Jerry Springer before the show

I imagine there's been a bit of Jerry Springer discussion now that he's coming to AAR but I've not had time to read it.

I just want to add this. If you have the time, I really would suggest that you listen to this piece on Springer's life before the TV show on the NPR radio show This American Life. Search for Jerry Springer at www.thislife.org and you'll get a link to a streaming file of the show.

Here's the description:

Act One. I've Got a Secret I've Been Hiding From You. This American Life producer Alex Blumberg tells the true story of Jerry Springer's life before he was a talk show host. It's the story of an idealistic and serious Jerry Springer, a progressive politician, and the most popular mayor ever of a certain American city. (31 minutes)

This city has really gone down hill.

won't run for congress (the senate I believe) since you can't run and have a talk show. (equal time and all)

He was on her West Palm Beach show a number of times for interviews pre AAR.

Anybody who listens to this, doesn't Jerry sound a lot like Robert Kennedy in that clip they play when he first came back to Ohio after working for RFK?

You can't just write off Jerry for that horrid TV show without even listening to what he has to say....Well, I guess you can. Who am I to tell anybody what they can and can't do? (And I'm sure some will write him off. I know from my experience as a Wes Clark supporter how narrow and even closed-minded some supposedly liberal folks can be when it comes to accepting certain people.) But I don't think you should dismiss him so easily.

And, if I may throw in a plug for my favorite NPR show, This American Life, this week's show sounds interesting also:

Know Your Enemy
It's hard for any story about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be very surprising at this point, but in this show we have the tale of a Palestinian teenager, Arin Ahmed (pictured), who decides to become a suicide bomber. She ends up in a long, frank conversation about it with the head of Israel's Defense Forces (after he decides he wants to know his enemy better). By itself this is unusual enough but then in addition, a reporter from the Israeli daily Ha'aretz is there to record what these two adversaries say to each other. Each of them says some things you might not expect. Plus other stories of knowing your enemy. Broadcast the weekend of March 25-27 in most places, or available via RealAudio next week.