Dear Democratic Party,
I'm going to write this here, since I doubt you'll get it if I send it to Congresswoman Pelosi or the other very busy representatives or staff in the Democratic Party.
You're trying to keep up with the Koch brothers and other billionaires and corporations as they shovel their dark money into TV and print but you've really been getting your ass kicked by Republican radio, the dark media. All those radio stations have been yelling over you and defining you for a good part of three decades. They make factual sane discussions of local and national issues impossible. And a lot of it's free for them.
Meanwhile, a lot of liberals and 'lefties' who ignore or undervalue the talk radio factor think you're not trying hard enough. They can't stand to listen to it so it's basically a non-factor in their evaluation of Obama and the Democratic Party. They think you can't get anything done because you don't want to. They think you moved right the last 20 years because you "lack spine".
Some of them and a lot of Republican trolls are talking about not voting. A friend and neighbor just told me that, and she's a gay hippie.
In a diary some months ago I showed with the Kelly Reindfleisch emails that Scott Walker was a regular user of Wisconsin Republican radio talkers.
Hundreds of other Republican politicians are doing the same and will benefit similarly in November. The degree of coordination and friendliness will vary, but the state and national Republican Party apparatus and their associated think tanks will be using those 1200 or so radio stations to maximum capacity.
There will be interviews with Republican candidates in which the candidates will distort or lie and the 'host' will not call them on it. And the host will repeat lies and distortions to the candidate and the candidate won't refute them. After the interview, callers, and possibly paid callers and Republican campaign staff, can add a rumor or two about the Democratic candidate.
Campaign staff as well as surrogates from the think tanks, etc., will also make visits. The hosts themselves will repeat and reinforce whatever the party wants them to, when they want them to. Much of the material Republican candidates use and repeat is reinforced (and often originally created) with Republican radio.
Because the StopRush and FlushRush efforts have educated and scared off a lot of advertisers those radio stations are filling air time with Republican political ads and ads from brand new groups never heard from before, saying whatever they want. For the rest of October the air waves will be full of it.
Republicans win win and be close in a lot of elections merely because the Democratic Party has no answer for their best weapon.
I have a couple of suggestions for doing something about it.
1) I describe here one way to use a Mac to record and transcribe what Republican radio is saying about candidates and issues.
I'll bet in a few days or week a couple of hard working Democrats could figure out how to shorten and automate the procedure and set up a way for staff and candidates to do quick searches through the transcripts for names or issues every couple of days.
The Democratic Party could set up such systems in every state. Or it could be centralized and make the transcripts available to the campaigns. The party could send out alerts and relevant transcripts and recorded copies that a campaign might find useful. Maybe there's material that could be used in debates.
At the national Democratic Party level an index of topics and their frequencies by state and national level would be useful.
The buzz those radio stations create cannot be ignored. By making it readable and visible it will be less effective, less likely to catch Democrats by surprise, and politicians and media may become reluctant to repeat it.
2) There are Democratic students all over the country who's activism is being undone by their own and other colleges and universities. Here's a list of more than 70 colleges that rent their sports team logos to Rush Limbaugh radio stations. Many more schools than that broadcast sports on Republican radio stations.
Those stations will play a part in elections that directly and indirectly impact the schools, the students, and many related issues. There are students trying to get their schools to divest from fossil fuels while talkers like Limbaugh do global warming denial from the radio station that broadcasts their games. How can a school be serious about reducing violence against women while the loudest misogynist in the country might as well be riding around the state on the team mascot's back?
Those stations can play a part in regent elections and shortening the list of 'acceptable' candidates in consideration for university president. They consistently attack teachers, their unions, and public education, and will work hard to defeat efforts to increase funding for schools and education in general. Those stations are working to increase student tuition around the country.
For those who think the money is worth pissing all over a school's mission statement, the proportion of fees the licensing company sends to the school for the radio portion of the overall media licensing relationship is probably a very small.
In 2013/14, a radio station will pay Westwood One/Dial Global $1500 to broadcast a championship NCAA basketball game. How much of that does the university get after the licensing company takes their cut? Details of licensing agreements between state funded schools and licensing companies are usually kept confidential, even from school administration.
One of the best things Democratic and liberal student activists could do to bring change is demand their schools look for apolitical alternatives for broadcasting their sports. Some of those stations may have to change format or begin to offer balance in order to maintain those very important associations. That could open opportunities for liberal radio, one of the Democratic Party's best assets.
Sincerely,
A Regular Voter Who Thinks You Could Do A Lot Better With My Donations