I can’t believe that Beck wasn’t fired from his radio job after his “I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore” rant. It would have been nice, at least, if the FEC had fined his program for indecency, but those fines only seems to happen to radio shows when they engage in profanity or overly graphic sex talk.

That’s the firs time I think I’ve ever seen “subtlety” used in the same sentence with the name Limbaugh, Hannity and O’Reilly. Regardless, Savage is indeed in the upper echelon of conservative radio talk show hosts, despite Jay’s attempts to marginalize him, precisely because his abrasiveness fills a gap in the marketplace of conservative talk radio. Conservatives enjoy hearing what he says and how he says it. When he is fired from mainstream media outlets like MSNBC or when advertisers refuse to buy ad time during his show, this actually reinforces his appeal to conservative talk radio listeners.

Concern trolls like Jay, however, would rather attack liberals like Oliver, a humble blog writer, than ever call out what conservatives are doing and listening to. Pointing out Jays own hypocritical myopia, as Reinhold did in that thread, only gets the response that one “isn’t making a valid argument.”

Whereas Limbaugh might tell a gay caller that they should “shut up and make a quiche already,” Savage tells that same caller to “get AIDS and die,” which is, I recall, one of the more virulent reasons he got fired from something.

My point being that if Savage had any grace or tact in the art of saying truly horrible things, he might be just as popular amongst the right-wing crowd as Rush. Which says less about Savage than it does about (a) the right-wing crowd and (b) the corporate media.

Um, not really. Conservatives listen to this guy, even if you don’t, Jay.

Who are America’s “Top 25″ most influential talk-radio hosts?

Newsmax looked at the more than 4,500 radio hosts — and we identify the 25 who are most influential in shaping the political and social landscape. Newsmax compiled its rankings based on several factors, including radio audience size and, importantly, the host’s global media reach outside of radio, including cable TV news, syndicated columns, books, and the like.

http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/Radio_Host_List/2007/12/03/54102.html

As for Savage being mainstream, sorry but I don’t buy it. He claims to have “millions” of listeners but he never releases his numbers. Ask the average person if they’ve heard of Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh and they will say yes. Ask the same about Michael Savage and people will say, “Who?” He’s a marginal figure that people only talk about when he says something really outrageous. It’s liberals that give the guy more exposure than anybody else.

And yet strangely, Savage and asshats like Glen Beck are still on the air. What does it take to get a conservative blowhard fired anyway?

Yeah, because most “marginal figures” have nationally syndicated radio talk shows with millions of listeners.

Also, since Falwell said that God gave the U.S. what “we deserve” with the 9/11 attacks, and Falwell worshipped that same God, I think it’s pretty fair to say that he “cheered on” the attacks.

But I’ve had to walk past Savage’s ugly mug staring from book covers in the most visible places in the bookstore. I didn’t even know what Randi Rhodes looked like until she took her commentary too far and got fired from Air America.

(Note that last part: her comments got her fired from Air America.)

Sorry, Jay. Savage is repulsive and stains your entire school of political thought, and I pity you for that. But I pity you more because he’s too mainstream a figure for you to simply sweep under the rug.

Exactly my point.

Jay: “But you know what? I’m tired of hearing about marginal figures like Michael Savage, Debbie Schlussel (or however it is spelled) or any other wannabe like them being labeled as “mainstream” conservative voices because it its bullshit. They are no more part of the mainstream of conservatism than Ted Rall or Randi Rhodes are part of mainstream liberalism (and yes, I know that conservatives have tried to make it seem that way and it’s bull on their part as well).”

I agree with this. Applause.

(As long as you’re not extending the analogy to include such figures as Limbaugh, O’Reilly, or Hannity, who are certainly mainstream conservative figures).

But you know what? I’m tired of hearing about marginal figures like Michael Savage, Debbie Schlussel (or however it is spelled) or any other wannabe like them being labeled as “mainstream” conservative voices because it its bullshit. They are no more part of the mainstream of conservatism than Ted Rall or Randi Rhodes are part of mainstream liberalism (and yes, I know that conservatives have tried to make it seem that way and it’s bull on their part as well).

Can we all just agree that neither side enjoys a monopoly on douche-baggery?

Jesus, people. Don’t make me get the fucking hose.

Of course not, Jay, come on.
He or I or Jeremiah Wright would be bemoaning the failure of our foreign policy that made the rest of the world so pissed at us that they would do just a dastardly and cowardly thing.

He or I or Jeremiah Wright would not be trying to place the blame at the failure of American morality, or trying to play it off as judgment from on high, or otherwise making shit up as Falwell, Hagge, Parsley et al have done.

Because yeah, I staked out that position. Mind you, I also staked out the position that other factors besides our foreign policy were at fault, but as we all know, the loudest voices on your side of the aisle aren’t interested in “nuance.”