Wurlitzer In Progress
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Why am I never surprised when blogs run by Republican shills pick up the latest nonsense smear set up to hit any institution on the left that might be gaining traction?
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It’s almost like when people attack Dick Cheney for funneling money to KBR, because they had a business relationship 5 years ago.
Oh wait. That’s true.
AAR would be the LAST thing on a list of Left institutions that might be gaining traction. Seen the latest ratings, O? They’re worse than the old all-Carribean format at the flagship in NYC, barely register in Boston, San Fran, & LA, and don’t even rate highly enough in Philly to be measured!
Meanwhile, look at AAR’s own press releases. They admit:
A) They received funds earmarked for children and the elderly.
B) It has yet to be repaid.
That’s a scandal no matter how you slice it.
Why am I never surprised when a blog run by a Democratic shill always denies the latest “smear” set up to hit any institution on the left, even if that “smear” actually appears to be true?
Reading this story in the New York Sun today it seems clear that Evan Cohen stole money from the Gloria Wise club, and may have used it for AAR. It also seems that AAR didn’t know where the money came from. The article states that repayment has been held off due to the city investigation, and again that’s not AAR’s fault.
Anyone who’s seen “Left of the Dial” knows that Cohen was a frootbat and extremely untrustworthy, so I don’t find this surprising. I hope AAR is able to repay this promptly once the investigation is finished, and if they do I won’t hold it against them. If they don’t, that will be a much worse problem.
Anyway, I enjoy listening to Al Franken, but I have to admit I really like Ed Schultz better (though very progressive, he’s not AAR).
We don’t get AAR here in Indianapolis (instead, we’re stuck with local wingnut Greg Garrison and Rush), but I’ve listened to it occasionally over the net. The problem with AAR is that it’s the left’s version of Fox News Radio. It’s just chock full of hateful talk that does nothing but say how stupid Republicans are and how Bush is the antichrist. Like Rush, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and the other windbags on the right, they offer nothing in the way of real discussion or debate.
When I turn it off, I just feel angry but for no reason, and that’s a little scary. I mean, why do I care if Dick Cheney told some guy to fuck off? What does that have to do with my life? There’s bigger fish to fry, and AAR seems to only want to play high-school name calling games.
I don’t know if AAR knew this was going on. Frankly, Franken and Garoffalo(sp?) don’t seem to really need that kind of money, and while she’s a complete loon job out of touch with reality, Franken seems really down to earth and I doubt he’d participate in this thing willingly.
So, the recommendation would be that since AAR is a left wing “institution, this incident should not be investigated or not reported or not discussed? Or should be suspect and speculate as to whether this is another trick of E G Rove? Is that what’s being said here – the home site of endless random speculation as to E G Rove’s possible ruination of the CIA?
Dugger, ” Irony is a disciplinarian feared only by those who do not know it, but cherished by those who do” (SK)
Granted, Air America Radio needs money as it is defintely an upstart, but this story stinks. I don’t see the reason for this. Let the trolls have thier investigation or as they like “task force” to get to the bottom of this “huge” problem. Believe it or not, if they did do this it is dispicaple. If they are not guilty of this, than I would say it is low even by conservative standards.
Pionar,
We have AAR in Atlanta, and I can tell you that you should listen to Randy Rhodes. If the discussion isn’t genuine, then turn it off. Plus she offers to debate Republicans and conservatives all the time, but does not get responses. I bet Rhodes will call upon anyone to debate this story.
They did do that. From AAR’s own press release:
“”We’re committed to paying this money [back] and the terms are being worked out.”
How is a story that looks very much to be TRUE become a ‘smear?’
AAR didnt steal the money, some guy did. $200,000 is getting proportionately way more coverage than the $1,500,000,000 delay gave his own district.
$200,000 is getting proportionately way more coverage than the $1,500,000,000 delay gave his own district.
What ‘coverage’? It’s been written about on some blogs and two local New York City newspapers.
When it starts hitting MSNBC then start the partisan whining.
“How is a story that looks very much to be TRUE become a smear? ”
Because the story has nothing to do with the current ownership of AAR and, as outer_space points out centers on the shady dealings of an individual no longer associated with AAR. That the current ownership has decided to reimburse the money anyway should be enough to satisfy anyone following the story but the Right wants to smear Franken with something he had nothing whatsoever to do with. That’s a smear.
In the meantime, as has been pointed out, Tom Delay diverst 1.5 billion tax payer dollars to a company in his own district and not one of these concerned citizen journalists says boo.
I am happy AAR has survived, but I have always feared that its setup was a Republican dirty trick perpetrated by Cohen and the other fellow. Guam Republicans, huh. Friends of Abramovitz perhaps? First they screwed up the Chicago station with financial shenanigans, then were tossed from AAR altogether with Al Franken heroically picking up some of the tab to save the network from sudden death in its first few months. I thought THAT was the plot – to make liberals look business-incompetent. But this plants uglier seeds, as only conservatives are comfortable with hypocrisy; they know we liberals abhor it, and this story bothers us way more than it does them.
frameone is right – its $200K vs. Delay’s (latest) $1.5b. But they know it works, just like Whitewater – the chatter is more important than the facts, in fact, as always, the facts are on our side and thus must be ignored and drowned out.
ted,
“I am happy AAR has survived, but I have always feared that its setup was a Republican dirty trick perpetrated by Cohen and the other fellow.”
Now seriously, who told you? Who let the cat out of the bag? Just when we think we pulled off a beauty, some smart, wise-to-the-inside-ways, poster busts us. I guess a certain ‘evil genius’ is going to have to cook up another scheme.
Dugger (lets hope they don’t figure out who really paid Burkett)