Imus. I'm for 'im, and I am vs 'im – here's why.
Can't agree with the guy. But I wake up to him every day, my husband and I actually, and we listen to him for more than an hour.
As a host, he is ideologically uncommitted. To pin him down, he tilts moderate to liberal, but his producers Charles McCord and Bernard McGuirk are much more conservative than him.
For endorsements of candidates, his choices are whimsical, or at least inconsistent. He has backed Kerry, McCain, Biden and Lieberman.
Most reliably, he backs the lawmakers who have loyally supported his own causes, such as bills in Congress to tackle autism in children. With this cause-oriented instinct, he supported Rick Santorum, while disagreeing with his politics.
He pushed very hard for Harold Ford, Jr for senator. What struck me was that for weeks afterwards he was on-air devastated and demoralized by the defeat of Ford. Hearing Don Imus' political remarks following the election, the guy was nearly obsessed for more than a month, he could not get over his bitterness that the voters of Tennessee narrowly rejected that candidate. It was interesting, that harangue – it always turned my head why he couldn't accept that.
When you react to his callous antics, and recoil, remember also this.
There are not really good forums on radio, except for his, to go to for political banter, which is the more civilized banter on his show. You can find the 2 poles of the spectrum, Clear Channel and Air America.
But what about people who are not committed to either pole? Where do they get to hear the issues? I may be one who likes NPR and Air America, but there's a wider audience than the one I represent.
And it is his radio show that turned vehemently against the war and against the lies.
Imus offends me with remarks, but his co-producers offend me much, much more, particularly Bernard. That one is racist, I feel, and anti-semitic too. It just spills over. And Imus bullies his sportscaster, Chris, an attitude that irritates me no end.
On the whole, I love listening to the back and forth on the show, but I noticed months before this blowup a hole for black perspective, the format gives only his perspective. It would be good if he brings in some new blood (and sidelines Bernard some).
Imus the host oozes the most lulling voice. And he lets his personal life and wife and idealistic pet causes intrude on the talk. I think that's what relaxes me in the morning.
I don't want the likes of you to force him off the air. I don't want to be left with only my Air America and their Limbaugh and Hannity.
Compared to them, he's down the middle, and he needs to reform. Heaven help us if Sharpton becomes our moral arbiter for what's acceptable. I don't want Imus' voice silenced, I want it wiser.