This guest post is from CertaiNOT, who listens to talk radio so that you don’ t have to …
Environmental groups thinking of protesting anywhere to support action on climate change should consider picketing the Limbaugh and Hannity superstations. There may be no better place to get Obama’s back and show support for global warming action during the Copenhagen climate summit.
Limbaugh and Hannity both have been giving “Climate-gate” full attention, complete with guest denial ‘experts’, claiming it is proof that global warming is a hoax. Environmentalists, Americans, will be making a huge mistake to let “Climate-gate” play out on TV and print and blogs, expecting this to be hashed out in the MSM between flat earther denialists and rational informed environmentalists.
The GOP talk radio machine loves something like this where they can say the ‘liberal’ trad media is ignoring the ‘facts’ and they can go on and on unnoticed by the left. GOP talk radio has been doing the heavy lifting on Overton windows for 20 years and is negating recent gains (like electing a president who believes) toward passing meaningful climate action.
Limbaugh has spent three days frothing about being right the last 15 years and that these leaked emails prove that global warming is a hoax. Hannity has joined in. Regardless of how irrational they are that means it will be just about impossible to get any GOP support on climate deterioration action. Politicians and meteorologists who were thinking it might finally be safe to say the words “global warming” will now be barraged with denialist screaming dittoheads. Hoax! Senator Inhoffe is right! And the blue dogs in red states where talk radio rules will have the same screaming dittoheads in their face on global warming as they’re getting on health care reform.
The rest of the right wing loudmouths will likely fall in line as usual, reading the same talking points and ‘interviewing’ the same experts from the GOP and the corporate think tanks. It is irrelevant that the denialists will be proven tragically wrong in the near future- they have 1000 radio stations, an audience of tens of millions, and are protected by call screeners to make sure they never get real criticism.
The same 1000 radio stations that make a supermajority necessary for every major issue will do the same again on global warming. Fox will add visual effects.
Many progressives will see delay on climate change as another Obama failure even though Obama has already asked us to get his back regarding talk radio. When he named Limbaugh head of the GOP he did what Clinton, Gore, and Kerry should have done. The GOP media machine fell apart for weeks because all the GOP’s media operatives and politicians had RUSH tattooed on their foreheads. The rest of the media couldn’t rechew the same prechewed talking points without acknowleging who did most of the chewing in the first place. But progressives dropped the ball and attacked Limbaugh personally for a while, ignoring the real problem.
In his health care speech Obama named talk radio and cable TV as the main culprits spreading the lies, in the that order. Did everyone miss that?
Recently he said Fox TV was behaving like talk radio. I think he’s saying it starts with talk radio.
Their purpose is obstruction and compromise and progressives cannot leave the talk radio soapbox unanswered while it enables the flat earthers in the congress and senate to continue obstructing what should be a no brainer effecting all life on Earth. Blogging about a few of their most racist or ridiculous comments isn’t going to do it.
Limbaugh just had his third day on this. He has years of experience seeing the talk radio machine make a difference. He knows he’s going to obstruct climate change action because his giant soapbox has never been contested. And once again progressives may get punked by Limbaugh and not even know it.
GOP and red state Dems thinking of doing the right thing amid hoards of screaming dittohead deniers need support. How can the left collectively think it’s getting Obama’s or Dem reps’ backs if they ignore the loudest soapbox on the planet, with giant megaphones in every state, while all day long it threatens them and lies about the causes they want to push?
Global warming won’t wait for radio demonopolization or satellite radios or iPods in every car. Calling and emailing Limbaugh’s studios is useless but every state has at least one Limbaugh megastation to picket. And their local sponsors need to be called and asked if they agree with the global warming denial and hatemongering.