Can someone please call Howard Stern and tell him

[mrgorth]

that HE is a social wedge issue and no democrat can risk championing his cause right now? He's still more for Kerry than Bush but he doesn't seem to understand why JK can't just defend him.

[efhmc]

1. He is a slimy misogynist. Free speech should be defended but this

is about his creepy ego and not about any good for other humans through free speech.

[libview]

2. Stern is crazy if he thinks Kerry is going out on a limb for him.

who cares about that pervert anyway.

[Bombtrack]

7. His 18 million loyal listeners care about him

And all Kerry is doing is taking a pass at a huge opportunity of votes

Not to mention denouncing political censorship is the right thing to do.

[NNN0LHI]

3. I would rather post shit about Rush Limbaugh being a junkie

Seems to me that we as Dem's could get a bit more mileage out of that story if we were actually trying to remove Bush in November. After all that is what we are trying to do. Aren't we?

Don

[fishnfla]

23. Well, Don, yes. But we cant turn his listeners

Limpball's listeners are bought and sold already, they cannot be turned. I'd be willing to bet a great number of Stern's fans have never voted before or at least are swing/undecided. Many of them will do as he says, he has played a role in previous elections.
There is a thread in GD today that is about this, kind of interesting.

[JI7]

4. kerry did defend stern's right to free speech

he just said that righ tdoesn't extend to a right to get heard on radio stations which is correct. but this is a bigger issue about media ownership and not about howard stern himself which needs to be addressed. and if kerry or any other democratic official said stern should not have been pulled by the station they would be asked about rush limbaugh , or michael savage being pulled from tv. and from wha ti remember most democrats supported those two assholes losing their tv spots. and i wouldn't worry about stern. he needs to understand the bigger issues. if he did he would have opposed bush long before they came after him.

[Bombtrack]

6. Stern was cencored from the radio because of his politics

it had nothing to do with some caller asking Joe Solomon if he'd ever banged any niggers or spics, which was the official reason given by clearchannel

[Bombtrack]

5. The people who are scared of Howard Stern are idiots

Religious kooks on the right and feminazis who hate straight men with any sex drive on the left

It's amazing that you can't see the obvious benefit that Arnold, Christy Whitman and George Pataki got, their victories, because they had the balls to go on Howard Stern. And if John Kerry wasn't an Imus kiss-ass and had any political courage he wouldn't cave

Oh, by the way, before any moderator delete's this post like the last time I used the term feminazi, I'd like to know why I'm not aloud to simply use a term that described an extremism of something liberal

[JI7]

9. Stern didn't help Rick Lazio

lazio going on stern didn't help him beat hillary. stern is not as influential when it comes to politics as you think he is.

[Bombtrack]

12. He could be when his listeners are afraid of him getting kickedoff the air

he didn't berate Hillary Clinton every day. He didn't go out of his way to get Lazio elected. All he did was vote for him.

There is very denying in my opinion though, that Pataki wouldn't have gotten elected had Stern not thrown his support to Pataki when Stern abandoned his own bid for governor as a Libertarian.

[w4rma]

10. Do "feminazis" exist? I've never met one.

And, if they do exist, there are probably too few of them to have any political clout, anyway. So railing at "feminazis" would appear to be much like setting up a strawman/imaginary target (feminazis) to rail at.

[Bombtrack]

13. You've never heard some bitter woman calling men slime or pigs

or scum because the men talk openly about valuing sexual attractivness of other women or talking about the lack of it in others in an undiplomatic way?

[efhmc]

20. "Bitter" because we think we should be valued as humans and not

objects. Taking about women as "sexually attractive in an undiplomatic way" is just another method used to keep women in their place, which is to serve and please men, and in the case of physical attractiveness, using a trait that only has to do with genetics.

[efhmc]

15. Please define the term. Since I am a Feminist, I sure that puts me in

the Rush category of Nazi. He really is the person you should ask, since he is such an authority on women and their goals in society.

[Bombtrack]

18. I'm not talking about the Rush category

Maybe the term does have roots on the right. But honest liberal and feminists(both of which I consider myself to be) should realize that it does apply, in some ways, to alot of people. Just like honest conservatives should admit that there are Jesus freaks and Gun-nuts that share many of their views.

Certain people can take a perception of persecution or victimhood too far, and it can sort of be called an absurd overblown political correctness at the expense of others: Minorities who call anyone who's not say for affirmative action a racist, gays who call anyone who doesn't agree with them stupid homophobes etc

[efhmc]

21. What else is there besides the "Rush" category? The term is used across

the board to describe feminist activists of whom I am one. I am also a Mother and a Grandmother and a widow and a person. I am not a Nazi. Rush Limbaugh and his ilk come much, much closer to that term than I ever will.

[eeyore]

14. It's Rush's Term

And it's completely offensive. And no, I'm not one of those who "hate straight men with any sex drive on the left". I'm a straight dude with quite a healthy sex drive. I just happen to understand that most women don't respond very well to being treated like the fuckbags that Howard and his minions seem to believe they are. Howard has a right to say whatever he wants, but people certainly have a right to object when they believe he has crossed the line. Personally, I find his brand of frat boy porn "humor" to be severely lacking in humor and short on intelligence. All he wants to do is shock, nothing more nothing less. Sorry, I don't find him any more shocking than a bunch of 10 year old boys calling each other "fag" and "pussy".

[KharmaTrain]

8. Points Taken

1.) Stern is being censored by Clear Channel for his politics and being used as a distraction by both CC and the GOOP from the issues of deregulation and as a strawman in the "culture wars" (a diversion from the real issues)

2.) Stern's not worth Kerry or any other major Democrat to go running to. He claims he was for Gore in 2000, but he wasn't screaming about the recount. He's also supported this regime after 9/11 and the Iraq invasion. He takes his seat with the other newcomers...no one gets a special pass or ride here.

3.) Broadcast ownership rules must be a priority in a future Democratic administration and a complete revisiting of the cross-ownership rules and it's anti-trust implications.

4.) Court cases should finally be brought about the legitimacy of the FCC and its purpose. Two main areas...its right to censor speech and how it grants access to the public airwaves (its ruthless opression of low power and pirate broadcasting).

5.) Exposure of the deep connections between Clear Channel and other large media conglomerates and the Repugnican party. Stern mentioned today that Loewry Mayes, Head honcho of Clear Channel, is one of the GOOP's largest contributors and constant bushbot golf chum...we need to see these people and turn them into the next Jeff Skillings and other robber barons...stealing our voices and airwaves.

I think picking on Stern will backfired on RoveCo. in the long-run as Stern's strongest followers are the male swing voters that either don't vote or went into the GOOP column in recent elections.

I hope Rove keeps this tactic up as his Cultural wars could backfire, uniting many diverse people who feel their forms of expression and freedom are being shut off and looking for someone to blame.

[w4rma]

11. Clear Channel needs to be broken up. I wonder if Stern would agree. (n/t)

[mrgorth]

16. Let me try this again

I'm not saying that Kerry should rush to Stern's defense. I'm saying that Stern should understand that Kerry can't do this and stop asking for him to.

[chiburb]

17. Who said Stern is asking for Kerry's help?

Not arguing, but I missed that thread (or something)...

[mrgorth]

22. Stern

was kicking Clear Channel and *'s ass this morning. The only thing is that he's dissing Kerry for not speaking up for him. He still thinks Kerry is better than Bush but he needs to drop the "Kerry should come to my defense" thing.

[eeyore]

19. Correct!

If Howard any clue he would realize the fallout that would result from Kerry supporting him. He is absolute political poison. He has a right to say whatever he wants, but I'm really surprised it's take this long for ClearChannel to shut him down. They are a massive right wing corporation - what do they want with the likes of Howard Stern? And don't get me started on the evils of media consolidation - I'm a musician and know it far too well for my own good.