Today Al Franken is broadcasting from Sacramento, before an audience of noisy loons with the coffee-shop weekly grasp of politics. He made the mistake of interviewing Dan Walters, the dean of Sacramento journalists on the state of politics in California. Franken showed his igorance and desire to deceive several times:
1. Called Walters a conservative when he’s clearly a centrist.
2. Blamed California’s education problems on Prop 13 exclusively.
3. Equated Schwarzenegger’s fundraising for inititiatives to Gray Davis’ personal fundraising.
4. Reduced the California ballot wars to a business vs. the People war.
5. Claimed Schwarzenegger tried to take pensions away from widows and orphans.
People don’t take Franken seriously because he’s an alleged comedian, but a comprehensive scorecard would probably show that he’s the most deceptive host in talk radio, with the possible exception of Janeane Garofalo or Randi Rhodes.
Or Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram.
But the award should go to Michael Savage.
Not to mention Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Bill O’Lielly, etc.
Ah-nold’s previous forays with businesses and candidacy haven’t been good for California (think Enron), Prop. 13 was a disaster, and frankly, the California ballot issues and Dan Walters are a bit provincial, and lacking any kind of context, it’s impossible to agree that they’re “lies.”
I’m pretty sure Arnold didn’t own or control Enron, John, but if you have some different information you should for sure share with the federal prosecutors currently going after Kenny Boy and colleagues.
California’s Prop 13 may very well be a disaster, but it doesn’t explain the state of public education to anyone but a pure simpleton. For one thing, Prop 13 is a California law, and the school crisis is national. And for another, the main effect of Prop 13 on schools was to concentrate power in Sacramento, something the liberals were already campaigning to do.
Franken’s lying wouldn’t be so impressive if he didn’t spend so much of his airtime calling others liars. But as it is, even if he did catch Rush or O’Reilly in a boner, nobody would believe him because he’s the boy who cried wolf. I think his middle name must be “Mathilde”.
I don’t agree with Michael Savage on everything – it’s probably about 50% – but I don’t find him deceptive at all. He’s a fascist, and he doesn’t hide it.
Good post Richard.
It comes as news to some people that the degree of one’s partisan or differing views does not correlate to their integrity.
O’Reilly has a bona fide journalistic background and his interviews reflect this albeit that he is guilty of not obscuring his opinions.
Garofalo on the other hand dissembles.
He also doesn’t hide being a racist.
According to Savage, Nelson Mandela is a “black devil”. Whether you like the South African celebrity or not, that’s sure a nasty slur.
True, Savage is a fascist, does’t hide it.
Glad to see we agree on something again, old friend.
Forgot to mention: A couple of years ago Franken came to the bookstore where I work. Biggest crowd we ever had–over a thousand–more than for Salman Rushdie (who told me a great joke I’ll tell you some time), Dick Morris, & Kinky Friedman put together. The crowd roaring with laughter at his jokes/stories. Sold boxes & boxes of his books.
Not bad for a “failed” comedian.
Backstage (our employee breakroom) Franken was ultra reserved. I wondered it was some kind of self-protection mechanism. Looked younger than I expected him to.
Intrigued by your comment, Stuart.
You’re right that O’Reilly has a bona fide journalism background, which is apparent even in the tone of his interviews.
I’ve listened more to O’Reilly than I have Garofalo (simply because Air America just recently came to my area). She’s definitely an amateur compared to O’Reilly, but when you say that she dissembles, or conceals her real motives, I’d be curious to know what you believe her real motives are.
Most deceptive host in talk radio? Now that would be title worth having. My nominee though has to be O’Reilly. Here’s why: He says “I’m going to tell you the truth…” and then proceeds to supply “evidence” to support his views. However, the evidence usually B/S (as here http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/3178313) That’s deceptive.
Limbaugh says, “I don’t know what I’m talking aobut but believe me anyway.” That’s not really deceptive. If you believe him, shame on you.
Franken says, well actually I’m not quite sure, because he’s so generally incoherent that I can’t listen to him for very long. Ditto for the rest of the AirAmerica bunch.
Laura Ingram is probably the least deceptive. She has a point of view (W is God), expresses it clearly and takes shots at those who disagree with her. I think her views are generally wrong, but I don’t think she’s trying to deceive me.
Neither Hannity nor Colmes is smart enough to be deceptive.
The winner: O’Reilly
I didn’t say Arnold controlled or ran Enron, but what he did do is basically put the brakes on that lawsuit against them for gaming the system.
In some states, the education system is worse than others.
Not possible, John. California’s Attorney General Bill Lockyer decides who to sue and when, and he’s a loyal Democrat who doesn’t take orders from Arnie or anybody else.
In every American state the K-12 system is in decline where science and math is concerned.
re: Michael Savage.
Ever since you wrote that you don’t agress w/ him on everything–“it’s probably about 50%”–& then say that “he’s a fascist & he doesn’t hide it”, I’ve wondered: does that mean you’re soft on fascism?
I use the term loosely. I think compassion is easily overdone in the hands of government, and restraint of government activism and reliance on personal responsibility is generally a better path. The left calls personal responsibility “fascism.”
What I outlined as a fairly useful description of fascism in an earlier entry was pretty non-partisan (I thought).
What’s an example of the left calling “personal responsibility” fascism?
(Tightly, rather than loosely.)
You can hear that sort of thing on Janeane Garofalo’s Air America show most days, when she’s not railing about Rebublicans being mentally ill.
Interesting that Garofalo calls Republicans mentally ill & Michael Savage’s new book is titled something like “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder”. What a world.