Should Ed Schultz Get His Own Show on MSNBC?

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Tuesday March 10, 2009 · 11:06 AM PDT

2009/03/10 · 11:06

Ed Schultz has a special niche among Liberal radio talkers. He speaks to the rural voter who might own a gun and goes to church. They are not against gay rights nor do they believe that Government is the problem. Airing his radio program from Fargo ND, Schultz reaches a crucial demographic.
And now there are rumors that Schultz may get his own program on MSNBC. The slot after Rachel Maddow or before Chris Matthews at 6:00 pm.
Observer

On the morning of Monday, March 9th, liberal talk radio host Ed Schultz, who bills himself as the "most listened-to progressive radio talk show host in America," announced on his Web site that he would be guest-hosting MSNBC's 6 p.m. show 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue the following evening.

Word of the announcement promptly touched off a fresh set of rumors among MSNBC staffers that the network's president Phil Griffin might be grooming Mr. Schultz to join the channel on a fulltime basis.

Even if the population in rural areas is declining, by widening the Democratic tent, Schultz will help solidify the Democratic majority. Why should we concede to the Republicans ground that they claim is the "Real America"? Real America is the Chicago inner city as much as it is Idaho or North Dakota.

Schultz supports unions and the working class. He is the anti-dote to the faux populism of Joe The Plumber and the false charm of Sarah Palin. His program airs on a 100 stations; nine out of the top ten markets. In 2007 he was ranked #5 among radio hosts, higher than any other Liberal.

Sure, Schultz is something of a self-promoter, but that is a good thing. The more Liberal voice there are out there the better. Rushbo might be King, but his dominion should be undermined systematically.

Recently, a number of liberal talk radio hosts, including Sam Seder and Cenk Uygur, have been publicly lobbying MSNBC President Phil Griffin to hire them for the 10 p.m. hour. Whether the lobbying has gained any traction inside 30 Rock is doubtful. But the public campaigns have succeeded at turning seemingly every guest appearance on MSNBC by an outside liberal into a speculative job audition among those who enjoy playing the-future-of-MSNBC parlor game.

Who else deserves a slot on MSNBC's Liberal lineup? Nominate as comments. Vote by tips. Rec this up if you want MSNBC to take notice.

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