Ed Schultz: Is he what he really is?

[Cascadian]

I have listened to Ed Schultz a few times before. He seemed to me like just the type of person that the Democrats need to reach out to Joe All-American Six Pack but I cannot help but hear stories that either the big guy was a former conservative turned liberal or that he really is still a freeper rightie that only changed his radio talk direction because of Rush Limbaugh. Mike Malloy and Randi Rhodes both hate his guts and think he is a phoney. I know of just a few people who could reach out to blue collar or country person on the liberal side. They are Jim Hightower, Molly Ivins, and probably Steve Earle.

Do I need to have more proof that Big Ed is the real deal? I am not sure. I want to believe this guy is what he says he is.


John

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. He's alright

I met him in Crawford in August. He's a nice guy. Seemed sincere enough to me.

[physioex]

2. I've listened to him on ocassion....

And I wonder about that myself....Any ideas fellow DUers?

[Nutmegger]

3. I listened to him once and thought he was okay

I heard he smeared Murtha though. If that's true then screw him. I also heard that he was campaigning against saving the Air American Phoenix station.

So I don't know what his deal is.

[madinmaryland]

45. He disagreed with Murtha's position,

but he did not smear him.

[President Kerry]

4. He is a former conservative turned liberal.

He's the real deal - one of my favorite radio personalities. I don't always agree with him, but his style is exactly what we need. No nonsense, putting conservative callers to shame by his logical argument. He's opposite of what RW wants Joe Sixpack to believe about our party. He's a great asset.

[tjwash]

8. I like him too,for that exact reason.

[RagingInMiami]

5. I don't trust him

But he is reaching out to an audience that would not normally be reached by democrats. So if Schultz is a freeper, I believe he is winning over a few republicans in the process.

[RC]

6. Dear ol' Ed was a local blow-hard fixture & sportscaster around here

for a lot of years. I think he was following the dollar signs when he saw a chance to go national. But that is just me, along with a bunch of other people around here.

[leftofthedial]

14. I think he's frequently ignorant on issues

and strikes me as an opportunistic radio personality

but he's reaching a broad audience and not alienating his fellow ignorant centrists.

[silverojo]

7. One thing you need to remember about Ed Schultz

Ed Schultz' #1 concern is Ed Schultz. So you'll hear him saying outrageous things, not because of his political leanings, but just his ego and greed. I use a couple exchanges between Ed and callers that I've heard, as examples.

One guy wanted to plug a liberal website on Ed's show, and what did Ed say? "What's in it for me?" The caller was silent for a moment, speechless. When the caller pointed out that the site in question had a link to Ed's site, then he was more open to the caller.

Another, more recent, exchange involved a frustrated caller who was asking what would be most effective for us to do: writing our Congress(wo)men, protesting, etc. Ed's answer: Keep listening to liberal talk radio (read: "The Ed Schultz Show"). Patronize the sponsors of liberal talk radio (read: the sponsors of "The Ed Schultz Show").

You can take a man out of the Republican party, but you can't take the Republican out of the man, hence Ed's selfish greed.

[Goldeneye]

10. Jesus do you really listen to Schultz

He is the most even-balanced, yet effective voice the left has regardless perceptions. I hear more complaints from middle of the road people about Rhandi than Ed. If he has and ego and wants to bring in money for himself AND his company (success + more stations maybe + more Progressive views) wow we wouldn't want that. We want him to fail. Randi, Malloy do they have egos?

[file83]

11. I agree - Shultz's big ego is a big turn off.

[BiggJawn]

19. And Randi's ego is turn on?

Just the other week I heard her rip into a caller for have the AUDACITY to not start talking right away "And bring MY SHOW to a grinding HALT! Thanks a LOT! Now, you have anything to say, after all that?"

A Radio Talkshow Host with an EGO...Who'd a thunk it, eh?

[file83]

24. No, but her sassy attitude is though. Big Ed reminds me a little too

much of Rush Limbaugh the way he refers to himself in the third person. Randi makes me laugh and get fired up, Big Ed makes me feel like I'm being lectured to - plus he talks about sports too much - a topic which I find completely irrelevant and a waste of valuable time.

[BiggJawn]

41. Yeah, I agree. If I wanted to hear about Sports...

...I'd tune into one of the 100,000-odd "SportsTalk Radio" stations out there.

XM has what, 65 sports channels? The NASCAR Car Washer's Channel? Get Real...:)

[hlthe2b]

26. More DLC than DNC--conservative PUG turned conservative DEM

His ego gets in the way, I agree. Then, so does Randi's, so that's just part of the deal, I guess.

The animosity between Schultz and AAR-Rhodes and Malloy stems from the fact Schultz took Dem money (with strings attached) to get started. Both R&M refused to take money if it meant anyt kind of "approval" on content or slant..


I don't know that Schultz isn't sincere, but he is very egotistical and doesn't take criticism well at all. He does relate well to the libertarian crowd and likely some of the military, so that's a plus. But, if you expect him to be progressive-- I'd look elsewhere. He will crticize Dean and Murtha, and anyone left of center.

[liam_laddie]

13. His wife turned him...

:toast:
He was a 'puke for a long time, but his wife, who IIRC works in the human services
field, opened his mind some years ago to the reich-wing's true agenda, and he is a
sincere (IMO) convert to the bright side. Agree that he has the chops to appeal to the
moderate and disappointed white male, where *'s strength used to be.
He's a radio personality and has to pay attention to building listenership, else the
affiliates have no use for him, so, yeah, he sometimes plays a bit to the less-progressive
slice of the audience. He does book big names almost daily, which is quite an
accomplishment. I do NOT understand his support of HRC. That Kenny Boy Mehlman
and Karl "push" her as well is a bit of a red flag, but...

[still_one]

9. a lot of people here don't care for Ed Schultz

I believe he is the real deal. The reason he changed from a right wing conservative was because the woman he married introduced him to the other side. His wife worked in a homeless shelter, and showed him the other side of America

It doesn't mean I agree with everything Ed Schultz pontificates, but he does appeal to many independents

Malloy doesn't like anyone who doesn't agree 100% with his mold. Mike doesn't also like Jerry Springer, but I think that is because Jerry tries to reach out. Randy and Ed mutally don't care for each other not sure why

[Mythsaje]

16. Wonder how they feel about Thom Hartmann...

Who, to me, is the best of them.

[still_one]

20. What is great about Thom is the knowledge that he brings to the table

to some people though he is not exciting enough

[Mythsaje]

22. Uh-huh...

Thom's not just about opinion. He throws out fact like a gatlin gun of information. When he debates the righties, he's calm, rational, and yet doesn't mince words. It's funny to hear the Ayn Rand Institute guys try to dance around the fact that the middle class didn't really come into its own until after the New Deal. They try, but they can't.

[Cosmocat]

18. Randi sharfed a story ...

a couple years ago, about a bunch of D congressmen who mysteriously got her to come to DC for some kind of breakfast meeting ... The way she reported it, she was surprised to find out it was a fund raising deal for the D congressment to get behind a liberal radio personality, and it was between her and Ed ... Something about the whole thing turned her off, and she walked away from it ...

That is her end of it, anyways ...

Look, Randi and Malloy are the thing for hardcore Ds ... Not everyone is that hardcore ... I like Eddie A LOT, for the reasons others have noted ... He has the crossover appeal to middle of roaders ... I am not a "fisher" kind of guy, but I LOVE that he goes on about that stuff cause it speaks to a population that has been coopted by the right ... He is one of the few libs who could break through the hamer lock the admin had on armed forces radio ...

That is important ...

Is he about making money and self promotion ... I odn't know, but that would not make him a lot different than anyone else ... I am a pretty sharp dude, about people, and I don't find myself ill at ease with him ... He is easy to listen to, and I agree with most of his positions ...

Ed is one of the good guys ...

[still_one]

21. for me I actually like them all

all lot depends on my mood at the time

[nolabels]

23. I think Ed is better in some ways

I often get turned off by his superficial understanding of the issues but he does seem to take on a lot more phone calls and lets them speak. It's even fun to listen when some of the right wing nut jobs come on trying defend a right wing talking point that has no substance

[leftofthedial]

12. hsi radio persona is a centrist, slightly right-of-center Dem

I have no idea if he's personally different from the guy on the radio.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

15. I like him and I like the questions he poses.

I don't think he is right wing anymore. And the freepers who call REALLY piss him off, so he can't be too bad.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

17. He sounds pretty good to me, from what I've heard. Of all the folks I

hear on our local AAR station I think he's far and away the one most likely to snag "undecided" or even "interested wingnut" listeners. He's actually pretty skilled at radio, and much better at dealing with the hostile freep caller than the average AAR host, IMHO.

I don't agree with everything he says, but he fills a valuable niche in liberal talk radio.

[Cleita]

25. Ed is actually very pro union and pro labor.

This is probably why he's a Democract. But sometimes he reveals perhaps unwittingly that he thinks like a conservative on many issues.

[Maat]

29. Yes, I agree with most of what has been said here.

I enjoy listening to Ed now and again, and am glad that he appears to be influencing many to come over to the Light; however, he is "anti-abortion," and does not appear to understand that the Religious Reich is defining birth control (condoms, birth control pills, the Morning After Pill) as 'abortion.' I know - they're crazier than sh**; however, they want to eliminate anything that prevents every egg from being fertilized, implanted and carried to term. And, while they talk 'adoption,' they clearly haven't been working at reducing the number of children waiting for permanent homes. I think that Big Ed needs to understand that we need to preserve our reproductive rights - to the benefit of all, particularly children.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

27. He's a Democrat, however.....

He hunts, fishes, etc. That pisses off a lot of people. He also talks a lot about patriotism.

But he's a Democrat. No longer a Repugnican.

[Arugula Latte]

28. I don't trust him and I find him annoying and not especially bright.

However, if he does reach some Joe Sixpacks, well, fine.

[CatholicEdHead]

30. He is the real deal

He irritated his old base station (KFGO) and is now on a smaller station (KQWB) in his home market (Fargo). He is good for middle of the road people, often in "fly-over country". He appeals to more moderate people or the old "Reagan Democrat" demographic.

He is good at what he does and knows he will fail if he tries to please everyone (which will happen to all of us if we try it).

[stepnw1f]

44. "fly-over country"

what the hell is that? I've heard this before from a righty... Like the rest of us aren't average Americans because we live in urban areas? I really don't care if people want to claim they are average, just don't pretend you are more average than anyone else. I'm sick of hearing how "Middle America" is somehow "traditional" compared to the rest of America. It's such bullshit. We are all part of the America!

[quisp]

31. he seems to me to be all right....

now, he could be conning me and I could be the patsy, but...

he seems sincere and upset about the Bush crime syndicate.

He also seems to call it like he sees and seeks the truth.

I DEFINATELY don't always agree with him, but I can live with that.

On the "what progressive need right now" scale I would give him a 7 or 7.5
(Dean is a 10, Mark Warner is a 5, and Hillary is a 3, for reference}

[Mel]

32. first time I heard/saw him

was on C-Span it's before I had heard anything about him and my own opinion then was 'I don't trust this guy' for whatever that's worth.

[amitten]

33. I think he's still a Republican at heart. Leaning Libertarian.

Not really a liberal. And he sounds perfectly smug whenever he announces that Bush has scored a "victory" with something or other. I think in many ways, he's a Bush fan.

[Catrina]

36. I don't think he's a Bush fan at all. He really slams him most of the time

and is better at making fun of Bush than anyone else I've heard ~ I like him, he's good at handling the rightwingers who call in, and he does take a lot of calls and really listens to people.

It's true he was not very informed on some issues, but he never pretended and always invited those who called about something he didn't know about, to email him some information, promising to consider it. Most of the time, he does that from what I can tell.

His wife took him to the homeless shelter she worked in before they were married and he says that changed him a lot when he saw the reality of homelessness himself.

What makes him appealing I think is that he can be persuaded to change his mind if you give him enough information.

I also think he sounds like Rush Limbaugh (although he says it's the other way around, Rush sounds like him because he was around longer) and a lot of freepers probably tune in thinking it's Rush and wondering what happened!

Ed's okay ~ he's probably a very regular guy in many ways ~

[Chomskyite]

34. Very talented broadcaster. Good sense of humor

I think he would win many converts in the South and in the Western rural states. He also has Rush Limbaugh's way of putting together conclusions based on some surprising connections he's made. That kind of skill Randi has and it can really keep a one-host no-guest format going depending on how much wit is used and how much fun the personality is to listen to.

[lilly_j]

35. I Like Ed

I think he, more than any other radio DJ has the ability to change republican minds. They call into his show all the time and I think they just feel comfortable with him. Randi, Mike Malloy...they are sort of abusive toward the other side and might sort of scare someone away.

He is also open about election fraud and open to questions about 9/11.

The best thing about Ed's show, which would improve all of the progressive radio shows, is the callers. Ed,by far, allows the most minutes to random callers. He lets callers go on and on about whatever they want. Free speech baby! I like it.

[Mojambo]

37. Annoying? Yes he really is. n/t

[DenaliDemocrat]

38. I can relate to Ed

I am a Labor Democrat cause I grew up in coal country. I like to hunt, fish, drink a beer, and watch some football.

Ed appeals to me, and a ton of others just like me that the Democrats have alienated. I cannot relate to the PETA crowd, I don't do drugs so the legalize it crowd does not stir anything like passion in me.

Ed appeals to a lot of Americans in similar small blue collar towns across the nation. A working man's democrat. He reflects my upbringing a ton more than Al Franken or Rhandi Rhodes does.

Support Ed. He could help us a lot.

[Leopolds Ghost]

39. No, he is not what he really is, quite the opposite really.

Can Ed Shultz posit a tautology so strong he cannot lift it? ;-)

"And in 1200 BC, The Iliad was not written by Homer but by another man
of the same name. Meanwhile, Abe Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin
he built with his own hands, was famous for wearing nothing but a tall silk hat."

[Beausoir]

40. I'm from Fargo. I used to work at the same television station he did.

Back then we called him Mad Dog because he was such a crank yanker about the Bison football team.

He lived and breathed Bison football. Until...his employer switched football contracts. Then all of the sudden he was no longer a Bison fan, but a UND Sioux fan. Complete turnaround.

You have to be from ND to understand what a drastic change this was.

I don't trust him farther than I could throw him. He's an ass. In fact, if Rush Limbaugh hadn't been invented yet, Eddie The Red would have invented him.

But yeah...he talks to to average dumbshit Joe Six Pack. Guns and beer. I can't see as how he is really doing any harm to liberals...yet. But he sure ain't one of us.

[wellst0nev0ter]

42. If He Turned Into A Sioux Fan In Fargo, He Has Some Brass Ones

And with me who used to live in Grand Forks, I find that hilarious as hell. :D You're right though, he's a "business man" first and an activist/idealist second. He said so many times on his radio show. But I don't think we should be throwing out the baby out with the bathwater because Schultz's success being a liberal talker in Mid-America might encourage more liberal personalities that will reach that underserved demographic.

[stepnw1f]

43. "Mike Malloy and Randi Rhodes both hate his guts..."?

Seriously? I haven't heard that before. I thought I heard Randi say that Ed was not a nice guy, but didn't catch the rest.

[Coexist]

46. Why do I know Ed is good?

Because I do NOT always agree with him, but I can always see his side.