Al Franken (who was a gabber on Air America for a while) has worked out exceptionally well in Congress. Would Rush?
Ed Schultz for Senate? Lou Dobbs for president? Maybe Glenn Beck as Sarah Palin’s vice presidential running mate?
It’s been a heady few months for talk show hosts who like to think of themselves not just opining about what’s wrong with Washington or their state capital but being able to do something about it. And with the 2010 election cycle just getting underway, there’s likely to be much more speculation about talkers becoming candidates.
After all, the popularity of those who take calls and help Americans vent has never been greater. Talk show stars are household names, their books automatic bestsellers, their political pronouncements capable of launching tens of thousands of emails and phone calls, and even massive protest marches. And the once-bright line between media and politics has all but vanished, while activists on both the left and right are frustrated with their parties’ elected leaders.
Plus, flirting with a possible campaign can’t hurt the ratings.
Yes I’d Vote for Terry Gross
I’d like to see them try! Al Franken showed he was willing to get and fight and try to build some thing. That’s much harder then just knocking down what others are trying to build (Palin got out because she could not control her image as a player but as a face book pundit with a ghost writer its easy to have those snappy(after a year or so) comebacks). Rush, Beck, Olbermann announce your candidacy put up or shut up. At least Colbert knows he’s funny.
Anyone NOT in the political hierarchy is a good choice.
I’d vote for Glen Beck or the leader of greenpeace if I thought there was an honest chance he’d clean out the lobbyists and corruption like Obama promised.
Why not? Talk show host, lawyer, farmer, grocer? Let ‘em all have a shot at it. But just one term each! Okay, two. But our forefathers didn’t see this career congress coming. They figured some civic-minded feller would sacrifice his family and his business for a short time as a legislator and then go back home. Now we get party players who come into office worth a few thousand dollars and retire worth millions. Congress is no longer an altruistic sacrifice, it’s a lucrative career.
Michael Savage should run, but he never will.
The vast majority of talk radio guys are hacks… they will blather-on for three hours on a subject but not bother to do ten minutes of research.
That being said, there are some good ones. I would put Franken in that group. Alan Colmes, Ron Reagan, Rachel Maddow and Bill Press all seem reasonable and committed to the facts.
Fair-minded, fact-driven conservatives are much harder to find but Michael Smerconish seems like an OK guy to me. I’m sure there are others.
Oh… Ed Shultz. I would NOT think of him as Senate material.
But maybe he’s the best North Dakota has!
>> Breetai said, on January 9th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
>> clean out the lobbyists and corruption like Obama promised.
Obama can clean out the Whitehouse but he has no control over he other branches of government. You know that.
I’d vote for Pat Sajak as mayor of Television City in a New York minute! Rachael Ray might do well at the Dept. of Agriculture.
But in general, no. Politics is a hard job, and it only gets harder as the group involved gets bigger. Think it’s hard corralling 100 senators? Try 435 Representatives! Not just anybody can do it successfully. It’s especially hard on the successful businessmen (and they are mostly men) who run on the idea, “I’ve actually had to come up with a budget and control spending!” These types are used to having their word be Law, obeyed instantly by ranks of toadying yes-men. Hah! Try that with a room full of (other) giant egos who have heard it all before.
The thing that most people don’t understand is that the job really does call for politicians. Someone who can get along well with lots of different types of people, who can elicit opinions from others, and who can disagree without unnecessarily making enemies.
So there are aspects to being a successful talk show host that fit with being a successful politician, but other things interfere, including the pay and not having top billing any more.
I think all the talk show hosts on both “sides” of the “aisle” would make better Senators and congressmen than the ones we have and here is why …
1. First, talk show hosts are generally on some level “thinkers”. Many of the people in the Senate aren’t thinkers but “power mongers”. The people that think are always better than those in it for themselves.
2. Second, talk show have naturally have the idea of general welfare of “The People” and try to maintain an audience. Many of the elected officials we have aren’t really interested in the general welfare of “The People” which is a “Bad Thing”.
Like to see
Stewart/Colbert 2012 vs. Limbaugh/O’reilley
#27 Greg Allen
His ADMINISTRATION has the same lobbyists Bush had. Obama just is a more well spoken version of Bush.
Fuck your a moronic sheep. We deserve tyranny.
im late here but i wouldnt vote for Lou Dobbs for S*it, hes a m0tha fucka racist.
ONLY if they are guaranteed to get assassinated.
#32
It’s not only Lou that’s racist imo. That whole Fox team can rot in hell.