Al Franken was a hilarious skit talent on Saturday Night Live, as well as a master “stand-up,” but he was no “stand up guy” for Air America. His Air America humor was not the hard-edged stuff of his renowned Emmy and Grammy award winning political satire, but mostly consisted of amusing witticisms, if at all..  

On his final show last week, he made a number of what should have been telling points, but delivered without the inflection natural to a good radio talker. Listeners were frustrated with him. They were Franken fans who wanted to be able to say, “Did you hear what Al Franken said today?” He provided few of those moments.  

About that last show: In one segment he said words to the effect, ”The Republicans insist they are the ones who love the military, but if they love them so much, why do they send them to war under-equipped?” It was so damning to the Administration that it should have been the dramatic climax to that set, yet it was delivered with the same flat inflection that he had been intoning moments before on a trivial topic. 

He just isn’t a radio guy 

When he announced his candidacy for the Minnesota Senate, his pitch was in the nature of, ”You may not believe I am serious about my candidacy, but time will show that I am.” He missed the opportunity to step up onto the podium. People shopping for a candidate don’t want to hear that kind of Shakespearean soliloquy. It isn’t “not to be.” It is “to be.”  

I admire Franken, the comic artist and thinker, and discussed  him recently with a seasoned Washington player.  

I’m sure he’s smart enough.” I said. “If he gets elected, I just hope he’s honest,”  He laughed. “Harry, never use that word ‘honest’ regarding politicians. In Washington, when they ask if a law maker is ‘honest,’ they mean, will he take money and keep his mouth shut? ”  

The Republicans must be afraid of him. He has barely announced his candidacy and they have already put out a book blasting him.  

It wasn’t all Franken’s fault. Air America was a poor venue. Clear Channel, a chain noted for its conservative bent, faced a sensitive problem in the last presidential election. They lacked a liberal voice in their collage of stations. There was a high probability that a democrat would be elected, and their overwhelming number of right wing stations  was downright embarrassing. It made sense to do a deal with Air America. Overnight, they had a respectable cluster of liberal stations.  

It wasn’t a huge gamble to Clear Channel. In most markets, they had more stations  than there were viable formats, and  besides, in the deal, they gave Air America the low powered runts of the litter. That quick paste-up job  almost proved prophetic. Al Gore lost by just a few hundred votes, appealed, but then was dispatched by a conservative Supreme Court.  

Ed Schultz is an excellent Progressive talker. He is not a wine and cheese liberal like so many of his colleagues. He is everyman, a meat and potatoes guy with a hearty laugh. 

He has a Midwestern friendliness and a funny sense of humor. It is not uncommon for him while interviewing a lawmaker to pay off their visit with a pitch in behalf of the working stiffs and how they are suffering due to massive loss of jobs to overseas. locations. 

However, he isn’t just pro-union. He can speak insightfully on a broad range of topics sliding from one to another with ease. He often surprisingly crosses ideological lines and gives another viewpoint a good airing.  He is excellent in interviews, handling a broad range of subjects that shows he does his homework. 

Some current  issues are:

His attack on Congress for poor oversight concerning 10 Billion dollars unaccounted for  in Iraq. 

Hillary’s waffling toward Iraq, and hawkishness toward Iran... 

His strong  stand against  importing 7,000 Iraqis to this country. 

His  views criticizing  the media for giving Anna Nicole Smith more coverage than they  did the war in Iraq or the Congressional debate on the troop surge in Iraq... 

 Avid support of the Border Patrol and tighter border security. 

He can be found on XM Satellite Channel 167  from Noon to 3pm ET.  

You will also hear him on scattered AM stations around the country. He recently took Air America to task for its bad business practices and poor air talent. It’s fun to hear him shout, “Air America sucks!” on Air America’s San Diego outlet, KLSD. 

You can also hear Ed Schultz at www.wegoted.com 

Roger Hedgecock’s  WAKE UP AMERICA campaign is catching fire. Roger, Rush’s favorite sub-host, is organizing a large group of  KOGO AM San Diegans to travel to Washington the week of April 21^st-25^th, dedicated to: 

SECURE OUR BORDERS

NO BLANKET AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS

DEFEND OUR BORDER PATROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. 

Not only will he escort a large group of listeners from San Diego who pay their own way,  but a projected 30 other talk show hosts from around the country will join Roger on the air that week, originating from Washington attempting to exert pressure on the Bush Administration and Congress to pardon and release the two border Patrol agents, Nacho Ramos and Jose Campean from their scandalous imprisonment for doing  their duty. In addition, Gilmer Hernandez the Texas Deputy Sheriff was imprisoned for the same outrageous reason, which is no reason at all.  

Roger was an unabashed Bush supporter. Now, he is asking that checks for the defense of the Border Patrolmen and the Sheriff’s Deputy be made out to VICTIMS  OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.  

If you are a Host or Producer or Program Manager and want to join other  talk shows on the air in Washington, call Producer Jimmy Valentine at 1 858  715 3348 

The Buddha said  “The one constant is change.” Talk Radio will soon radiate into a far brighter medium than it is currently 

There is a growing frustration among the  90% of  this country to know exactly what’s going on. As it is now, there are 5% of listenership on each side of the spectrum with the 90% middle not covered. An enlightened talker will soon emerge who will be able to play the opposite ends, yet appeal to this vast middle ground where truth often resides.  

The terms “Liberal” and “Conservative” will simply fade away. The Congress is at a standstill because of these psychic hang-ups. Get ready for change, the one constant.  

Far Right Conservatives will finally realize that backing a presidential candidate who is not going to win is a lose lose. Hopefully, they will compromise and gain a candidate who will meet them on more issues than they had dared hoped for. Bright candidates are out there waiting to bring harmony. 

The current system is not working for either side. 

Here is what I mean….

A  woman from Los Angeles, who was a tree hugger and an anti-hunter, purchased a piece of timberland, near Grants Pass, OR. There was a large tree on one of  the highest points in the tract. She wanted a good view of the natural  splendor of her land so she started to climb the big tree. As she neared the  top she encountered a spotted owl that attacked her. In her haste to escape,  the woman slid down the tree to the ground and got many splinters in her  crotch.

In considerable pain, she hurried  to the nearest doctor She told him she was an environmentalist and an  anti-hunter and how she came to get all the splinters. The doctor listened to  her story with great patience and then told her to go into the examining room  and he would see if he could help her.

She sat and waited three hours  before the doctor reappeared. The angry woman demanded, "What took you so  long?"
 
He smiled and then told her, "Well, I had to get permits from the Environmental Protection Agency, the  Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management before I could remove  old-growth timber from a recreational area. I'm sorry, but they turned me down." 

To paraphrase Martin Luther King, “I have a dream. I look forward to the time when little Conservative boys and girls will walk hand in hand with little Liberal boys and girls. And all of the  little Centrist boys and girls will want to jump in and play.”  

This is my dream, also..  I have no dogma in this hunt.