-life. It didn't meet the threshold (what could that threshold possibly be? I love these slime-merchants who state that they have these undeclared standards to bolster the credibility of their nonsense), but now it does. What changed, other than McCain's sinking poll numbers?

Powell the Racist

So says Rush Limbaugh:

"Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race," Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail. "OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with."

How quickly the right wing slime merchants like Limbaugh and Hannity turn on real conservatives when those conservatives think for themselves instead of basking in the celebrated ignorance and fear-mongering of today's Republican party.

Lets hope people like Powell, Ross Douthat, David Frum and others like them get the Republican party back on course.

Is That A Bottle Of Unprescribed Vicodin In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Well, it's about time. Finally, the mainstream media backs the slippery Palin into a corner, disabused of her handlers, her "shoosh" people or any means of escape. Time to face the harsh glare of responsible, objective, unflinching journalism. We've got questions, Sarah. And we have savage follow-ups. Put down the crib sheet, turn off the teleprompter - no talking point can save you now. After six weeks of tactical evasion, Palin has her Q&A come-uppance. This is going to be good:





RUSH: Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Rush Limbaugh and Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by The Hollies taking us into our little chat here with Governor Sarah Palin, the vice presidential nominee for John McCain. Governor Palin, welcome to the program. It's nice to have you here. It's a pleasure to speak with you.

GOVERNOR PALIN: Hey. Thank you so much and dittos from Scranton.

RUSH: Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the bus?

GOVERNOR PALIN: We just got off the bus. We're heading into a rally here, but wanted to take a couple of minutes to get to say hi and let you know what we're doin', Rush.

RUSH: I tell you, I was in a quandary here this morning. I admire you so much I really don't know what to ask. I was tempted to say, "Okay, Governor Palin. You've got ten minutes. Let her rip." (laughs)

GOVERNOR PALIN: (laughs)

Sigh.