The Coming Talk Radio Boom
One reason progressive political blogging has been successful over the past five or six years is that we progressive bloggers are awesome. Another reason, though, has been that the broader political and media situation clearly left a gaping void ready to be filled by the millions and millions of Americans who thought George W. Bush was doing a crappy job as president even back when he was pretty popular. And beyond the niche issue, it’s simply easier for a commentary-driven medium to exist in the opposition — looking at stuff other people say and do and explaining why it’s wrong or making fun of it. Thus, I’m certainly expecting the rise of a Democratic-controlled Washington to be good for conservative talk radio.
It won’t be the same, of course, because those guys aren’t starting from zero and they don’t have the technological winds at their back. But in the early months, especially, even conservative politicians will probably be mostly eschewing the sort of extremely strong criticism of Barack Obama that millions of rightwingers will be yearning for.
34 Responses to “The Coming Talk Radio Boom”
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December 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
You have been had Matt, along with your readers and other liberals.
It’s back to the old triangulating and capitulating ways of the Dems in the name of bipartisanship. We know who gets the short end of the stick in that one. And we also know how that ends.
Third Way my ass!
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
And now that progressives are in power, who will fill the gaping hole left by “progressive” bloggers such as yourself who sell out to power and abandon the ideals they wanted to fight for in the first place?
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Matt: Love the blog. I’ve read CAP stuff as a result of your posting it here. I had never really paid any attention to CAP before you moved your blog there.
I do agree with the others that you should be a bit more transparent about why it was that your boss was posting last night on it. I’m not so naive to believe you are completely unfettered in what you post, or that that was even the case at The Atlantic. It does seem, though, that you have a credibility issue to at least clear up.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Does this mean its back to hearing the radio right wing screaming that at any moment there would be a Hillary Clinton / Russian / United Nations invasion of the USA where we’re all be forced to gay marry and worship the environment?
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I noticed something funny about conservative talk radio. Almost all of the (very few) liberal radio shows involve people talking to eachother, with the listener as an observer. I like to listen to the righties every once in a while, and they spend a lot of time doing it differently. They talk at the listener, then have long pauses. I suppose so the listener can talk back. I think Randi Rhodes is the only leftie that I’ve heard do that. I wonder if that’s why I never listen to her.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
At least on talk radio it is clear when it’s a commercial.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
You’re spot on when you say “it’s simply easier for a commentary-driven medium to exist in the opposition”. This is reflected in the fact that, in the early days of the blogosphere, it was conservative blogs that were seeing greater success in Canada, where the centre/left was still better represented in government and the media. It’s also interesting to note that now that the right is growing stronger in Canada, progressive bloggers are becoming more prominent here.
Now regarding the elephant in the room that people keep trolling about: yes, Matt, if you’re reading this, you need to address the issue sometime soon. But everyone needs to cut Yglesias some slack here. The man’s not going to publicly insult his boss from overseas just to placate you. Give him some time to sort out the matter.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Matt, you forgot to begin this post with a disclaimer explaining that you are speaking purely for yourself and not for CAP as a whole.
I eagerly await a guest post from Ms. Palmieri explaining that no offense was intended for right-wing talk radio.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Matt is overseas? I thought he got back from Scandinavia a while ago.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Hmmmm, Limpbaugh can openly mock people suffering from an incurable disease, but let Liberals let out a mere squeak about hyper timid incrementalists from dipwads at 3rd Way and Dems get the vapors.
Hey Villagers…we’re not laughing with you, we’re laughing at you.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Great post Jennifer.
BTW, I am independent. I voted for Obama in the general, McCain in the primary. I started reading Matt Yglesias’s blog when he was at the Atlantic. My only complaint so far with Obama’s cabinet selections is Tom Vilsack. But, if he selects Jennifer Palmieri for any position in his administration prior to her apologizing for draconian overlordship and suspected takeover of Matt’s blog, I’ll personally write President-elect Obama a note of my extreme displeasure. He spoke of welcoming dissent, but someone like Palmieri clearly flies in the face of such values, unless both she and Matt explain she will never do this again and she apologizes for her misbehavior.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Maybe we do need to give Matt a little time to handle this.
But, Matt, surely you can see at this point that Not Addressing The Elephant raises the question whether that’s your decision or whether you’re under orders not to discuss it. And until that is cleared up, it leaves some major question marks hanging in the air, and makes it impossible to read this blog in a ‘first-order’ way.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Honestly, this is all a result of the fact that all of you seem not to have understood that Matt moving to CAP was a profound change for his blog. When did CAP ever say “We are an unfettered media outlet which hires people to write about any old thing they want?” Did you not get the memo that CAP is a public advocacy agency? That it has a defined and set orthodoxy? I don’t like Matt have editorial constraints either. But that’s a natural consequence of his working for CAP. Those who haven’t understood that fact are at fault, not Matt for following the dictates of his job.
As a consumer of Matt Yglesias’s blog, would I have preferred he stayed in a more traditional media role and have less outside influence on his posts? Absolutely. But that’s an entirely separate issue from whether CAP is placing “unfair” burdens on Matt’s output. Matt is getting paid to write for CAP; CAP expects him to tow a certain line. If you want Matt to be independent, articulate that point. But when did Matt ever say he was going to be completely free in his posting? If you guys didn’t see the change from Atlantic to CAP producing changes in output, you’re just very naive. I wouldn’t expect a blogger paid by the NRA, writing for the NRA’s website, to produce pro-gun control posts. Sorry.
And, by the way, if you thought working for the Atlantic didn’t create some constraints on what Matt or any of their other bloggers are publishing, you’re fooling yourselves.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Reading Lord Yglesias’ blog did you ever suspect that he was being intellectually honest with his readers? Lord Yglesias can’t be intellectually honest with his readers because he has no real world experience on which to shape his views. TFB knows nothing of America or of Progress. It was pretty refreshing to see Palmieri b-slap Lord Yglesias and let him know how things work in the real world.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
The whole thing is very odd.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
now only 13 posts to go before the stain is gone….
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Something like 40 percent of network TV advertising has been for cars and credit; don’t know what the number is for radio. But that suggests that, with the credit crunch and cratering car sales, broadcasters’ revenues pretty soon will be in the same sorry state as print media’s.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
now only 13 posts to go before the stain is gone….
The thrill, however, is already gone.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Call me naive. I’ll cease reading him then. I didn’t know writing for an organization meant he was a propagandist. They could have been better at keeping it under wraps don’t you think? Like calling him on the phone and asking him to tone it down or throw in an innocuous good word about Third Way. If the Atlantic puts constraints on their authors, I’m sure duped. Are personal blogs constrained by Internet Service Providers too? Do wordpress or blogger post smackdowns? Or maybe the FBI?
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I understand Matt not commenting on The Elephant®
But it would be REALLY nice if Jennifer Palmieri showed up to comment on The Elephant®. After all, it was her post on Matt’s blog that tanked Matt’s credibility. Matt didn’t post a retraction or back pedal on his position, Ms Palmieri did for him.
If she’s gonna do damage, she could at least do some damage control.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
If the Atlantic puts constraints on their authors, I’m sure duped. Are personal blogs constrained by Internet Service Providers too? Do wordpress or blogger post smackdowns? Or maybe the FBI?
Who here would expect to find anti-abortion screeds on the NARAL website? Who would expect to find support for gun control on the NRA website? Who would expect criticisms of John McCain on the Republican website during the campaign?
Who ever said CAP was offering an open forum? The Atlantic is a media organization. CAP is a political advocate. They’re vastly different creatures, and the inability to understand that kind of baffles me. If you want Matt to go back to the Atlantic, or better yet, set up on Wordpress, advocate as such. But this Big Brother/Borg/totalitarian stuff is self-parody. Drawing a paycheck from a political group has consequences. That’s the way the world works.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Well, I went to this comments thread hoping to note that the only people who love conservative talk radio more than it’s listeners and those who profit from it is the mainstream media. They just love them some of that lovable rogue Rush Limbaugh, boy. But then, it turned out to be another bitch session about Jennifer Palmieri and her ill-advised proviso about Matt’s Third Way post.
I think everyone who thinks that Matt has lost all credibility should go read someone else’s blog (or start their own, since you’re obviously all of unimpeachable integrity) and bitch and moan there. This is ridiculous, and you’re all acting like a bunch of sixth-grade girls. Really, just STFU already.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Freddie:
“Think Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. The Center for American Progress Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization. With the blog, CAPAF seeks to provide a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies.”
That’s from the About Page. Matt’s post was completely legitimate and not akin to an “anti-abortion screed on the NARAL website.” Rather he was criticizing another “left-leaning” organization for what he deems lame and ineffective policy. He’s a blogger and his comments were in keeping with the purported mission of CAP, unless they have no intention of honoring even a modicum of free expression by trusting those they hire to support their mission. Palmieri’s actions were completely unprofessional and it’s her duty to resolve. Unless she explains how her actions were justified for a nonpartisan organization, then the idea of CAP being nonpartisan is pure farce. Indeed it is a partisan “political group”. I hope they’ll at least revise their About Page.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Ok, I could be ignorant. So maybe the blog is meant to the partisan voice of a nonpartisan fund. Anyway, if that’s the case, censor and rebuke away. I’ll keep it under advisement though. This increases my suspicion of all think tank blogs. Thanks for the lesson Freddie.
December 23rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
What would Rush or Hannity think?
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