Where is the Center

[flybynight]

If you'd be more specific about what is and what is not "name calling", I think there would be a lot less confusion over what you mean by "name calling". I have been accused of being a racist. Is that "name calling"?

Or, if we catch someone telling a bald-faced lie, and we therefore accurately say, "You have lied. Therefore, you are a liar.", is that "name calling" or is that simply making a truthful observation?

Great question. Let me add: Is it "name calling" when you observe that a significant percentage of a political movement is made up of racist slobs, and you refer to them as such? Is that acceptable? What if you present evidence backing up your claim of racism entrenched in that movement, but another poster stubbornly ignores reality and insists that this racism doesn't exist and then puts his fingers in his ears and says "la la la la la". Can you say they're stupid or ignorant, or is that also considered "name calling"? How about if a poster says you said things that you didn't actually say; Can you call them a liar, or is that "name calling"?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Small Market Guy]

In a (probably pointless) attempt to get things back on track, here's a thought.

The "center" of radio is in two places. Phonies like Smerconish that inevitably fail, and the 95% of radio that isn't political talk.

 

[Avid Listener]

In a (probably pointless) attempt to get things back on track, here's a thought.

The "center" of radio is in two places. Phonies like Smerconish that inevitably fail, and the 95% of radio that isn't political talk.

Here's the main gist of what this thread is supposed to be about:

Talk Radio seems to have no "base point". We have Conservative Right Wing talk. We have Liberal Left Wing talk. But where are the down-the-middle driven-by-the-North-Star Talk Radio programs. Can one survive the commercial broqadcasting climate? To use the old cliche: If we run Middle-of-the-Road up the flag pole, will any one salute?

In the context of the news/talk format, the central theme of this subforum, the 95% of radio that isn't political talk is irrelevant. There are other fora for that. To go all he way back the that opening point, I am still convinced that within the context of the news/talk format, which means talk radio that is about events in the news, which is another way of saying "political talk", there simply isn't an audience who cares enough about listening to the perspective of the "middle" for it to be a viable market niche. No one has made a case that there are people who have a centerist or middle political position who are passionate enough about that position that they want to spend their radio listening time hearing people talk about events in the news from that perspective. That audience, though it probably outnumbers the people with extreme political alignments on any point on the spectrum, would rather listen to music or talk that isn't "news/talk".

 

[boombox4]

I think that it's a possibility that the "center" is generally apolitical in bent. They are just not interested in debating politics, or getting involved in a political movement, or getting involved in political discussions. Maybe they show some interest during election time, but during the rest of the time they don't care to deal with it.

I know some people who are this way -- they seem to view political people the same way they view religious fanatics. And I get their point -- with some people who are political, that's all they want to talk about. Liberal or conservative, they often treat it like a religion, where they feel they have to evangelise everybody, get them on their side. I have met numerous such people. They're not the majority of people I know, but you certainly see a lot of it on news websites, and other places, especially online.

I see a lot of it on Facebook, where with some people, instead of posting interesting stuff about what's going on in life they feel the need to post a bunch of political 'memes' instead, which makes my Facebook news feed look like a party propaganda feed instead.

I think that political people too often don't understand that a lot of people probably couldn't care less who's in power, much less want to argue about it, or engage in personal attacks about something they don't really care about. They only care about whether they have a job, whether there's enough money in their wallet, whether there's food on the table; and whether there is enough money left over for a movie or beer at the local club on the weekend.

I don't know what percentage of the population fits this possible apolitical "center" I'm referring to, but if you look at voting statistics, maybe an average of 60% of Americans vote in Presidential elections. The percentage is lower in those prime radio advertising demos -- according to a table in Wiki based on US Census statistics, the percentage of people age 18-45 who voted in the 2008 election ranged between 41 and 57%. The highest voting percentage is the demos that listen the most to talk radio -- ages 45-75 -- the voting average is around 70%.

Obviously, I'm not an expert in statistics or demographics; I'm just throwing out some ideas here.

 

[Avid Listener]

I see a lot of it on Facebook, where with some people, instead of posting interesting stuff about what's going on in life they feel the need to post a bunch of political 'memes' instead, which makes my Facebook news feed look like a party propaganda feed instead.

I have similar issues on my facebook news feed, where far too many of my friends and relatives only seem to post either pictures of cute kittens, often with captions in baby talk, or else greeting-card graphics of angels.

 

[ok walters]

You forgot "liar, liar, pants on fire, neener, neener, neener"

Where did I say "EVERYONE" in the tea party is a racist? Where? Do show us. You won't be able to, because I never said that.

Who's lying now?

Whenever I do give you evidence, you just ignore it anyway, like that link to the story of Carl Palladino who's the racist pig that ran for Gov of NY and got LOTS of tea party support. Still does. You don't care to even look into that because you just don't want to know.

Your incredible lack of perception regarding the tea party movement speaks volumes about how poorly informed you are. Thank God you don't vote. If we could only now stop you from reproducing.

Your posts continue to get worse each time. You have cited no "evidence", just your personal opinion, that the right wing is racist. You say "I see it everyday" and other nonsense, but never any actual evidence. Your left wing mantra is standard fare - you don't have an argument so the name calling begins.

As far as your "stop you from reproducing" statement, it would appear that we should stop the Democrats from reproducing as they are the ones supporting the entitlement mentality that will bankrupt this country. The national debt has almost doubled since Obama took over, and the biggest "fail" in recent history, Obamacare, was passed with zero Republican votes. We have the highest number of people on public assistance in history, and we have the lowest work force participation rate since Jimmy Carter - another great Democrat - so your left wing leadership is failing miserably. And all you can do is say "the Republicans are racist - I see it everyday".

The scariest thing is you will now call me "racist" despite me making not on comment about race - it is all you have so fire away.

 

[ok walters]

Let's try this on for size. According to the Obama administration's Department of Justice, black males are approximately 6% of the US population, but are responsible for 45% of all violent crime. You are 7 times more likely to be assaulted by a black male than a white male despite whites outnumbering blacks approximately 5-1, also according to the Justice Department.

I am quoting readily available government produced statistics. Am I just quoting verified facts or am I a racist?

 

[Avid Listener]

Let's try this on for size. According to the Obama administration's Department of Justice, black males are approximately 6% of the US population, but are responsible for 45% of all violent crime. You are 7 times more likely to be assaulted by a black male than a white male despite whites outnumbering blacks approximately 5-1, also according to the Justice Department.

I am quoting readily available government produced statistics. Am I just quoting verified facts or am I a racist?

That depends. If your ancestors came from Europe and/or you're a Republican, then you're a racist. If your ancestors came from Africa and/or you're a Democrat, then you aren't.

And it's all Bush's fault!

 

[flybynight]

Your posts continue to get worse each time. You have cited no "evidence", just your personal opinion, that the right wing is racist. You say "I see it everyday" and other nonsense, but never any actual evidence. Your left wing mantra is standard fare - you don't have an argument so the name calling begins.

As far as your "stop you from reproducing" statement, it would appear that we should stop the Democrats from reproducing as they are the ones supporting the entitlement mentality that will bankrupt this country. The national debt has almost doubled since Obama took over, and the biggest "fail" in recent history, Obamacare, was passed with zero Republican votes. We have the highest number of people on public assistance in history, and we have the lowest work force participation rate since Jimmy Carter - another great Democrat - so your left wing leadership is failing miserably. And all you can do is say "the Republicans are racist - I see it everyday".

The scariest thing is you will now call me "racist" despite me making not on comment about race - it is all you have so fire away.

I support gun rights, keeping GITMO open, refusing alien amnesty and believe cap punishment should be expanded to cover some other crimes. I also think Al Sharpton is a racist scumbag.

I'm hardly liberal, but to wingnuts like you, everybody who's not a raving extremist from the right, is a liberal. You're as deep as a puddle, bub.

The real "scary" thing is how blind you are.

Right in this VERY thread, I posted an article about Carl Palladino, who is a tea party darling to this day. He was their candidate for the last NY Governor's race. Take a gander at the e-mails he was caught sending to friends for big yucks. One e-mail even contained a really funny picture of some black people in a field running away from a landing plane with a big caption underneath that read (and I'll censor it) "RUN, N*GG*RS, RUN!" Real funny stuff. I could post examples like this all day long, but apologists like you will just dismiss all of it because you're in total denial or are just flat out liars.

Palladino is the tip of the iceberg with these tea party creeps.

Keep defending them. It says a lot about YOU. I don't even have to call someone like you a racist, since you're doing all the heavy lifting for me.

 

[flybynight]

That depends. If your ancestors came from Europe and/or you're a Republican, then you're a racist. If your ancestors came from Africa and/or you're a Democrat, then you aren't.

And it's all Bush's fault!

You poor victim, you.

While the right obsesses over every bit of minutiae regarding Obama, including his outrageously unAmerican choice of what to put on a hotdog, let's pretend Bush didn't wreck the economy and send thousands of our soldiers to die in a war we had no business starting in Iraq.

God forbid someone actually hold Bush accountable for his historic screwups.

The party of personal responsibility? LOL

 

[flybynight]

Let's try this on for size. According to the Obama administration's Department of Justice, black males are approximately 6% of the US population, but are responsible for 45% of all violent crime. You are 7 times more likely to be assaulted by a black male than a white male despite whites outnumbering blacks approximately 5-1, also according to the Justice Department.

I am quoting readily available government produced statistics. Am I just quoting verified facts or am I a racist?

Yes, black people sure are scary. That's why many tea party members don't like them.

Maybe that's also why there were so many "Don't Re-Nig in 2012" bumper stickers around (which included the Obama campaign symbol) during the last election.

With your head so deep in the sand, how do you prevent the sand from getting in your ears? Do tell.

 

[ok walters]

You poor victim, you.

While the right obsesses over every bit of minutiae regarding Obama, including his outrageously unAmerican choice of what to put on a hotdog, let's pretend Bush didn't wreck the economy and send thousands of our soldiers to die in a war we had no business starting in Iraq.

God forbid someone actually hold Bush accountable for his historic screwups.

The party of personal responsibility? LOL

I guess you must have missed the skewering that Bush took for his entire Presidency by the left wing MSM. You also apparently missed the fact that the economy is in worse shape now then when Obama took office, with fewer people working than at any point in the last 35 years. Add the $6-7 TRILLION in new debt since Obama took office and the country is in a financial free fall.

I wouldn't call repeatedly breaking and/or ignoring the law by Obama as "minutiae". Even his own party is starting to see him for what he is - a community organizer (whatever that is) that is in way over his head as he has never had a real job in his life, and he has never been in a position of authority until now. The results of his lawlessness are becoming very clear for all to see - even you.

 

[ok walters]

I support gun rights, keeping GITMO open, refusing alien amnesty and believe cap punishment should be expanded to cover some other crimes. I also think Al Sharpton is a racist scumbag.

I'm hardly liberal, but to wingnuts like you, everybody who's not a raving extremist from the right, is a liberal. You're as deep as a puddle, bub.

The real "scary" thing is how blind you are.

Right in this VERY thread, I posted an article about Carl Palladino, who is a tea party darling to this day. He was their candidate for the last NY Governor's race. Take a gander at the e-mails he was caught sending to friends for big yucks. One e-mail even contained a really funny picture of some black people in a field running away from a landing plane with a big caption underneath that read (and I'll censor it) "RUN, N*GG*RS, RUN!" Real funny stuff. I could post examples like this all day long, but apologists like you will just dismiss all of it because you're in total denial or are just flat out liars.

Palladino is the tip of the iceberg with these tea party creeps.

Keep defending them. It says a lot about YOU. I don't even have to call someone like you a racist, since you're doing all the heavy lifting for me.

While you claim to have some conservative views, you immediately go to the liberal playbook when confronted by facts. Instead of countering my statements, the name calling came out quickly as you called me a "wingnut" and "as deep as a puddle". I am not defending anyone as you claim as I am not affiliated with the Tea Party, but when the cries of "racism" are the only defense you have to things like balanced budgets, real jobs, and entitlement cuts, you are the one you is lacking a real argument. And if stating those clear positions "says a lot about" me, then so be it. You keep crying racism at every turn - it says a lot about you.

There are extremists on both sides but for every Palladino or offensive bumper sticker you can cite, there will be something equally offensive coming from the left, with the cry of racism added for good measure.

 

[TheBigA]

You also apparently missed the fact that the economy is in worse shape now then when Obama took office, with fewer people working than at any point in the last 35 years.

Don't blame that on the President unless you give him the budget to hire them. Corporate America is to blame for the hiring situation, not because of taxes or sales, but because of corporate greed paying CEOs billions of dollars. All the money that should go to hiring is going to them. But meanwhile, conservatives want to shrink the size of government. Most of the job losses are in federal and state jobs, not the for-profit world. On the one hand, conservatives blame the President for everything, on the other, they don't give him the tools to do they job they seem to want him to do. Conservatives want small government, but want to blame the President for how that smaller government operates.

The fact is that the economy is in MUCH better shape. Anybody who follows the stock market or corporate profits can tell you that business is MUCH better now than in 2008. A lot of the people who were hurt in the mortgage crisis have been taken care of. Millions of people have refinanced their homes because of historic low interest rates. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have recovered from near-bankruptcy 6 years ago. The insurance companies, brokerage companies, banks, automobile, and other industries that were on the brink of bankruptcy 6 years ago are healthy and posting record profits. I mean even RADIO is showing an improvement in sales for the first time in a while. Ad budgets are growing. And radio is a beneficiary.

There is a lot more to the picture than your narrow view. This is why we need someone in radio to provide listeners with the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey once did.

 

[ok walters]

Yes, black people sure are scary. That's why many tea party members don't like them.

Maybe that's also why there were so many "Don't Re-Nig in 2012" bumper stickers around (which included the Obama campaign symbol) during the last election.

With your head so deep in the sand, how do you prevent the sand from getting in your ears? Do tell.

So you take well known facts about the relationship between black males and violent crime and somehow claim that only Tea Party members have any reaction to them. Really? Let me break it down so you can understand human nature.

When you add in black females, the black race is responsible for 51% of violent crime committed in the US, despite blacks accounting for less than 13% of the total population, or about one out of every eight people. The other 7 out of 8 people who are a mix of every other race and creed in the US account for less crime than blacks do. What these numbers show is a culture of violence, and they also show that you are far more likely to be assaulted or killed by a black person than any other race or better yet, all of the other races put together. How can the average person not be influenced by such striking facts, especially when it is shown every night in every area of the country on the evening news? Personal experience comes into play at some point as well - how many victims of black crime are there? It would appear that you expect those people to just dismiss all of the ample evidence and personal experiences that have occurred and to never have any reservations at all about any black person. While I agree that each person should be judged on their own merits, to expect that there will be no fear of blacks is absurd considering the history.

If you touch a hot stove and get burned, are you at least hesitant to get near that stove again, even if you don't know if it is hot? Would you expect that some stoves will be hot all of the time? Of course you would.

Let the name calling and cries of racism begin.

 

[flybynight]

While you claim to have some conservative views, you immediately go to the liberal playbook when confronted by facts. Instead of countering my statements, the name calling came out quickly as you called me a "wingnut" and "as deep as a puddle". I am not defending anyone as you claim as I am not affiliated with the Tea Party, but when the cries of "racism" are the only defense you have to things like balanced budgets, real jobs, and entitlement cuts, you are the one you is lacking a real argument. And if stating those clear positions "says a lot about" me, then so be it. You keep crying racism at every turn - it says a lot about you.

There are extremists on both sides but for every Palladino or offensive bumper sticker you can cite, there will be something equally offensive coming from the left, with the cry of racism added for good measure.

There isn't an entire movement on the left to put racists in office the way there is on the right with the tea party.

Gottta love how those blacks-are-scary stats are right at your fingertips---even though crime stats involving blacks had NOTHING to do with the conversation. LOL

You can't even help yourself. You're either consciously or subconsciously trying to justify all this racist garbage from the tea party by demonstrating how dangerous and scary black people really are. You're pathetic.

By the way, Obama inherited an economy in freefall thanks to your boy GWB. I know it hurts to hear that---and I realize your desperate attempts to blame Obama are instinctive, but most see right through this tired tea party charade of yours.

 

[Small Market Guy]

I think that it's a possibility that the "center" is generally apolitical in bent.

More than a possibility. A certainty. They're tired of being called racist every time some idiot disagrees with them.

 

[Small Market Guy]

Your posts continue to get worse each time.

He's either trolling, or he's a despicable human being. Either way, your feed will be a lot more civil if you block him.

 

[davideduardo]

Sure the government is running a deficit, because corporations are still refusing to pay their fair share of taxes. On the one hand, they're not hiring, and on the other, they're not paying taxes.

I would temper that statement by saying that corporations are expanding and hiring in countries where the tax rate is much lower. The United States has the highest corporate tax rate of any developed nation, plus the fact that those profits are taxed twice via the taxes on owner's income from dividend distributions. Add in the increasingly complex regulatory environment plus uncertainty about energy and compliance costs and many businesses are relocating manufacturing and even corporate headquarters somewhere else... the most recent being the announcement by one of the major drug manufacturers, Phizer.

 

[flybynight]

He's either trolling, or he's a despicable human being. Either way, your feed will be a lot more civil if you block him.

That's the wingnut way! Fingers in ears: "la la la la la".

Let's call it what it is: You tea party types hate the President because he's a black guy. You pretend it's all these bogus made up reasons, but that's really what it comes down to and everybody knows it. You operate without conscience and it's disgusting. Thank God your ilk is slowly disappearing by attrition.