Great moments in the history of local AM talk radio

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KT beat us to it but consider this a perfect companion piece to NY Times' David Brooks column whining about the San Diego Republican Party's endorsement of Carl DeMaio over Nathan Fletcher.


Here's DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on the air with KABC AM 790's John Phillips.

Bottom line: if you are a national figure and you are going to opine upon local politics and the realities contained therein, you better have more in your arsenal than platitudes and national-level talking points.

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We don't think she'll be coming back anytime soon.



And in case you missed it: with respect to Brooks' column on San Diego and the alleged radicalization of the Republican Party, here is what we had to say:

Brooks describes Carl DeMaio, who did receive the party endorsement as "the more orthodox conservative". One wonders if Brooks did any research at all regarding DeMaio, the first openly gay city coucil person and the man who has been at the forefront of public employee pension reform, an issue that has resonated greatly with the voters of the city. If this makes DeMaio the more orthodox conservative and which also represents an "enforcing of conformity", then so be it but perhaps Brooks should pause to consider that at 3,000 miles away, he has zero feel for the political ground game here in San Diego before he puts fingers to keyboard to bellyache some more about the extreming of politics in this country.

Delving into local matters when you have no real feel for what the locals are thinking is a proposition fraught with peril. Proceed at your own risk.

Quotes of the day

See if you can detect a theme in 3 separate quotes in the past 24 hrs. regarding the G.O.P. and the debt ceiling negotiations


First up, Tina Brown:

BROWN: I think frankly the president would have no credibility if he did not demand some –

BUCHANAN: He’s going to demand it, but he’s not going to get it.

BRZEZINSKI: How is that — so I think the, what was the answer to my question that who the hostage take is, Willie [Geist]?

GEIST: Sounds like Pat’s boys. Pat’s boys are holding the hostage.

BROWN: I think they’re the suicide bombers in all of this.

BRZEZINSKI: Oh my.

Up next, Chrissy Matthews:

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said Tuesday it was scary that Republicans like Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) were willing to “not face the warning signs” about raising the federal debt ceiling and take the United States “right of the cliff.”

His guest, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), noted that it was a misconception that raising the debt ceiling would permit Congress to spend more.

“All we are doing is making good on the spending that has already occurred,” she said. “It’s like they bought a new car and don’t want to make the payments.”

Later speaking with Salon.com’s Joan Walsh, Matthews said that the Republican’s plan to hold the debt ceiling “hostage” until Democrats agreed to budget cuts was “terrorism.”

And lastly, President Obama at his goofy Twitter conference earlier today:

"Never in our history has the United States defaulted on its debt," President Obama said Wednesday during his Twitter town hall. "The debt ceiling should not be something that is used as a gun against the heads of the American people to extract tax breaks for corporate jet owners or oil and gas companies that are making billions of dollars because the price of gasoline has gone up so high. I mean, I'm happy to have those debates. I think the American people are on my side on this.

Again, with the corporate jet owners. Are they drinking slurpees, also?


You know, we probably shouldn't have emphasized portions of those quotes but it probably would've been way to difficult to pick out the theme common to the 3 quotes, dontcha think?

Good lord. We realize the need for talking points but could these people have paced themselves a bit instead of tripping all over themselves right after the 4th of July weekend to hone in their "messaging".

And in the aftermath of the Gabby Giffords shooting earlier this year, who was held responsible by the political class and their paid hacks in the media for her near-death experience because of over-heated and violent rhetoric? Oh, that's right. Right-wing talk radio. Glad we remembered that.

Talk show call and quote of the day

Caller: "I've done the unthinkable and now I must go into hiding."

Hedgecock: "What was that?"

Caller: "I've read the Arizona illegal immigration law."




The President's remarks during his meeting with Mexican President Calderon on Wednesday.



"In the 21st Century we are defined not by our borders but by our bonds."



Exit question #1: Does the man have any clue as to the significance of national sovereignty?

Exit question #2: Does that sound like a man who is serious about securing our borders?

"Step away from the computer."

“In the past I’ve been grabbed, pulled, shoved and otherwise abused at events, but never spat on. I think this is where I’m going to draw a line,” Arrington wrote in a post detailing the increasing threats to his safety and sense of well-being. “I’ve decided the right thing to do is take some time off and get a better perspective on what I’m spending my life doing.”

So… perhaps we shouldn’t be afraid of right-wing talk radio, afterall. But tech blog-reading nerds….? You jest? More here.