If you wondered how fast WTIC-AM would slide to the bottom

(WTIC-AM. Dimmer, longer.)

It didn't take long.

Granted, Vicevich began his extra hour on Friday, Jan. 2, but this morning, on his first Monday, of his first full week of expanded programming, I decided to tune in one last time to be an earwitness to the transition to advanced stupidity.

I was not disappointed.

At five minutes to nine, conservo-solo-host Ray Dunaway called Vicevich to the mic, and together they concluded that Harry Reid (who I am no great fan of), was the "most despicable person on earth." Harry Reid? Spineless, maybe. Driven by devotion to his benefactors, probably (but these days, which politician isn't?), but "most despicable?" Seems like the start of some the same kind ongoing right-wing hyperbole Limbaugh invented.

Harry Reid is a "weasel" Dunaway pronounced.

So much for balanced on-air opinionating.

Vicevich began his show with a months-old Nancy Pelosi soundbite that he must have played hundreds of times on his show (every time I ever listened, he played it at least twice), a music cut from Rodney Crowell (one of the twelve American acts he actually knows anything about), and then launched into a stammering (because he is a stammerer) tirade about corrupt Democrats. While he might be right on the Democrats, he laughably omitted any hint that Republicans, especially Bush Republicans, might also be guilty (and have been shown to be guilty) of cronyism, corruption and pay-to-play.

Vicevich announced the litany of tired-and-true conservative commentators who would join him over the next few days, hiccuped through a lame tribute to Diane Smith, and then with Dunaway on mic with him, they launched into a defense of "poor John Rowland" who was driven from office on "trumped-up charges."

Oh lord.

Is this the same John Rowland I'm thinking of? The one who was convicted of corruption and did jail time? That John Rowland?

I had had enough. I reprogrammed my pre-set, and tuned into John Dankowsky, who inevitably will garner a lot of new listeners. If WNPR would feature traffic reports (and they should), I would never have a reason to tune to any AM radio stations.

With confirmation that CBS is preparing WTIC-AM for sale, we can only hope that the dim-burning light of conservative liars will disappear when some corporate giant like ClearChannel who will make it all-satellite all the time, and another local station will disappear, along with its vexingly-stupid show hosts.

It's a shame what's happened to Jim's blog

Just thought I'd share the "success" of local right-wing radio (WTIC-AM) shouter Jim Vicevich's blog in the past six months. He got off with a bang, thanks to some significant pointing from big-time wingnut bloggers, but it's been all down hill since then. It's an average of 25 visits a day for a blog that's advertised on a 50,000 watt "flamethrower" AM radio station broadcasting in a very densely populated corridor of the country, and doing the opener for Limbaugh. As Vicegrip might say himself, "Not much to see here folks."

Beating down a straw man

By now, it's clear that Barack Obama's message of change and hope scares the bejabbers out of conservatives. So the attack is on. Obama's a inspirational speaker but there's no substance, they say. Obama is bringing new voters into the process, but he's got no experience, they say. Obama's appealing to fed-up Republicans, but they aren't real Republicans. All nonsense of course.

The measure of their fear can be found in David Brooks New York Times commentary today, entitled, When the Magic Fades. In it, Brooks sets up a mystical straw man who is only superficially similar to the candidate, so that he can knock this scarecrow god from his pedestal, and tear him apart.

Brooks doesn't relegate straw-man manufacturing for the candidate, painting supporters as some kind of addicted mob. He writes:

Up until now The Chosen One’s speeches had seemed to them less like stretches of words and more like soul sensations that transcended time and space. But those in the grips of Obama Comedown Syndrome began to wonder if His stuff actually made sense.

Of course, there is no evidence of this flagging support, save in a press that has built a candidate, and now wants to tear him down. This "candidate remorse" is a fiction created by a jaded, and conservative press.

He writes:

Barack Obama vowed to abide by the public finance campaign-spending rules in the general election if his opponent did. But now he’s waffling on his promise.


The minute Obama decides not to abide by public financing, this argument will be legitimate, until now, it's a nasty attack about something that hasn't happened.

He writes:

If he values independent thinking, why is his the most predictable liberal vote in the Senate?

This is, of course, the vaguest kind of criticism. What does "most predictable liberal vote in the Senate" really mean. Predictable by whom, and about what? Brooks should know that the most predicatable vote in the Senate is any Republican, because they vote lockstep, as a block, to counter ever bit of legislation that comes before them. Remember that "liberal" Senator Creepy Joe™ Lieberman? I'd wager his vote is far more predictable than Obama's.

Brook's column is filled with these imaginary sins. But you'll hear more about them. Just turn on any conservative talk radio show between now and the election. The list of outrages will be long, and the charges rancorous, but the actual facts will show that most of the charges are fairy tales.

When the magic fails? Magic is sleight-of-hand, Mr. Brooks, and the master of misdirection only has a few more months in the White House. If you're talking about failed magic, maybe you should direct your observations to the abracadabras of terrorism, patriotism and the free market.

Time to dump the mugwumps

Historically speaking mugwumps were Republicans who abandoned their party to adopt Democratic principles. In a more generic manner, the world came to define political straddlers, and fence-sitters (sitting with their mugs on one side of the fence, and their wumps on the other), what some beltway politicians lovingly refer to as bi-partisan.

Paul Krugman, who is as often right as he is righteous, gives us reason to turn the mugwumps out of office and elect political leaders who are willing to take on the progressive fight that a majority in America is demanding.

Thanks to SF Hansen for bringing Krugman's Slate essay to my attention.

The hour of the boogie man

I don't know about you, but there's nothing more frightening to me then a right winger with a microphone. Okay, maybe a Yale C-student with an Oedipal complex and the most powerful job in the world.

So, you stumped about how to scare the goblins who ring your doorbell and beg for an invitation to get Type II diabetes?

Try these.

If you don't think they're scary enough, think about a national emergency, martial law and the abolition of elections. Don't say, "boo," say "Cheney."

I'm an ass

Yes, I'm a registered Democrat, though sometimes I cringe at how our elected officials act.

Lately, the opposition party, and conservative groups, have taken to tormenting members of the Democratic party by dropping the "ic" and calling it the Democrat party. I understand it's an attempt by Republicans and conservatives to separate the positive connotations of "democracy" and "democratic" philosophy from the Democratic Party itself (truth be told, there are plenty of Democratic party members who do their damnedest to denigrate the principles of democracy).

Still, the dictionary definition of "democrat" is one who embraces democracy.

I think Democrats ought to embrace the term "Democrat Party" and make it synonymous with "Democratic Party." Call me a member of the Democrat Party because I embrace democracy. And call me a liberal, because that's not a dirty word either.

And you can call me an ass, because I am. So are you.

See Colin McEnroe on the importance of being a dem in CT.