October 05, 2010 04:26 PM UTC

How Talk Radio won the 2010 midterms for the Republicans

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• by: dwyer

( – promoted by DavidThi808)

How Talk Radio won the 2010 elections for the Republicans.

I first sounded the alarm about the power of Republican control of the public radio airwaves at the height of the Obama honeymoon blush and BTP, (Before the Tea Party) A lively debate on this blog ensured.  This is what I wrote in February of 2009.

FIRST, WE MUST HAVE real debate:

This blog is an excellent example of First Amendment and free speech. These are the pro factors for participation.

1) Equal access

2) No censorship based on content

3) No limit on how much or how many times one can post

4) If someone posts something you don’t like or consider false, you can can refute it immediately.

5) No points off for bad spelling.

6) No limit to the medium…in other words, there are not a finite number of websites.

7) There is therefore no government regulation.

8) NO ONE CAN HAVE A MONOPOLY ON THE WEB.

These are the con factors, which limit participation.

1) You have to be literate in English.

2) You have to register, so you are not anonymous.

3) You have to have access to a computer and the Internet, usually an outlay of a couple hundred dollars and then a monthly service charge.

4) You have to have to the time and space to read and reply.

SECOND; WHY RADIO NEEDS THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE;

1) Radio is a limited medium.

2) The airwaves belong to the people of America and as the airwaves are a finite resource, there is government regulation.

3) The government has not legislated to prohibit monopoly control.

4) One party, the republicans, control the content of the majority of talk radio programs.

5) Access for opposing viewpoints and access to correct factual errors is extremely limited; this creates a virtual censorship.

Why Radio is so important a medium:

1) It is cheap. Once you buy the receiver, there is no more cost.

2) It is portable, you can hear it all the time, it is mobile, you do not have to stop and use time and space, to the exclusion of other activites, to listen.

3) You don’t have to be literate.

4) Because of its scope, range and universality, it is a powerful tool in creating public opinion.

What is happening now:

1) The hate speech on talk radio is increasing in violent tone, falsehood, and viciousness against the Democratic party and its constituents.

2) There has not been the opportunity for honest debate on the public airwaves on economic issues of grave importance on which there can be real differences of opinion as well as fact.

3) The strategy of republicans to stonewall the administration is enhanced by their ability to limit debate on talk radio and consolidate their public.  

by: dwyer @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 08:17:41 AM MST

On 5.3.09, I wrote:

Boyles is building a base for the republican comeback in CO in 2010

Don’t dismiss him.  Ken Buck announced his candidacy on the boyles show…The state repubs look at what they’ve got: almost total control of the local radio airwaves; a beginning grassroots movement, well funded by Dick Army, the ability to use radio as a feedback loop to reinforce the tea cup people; a few hot button issues…the FLU, illegal immigration, taxes, and big gov. …and local dems (read the most “popular blog” in the State)_ who totally dismiss them……

On August 9th, 2009, I noted that Bill Bennet’s “Morning in America”  reported that Talk Radio is the epicenter of the Town Hall strategy.

To summarize:

This is what the boyles show has been associated with:

1) Consistently promoting the “birther” movement so that now a quarter of the American public and a third of republicans believe that the President of the United States may not be legitimate.  There are no polls showing where Coloradans stand on the issue, but there is no reason to believe that they would poll differently.

2) When Villafuerte was nominated by Ritter to be US Attorney in Colorado, mobilitized his audience to call Senator Sessions and have him  ask Villafuerte to be questioned by the FBI one more time before he would vote for her confirmation.  Villafuerte withdrew her nomination.

3) Consistently accused Ritter of being involved with a coverup involving the use of Federal Criminal Data Base during the 2006 election.  Ritter announced he would not run for re-election.

4) Introduced Dan Maes and gave him airtime.

5) Called Tancredo at an airport back East and got him to announce he would run for governor, after McGuinnes meltdown.

6) Hosted the famous Dick Wadhams/ Tom Tancredo fight.

7) Put Freda Poundstone on the air to denounce Maes because of a dispute over money she gave him.

8)  Consistently promoted Tancredo’s candidacy.

This is what local Republican Talk Radio does:

Eighty hours plus a week of local show  are devoted to promoting conservative causes and vicious unrelenting attacks on Democrats. Tancredo is the defacto republican candidate and the hero of the airwaves.  He went from 8% to 34% with no public campaign ads except his radio free time.  Now, the money and the ads are rolling.

“Brownie” will be devoting this whole month to promoting local candidates.

There is no pretense of even allowing the occasional non-conservative on the air.  It is like sports talk and everyone is for the Broncos and a personal friend of the team.

Caplis/Silverman lead the charge against Hickenlooper/Obama.

Both are trained courtroom attorneys….except there are not defense attorneys on the show, no judge, and no charges.  But H/O are prosecuted nonetheless.

The invitation for the Democratic candidates to attend is issued (..Said the spider to the fly) but there is nothing to guarantee impartiality….  Besides, it is a year and a half too late.