If this women wasn't serious this would be comical, her Husband started Air America, no bias here.
UPDATE: We have been reminded that Senator Stabenow's husband,
Thomas Athans, is the co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network and is now the Executive Vice-President of liberal Air America. Liberal talk radio has of course failed miserably every time it has been tried, all the while watching it's conservative counterpart's success soar.
Which might lead one to believe that Senator Stabenow, in addition to her zealous will to slam the fist of government down upon her opponents, has some business skin in the game as well. If you can't beat 'em, censor 'em.
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Michael Calderone
in today's Politico reports on the latest liberal politician -- Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow -- openly touting their intent to silence their talk radio opposition with a reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine.
"Whether it"™s called the Fairness Standard (sic), whether it"™s called something else "“ I absolutely think it"™s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves."
Senator Stabenow was speaking on the air with liberal talk radio host Bill Press and to his eleven listeners nationwide. She insisted that she "think(s) it"™s absolutely time to pass a standard" and indicated she had "already had some discussions with colleagues" about Fairness "Standard" hearings and that she "feel(s) like that"™s gonna happen. Yep."
Mr. Calderone delivers us the exchange (
audio here)
BILL PRESS: Yeah, I mean look: They have a right to say that. They"™ve got a right to express that. But, they should not be the only voices heard. So, is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine?
SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): I think it"™s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it"™s called the Fairness Standard, whether it"™s called something else "“ I absolutely think it"™s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You know, that we all have to step up and be responsible. And, I think in this case, there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place.
BILL PRESS: Can we count on you to push for some hearings in the United States Senate this year, to bring these owners in and hold them accountable?
SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that"™s gonna happen. Yep.
They's a-coming, in some form or fashion, whether it's the Fairness Doctrine, the Fairness Standard, localism or minority ownership. No matter how they intend to travel, the destination remains the same: silencing conservative talk radio.
We have no problem at all with Bill Press speaking as freely and as often as he likes, unimpeded by crushing government regulation. We wish only that he and his fellow censors, like Senator Stabenow, would return the favor.
GLENN: So we have a senator now that is talking about the Fairness Doctrine, and we want to go back to this interview with Bill Press where she talks about, you know, this, we need, you know, we need to be able to have fairness on the radio and have people required to tell both sides of the story because we need to protect people because they listen to talk radio. They don't know that there's another side to the story, no. So we're just trying to help them out. And they were having this interview because Obama 1260 AM in Washington had just gone out of business. Who doesn't want to listen to a campaign commercial? Obama 1260 just went out of business in Washington D.C.
So back to the interview with Senator Stabenow and Bill Press.
VOICE: Is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine?
SENATOR STABENOW: I think it's absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it's called the Fairness Standard or whether it's called something else, I absolutely think it's time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency and, you know, that we all --
GLENN: Stop, stop, stop. She's claiming that Barack Obama is talking about accountability, that we're all held accountable for what we've done? He is talking about it, you are right. We're not doing anything about it, but he is talking about it. You are right on that one. And transparency, we got that one, too. Could you be any more transparent?
Here's the thing on talk radio. This is why this is the closest to the truth that you'll ever get -- no, I shun say that. The closest you'll get to the truth as someone really believes it than any other medium and here's why. Because I'll hear exactly what you think unfiltered just on the phone. You call me up.
Now, if you suck, you're not entertaining for the rest of the -- it would be like saying, "You know, Glenn, you take too many entertaining phone calls. Every third call's got to be boring as snot." No, there is a filter there. You've got to be entertaining, got to be alive, you've got to have something important to say. You get on the phone, you call. But nobody's telling you what to say unless you're a strange seminar caller that only seems to happen from the left. But anyway, so you're unfiltered. The reason why people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and me, we say what we believe and say what we are is because there's no corporation on top of us. There's no corporation. It's my company. It's my company. If I lose stations, it's my fault. It's my decision. All the time, everything I say, it's my decision. I get to say -- and they've done it to me before: "Glenn, if you continue down this road, you are going to lose stations." Okay. I make the decision. It's not that I'm -- I don't have 600 layers of people and corporations and attorneys and everybody else. And if I'm schlepping for anything, you'll hear it. Nowhere, nowhere else in the media do you get to know somebody as well as you do on talk radio because this is unscripted for three hours a day, every day, five days a week. Nobody in entertainment does this, no one. No one. Unscripted. You know why TV people generally suck on radio? Do you know why attorneys generally suck on radio? They don't know how to do it. They think, "Oh, well, you just get in a room and you talk." No, no, you don't. And talking for three hours a day is harder than it looks. This is a lot harder than television, lot harder. People say, "Oh, it just spills out of you." No, it doesn't. To be able to have a point of view, be able to talk for three hours and to make it entertaining enough for people to want to listen to it, there's the secret combination. They always seem to leave that last one out.
All right. So here she goes.
SENATOR STABENOW: Have to step up and be responsible, and I think in this case there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place.
VOICE: Can we count on you to push for some hearings in the United States Senate this year to bring these owners in and hold them accountable?
SENATOR STABENOW: I have already had some discussion with colleagues and I feel like that's going to happen, yeah.
GLENN: Okay. So now why does she feel so passionately about this? Has she been wronged by talk radio? Why is she so passionate? I'd like to introduce you to her husband. Her husband, the co-founder and former CEO of the liberal progressive Democracy Radio. Her husband, the Executive Vice President of Air America. Her husband, who left Air America radio, now heads Talk USA radio based in Washington, D.C. I'm wondering if Obama 1260 was one of his stations. Her husband is an executive at liberal radio! I mean, you can't make this stuff up! How is she possibly trying to put, "We just need some fairness and some transparency." Did she at any time say, "Look, I'm really not the person to talk to because I'm biased. My husband started Air America! My husband's lost three jobs here because he just can't seem to get it done! I've got to listen to this loser in bed every night going, nobody will listen to my stations. I don't think I'm the best judge. Maybe it's just me." Jeez. But if you'd like, you can call her for the other side of the fence on this one because you don't hear it any place else. So this is just my opinion. If you would like to ask her what her side of the story is, you can call her. The number is 202-224-4822. That's Senator Stabenow, and you just say, "Hey, I heard Bill Press talk about you and, well, I actually heard about it on the Glenn Beck program. So wow, it's almost like it was balanced there. I'm just wondering what your side is. 202-224-4822. Remember, be kind. She's had -- she's honestly, not only is she living with a guy who just can't seem to make radio work, she's like, "I'm dragging this bum around. I mean, he can't keep a job." But also her husband was, well, all right, he was caught up in a prostitution ring. They caught him in a hotel with a prostitute having sex for 150 bucks. So please go easy on Senator Stabenow. She's just got to get back to the work of the American people.
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"Fairness Doctrine"
LOL
