Why is Mark Levin Allowed to Do This?

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Saturday October 27, 2012 · 12:44 AM PDT

2012/10/27 · 00:44

OK, I'm as close to First Amendment absolutist as anyone I know. I don't believe in libel or slander laws. I don't believe in Intellectual Property. Or speech codes. I'll admit it, I'm pretty extreme on free speech.

BUT....as our system is set up, radio stations are in fact given MONOPOLIES over specified radio frequencies in specified geographic areas. If you want to operate a radio station on 720 kiloherz in Chicago...TOUGH. YOU CAN'T DO IT!

So given that, while I think stations should certainly be allowed to present whatever information and opinions they wish, they should NOT be allowed to use that government-provided monopoly to not only campaign, but actively electioneer for candidates. If you aren't aware this is EXACTLY what Mark Levin is doing.

Yes, we all know he hates Obama. Well he hates all democrats. I couldn't care less about that. But he's going beyond that. For weeks on end he has been actively instructing listeners and callers on how to impact elections. He's acting as a national GOP precinct captain: "Call this number. Get in touch with the local campaign. If you aren't in a contested area, they'll put you in touch with phone banks where you can call and impact other races."

On and on. "Call your friends. If you have co-workers who hate Obama make sure they vote." It isn't occasional, he's turned his entire program into a GOTV effort for the GOP. Can this possibly lbe legal? Why can't the FCC stop it? Fear? Koch brothers intimidation?

Levin has millions of listeners. It's beyond intolerable that he should be allowed to electioneer unopposed 3 hours a day. He can't change minds, but he can get the uncritical like-minded to impact the race by making them activists. Some of this is one thing. Weeks of it on end just isn't right.

Afflicting the Comfortable (Assumptions)

Leftwingr

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Sunday June 10, 2012 · 8:59 PM PDT

2012/06/10 · 20:59

In my experience, only those of us with a combination of profound self-awareness and almost robotic emotional detachment are immune from a tendency to develop comforting explanations for uncomfortable events.

That is; no one.

So we look at what happened in Wisconsin last Tuesday, and in our entirely justified disgust at the amount of money spent by the right, we tell ourselves: “That's it. They just outspent us. They drowned out our message. If the playing field was anywhere near even we would have won.”

Does this sound like you?

How about this?

“If it was just down to PEOPLE, we would crush them - because there's more of us than there is of them. If it's at all close, we have the feet on the street that no amount of advertising can overcome. Our organizing will get every last voter to the polls.”

Yep. Me, too. And to be honest, in the past this has pretty much been true. Understanding how important these struggles are to our people, we've generally been more passionate and better organized. We've had the “ground game.” OUR people have knocked on doors, put out street signs, manned the phone banks, driven folks to the polls. That was the sort of stuff our adversaries considered themselves above. Or more accurately, weren't engaged enough to bother with. Republicans just don't generally DO that sort of thing.

Leftwingr

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Saturday November 27, 2010 · 3:25 PM PST

2010/11/27 · 15:25

We have impending tax increases. We have politicians wrangling, a lame duck session, endless posturing by all concerned.

And yet I believe there's a solution that all parties can accept. I'd bet up to 80% of the population would support it if you could do a poll. It requires just a small dash of pragmatism by all concerned.

Leftwingr

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Saturday September 11, 2010 · 7:08 PM PDT

2010/09/11 · 19:08

Am I hopelessly out-of-step? I'm 50 now, so maybe some fundamental changes have taken place in our ranks that went over my head.

But I don't think so.

In our contempt for hatemongers, are too many of us willing to abandon first principles? To become, like the pigs in Animal Farm, indistinguisable from that we set out to fight against?

Leftwingr

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Saturday August 07, 2010 · 6:48 PM PDT

2010/08/07 · 18:48

We do documentaries about them.

We create entire websites dedicated primarily to countering them.

We worry and fret about the impact they have on public opinion, elections and public policy.

We curse them and rant about them and ask each other what we can do about them, and how so many people can buy into their BS.

And you know what?

We're wasting our time.

They just aren't that important.

Leftwingr

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Monday April 19, 2010 · 6:17 PM PDT

2010/04/19 · 18:17

OK. I'll admit it. I'm officially worried.

Not by polls, pols or blowhard pundits. But by inexplicable things I've seen over the past couple of months. Culminating in one last week involving...MY MOTHER, that I still cannot quite grasp.

Leftwingr

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Sunday January 31, 2010 · 11:24 AM PST

2010/01/31 · 11:24

A meme that we ignore at our peril is rapidly gaining traction. It is disturbing for its inaccuracy, but infinitely more so for its potential impact on the body politic. As with most disturbing political memes, it began with right-wing radio and Fox News (at least that's where I first heard it). But it has now seeped in the culture more broadly.

It is: "Barack Obama blames EVERYTHING on George Bush....HAHAHA"

Poll

94 votes Show Results

What should we do about the "Obama blames Bush for Everything" meme?

94 votes Vote Now!

What should we do about the "Obama blames Bush for Everything" meme?

Ignore it. Arguing with them only gives it attention, and people will know better.

8 votes

Confront it head-on with arguments as to why it's perfectly APPROPRIATE to blame Bush.

54 votes

Argue that Obama IS taking responsiblity, that things are now getting better and show them how?

27 votes

Other ideas?

5 votes

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