Lionel on Air America this morning. WTF?

[drm604]

Did anyone else hear Lionel this morning on Air America? He was arguing against hate crime legislation. And he was using versions of the typical right wing arguments.

• All crimes are hate crimes.
  
• We're creating "thought crimes" which is unconstitutional.
  
• We shouldn't treat crimes differently based on motivation.
  
• etc.
  

WTF? They replaced Sam Seder with this?

[Connie_Corleone]

1. He leans more libertarian. I never liked him when he was on locally.

[AndreaCG]

I haven't listened to Lionel since he started

I bet a lot of Sam Seder listeners have done the same.

[Dawgs]

2. I tried him for the first time this morning.

I turned it off after three minutes.

[JackBeck]

3. I did and he was conflating hate crimes laws with "To Catch a Predator".

Talking about homosexuality and pedophiles at the same time.

Today was when I decided to stop listening to his show.

[elfin]

4. I WILL NOT listen to him - even in the car

where I have XM and that is who they carry. Switch to Cspin or NPR orBBC or music.

I hope his stay is SHORT.

Don't even like Schultz.

Wish XM had Hartmann.

[Liberal In Texas]

11. Same here. Since I bought XM for AAR, I feel like I got cheated out of half my money.

First XM won't carry Hartman, then AAR puts on this Lionel idiot.

The guy sounds like some sort of smart-ass wise-guy wanna be. I heard some of this stuff about "intent" this morning on my way to a job. He was arguing with a lawyer, who I thought had great points. After she was off, he trashed her. I then switched to XM 150 and listened to comedy the rest of the way in.

HEY GREENS!...Replacing Sam with this clown was a big mistake. I don't care if he is cheaper, it'll cost you in the long run.

[k8conant]

12. I heard that lawyer-trashing today also...

Lionel said she was crazy for relating intent to motive.. He was totally off the wall and dismissive. I was disgusted.

A couple weeks ago I called in and said that Michelle Malkin and W. were both sounding uneducated (and a friend who is no longer Republican had said that to me about W) and Lionel said I wouldn't get anywhere calling people that when I disagreed with them. Here he was doing that and worse.

[drm604]

15. You should let XM and AAR know how you feel.

I listen to the net feed for free so they probably don't care much what I think but, since you're a paying customer, they may give your opinion a little more weight.

[Liberal In Texas]

31. I have, several times.

But I really think by the time we knew this was going to happen, it was already a done deal.

My guess is that Ed started negotiations when Frankin's slot looked like it was going to open up, and got some deal with them that would pay them some of his ad revenue. By the time us "subs" knew anything, he already had a contract.

If nothing else, that Ed's a wheeler-dealer.

[wryter2000]

34. You get Schultz in Franken's old slot?

I thought he was live at 3:00 EST. That's after Franken's old slot. I get him instead of Randi on my AAR affiliate. (Which sucks!) I get Hartman in Franken's time.

[pstokely]

16. They do have Hartman at night

[peaches2003]

24. Big Deal

On at night, but you have to be a total night owl. His rerun is on Midnight to 3 I think it is. I stream him on the computer Noon-3 on AAR and pass on Ed Schultz on XM.

[cui bono]

22. If Hartman is on AAR why won't XM carry him? nt

[pstokely]

27. Ratings or contractual obligations

[bullwinkle428]

5. Haven't listened to him once as I remain a huge Stephanie Miller fan!

[drm604]

6. I turned it off after a few minutes and put on a local rock station until his show was over.

I would have thrown something or busted a vein if I'd continued to listen.

Normally I could listen to such opinions without getting too upset, I'd strongly disagree but I'd let it roll off me. But hearing this crap coming over AAR was too much. Wasn't the original purpose of the station to present an alternative to right wing views?

[LibDemAlways]

7. The other day he was talking about

immigration and a caller suggested that immigrants ought to be forced to serve in the army. WTF? Anyhow, Lionel's response was that then we'd have an "army made up of Mexicans." I couldn't believe I hadn't tuned in to some freeper station by mistake. Terrible.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

8. like we've been saying, he's a rightwinger

i think he has compromising photos of mark green or something.
he's annoying, old, out-of-touch, egotistical, homophobic and boring. what the hell were they thinking?

bring back sam!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. my aar station is becoming unlistenable

lionel from 9-12, then they break away from aar and air fat eddie instead of thom hatmann til 3
that's 6 hurs of non-progressive programming on a station that bills itself as 'west virginia's progressive talk'

[IndyOp]

10. So the word "anarchy" spray painted on a grocery store is just like a swastika on a temple?

Right, Lionel. Next time: Try thinking just a little bit PAST the reichwing talking point.

I listened to him one day and gave up. I have Air America Premium so I listen to a show I didn't get to hear the previous day -- Thom, Rachel, Randi, Ring of Fire, Seder on Sundays...

[jobycom]

13. I heard that. Turned him off. He's better than some of the people

they were toying with after Seder left. I had some issues with Seder, too. I hated his closet door routine. I've liked Lionel the couple of times I've heard him, up until today. I'll give him a couple more shots, I guess. Lots of nice music stations to listen to if I can't stand him. Lately, I've only been able to handle Randi, and Rachel Maddow.

Just my thoughts. I agree with you, those were all the right wing excuses, and he ignored, often curtly, the callers who made good points. He was hung up on hate crimes being punishment for what the criminal was thinking, rather than what he did (and he was right that some of the callers didn't understand his distinction), but he ignored the point that hate crimes are distinct crimes, not for the thoughts of the criminal, but for the action of targeting an entire group for the purpose of terrorizing or "punishing" them. That's a separate action, a separate crime, not just the "thoughts" of the perpetrator.

I wanted to argue with him at the time that a person who breaks into a house to rob it and then kills the occupant would be charged with two crimes. In the same way, a person who murders and individual, and by murdering that individual terrorizes a group of people who plans to terrorize, has committed two crimes, not one. One victim is dead, the rest are left horrified, grieving, and concerned. He seemed to miss that point, though others tried to raise it in different ways.

[Liberal In Texas]

14. Kick and added a rec. ... 'cause I can't stand this guy. n/t

[greenbriar]

17. I listened to him once...he called teachers bad names

someone called him on his shit and he denied it


he is crap

[LaPera]

18. Been listening to AAR - www.airamericaradio.com

Not him though....Mostly good liberal radio...

www.airamericaradio.com

[Jim Sagle]

19. Luckily WCPT in Chicago carries Stephanie Miller instead.

[Norquist Nemesis]

40. Amen to that!

Although they still carry his "best of" on Saturdays. :(

[jgraz]

20. Lionel is a fucking idiot

The guy just makes no sense. Someone suggested earlier that actual progressives phone-bomb his show and let him know that we're not interested in his particular brand of bullshit.

The guy has no business on Air America. Bring Back Sam!

[cui bono]

21. I couldn't listen to him for more than 5 minutes when he was on nights

on KTLK in Los Angeles. I kept asking them to put Sam Seder on instead.

[byronius]

23. You're all making me miss Sam worse than I do.

I don't bother with Lionel. Randi, everyday. Young Turks. Seder on Sunday.

Perhaps they'll figure it out someday.

Sometimes I really, really miss the old Al and Katherine days.

Though they were dark, dark days.

Not that we're all walking on sunshine these days.

But we're climbing out of the well.

Gore/Seder 2008.

[gr8dane_daddy]

25. I gave Lionel the first couple of weeks...

starting to mold on me now. Seems he's a libertarian version of Dennis Miller...showing off his vast vocabulary. I miss Sam....oh well, I guess its back to listening to local sports talk in the morning. I've written aar and dropped Sirius (like they dropped aar). Local station plays eddie too instead of Thom....*sigh*

[K8-EEE]

26. Not withstanding the hate crime issue, (didn't hear it) I WILL say

That man is such an incredible bore, I've never made it through even 5 minutes of that show. To me above and beyond any position on any issue -- boredom is the cardinal sin in talk radio.

[Sewsojm]

29. Lionel Sucks,

I tried to listen to him but he Sucks so bad, it won't be long and Randi & Thom will be gone from AAR too. I listen to www.novamradio.com more than AAR, Mike Malloy & Jeff Faris are great.

[corkhead]

28. two words: Stephanie Miller

same time slot. when Seder was broomed, I went looking elsewhere and started listening to her. I haven't looked back.

[Hieronymus]

30. Lionel is a fool.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

32. Thankfully our progressive station carries Jay Marvin first thing in the morning and then right to

Hartmann.

I wonder why they settled on Lionel when there is such a terrific progressive radio host here in Denver/Boulder. :shrug: MKJ

[wryter2000]

36. Jay Marvin's cool

I used to love when he replaced Springer.

[wryter2000]

33. Turn on Momma

Ever since I heard of this guy, I've been sure to listen to Stephanie Miller, instead. I used to be torn between her and Sam.

You can stream her on www.ktlk.com if your local AAR affiliate doesn't broadcast her.

[npincus]

35. he is frickin' horrid. NOT listening ever again.

[Snotcicles]

37. I'm a truck driver who listens to AAR all day on XM radio.

I am a Big Sam Seder fan and was very disappointed when that move was made.
After listening to Lionel now daily, I find him very intellectual and very funny.
If you can't grasp the points he was making about hate crime laws on 6/6/07 or his point about entrapment on 6/7/07 YOU WORRY me.
Try really listening to him and thinking about the subject.
I'm not trying to belittle anybody, I think his style may turn some off but his points are on target.

[drm604]

41. I worry you?

I can grasp his points perfectly well, I just disagree with them. Are you familiar with that concept? Is it possible for you to grasp that I can understand a point but still disagree with it?

And I said nothing about his remarks on entrapment. I wasn't even listening when he talked about that, so it's beyond me how my opinion on that could worry you.

Maybe you're not really trying to belittle anyone, but if not then you're sure doing a good imitation of someone who is. :eyes:

[DefenseLawyer]

38. Sorry, but I agree

I don't know this Lionel character, but I am against the concept of thought crimes. The idea, that one who is motivated by a certain defined manifestation of "hate" is worthy of greater punishment than someone who is motivated by some other kind of hate or some twisted motivation having nothing to do with hate is wrong, in my opinion. More importantly as a practical matter you are giving the State the power to punish two people differently for the same crime based upon the State's conclusion of their respective motivations. Suppose you were in a county where the prosecuting attorney was a white supremacist. It would be very easy for him to use hate crimes legislation to determine that any crime alleged to have been committed by a black person upon a white person was motivated by racial hatred, but conclude that any crime committed by a white person had some individualized motivation other than hate. That wouldn't be fair and it certainly wouldn't be what the well intentioned supporters of hate crimes legislation intended.

[Snotcicles]

39. Ding ding ding ding nt

[drm604]

42. It would be based on the jury's conclusion,

not the states. And it would require some evidence beyond someone's opinion on what they were thinking.

A racist prosecutor can be a problem in lots of ways. He doesn't need hate crime laws to enable him to create injustice.

The fact that a prosecutor might abuse or misunderstand a law is not a reason to not have that law. It's a reason to monitor prosecutors.

[DefenseLawyer]

43. Only about 5 percent

of criminal cases end up before a jury. In the real world the State's decision on what charges to bring impacts far more defendants that the decisions of juries.