Why Air America Failed

Read the first run of "State of the Nation" on DeskofBrian.com

http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/state-of-the-nation/whyairamericacollapsed

In the wake of Air America's funeral - the pending chapter 7 bankruptcy, it seems appropriate to evaluate why they failed...why liberal radio talk shows fail.

NPR

NPR is better. The leftist bias is present at NPR but is not as flaming, enraged and not distracting from the actual content. Air America never crawled out of there shadow.

Blame Game

You can't blame George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove for three hours, five days a week with little else to offer. The Republicans were hypocrites, abandoning their ideals and their base. Air America wasted most of their programming name calling, banging the anti-war drum and not honestly criticizing Democrats or the Clinton administration.

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert & Comedy Central

Yes I'm blaming them too.

The Daily Show's version of the news is far more entertaining and digestible than the vile and vitriol from the Air America hosts. Most conservative radio listeners are older, have families, children, busy lifestyles, are readers and will commit time to factcheck information. Air America didn't cater to this demographic and younger audiences prefer the satiric version on comedy central.


The financial ruins of Air America are not due to "tough economic times" but rather endless horrible ratings. Al Franken reported once that a payroll checked didn't clear - that was before the 2008 Wall Street collapse.

Inexperienced radio hosts, bad business decisions and a hollow message prevented the liberal radio network from blossoming. Air America was insignificant in the grand scheme of news and pop culture. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck made headlines NOT Randi Rhodes.

I really have enjoyed the opposing opinions and different perspectives, particularly Rachel Maddow. Of course, she's following the MSNBC trap and emulating Keith Olbermann laterly instead of learning from the failed Air America model.

Air America Cartoon published at cynicalnation.com, 2006

Liberals feuding over Haiti?

Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and Jon Stewart of Comedy Central rarely ever spar. This last Thursday was an exception to the rule as Stewart mentioned Maddow's poorly timed jab as the Bush administration:

"The idea of more diplomacy and development -- the idea of more USAID power -- is a major part of the Obama administration's agenda," Maddow said. "... All of that, central to what the Obama administration says it wants to do differently than what Bush and Cheney did."

After Stewart mentions leaving ideology out of the Haiti reporting the Maddow clip concludes leaving Stewart to announce: "Not the right time."

He then mocked Maddow, her audience and the network:

"Congratulations MSNBC viewers -- you're on the right side of this terrible, terrible tragedy"

Of course, that could and should be the end of it, right?

Nope.

Not on MSNBC -- Maddow replies on her show:

"I know that's politics, but, listen, I love me some Jon Stewart and the "Daily Show." I'm a big fan, but no apologies for reporting on which agency is the lead to respond to our national efforts to respond to Haiti, whether or not that agency is well-resourced, whether it had been subject to partisan attacks, how much the current administration values and prioritizes and indeed brags on that agency. We all as Americans are counting on our government to do a good job in responding to this catastrophe. This is what it looks like to report on our government's capacity to do just that.

Unfortunately the partisanship was brought to the table by you Rachel Maddow. Everyone knows the shortcomings of the previous administration, we don't need it highlighted right now. Did you mention how the local Democratic leadership in New Orleans failed their citizens during Katrina compared to Mississippi?

Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding President Obama using the disaster in Haiti is as deplorable as Danny Glover blaming global warming, but while we are still in the search and rescue phase political ideology could be checked at the door.


Danny Glover clip on GlitTV
http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/Current-Events/dannygloversitesglobalwarmingascauseofhaitianearthquake

As the Global Warming Soap Opera Turns

Do as they say, not as they do?

The climate change summit in Copenhagen prepares for an onslaught of scientists, but more specially the 1,200 limos, 140 private jets and 5 hybrids.¹ Hardly the ecofriendly means of transportation for the scientific elite.

From the Telegraph article: "The government has some alternative fuel cars but the rest will be petrol or diesel. We don't have any hybrids in Denmark, unfortunately, due to the extreme taxes on those cars. It makes no sense at all, but it's very Danish." -- Majken Friss Jorgensen, managing director of Copenhagen's biggest limousine company

By the way, the carbon footprint of the summit has not been released.

Estimates for Copenhagen, where 16,500 people from 192 countries will fly in using private jets, consume 200,000 meals and produce an estimated 41,000 tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equal ALL of the carbon emissions of Morocco in 2006.


Extreme taxes on those cars? No hybrid cars in Denmark? -- I need to move on.


Jon Stewart provide a smile or two with jabs at Al Gore: "Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very Internet you invented. OH. OH the irony."


There are two Academy Award members that are calling for Al Gore to return his Oscar. Roger L. Simon and Lionel Chetwynd made the request after the linked emails revealed to many, confirmed for many others, that the scientific foundation of global warming has been manipulated.



Lastly, the Obama administration wheeled out Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, to announce the most draconian policy ever. Ignoring skeptics, corrupt science, the government will tighten regulations. In May, the White House memo announced how CO2 was NOT a pollutant. Read my blog here.

This is nauseating politics at its worst.

Just in case my stance is unclear: we need to be good stewards of the earth, conservationists, fighting pollution and abuse - BUT NOT hysterically reacting to a questionable claim to allow for politics and money to decide our choices.











1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6736517/Copenhagen-climate-summit-1200-limos-140-private-planes-and-caviar-wedges.html


http://raymondpronk.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/white-house-memo-carbon-dioxide-is-not-a-pollutant-and-a-cap-and-trade-program-carbon-dioxide-tax-serious-economic-impact-the-smoking-gun-video/