Rush loses a listener

[Hamlette]

my secretary listens to Rush everyday. I've commented on it (translation: given her some shit) a few times but I work for the state so I don't want to push it. Over the years I've just said things like: "you should listen to what our side has to say too." She asked what she should listen to for balance and I told her NPR. That was at least a year ago.

A month ago she told me she'd started listening to NPR and listens to it all weekend. She loves it. She said she thought NPR was very balanced. The only thing on NPR she doesn't like is Click and Clack. But not because of their politics.

But still, Rush. Monday through Friday.

When Rush got busted twice last week I sort of gave her some crap about it. My position was just that I find speading hate destructive to our country and that seems to be all Rush is about. She gave me some shit for talking politics in the workplace and suggested we go to lunch and talk about it. I said "sure" not intending to do it.

Today she told me she didn't listen to Rush today. She listened to Joe Wilson on Diane Ream instead. I asked why. She said: "Rush dumped on Hillary the other day. It was just like you said. Mean spirited and no content. It bugged me. And this Wilson guy was much more intersting!" (I actually think it might have something to do with the drugs but I don't really know. I'm willing to take her at her word.)

Some light on an otherwise bleak day.

[roguevalley]

1. one mind at a time.

bravo for you. you probably saved a life there. :)

[proud patriot]

2. Great news thanks for sharing

:bounce:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Woohoo

that is good news

[bleedingheart]

4. Thanks for that story!

I needed that!

[RummyTheDummy]

5. Interesting post...

I have a feeling there are a great deal of Rushbots who probably feel the same way, or at are least starting to.

He has so many fundies that listen to his show that when he finally admits he's a junkie they won't listen to his reasons why, they won't want to hear his excuses, they'll just quit listening.

Of course many won't, and the ones that do will just switch over to Hannity or O'Really for their hate radio fix.

[frank frankly]

6. just say no to rush!

all he does is lie...and pop dozens of his "little blues"

I bet he lost quite a few this week!

[charlie]

7. Excellent

But keep after her. There's still something wrong with someone who doesn't like Click and Clack :)

[Cha]

11. Really! They are so darn Funny!

[Cha]

8. Amazing! What people go through to see the Light! And I'm

talkin' Light! Thanks for the story.

[catzies]

9. "Each one, teach one." Ya done did good.

:thumbsup:

[blm]

10. That's how it will happen.

Joe Wilson is an easy situation for the public to grasp. I expect more to come along over this.

[KCDem]

12. who're Wilson and Ream?

I'm sure it's an improvement, just wondering how much of one.

Congrats on your convert! :bounce:

[w13rd0]

13. Ambassador Wilson...

...the one who had his wife outed by the WH...

Diane Rheame, has a long running show on NPR...

[Hamlette]

16. Diane Ream has a morning talk show on NPR

she's no screaming liberal but most of the time she's okay.

Joe Wilson was her guest. From the leakgate scandal.

He was great, btw. She asked him why he came out against the 16 words when he did. (I'd also wondered why it took him 6 months.)

He said Bush wasn't specific about Niger in the SOTU addy so he thought there might be more info. When it became clear to him Bush was talking Niger he tried to get them to correct it "behind the scenes." When they wouldn't he thought he had no option but to write about it.

He was great.

(I'm not a huge Click and Clack fan. Yeah, they're funny but what is all this filler crap car talk about? Boring.)

[Catherine Vincent]

14. Let me get this straight....

She listened to Rush everyday and then took in NPR a few days and liked it. She still listened to Rush afterwards and he badmouthed Sen. Hillary so now she sees the light because you told her how Rush is negative? She didn't figure that out all those other times? She must be stupid or she lied to you.

[Hamlette]

17. I didn't "just" tell her Rush is negative

I've been on her case about it as much as I dare.

And yes, I find it very odd that she can listen to NPR and Rush.

But I don't think she lied to me. I think the drugs charge bugs her.

I don't know. I still can't make any sense out of someone who believes there's a man up in the sky who keeps tabs on all 6 billion of us. Listening to Rush is really no stranger than that as far as I'm concerned.

[Timefortruth]

18. You know, it hasn’t been talked about

and I’m not an avid listener to Rush, but he would sound drunk some days. Slurring and whatnot. Now I only listen for 1 to 3 minutes at a time but I remember thinking at times that the three martini lunch must not be totally out of style everywhere. There have to be true believers that registered the same thought, and the drug allegations as well as Rush’s failure to deny them may cause a few of them to put two plus two together as I did. At very least the higher order ditto heads (the ones with jobs) may have realized they have been played as fools.

[eleny]

15. How nice for you, yes, on this very weird day

NPR really is pretty balanced. They just don't say anything about it. I'll always remember when they had a discussion on abortion and they had people representing both sides of the issue and there was no arguing. Just a good discussion with every minute packed with facts.

I have different "favorites" over time. Right now, I'm very drawn to This American Life on the weekend (for a non-political program).

Congrats on your patience and how it paid off!

[SlavesandBulldozers]

19. it was the drugs

it wasnt the hatred that Rush spewed, it was the fact he was caught with drugs and turned out to be human like everyone he assails - that led her away. she sounds like she's still a moralist.

[Hamlette]

20. yeah, she's a "moralist" whatever that means

but so am I. I think it's immoral to go to war and kill people you don't have to. I think it's immoral not to care for people who can't care for themselves. I think it's immoral to hate gays or blacks. For instance.

I also think there is something else going on. I think Bush supporters are shocked when someone says something negative against Bush. If they are smart they realize they didn't speak up when it was happening against Clinton. Maybe they are just cowered by their leaders lies and horrid missteps.

I know that when Franken said we're sick of it and we're not going to take it anymore it resonated with me. Maybe others too. I don't walk away as quickly anymore. (The war going so poorly helps. We've got better ammunition than we've had in years. In quick little sound bites.)

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

21. You're her boss, stay out of her political life

Sure it's all well and good since you're a liberal, but what would be the reaction if you were telling your secretary to listen to "our side" if it was Rush? Or even, "at least listen to our reasons why a union is a bad idea"? Best to stay out of it in my opinion. You can hire and fire her, it's inappropriate.