Vote For Me, Al Franken, You'll Be Glad You Did!!!

Al Franken launches Air America...

from JoeUser Forums
"Vote for me, Al Franken. You'll be glad you did!" was the tag line to a mock election campaign that Al and partner Tom Davis did a few decades ago. The campaign consisted of a series of ads, each escalating in their charges against the other candidate. One would accuse the other of lying, the other would come back with something like embezzlement. If one was a philaderer, the other would be a child molestor. Each charge backed up with "documented evidence" and other supposedly solid information that proved their case.

Aside from being funny, the comedy piece was prophetic. Franken and Davis essentially showed the country the future of political ads that we see today. Sure, they were more crass than actual ads, but not by much.

This week, Franken launched his new radio network, Air America. It has been dubbed a "liberal" network by everyone, either as a backhanded comment or to differentiate them with the conservative heavyweights like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. But instead of shirking the title, Franken and company have embraced it, even trumpeted it.

I have tuned into Franken's show "The O'Franken Factor" which he hosts with NPR radio personality Catherine Lanpher. And it is good. Someday, it may be great, but so far, it is at least good. Franken seems comfortable in the format, and Lanpher's balance to the show ensures a professional presentation. Al has been more than happy to field questions and comments from Rush's dittoheads and other conservative pundits. He has done it all with style and grace and showing none of the ill qualities that Bill O'Reilly has charged. Al is showing America and O'Reilly who the uniters are and who the dividers are.

His 1st guest was 9/11 commission member Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. Al had the foresight to book Kerry when the commission wasn't in the news weeks ago when he looked ahead and saw the "headlines to come." Again, Al is showing that he looks ahead while others are caught up in the present and past.

Whether or not Franken's initial attempt to balance the scales on the AM radio airwaves which influence the other media outlets will be successful is yet to be determined. But one thing is clear with the launching of this network. Al is more than a "political satatrist" that just wants to get laughs. He is a serious thinker beyond the "yucks" and many would be smart to pay attention to what this man has to say.

Decades ago, Al showed America the future of politcal ads. Today, he may be showing us the future of political radio.

If you want to check out Air America, which includes such hosts as Franken, Jennine Garafolo and Chuck D, go here... http://airamericaradio.com/
2,841 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
al just finished a great interview with robert reich and is starting with hillary clinton now (2:32 est) and wow, good interviews.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sorry don't really care one way or another. Have never listened to Limbaugh, Hannity, or any other conservative. Nothing against them other then they are just that, conservative. O' Reilly he is the type I listen to just to hear, and get some ideas of what the other side thinks and feels about what is in the fore front of the news. I used to listen to Al Combs, however, his show was dropped out here in the hinterlands of the American Bibile Belt (can't be spreading any other ideas other then those with which conservatives believe in). Doubt that Franken's radio show will make it out here, oh well what you never hear. . .

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Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
What's the point? Let me summarize the entirety of Air America for you:

1. Bush lied
2. Bush's oil guzzling cowboy pals lied
3. Bush knew about 9/11 and could have stopped it
4. Bush lied about knowing
5. Conservatives run the country
6. Bush is a lying conservative.
7. Vote Democrat!

*yawn* wake me when it's over.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Honestly, I've never trolled in my life. That's my geniune opinion. I feel the same way, inversed, about Fox News and Limbore. How many times can you say the same thing? Left or Right, it's propaganda.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
no, all in all, i genuinely feel the left is more honest...both sides spin, but i've seen more deception, lies and cover ups over truly serious matters in my lifetime from the right than from the left. plus i genuinely agree with many of the left's stances,,,I am socially liberal, when it comes to adults who are consenting, i am very left on the environment but i'm not militant about it and realize the needs of progress in those fields as well as the needs of progress in many. on the other hand, i am fiscally conservative, although sometimes i feel that is a little bit of a "cop out" term...saying you are anything but fiscally conservative basically translates into loose or bad with money. but considering my credit is good and i have less than 1000 in credit card debt and equity in my home,,,i feel confident with that.

but to just put down the air america perspective as propoganda is shallow and over simplified. no, i don't believe that since fox and newsmax et al are biased towards the right and shoddy in their reporting over the years means that air america has to be equally as sinister or shoddy. one thing franken is veyr good with is facts and fact checking,,,he isn't perfect, no one is, but he makes more of an effort to back up his words in one of his books than ann coulter and sean hannity and rush limbaugh have done in their entire careers.

and aside from al, the randi rhodes show is very well done...i thought chuck d's morning team was entertaining and not exactly "propoganda based" as you charge. i haven't checked out garofolo's show, but based on seeing her do a week against tucker carlson, who is a spinner for the right, but over all an honest guy in my view (i just don't hate right wing journalists, i happen to follow several) , i would suspect she'll do a good job.

but i do hope you are making your charges based on at least a few hours of honest listening and not just speculation that if it comes from the left, it must be a lie or propoganda. if you want propoganda, go check out the fake news stories on medicare that were broadcast all thru the south to get aarp member support...that's propoganda...using tax dollars to fundpolitical ads dressed up as news reports. if you want lies, check out colin powell's revelations that he now knows that the information that was presented to the UN last year was false. if i were colin powell, i would resign immediately knowing that he was lied to in order to go "on stage" and try to influence the world to spend 100's of billions of dollars and 10's of thousands of lives and limbs based on falsehoods perpetuated by people with an agenda that wasn't what it seemed to be. now, those lies have translated in an escalation in terror , momentum by the terrorists (let's be honest, they are hardly getting weaker, this "70% of the leaders captured or killed is a red herring..these guys are more adept and spread out than we ever imagined) and Iraq is the biggest recruiting tool the terrorists were ever blessed with.

this administration has sidetracked us on the terror war and done thru propoganda and lies...throwing mud and smokescreens at the other side who has been trying to have an honest debate on the subject for 3 years won't get rid of terrorism. you probably think i'm a democrat,,,i'm not, i'm an independent. but you don't have to be a democrat to see that this country is not in the best hands it can be to fight this war....i would entrust a war veteran like John Kerry long before I would give this administration another 4 years. i would much rather see him bring in a fresh crew of people with a different perspective on how to fight this war.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Keep the positive spirit flowing,Sean. Good blog and counter-commentary.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
after listening for over a week, i must say my favorite show is the randi rhodes show, 3-7 est. mon-fri.

this gal will have you ready to march on the white house after 10 minutes. great host,,,i would like to see her get some more exposure.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
The show is not good. It is dreadful - un-listenable!

In the first week alone, FrankenFraud lied about Roger Hedgecock as well as countless spinning out of context excerpts from Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bush and Rumsfeld. Unbelievable lies that don't even pass the laugh test.

The program is replete with democrat propoganda. There is not one good thing ever mentioned about the President's many accomplishments (such as the improving economy and the liberation of 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq). This is a negative show and a negative network. There are no programs that lift people up. There is only rhetoric (and lies frankly) that is designed for one purpose only: slander the right! Well the only good job FrankenFraud and other Air America "personalities" does is to be lying liars and even lie about their own lies.

If you didn't get so much money from DNC you wouldn't even have gotten out of your rubber check that bounced your asses out of two markets. That's just the tip of the iceburg for this Titanic of a "network". So long as you wallow in the mud, then you will sink into it.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
talk about trolling,,,,lol...annonymous, lol...figures...and from what i can tell, in their hateful rage, they even spelled their name wrong, lmfao....oh well...