Several of you have emailed me this op-ed piece about Michael Savage. All you need to know about the piece is it contained the following paragraph:
All of this is a lot of fun if you don’t take it seriously. I certainly don’t. But I do find talk radio to be a good barometer of the nation’s mood. And the nation is slowly figuring out that the Bush-neoconservative-Troskyite-internationalist view of foreign affairs has not worked out so swimmingly for the good old U.S. of A.
Anyone who takes talk radio as a serious barometer of the nation’s mood needs his head examined, as he/she is clearly suffering from what my Drill Sergeant would crudely refer to as a ‘rectal-cranial inversion.’
As for the rest of the piece, there may be areas of agreement between me and Michael Savage regarding the perfidy of the Bush administration. I just refuse to examine that overlap, because I detest Michael Savage so. We probably agree that illegal immigration is a problem- I just don’t think illegal immigrants should be shot on sight. But, like I said, I really don’t care what Michael Savage ‘thinks.’
KC
My father listens to Savage like a Baptist reads the bible. Every word Savage says is The Truth. Sucks.
Mike S
The guy’s a jackass and the author of this article is a typical listener, but it’s hard to argue with these parts of the article.
Brian
I can’t think of anything less appealing to conservative republicans than a Peoples Democratic Revolutionary Struggle to turn the Middle East into Belgium or something. (I guess that’s the final answer as to why we invaded Iraq?) I think the strain of playing along that this is a great idea might be starting to show. They better have a plan to declare victory and get out before the 2006 elections.
Stormy70
Michael Savage makes my head hurt. I would pick having all my eyelashes pulled out, rather than listening to him rant and rave about anything.
ppGaz
Would the people who “take talk radio seriously” fit in one trailer park?
Bernard Yomtov
Anyone who takes talk radio as a serious barometer of the nation’s mood needs his head examined, as he/she is clearly suffering from what my Drill Sergeant would crudely refer to as a ‘rectal-cranial inversion.’
Sure, Savage is a jackass. So are Rush and Hannity and their imitators. But these people have millions of listeners. Does that really tell us nothing at all?
jg
One really, really, really big trailer park. It has to hold @ 55 million.
metalgrid
jg Says:
Would the people who “take talk radio seriously” fit in one trailer park?
One really, really, really big trailer park. It has to hold @ 55 million.
I once read that 50% of the American population is below average and average is what you see on Jerry Springer. I think I see the truth in that statement now.
DougJ
Savage will to anything to get attention, including stabbing fellow conservatives in the back.
DougJ
On the other hand, I’ll take Dr. Savage over Krugman any day in a battle of the wits.
Jess
Wow–at last we all agree on something! Savage must be the key to national unity…
ppGaz
I don’t know what the ratings say … are 55 million supposedly listening? I find that a little implausible, but even if true, it’s less than 20% of the population. And even if 55 million are listeining to this crap, I can’t figure that even half of them are “taking it seriously.”
We approach the 300 million mark (around 296+ on the online population clocks). So 55 million people? You could get 55 million people to say that the moon is made of green cheese. Which is sad for them, but amusing to the rest of us.
jg
I said 55 million because thats the number that voted for Bush. I’ve yet to meet a Bush supporter who wasn’t a talk radio listener or FOX News watcher too.
ppGaz
Ah, that is the Green Cheese voting bloc, then.
Slartibartfast
Yes, it tells us that silliness is a spectator sport.
But we already knew that.
LaurenceB
I admit that I listen to Michael Savage sometimes. Also Hannity, Limbaugh, Boortz and Michael Medved.
Savage is an entertainer, not a political analyst. The more outrageous, the better. He touts his latest book about ten thousand times on each show. Controversy sells. Many of his views are deeply repugnant.
Limbaugh is the best talker. Hannity is Limbaugh Junior. They preach the GOP line with little or no deviation.
Boortz is a hawkish Libertarian who’s probably the least intelligent of the bunch, but he has a pretty good sense of humor sometimes.
Medved is the smartest. He even allows opposing viewpoints to be voiced (unheard of on Limbaugh). He debates well, although he can be underhanded and/or nasty if challenged vigorously.
Although I’m an independent who leans left, I find it very entertaining to listen to the right-wing talkers. I suppose in a way, it confirms my convictions to hear idiots from all over the country call up and take the opposing side.
Slartibartfast
My least favorite Savage moment was when he started talking about the gay mafia, and how women were shying away from committed relationships in imitation of it.
What’d he get his Ph.D in, again? Can’t be anything related to rational thought.
HH
Rush Limbaugh has disavowed Savage (wake me up when Franken disavows the screeching, hate-filled conspiracy theorists who air on his network) so it’s not even worth debating this stuff anymore.
HH
“Boortz is a hawkish Libertarian who’s probably the least intelligent of the bunch”
He’s actually brilliant and a brilliant broadcaster, so you probably don’t listen too often.