October 09, 2010 05:46 PM UTC

Mike Rosen's Got an Odd "Sense of Humor"

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• by: Colorado Pols

Can’t see the audio player? Click here.

We thought it only fair, after the considerable argument yesterday over conservative radio host and Denver Post columnist Mike Rosen’s comments in a debate with liberal radio host David Sirota earlier this week regarding the proposed Park 51 Islamic cultural center in New York, to listen to his podcasted show from Thursday for any follow-up. And as you can hear above, a caller indeed brought up Rosen’s answer that “I think they should be allowed to build it, followed by the hijacking of an Iranian plane right into that building and blow it to smithereens!” Note that the audio clip above has been edited to include the original quote from the debate, then the call.

Rosen’s response to the caller is awkward, even though the caller is friendly, which makes sense given how it’s hard to defend the subject matter–but Rosen does have the chutzpah to refer to the proposed Islamic center as a question of “taste” without a shred of irony, and says his call to hijack an Iranian airliner and crash it into the center was “a little emotionalism, see I’m capable of that too.” And naturally, the “other side” (this presumably being people who don’t think it’s funny to make jokes about crashing more planes into Manhattan) has “no sense of humor.”

But then Rosen very weirdly ends the call with a few words about how we would be “stupid” to not fear “Islamic fundamentalist terrorism”–this sounds like less of a joke, doesn’t it?

Bottom line: We think this could have been more of a desperate publicity stunt for Rosen than anything else. It’s quite possible that Rosen would say something like this simply to boost his stagnant radio audience, and generate earned press. There are a lot of media types who think the only way to preserve their jobs long-term is to find some loyal segment, however fringy, that will keep paying for them. Worked for Glenn Beck. Is his “common sense conservative,” or whatever he branded himself before, too boring to sell in today’s shock-jock marketplace?

That, to us, seems to be the most likely explanation, as tempting as it is to call it crazy. A crass ploy for ratings, and seeking an elevated national profile by glomming on to a well-traveled controversy. Nothing more, when you get down to it, than an entertainer looking for a paying audience.

Trouble is, it’s not really very entertaining.

UPDATE: Liberal activist group Progress Now of “Gunny Bob” boycott fame is, as you’d expect, a little pissed. Release follows, says Kjersten Forseth, “In years of holding right-wing public figures in Colorado accountable for extremist rhetoric, we’ve never seen anything like this.”

Denver Post columnist, Mike Rosen, calls for another attack on New York City

ProgressNow Colorado asks Coloradans to repudiate Rosen’s call for murder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, October 8, 2010

CONTACT: Kjersten Forseth, Executive Director at 719-641-4674

DENVER: Learning of talk-radio host and Denver Post columnist Mike Rosen’s call earlier this week in a broadcast debate for “the hijacking of an Iranian plane” to crash into a proposed Islamic cultural center in New York City, ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest online progressive advocacy organization, called on all Colorado citizens to repudiate these hateful and extremist statements.

“In years of holding right-wing public figures in Colorado accountable for extremist rhetoric, we’ve never seen anything like this,” said Kjersten Forseth, Executive Director of ProgressNow Colorado. “Nothing comes close to the unbelievable indifference shown by Rosen to the victims of the worst terrorist attack in American history, not to mention the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world who had nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11.”

“[It] doesn’t matter whether you support the construction of the Park 51 project in lower Manhattan or not,” continued Forseth. “How could Rosen possibly be so callous as to call, even as a lame attempt at satire, for crashing another airliner into New York City?”

In a broadcast debate between Rosen, fellow right-wing radio host Peter Boyles, and progressive morning radio host David Sirota of AM760, Rosen said of the proposed Park 51 project, “I think they should be allowed to build it, followed by the hijacking of an Iranian plane right into that building and blow it to smithereens.” Audio of this debate is available online at the websites of both 850 KOA and AM760.

“Despite what the world might think based on Rosen’s comments, Colorado is made up of decent and tolerant people,” Forseth said. “And we must have the courage to speak louder than the extremists who would shame our entire state by asking for another terrorist attack on New York City–which would kill hundreds if not thousands more innocent Americans.”

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