Re Alan Colmes--he may be a liberal-- if this is the 19th century

[Raenelle]

I just spent 4 days on the road, and of course I listened to Air America about 15 hours a day. So, that meant listening to Alan Colmes for the first time.

Now, I quit listening to mainstream media a while back--it knotted my stomach up with anger. I think its irrationality is what got to me. The web, the Book-a-Month revelations, Air America, Jon Stewart, Michael Moore--with these, I could bypass the whores and cretins and stay informed. Then, trapped inside my car, I figured "why not give Alan Colmes a chance. He is, after all, on America Left radio." But he was awful--my stomach knotted up, I got furious, and I got reminded of why I have to stay away from the Big Liars. I don't agree with everything Chuck D or Al or Randi or Janeanne say, but I enjoy listening to their discussions. But Colmes . . .

It all reminded me of the 7 years I spent in a relationship with a compulsive gambler. Naturally, he tried to hide it from me. And it would take me a couple of months to figure it out consciously. BUT, my gut knew a lot earlier. I would start getting afraid, insecure, unspecified anxiety, and I just felt fucked up, without any real reason I could pinpoint for feeling like that. Then, sure enough, I'd find out he'd been gambling.

It's like that with Colmes--my gut knows the difference between one of us and a Faux friend. It's not simple agreement on the issues or even on values. Lou Dobbs doesn't knot my stomach; Susan Estrich does. I think it's their willlingness to twist and use the truth, as opposed to searching for it, their eager assaults on Reason itself, that is crazy-making to me.

I didn't listen to Colmes long enough to analyze what he was saying. But my gut was sure telling me that he's a stalking horse for the right, and I've learned to trust my gut on this.

[salinen]

1. guts never lie

[physioex]

2. I have to disagree with "stalking horse"....

More like Token Liberal or Hammity's Butt Buddy. :smoke:

BTW Next time get Sirius so you don't have to listen to him....

[ruggerson]

3. Colmes is the theater of the absurd

Alan Colmes is either useless and well meaning or a troll for the right. He lets that moronic piece of white trash Hannity talk over everyone and shout and intimidate the progressive guests. Anyone who isn't a crazed religious rightwinger gets raked over the coals by Hannity and Colmes sits by looking like the wimpy little geek that he is.

It's as if Roger Ailes said, let's get a hard nosed, fairly telegenic far rightwinger and pair him up with an extremely bizarre looking total loser of a liberal and we'll have a "fair and balanced" show!

[newyawker99]

7. Hi ruggerson!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[AspenRose]

4. He needs a spine transplant

I want to throw nerf balls at the TV every time I see him, he frustrates me so.

[TexasSissy]

5. Franken has some funny things to say about Colmes in his book,

"Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them...A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." Hilarious, if you ever get the chance to read it. (BTW, it's a factual and well-researched book. He socks it to O'Lielly and Coulter in particular.)

[Hippo_Tron]

6. He's basically the Tom Daschle of talk radio...

Lets the right stomp all over him.

[quaoar]

8. What would Hannity do

If one day Colmes interrupted one of his tirades and said, "Shut up you pathetic, lying bastard."
But I guess Colmes has too good a gig moneywise to piss it away. So he can just go on being Ed McMahon for the rest of his life.

[NYCGirl]

9. Fortunately, Colmes is not part of the actual AAR lineup...

but it seems that one of the satellite radio lineups has an existing contract with him...hopefully that won't last long.

[delete_bush]

10. IMO not a stalking horse, just a silly man

who looks at the business he's in as purely entertainment.

I sense he is of the opinion that the underlying strength of his argument will win out over his loud, obnoxious, pancake make-up faced moronic "adversary".

These programs recycle the same guests over and over and are nothing more than a vehicle to hawk each others' latest mediocre book offering.

I think it's because we hope for more, but unfortunately colmes is right, it really is nothing more or less than entertainment.

[VOX]

11. Colmes has been quite comfortable on the Faux payroll for far too long...

And he knows which side his bread is buttered on.

He's an enabler for the right wing, period.

[mitchum]

12. Gutless milquetoast who whores for Faux $$$

I despise him as much as any rightwing barking head