The day after the recent Congressional election, Rush Limbaugh dropped his guard to utter in disgust, “I am tired of carrying the water for those people,” meaning the Republican lawmakers, unless he was deluding  himself that he really was Gunga Din carrying water for the 19^th century British soldiers in India. My guess is that he was experiencing a moment of clarity, seeing some prominent Republicans for what they really are. Immediately preceding the election, Limbaugh’s usually clarion voice was constricted, like he was choking on his words of support for them. 

Rush was prescient. On Election day, the Republican Party lost half of its conservative base. The  scandals, corruption, excessive government spending, and the Mexican amnesty issue clouding Washington prior to the election caused many righteous conservatives to abstain from voting, The Christian conservative support was liquefying like the earth after a major earthquake, and Rush was struggling to keep his footing. 

A  principal advantage Rush has is not just his talent, but that he pioneered in and remains on a lot of powerful radio stations, and will probably stand fast till the ground under him solidifies. 

You may not find many conservative hosts willing to carry Dick Cheney’s water. He still insists that Saddam Hussein was involved with 911, that the Iraqis had WMD and atomic weapons, and that we are winning in Iraq, making him the “Baghdad Bob” of this country. You may recall that “Bob” was Saddam Hussein’s mouthpiece, who proclaimed that our tanks were stalled in the desert, though they were  rumbling just blocks away from where he was conducting a Baghdad press briefing. Iraq! A fine mess, Ali. 

In a short time, Glenn Beck has rocketed to 3d in ranking among talkers. He is a generalist, covering a broad number of subjects and quick to admit when he is befuddled. He does a convincing job of being everyman, and has a disarming way of handling hot issues.  

Beck recently appeared on Good Morning America to interview Keith Ellison, Congress’s first Muslim ever. He asked Ellison straight out a question that may have crossed a lot of minds, “Prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” Arab American groups were outraged, demanding that Beck be removed from GMA. Jim Murphy. Executive Producer, has invited them to appear on the show to air their grievances, the stuff of ratings building. 

In addition to radio, Beck has a highly rated TV show on CNN, in which he accused American Arabs of being apathetic to terrorism, that though 90% of them are peaceful, challenged them “to enter into conflict with those who make a mockery of the Koran.” Look for Beck to engage further with mainstream Muslims, the first man to break their reserve. It’s a classic example of Three Dimensional (3D) Radio* 

Roger Hedgecock is a master of 3D Radio. He frequently subs for Rush Limbaugh, proving to be popular on the national stage, but especially effective locally in San Diego. Like Beck, he has an infectious good humor, although he is capable of rising to great heights of righteous indignation when appropriate.

Hedgecock empowers his thousands of listeners by getting them personally involved in politics. This April, he will escort a large group of  KOGO AM San Diego listeners to Washington to confront lawmakers, demanding action on vital issues that he feels are being side-tracked or totally ignored by them. He instructs his listeners in the fine art of dealing personally with a Senator or Congressman. They come armed with flyers, T shirts, and firm appointments with the lawmakers. 

This year, the burning  Hedgecock  issue deals with the bizarre handling by the government of the two Border Patrolmen, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Campean, who in the line of duty, pursued a drug smuggler managing to shoot him in the buttocks, but failed to prevent him from scurrying into Mexico. 

One maddening aspect of this case is that the federal prosecutor, Johnny Sutton, friend of “W”, went into Mexico to find the drug smuggler  and gave him immunity in order to gain testimony against the two Border Patrolmen. They are now imprisoned for eleven  and twelve years in federal prison Assuming that you know about this, I will jump ahead to tell you that, when in Washington, Roger will use his formidable clout to petition the president to pardon them.  

Hedgecock has teamed with Congressman Duncan Hunter to compile 250,000 signatures demanding that the men be pardoned. There is even a threat by some Congressmen to try to impeach President Bush if either of these men is killed or injured in prison by vengeful drug smugglers. Ramos has been placed in the general population and already beaten. 

Three Dimensional Radio changes lives, and empowers every day people who feel they have been disenfranchised. It’s the  wave of the future. Not just talking to the audience, but interacting physically with them, and taking that next step, the way Hedgecock is doing it, raising an army of listeners to “hold their feet to the fire” as he puts it. 

Legislators have thick hides. They are accustomed to hearing a radio talker raise hell with them for a few days, knowing that it will blow over if they just ride it out. Hedgecock organizes posses and chases them down. He’s at www.rogerhedgecock.com 

Like Roger Hedgecock, Bill Handel, mornings 5a-9a on KFI in Los  Angeles, is a trained lawyer who happens to be on the radio. A brilliant explainer, it is not uncommon for him to do 20 minutes on opaque issues, making them understandable. Neither right nor left wing, he  breaks through the clutter of his listeners’ mind sets by sheer force of personality. Time and again, you hear Handel attack an issue, not just in an intimate one-on-one manner, but often in a high decibel rant, making damned sure you get it.   

A brilliant lateral thinker, and very often funny, he was awarded the Marconi Award by the NAB in 2005, and boasts the top Arbitron rated morning show in L.A. He is complemented by a sharp ensemble: Paul T Wall, Rich Marotta, Gary Hoffman. and Jodi Becker, who blend seamlessly, knowing how to bring out the best in him.

Michelle Kube produces. Enjoy him at www.kfiam640.com 

Now that Liberals are somewhat in, I will devote a future piece to them, but first, it will be necessary for you to memorize a few politically correct P. C. terms instead of  the crude vulgarisms you may have been using        

He is not a TOTAL ASS..

He has developed a case of  RECTAL CRANIAL INVERSION. 

He is not a BAD DANCER

He is OVERLY CAUCASIAN. 

He doesn’t have a BEER GUT.

He has developed a LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY. 

            She is not a  “BABE”  or  “CHICK.”.

            She is a “BREASTED AMERICAN.” 

            She is not “EASY.”

            She is HORIZONTALLY ACCESIBLE. 

            She has not “BEEN AROUND.”.

            She is a “PREVIOUSLY ENJOYED COMPANION.” 

Actually,  the most outrageous recent quote  was not by Rush or Cheney or Baghdad Bob but by Charlie Manson who was thrown into the Corcoran Prison hole because he spat on a guard. After two days in solitary he shouted, “Am I crazy or is it hot in here?” He comes up for parole this year. Probably won’t make it. It is prohibited to spit on a guard. 

Dave Schwensen has written a grabbing book titled “The Beatles in Cleveland” chronicling the two Beatle concerts there. The last concert was in August 1966 and the other (Oh! That other one,) presented by rival WHK, then #1, happened on September 15^th, 1964. Specs Howard, my KYW morning show buddy and I, went to the concert just to check out the opposition and, of course, catch the Fab Four. Instead we found chaos had erupted and the Police Chief had closed the concert down. Schwensen describes how Specs and I went on stage and quelled the teen riot, becoming known as the saviors of the Beatle concert. That act of mercy bagged  #1 for KYW in the very next rating, and we never looked back. Order the book  at www.beatlesincleveland.com 

* Three Dimensional Radio:  A term coined by Randy Michaels