Pelosi: ‘Hate Radio’ Hijacked Political Discourse With ‘Xenophobic, Anti-Immigrant’ Rhetoric

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/28/pelosi-talk-radio/

Pelosi: ‘Hate Radio’ Hijacked Political Discourse With ‘Xenophobic, Anti-Immigrant’ Rhetoric

Last night, PBS’s Charlie Rose interviewed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). During their discussion, Rose asked Pelosi about her opinion of the immigration bill in the Senate (which was defeated today).

Pelosi praised several provisions of the bill, but strongly criticized the bill’s vehement opponents on the radical right — especially on talk radio. Pelosi objected to their tactics saying that “talk radio, or in some cases hate radio…just go on and on and on in a xenophobic, anti-immigrant” manner. Pelosi noted that when it comes to bashing undocumented immigrants, “all of a sudden, all these people of faith are just very unforgiving.”

Watch it/read transcript at link~

Pelosi’s characterization of the “xenophobic” and “anti-immigrant” dialogue on talk radio is well-documented. In recent weeks, Media Matters has highlighted several particularly egregious examples:

– Bill O’Reilly asserted that supporters of the immigration bill “hate America” and “want to flood the country with foreign nationals, unlimited, unlimited, to change the complexion” of our society. {Link}

– Michael Savage called a Hispanic advocacy group, National Council of La Raza, “the Ku Klux Klan of the Hispanic people” and said that La Raza “is the most stone racist group I’ve ever seen in this country!” {Link}

– Neal Boortz argued in favor of the controversial border fence, stating, “I don’t care if Mexicans pile up against that fence like tumbleweeds in the Santa Ana winds in Southern California. … {J}ust run a couple of taco trucks up and down the line.” {Link}

Though conservatives may take up 91 percent of the talk radio airwaves, talk radio is not representative of the American people, who broadly supported the key components of the legislation. More information about the radically conservative bias in daytime talk radio HERE:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/06/talk_radio.html

Who watches or listens to Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage?

She makes it sound like one cable station and A M radio is running the country, or ruining the country. Was Air America on A M radio? What about watch NPR or PBS. Geesh
There are other talk shows and news stations.... right?

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/06/talk_radio.html

*snip

The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio

...Among radio formats, the combined news/talk format (which includes news/talk/information and talk/personality) leads all others in terms of the total number of stations per format and trails only country music in terms of national audience share. Through more than 1,700 stations across the nation, the combined news/talk format is estimated to reach more than 50 million listeners each week.

* Our analysis in the spring of 2007 of the 257 news/talk stations owned by the top five commercial station owners reveals that 91 percent of the total weekday talk radio programming is conservative, and 9 percent is progressive.

* Each weekday, 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk are broadcast on these stations compared to 254 hours of progressive talk—10 times as much conservative talk as progressive talk.

* A separate analysis of all of the news/talk stations in the top 10 radio markets reveals that 76 percent of the programming in these markets is conservative and 24 percent is progressive, although programming is more balanced in markets such as New York and Chicago.

so perhaps Phoenix could share their plan with other stations. What ever they are doing it is working so their plan could work in other markets as well. There is also strong local business support for 1480. I am sure that our DUer would be glad to send in contributions like the people in Phoenix did for KPHX.

Seems to me that the whole point was that it's the rabid hateful right that has their panties in an uproar.

Get real.

for the wrong reasons.

Immigrants wont ruin the Untied States but corporations exploiting them will.

It's sad that people like O'Liely and Ann the Man can be heard over rational voices like Tom Hartmann and Greg Palast.

we'd have all this nonsense sorted out in no time.

It was a bad bill tailor made for big business. I'm one solid left wing Democrat that was glad to see that mound of shit go down in flames.

Impeachment and ending the never-ending deaths in Iraq should be your focus. Not all of America listens to talk/hate radio. I don't. I know the immigration bill was crap. So did the majority of voters. You will pay dearly for being cozy with Bush. Lie down with Satan and you'll get burned!

With our long glorious history of welcoming the poor and helpless??

See Anne Frank & family for another illustration of our open arms policies to those in need. But, they would probably have "stolen jobs".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/15/wfrank15.xml

....Spanish music stations

I dont remember hearing much about it on Hartmann either.

much either. I thought I must have missed the section where anyone discussed this issue.

and to rile up the racist asshole republicans.

only talk radio is reich-wing, I can attest to the fact that they're all about whipping up hatred and anger. That's all they do--provoke strong negative us-vs.-them emotion. It's why they are so successful, and make the advertising dollars, and have so much influence. Of course, they all SAY "We're not racist--we LOVE Latinos!" but then, like Subliminal Man, they'll cut to a commercial break with "Aye Yi Yi Yi" mariachi music, to remind you who your enemies are. They serve no useful purpose except to inflame the faithful and the gullible, and drive them away from Democrats. They are cartoon characters, who strive to make cartoons out of Dems and progressives. Having had a steady diet of their utter bullshit, their quotes out of context, and their demonization and ridicule of anybody who does not fit the narrow Republican Conservative mold, I can say that Nancy's spot-on. The immigration debate, no matter which side you come down on, is but one example of their unfortunate reach.

I don't know a single person who was for this travesty. Everyone hated it and it got the consideration it deserved.

start their own progressive station. It can be done and it was done in Phoenix.

He posits that the Dems pushed for this Bill to garner more Mexicans. within the US. votes, knowing all the while that the Bill would not pass.

and gives you air time galore on every prime time station out there, including the reichwing.

So stop with the "make nice" rhetoric and begin acting like a leader. Get tough and there will begin to be a dialogue instead of just mealy-mouthed-shit-full-of-pablum.

You have caved and attempted to "work with" criminal thugs. Stand tough and take them on - you have been gifted with a prominent podium, use the damn thing.

of the fairness doctrine...