Sam Seder: when radio callers attack (then not)

I'd like to recap one of the more interesting calls between a caller and radio talker. It happened April 10, 2008 between Sam Seder and a caller named Joe. To provide context to the exchange, Sam was filling in for Randi Rhodes' timeslot after her sudden resignation from Air America. Sam had also received unfortunate news regarding his broadcasting future in an earlier program break. He learned of it not from his bosses but through internet chatter, much to Sam's frustration.

Sam described it as an "odd but somewhat entertaining call".

The exchange from Conservative Joe started off typically enough. Sam could only give the caller Joe a minute as a break was approaching.

You don't give Republicans much of a chance on your show do you? Only a minute huh.

You've been doing Talk Radio for 4 or 5 years and you haven't developed one single star. You don't have a Limbaugh, a Savage, a Hannity, a Boortz you don't have any of that...
You liberals take to talk radio like a Muslim takes to a Peace meeting.

I've got a lot more to say but I don't think you wanna hear it, you want everyone to pat you on the back, don't you?. To tell you how wonderful your liberalism is. But I wanna debate, are we on? Are you scared?

Sam Seder put the caller on hold. Postponing the fireworks till after the break, one would think.

Upon return, Joe began with the statement

I'm a rock-ribbed Republican

followed by

When you liberals talk about conservatives and always put us down you have some points...because the administration has trailed off dramatically

This was the first of many odd strings where Joe would telegraph a punch then veer in the opposite direction.

You talk as if everything is wrong with the Republicans and you Democrats are squeaky clean...with this primary Hillary Clinton has proven herself a racist along with Bill Clinton

(here comes the swerve)

against my man Barack

I would prefer people listened to the segment as it's better appreciated heard than read.
Listen to the 10 minute segment between Sam Seder and Caller Joe here

Partial transcripts below:
As is Sam's MO he encourages listeners to exercise their own judgment and due diligence rather than blind faith.

Caller Joe: I actually crossed over out of pure disgust and disdain for McCain... That's why I'm listening. I'm trying to indoctrinate myself into your kind of thinking...

Seder: Joe you don't want to be indoctrinated. What you want to do is to actually start to flex the muscles.

Sam has never been one for self aggrandizing at the expense of real issues. In this exchange, he defines his difference in priorities with the caller

Caller Joe: You liberals don't take to talk radio, if you ever listen to my man Michael Savage you'll understand that Talk Radio is all about bashing people. See that's why your ratings are not that great...you guys are trying to learn but some of you guys just don't have the knack for it...

Seder: Here's the difference between you and me Joe ...(Sam lists a series of Political issues facing the country)... so the notion as to whether or not Neal Boortz, because there is some type of distribution mechanism that favors him is doing well. I can't tell you. There isn't any part of my body small enough that could be a repository for how much I care about that. But for you it's a game. See this is the problem with the conservative mindset Joe. You just want to win.

But you don't want to win anything of substance. You just need to make yourself feel better...

True to form Joe ended with another curious headfake

You screwed Randi Rhodes, God Bless Jeff Farias and Mike Malloy. Go to hell loser!

Go to Sam Seder's official website
Watch the exchange in Video (Sammy Cam, April 10 2008) - Recommended: Watch Sam candidly during program breaks, including him excoriating his bosses off-air.

Remembering Tim: Pundits reacting to Tim Russert's death

Respected journalist Tim Russert passed away today June 13, 2008. He was 58. Tim Russert was the host of 'Meet the Press' and NBC’s Washington bureau chief. Read Tim Russert's bio from 'Meet the Press'.

Here are a collection of statements made by APF Pundits. Many of the featured pundits (left and right) has at one time been critical of Tim. By and large he was respected for his fairness and passion for politics as well as his genuineness.

Rush Limbaugh on Tim Russert:

It's just a shame. Tim was a regular guy with that perpetual smile he wore naturally all the time. He loved life and got everything he could out of it. Whether it was at dinner here in Florida while his son was taking golf lessons, or on the set of Meet The Press, Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist.

Hugh Hewitt on Tim Russert:

A talented, ebullient Irish-Catholic kid who made good first in Democratic politics and then MSM and never forgot his family, his friends, his colleagues or Buffalo. A great American.

Read Hugh Hewitt's full post on Tim Russert's life

Mark Levin on Tim Russert:

I didn't know Tim Russert personally. I used to kid about him on my show. But I, like most others, am stunned and saddened by his sudden death. I always admired his deep commitment to his family.

He was obviously a wonderful father, son, and husband. And he wasn't afraid to show his love and affection for them. That will be his true legacy. And it is a legacy far more important than any professional or career accomplishments, of which he had many. I wish his family peace.

Mark Levin's statement came from Talk Radio blog The Radio Equalizer who asked "several key talkers for their reactions to the news". Read Radio Equalizer's full post on Tim Russert

Keith Olbermann on Tim Russert:

I don't know, in my 30 years in broadcasting, if I ever met anybody who enjoyed what he did from the beginning to the end, every aspect of it, enjoyed it more than Tim Russert and more importantly showed that as he did it.

View Keith Olbermann's videos discussing Tim

Michelle Malkin on Tim Russert

Curiously many liberal APF pundits didn't offer personal statements for Tim. I was only able to find one from Keith Olbermann who was a fellow MSNBC colleague. I didn't exhaust myself trying but I will add them as I find them.

Elitism: Barack Obama and Applebees

One of the proven ways for casting a villain is to label them 'elite'. You need not look any further than wrestling where elitism sits alongside the "obnoxious foreigner" as a staple villain caricature. Classic "elite" wrestling heels include 'The Blue blood' Hunter Hearst Helmsley and John Bradshaw Layfield.

The masses don't respond well to elites. We like our heroes to be accessible, likable, one of us. It's a curiosity of human nature, we don't mind if our sporting heroes or CEOs are obnoxious as long as they are winning or making the shareholders happy. When it comes to voting where we have a direct influence we will often consider other factors, personality often trumps talent. We want to elect people who we can relate to, someone we can be proud of. We don't judge Idol winners based on signing alone, we don't choose our favourite wrestlers based just on wrestling ability the same way we don't vote for our leaders based just on their policies. Unfortunately it sometimes just comes down to a popularity contest.

People respond actively against people they perceive as elites. That is why it's become a popular charge for politicians, birthing popular cliches like "they're out of touch with main street". Both parties view elitism differently. Liberals see elitism as the opposite of populism, being rich or well educated does not disqualify you from being in touch with the middle class or interested in the welfare of society. It's widely known that many 'Hollywood-types' are liberal, a function of creatives being predominantly left-leaning. This is an easy source of ridicule for critics with the decadence and hypocrisy associated with Hollywood.

Republicans view elitism differently. Whilst the republican base is known for a strong corporate makeup it also has a proud rural, blue-collar contingent. You will often hear variations of the insult "latte-sipping, gay-marryin', limousine elitists" in characterising their opponents. Liberals will often counter by saying that many conservatives vote against their best interests, that issues that like border security, gay rights and abortion that animate the populist wing are merely subterfuge for an agenda that mainly benefits the corporate wing of the party.

Barack Obama is latest politician to be painted as an elite.
Conservative commentator David Brooks famously said of Obama

"It's a big, historic movement, but the magic is not felt by a lot of people. It's not felt, obviously, by a lot of less educated people, downscale people. They just look at Obama, and they don't see anything. And so, Obama's problem is he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could go into an Applebee's salad bar, and people think he fits in naturally there. And so he's had to change to try to be more like that Applebee's guy, and as he's done that, he's become much more transactional, much more, "I'm going to deliver this, and this, and this for you" on policy.

Read the full transcript from MediaMatters

Jon Stewart has his say on elitism

I know `elite' is a bad word in politics, and you want to go bowling and throw back a few beers, but the job you're applying for? If you get it and it goes well? They might carve your head into a mountain. If you don't actually think you're better than us, then what the **** are you doing?!?

Stephen Colbert with his take on Obama

Is Barack Obama an ‘elitist’? Well, he does want to join a club with only 43 members!

The branding of Barack Obama and John McCain

Both presumptive Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain have an appeal that extends beyond the political realm and into popular culture. Despite his age (72, born 1936) McCain has a unique connection with popular culture having been invited to guest host SNL in 2002 and being a frequent guest on the Daily Show (a record 13 and counting).

Obama is no slouch either, his image is featured in all forms of creative expression from music, art to fashion. Barack is also Hollywood favourite, it's not entirely surprising being the Democratic nominee as John Kerry similarly had a lot of celebrity endorsements in 2004. Though it can be argued Kerry was only popular as an alternative to Bush and the figurehead for the Democrats rather than possessing any unique appeal.

Whilst John Kerry's election bid was assisted by celebrity-driven initiatives like 'Rock the Vote', Fat Mike's 'PunkVoter' and Puffy's 'Vote or Die'. Barack has inspired campaigns of creative expression like Will.I.Am's 'Yes We Can', a song comprised of Obama speech soundbites echoed by a gallery of celebrities. He has inspired art, with street artists like Shepard Fairey and Scott Hansen donating Obama pieces to raise funds for the campaign after initially spreading it autonomously. Barack has also become a fashion icon, it isn't surprising to see paparazzi snaps of celebrities wearing Obama T-Shirts. You won't need to look too far to find Obama inspired Tees.

Usually Politicians referenced on t-shirts are cheeky or protests, rarely will they be earnest endorsements. I referenced in a previous post that its not often you'll find photorealistic shirts with general adult appeal.

While Obama's image has had success resonating with the masses John McCain has struggled. He has an appealing narrative, a war hero with a 'Never say Die' spirit and arguably a more affable personality but McCain is weak on the mic. No real shame there as Obama is a uniquely gifted political speaker. McCain does have the ability to win over smaller pools of people with his humor and accessibility just not in the stadium sweeping fashion Obama does.

In fact this is a telling McCain weakness. McCain is better as a small-outfit insurgent candidate, he isn't known for his ability to coordinate large campaign organism the way Obama does - The marketing, the street team, promotions. Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone has an interesting piece on the Schizophrenic McCain identity
- The Branding of John McCain.

I encourage you to read the post along with the comments. Poster John Lemmings makes a poignant point that possibly indicts this post and my blog:

This is completely laughable, coming from and being associated with what is usually a somewhat respectable and well done publication (Rolling Stone)...

Rolling Stone, do a review of what your staffers are putting online. Viable political discussion is great to see, but this amateur content that would not even be viewed on someone’s livejournal is simply a joke.

Obama is just another candidate, playing the same political game that McCain is, not some magical revolutionary who is going to hug the world and make it a happy place. The fight is going to come down to real issues, not the colors of a website which will be viewed by a minority of the overall voting populace. Obama supporters trying to stroke the ego of other diehard Obama supporters is fruitless, give us real substance!

Bill O'Reilly, Bill Moyers and ambush journalism

Bill O'Reilly often sends his producer Porter Berry to ambush notable personalities to set up stories for his show, 'The O'Reilly Factor'. The people he targets have often been critical of O'Reilly or have refused to appear on his program.

The latest was an ambush of Bill Moyers at the 'National Conference for Media Reform'. Bill Moyers is an influential American journalist known for his investigative documentaries and long-form conversations with the world's leading minds. The conference was organised by 'Free Press' and held in Minneapolis.
According to the program overview on their website, The National Conference

will focus on broadening the media reform movement, envisioning the future of our media system, harnessing new technology for change, and achieving concrete policy victories through sustainable organizing.

The O'Reilly producer who came to ambush Moyers was awkwardly overmatched and quickly became the prey. Bill Moyers is seasoned and was well equipped to handle the O'Reilly surrogate. As keynote speaker, Moyers was also in friendly territory. Being a media conference the room had plenty of journalists and cameras to document and interrogate the lone ambusher.

Some of Moyer's best lines included.

- For the record I asked Bill to come on my show first (responding to why he declined to appear on Bill's show)
- I like to honor the people who do the real work in journalism and that's producers and reporters. It isn't anchors. It isn't the blowhards...
- Bill O'Reilly isn't a journalist, he's a pugilist

After Bill Moyers took the O'Reilly associate to task. Other citizen journalists took over and ambushed the man by shadowing and badgering him with questions of their own. Davin Hutchins, Managing Producer for the 'American News Project' led the charge:

- Do you think what you just did was journalism?
- Did you have a preconceived idea of what he was going to say?
- Did you come here to get facts, to set up a premise (or) a stunt...?

VIDEO: Fox ambushes Bill Moyers

The 'Producer's Notebook' section on BillOReilly.com provides a brief bio of Porter Berry, the ambushing producer. You can watch a previous ambush of Arianna Huffington here.

Porter Berry has been a producer for the O'Reilly Factor since 2005. Prior to joining Fox News, Berry was a filmmaker in Los Angeles for ten years. He received a B.A. in Economics from Texas Christian University in 1993. Berry was born and raised in Oklahoma City and now lives with his wife in New York City.

Read Bill Moyer's Bio from 'The Museum of Broadcast Communication'
Read the 'National Conference for Media Reform' program overview
Read more about 'Free Press' organization
Go to the official "O'Reilly Factor" website
Read more about the 'American News Project', the people questioning Porter Berry

Update: (June 11, 2008)
Bill O'Reilly returns fire using the footage his team captured. Bill seems a little threatened or at least intimidated by Bill Moyers as he calls him "fanatic", "crazy" and "scary"

VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly attacks Bill Moyers in body language segment

John McCain and Barack Obama official APF wallpaper

With Hillary 'suspending' her campaign, the official matchup is set. Barack Obama representing the Democrats and John McCain for the Republicans.

Below is the first wallpaper to mark this epic showdown. The tagline we've decided on is 'Hero and the Hope'. A few other taglines were considered, they included:
- The Sound and the Fury
- First and the Furious
- Soft Power and the Hard Power

Enjoy!

Let's celebrate the end of the Primary season

The primary season is coming to a close, and the nominees for their respective parties will soon be made official. John McCain for the Republicans and Barack Obama for the Democrats. To celebrate the end of the long and winding Primaries here is a new wallpaper.