Much ink has been spilt debating whether yesterday’s tea parties were “an organic movement built on genuine anger, or a more cynical and partisan effort by the Republican Party to score points against the Obama administration.” Although clear evidence on either side has been elusive, another group’s influence is much more visible: local radio talk-show hosts. Around the country, radio personalities were prominently featured at tax day events around the country.
Dressed as Thomas Paine, Joe Thomas, a radio host at Charlottesville’s WCHV 1260 AM, was the emcee at the event.
“Today doesn’t mean anything if we let November slip away,” Thomas said at one point as the crowd cheered.
Sergio Sanchez, a personality from Edinburg-based KURV Talk Radio 710, led protesters at Archer Park on Wednesday evening, calling for voters to oust Rio Grande Valley congressmen in the next election.
“They all need to go home,” the conservative talk-show host said. “Democrats and Republicans.”
Speakers at the event included several state representatives, such as Republicans Barry Mask of Wetumpka and Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb; Tim James, a Republican gubernatorial candidate; and talk radio show hosts Greg Budell and Kevin Elkins.
Radio host Kirby Wilbur of KVI-AM said Americans need to help each other, not rely on the government to fix the country’s economy.
“Go out to dinner, buy a car, and stimulate the economy yourself,” Wilbur told the crowd.
Though some high-profile conservative pundits insisted that the tea party was an organic movement that came exclusively from the grassroots, representatives of conservative San Francisco radio station KSFO-AM were at the San Francisco rally distributing signs with the station’s call letters and the phrase: “Give me liberty, not debt.”
The keynote speaker, WRKO Radio talk show host Todd Feinburg, said it is “unfathomable” to live in a state with massive government pensions and rampant cronyism. Feinburg, whose radio co-host is former House speaker Tom Finneran, decried “cozy” deals between teachers’ unions and Democrats, calling schools “a disaster.”
“We just elected a president of the United States whose qualifications come down to hope and change.”
Feinburg used Finneran as an example of Statehouse politicians who “get teary-eyed at the smell of marble. …You put people in power and scumbags result.”
Speakers included Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, a spokesman for Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, Libertarian Party spokesman Mike Ferguson, representatives of several political activist groups and Chris Stigall, host of a talk show on Kansas City radio station KCMO.
Given the central role that many radio personalities played around the country in organizing and publicizing the rallies, it’s difficult to accept the hypothesis that the protests were a mere result of frustration shared by thousands around the country. And while it’s customary for news outlets to report on planned marches and other political events, it’s quite different for anchors and hosts to appear as guests and promote the protests. This time around, the tea parties brought into sharp relief the ambiguous niche that talk radio occupies in the journalistic spectrum. As a society, we expect these radio hosts offer commentary on the news. Are we ready to accept that they not only manufacture news, but that the press is expected to cover them? That’s a cup of tea that’s going to need more than a spoonful of sugar to help it go down.
That makes sense, Katia. The idea that angry conservative spontaneity needed no more than a handful of choir leaders in the form of radio talk show hosts—sprouting from the moist, rich soil of Spring in strategic spots around the country—to lead the symphony of howls from the pack, well, … that leaves the taste of alum on the tongue. I can certainly accept that there are significant numbers of disgruntled conservatives ready to register their protests, but when that doesn't come across as the customary cacophony from the village square, whether conservative or liberal, I look for a clothespin for my nose.
While the dots may be too far apart for responsible journalism, when the AP¹ tells me of the roles that Dick Armey, Grover Norquist, Sam Brownback, et al. played on that echoing day, as a fairly discerning reader I am practically satisfied. Dick Armey, the feisty politician-cum-lobbyist doing the aw-shucks shuffle to the microphone, without having spent considerable effort pumping the organ's bellows before sitting at the keyboard!? Pass the sugar bowl, please.
Footnote:
¹http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TAX_DAY_PROTESTS?SITE=SCAND&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
#1 Posted by Joel Stookey, CJR on Fri 17 Apr 2009 at 03:59 AM
Because Norquist, Gingrich, Hannity and Beck came out for these … that means they are organizing them? Funny, the dozen people from my office and I who when to the one in Chicago (you know, the one where that despicable twat from CNN Susan Roesgen picked a fight with one of the attendees) all found out about if from weblogs like Instapundit and from word of mouth.
You do realize that as bad as Bush was the deficit the amount of debt Bush racked up in 8 years will done in two under Obama? And who the hell is going to pay for all of this? Is it going to destroy the dollar? Is it going to mean massive tax increase for everyone in the country (including the carbon tax)? Is it going to mean a substantially reduced standard of living for American?
How many fucking sweaters are we going to have to ware this time? And why is the “watchdog of media” as you pompous self proclaim schmucks at Columbia claim to be, not asking any of these questions?
How courageous of you to jump on Pelosi’s bandwagon and write this all off as staged. More than a quarter million people protesting on tax day and virtually no mainstream press coverage (outside of Fox) and that’s not the story here?!?
At least you haven’t started with the tea baggin jokes.
#2 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Fri 17 Apr 2009 at 10:44 AM
I'm a fifth-grade teacher in Colorado, and an intrical part of teaching civics is providing students with our primary sources: the founding documents. This is critical in understanding what “We the People” really means. Today, as they did over 230 years ago, those documents instill in students the belief that all our voices are important. Everyone of our citizens are given the right to pursue liberty. Futures do not have to be inevitable and "Little voices" can make dramatic impacts on events. That is Thomas Paine's greatest contribution to our country. His pamphlet, Common Sense, spoke to all the voices in the 13 colonies during a time of great fear and indecision. He gave a vast number of citizens a vision of what each could do, 176 days before the Declaration of Independence. A belief that power should radiate from the citizens. That message is still paramount to all our students today. For that pamphlet alone, Paine needs to be recognized as a integral part of the American miracle.
Mark Wilensky,
author of "The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages"
www.NewCommonSenseBook.com
#3 Posted by Mark Wilensky, CJR on Sun 19 Apr 2009 at 12:51 AM