In the meantime:
What's your reaction when any of the shows talk politics? Not just politics, but current events generally. I'm less concerned about pop culture -- after all, The Ticket is pop culture -- but about the Larger Issues of Our Time.
 |
| President Lincoln Checks Out BaD Radio's Reviews of His Second Inaugural Address |
All I'll say is -- and this has nothing to do with left/right, old/young, Democrat/Republican, Old School/New School, what I believe/what wrong people believe -- half or more of the time, I cringe. My punch-out finger usually goes at least halfway to the Philco while I decide whether to take the opportunity to scan the sports-radio horizon. This isn't a matter of a host's "right" to express his views. Of course he has the right to his beliefs and to express them. I'm talking about whether it's good radio, whether it portrays Our Weekday Heroes in a positive light.
======
ALSO: Since I won't be around to call attention to particular broadcast items of note, please use this string to do so. Please report on good stuff as well as stuff like -- well, you know, the usual stuff we gripe about. All threads on this site are always open for everything, so have at it. My thanks.
* * *
Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter: @Plainsman1310
Email your Plainsman: ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com
Great topic, Plainsman. I, like you, usually punch out when politics rears its head. This mostly occurs during The Musers or The Hardline--due to the fact that Gordo and Corby are usually the instigators. I punch out from many years of experience with political talk on The Ticket. I'm not a fan of political talk radio; and I don't care if it's Rush, the defunct Air-America, Hannity, or NPR (yes, people, NPR is very much tilted toward the left). Thus, I don't want to hear it on my favorite sports/"guy" talk station.
ReplyDeleteNow I might feel differently if the hosts could articulate the issues and positions (notice the plural). However, they are unable to do so. While they are free to talk politics, I'm also free to move down the dial/over to another frequency.
Can't stand it when politics are brought up. If I want to hear Jon Stewart's opinions, I'll watch his show. And that's all I ever hear from Gordon, Junes, Dan, Corby, and sometimes Danny when they do talk politics. The funniest thing is that they think they're being unbiased. That's not true. Other than George and Bob, all the hosts have identified themselves at one time or another as liberals. That's fine and I have no problem with it. But c'mon, don't think yourselves to be somehow unbiased and down the middle. I mean, where's the Obama imitation, Gordon? You sure had a Bush one (and it's fantastic, by the way). You sure have a Perry one. Obama has made some tremendous spoken gaffes, but yet nothing from Gordon. Where's the Olberman imitation? He, like Rush, is a bit of a cartoon character. He's perfect to poke fun at. But no. Eh, I'm already sick of thinking about this. And that's why I hate when the hosts get all political up in here.
ReplyDeleteI don't like it because they're politically clueless. They constantly get their facts wrong. From what they say, it's pretty obvious they don't follow politics. The one that pisses me off is when the Musers give out the we can say what we want, it's our show, and how dare you listeners tell us that we don't know what we're talking about speech. They're supposed to be in some way sports experts (and Gordon a comedian or humorist) and all around everyday guys. That's why the have appeal to the masses. Yeah, you have a show and you can say what you want, but that doesn't mean your opinion is worthy of our consideration when it comes to subjects you know little of. And when you do spout off hot political opinions, don't be surprised when your listeners push back.
ReplyDelete"Hey! Hey! I don't go make burgers where you work and then tell you how to make burgers!." Michael Scott
That anti-abortion, pro-execution guys like Gordon and Junior self-identify as liberal tells me all I need to know about their expertise in talking politics. Listening to political talk on the Ticket is like watching someone with Tourette's trying to win a staring contest.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the comments on this post will shed some light on this blog's demographic more than anything.
ReplyDeleteExcepting the one post on abortion and the death penalty, I'm not sure what you mean, TheDude? The other comments are against political talk of any stripe and/or think none of the hosts have anything meaningful to say about politics. They aren't claiming political affiliation. And even the comment on abortion and the death penalty only implies that h/she is most likely pro-life. So what? Many people on both sides of the aisle think that there's something inconsistent about holding those two beliefs. Just like there are a lot of people who think the Texas (among many other states) law that calls the killing of a woman and her fetus, even if pregnant a single day, a double homicide, yet says abortion is legal to be inconsistent. It's a moral and legal quandary, for sure. Now do Gordon and Junior? I don't think they've ever said as much. So in that regard the commenter is probably wrong. But h/she's right about Gordon and Junior being liberals. They've self identified on the air as such; so has Dan and Corby. While I don't appreciate the commenter's implication that because Gordon and Junior are liberal their opinions are not worth listening to, it doesn't speak for this blog's demographics. And so what if the demo is a pro-life one? So what if it's pro-choice? So what if it's liberal or conservative? The tone of your comment suggests that it does matter. I for one say it does not. If I'm wrong about your tone, then I do apologize. This is a place to talk Ticket, not left/right culture war, political bulsh. While this topic as Plainsman put it is interesting, I fear commenters who usually don't frequent the blog will quickly ensure that it devolves into something nasty. I sure hope not.
ReplyDeleteI've been listening and lurking in the shadows for some 15 years. I'm not an official day 1 - p1, but pretty close. As such, I was listening to the musers gently musing on September 11, 2001. The hours and days of programming that followed are some of the most memorable hours of listening I'll ever remember. Whenever talk turns to politics and I hear the guys on any hour of any show I get a little annoyed at first, and then remember how they brought us through those times.
ReplyDeleteAs a political science professor, I give most water cooler analysts some latitude, and try to remember these guys are here for our amusement and do a darn good job of it mostly. Sometimes they accidently make you think. Mostly I keep tuned in for the eventual wheels flying off moment.
Agreed, Skip.
ReplyDeleteSince Plainsman will be out of the loop for a bit, here's a possible topic to discuss: We've just gone 3 weeks without Norm but with the rest of the usual lineup. Did we miss Norm? Did we like any of his replacements and could we see any of them taking over his spot? Because of all the scenarios thrown around here, the most likely one to come to fruition in the near future is Norm retiring or being forced out.
ReplyDeleteMy (Anonymous 2) point is that someone who calls himself a liberal, but publicly espouses traditionally conservative positions on almost every political topic that comes up, is not really a liberal. I can go around saying I'm a gymnast even if I weigh 400 pounds and get around on a Rascal. I wouldn't be fooling anyone. Almost everyone on the ticket is on the liberal side of free speech and gay rights arguments, and quite conservative about everything else. I guess I could have missed something, but it's what I've seen for the last several years. Norm is the exception to this, in that he comes across as socially very conservative, but is to the best of my knowledge pretty touchy-feely about the poor and downtrodden.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Norm, I've never been able to fight through a full two hours of the guy. It's only slightly better than the national feed.
Plainsman checking in from the deep, deep frontier (a Marriott grill in NoCal).
ReplyDeleteThanks to all Confessors for their thoughts and good behavior.
Probably not back until at least the weekend, so continue to report and invent your own threads.
politically speaking, that Capital One commercial with "Vivian/Viv. Eithah one," has captured first place from sweetjack for commercials that make my bowels explode.
ReplyDeleteI missed the hell out of Norm. I would rather get my pure sports talk from Norm than anyone else on the station. Plus every segment carries that tantalizing "possible massive E-brake" draw.
ReplyDeleteNorm was gone?
ReplyDeleteI kid. Honestly, though, I didn't miss him. I caught various replacements a few times and I thought they did a good enough job. I didn't think anyone stood out more than usual, I was just glad to have someone other than Norm on my radio during that time.
As for the hosts' leanings, George is notably conservative except for his strong opinions about gas drilling. I think drilling/fracking is becoming less of a red/blue issue around here these days anyway; those that are negatively affected by it tend to speak out against it regardless of their affiliation.
I don't care when they get political any more than when they voice their opinions on any other matter. I've never understood the view that people have to be pigeon-holed and can only have an opinion about certain topics. They're humans; they're bound to have opinions about most things, and they have a means to voice them a little louder than you or I. So what? They opine about all kinds of things. Why is their view on a college football playoff any more or less valid than which lying douchecannon deserves to win a particular political office?
You know, I was about to accuse our good Plainsman of throwing out the political hot-button to generate page views, but two days later, there have been four or five politically-oriented segments on the Ticket airwaves. So, I apologize (and compromise), and I ask if the Plainsman would be willing to apply his prescient abilities to the NCAA bracket so I can make a few bucks.
ReplyDeleteUS Politics has always been a spectator sport for me (I'm not US-ian, but I have many ties there). I enjoy hearing how each of the hosts view the political landscape, and what their take is on events because I like hearing what makes people tick (regardless of political affiliation), especially when they draw out their logical thought process along the way. When I first started listening, I remember being really surprised about how many the host's views didn't really conform to what I'd expected from mostly native Texans. Greggo would be the exception, but I've only ever heard him reduced to a caricature, so I don't know if his views had logic supporting them or not.
I'll take Birq's comment about George one step further - I think it's fascinating to hear about George's slowly changing views in light of what's going on in his backyard. It almost seems like some recent events in his life have caused him to change his world views on just about everything, including the tear-jerking segment he did on the loss of a neighbourhood child. Gordon constantly points this out by asking "what happened to Conservative Georgio?".
Another 'noted conservative' host is Bob, although I've only ever heard him touch the political hot-plate once. Dan played some Daily Show audio a few years back, and Bob wasn't really listening. When Dan asked why Bob hated the Daily Show, Bob issued a throwaway line about how Jon Stewart had basically created the outcome of the 2008 election. He tried to soften his stance a little later, claiming that he loves the show and watches it every night. I haven't heard Bob mention anything political since.
Mike R's fascination with the book "Game Changer" was also very intriguing to me, given that Mike's been around to see several changes to the political landscape. The reaction they got was also fun to hear through Mike and Danny's readings, and Mike's reaction to the reaction was also great: "You boys have delete keys; use them".
I guess I can sum it up with this - no matter the topic, if the argument is laid out logically and coherently, I'm generally happy to listen. Political talk, sports talk, above-ground burial plot talk, whatever. Well, maybe not college football conference re-alignment talk. That beats me.
Good stuff, ap. I do have few comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I've ever heard anyone except George and Dan coherently lay out why they think X about Y political issue (and this includes Gordon: sorry, but falling back on "it's all about the privates" or caricatures of stereotypes doesn't make something logically sound). I gather by your comment that you weren't a listener when Greggo was on the station? While he has been made into a cartoon (both during his time at The Ticket and since his departure), he actually would, from time to time, articulate his positions. Whether one agreed with him or not is a different matter.
I agree that George has been going through some life changes. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if one day he announces that he's leaving the station to do some sort of missionary work or the likes. It honestly wouldn't. However, I don't think that means he's changed his political mien. There is a fundamental misunderstanding in America about what conservatism is. Unfortunately both the Left and the GOP has contributed (for different reasons) to this misunderstanding. This isn't the forum to go into such a topic, but sufficed to say, to be concerned about and even oppose fracking can most certainly be a conservative cause. Actual conservatism means to "conserve." And true conservatism is concerned with the preservation of the environment--if you're interested in this particular, I recommend reading Roger Scruton. To conflate conservatism with predatory capitalism or the GOP is a mistake: one that is, to reiterate from above, encouraged by both sides of the political aisle.
I think Bob, as a Baptist and a most likely default Republican, is probably a bit gun shy vis-a-vis his political views on a station where the majority of his coworkers lean left of center and have a predilection for using Jesus as a part of punchlines and nicknames. Excepting sports issues, Bob doesn't appear to seek out/like confrontation. Hence his lack of political opinions, and his backing off of the few he has issued. Additionally, I'd bet he really doesn't think too much, if at all, about politics; and he seems like a guy who doesn't like to say things he can't back up with facts or reasoned opinion.
Mike, Corby, and Danny seem to be socially and culturally progressive, but economically conservative--i.e., a somewhat left-leaning libertarian position. I think that's pretty much the stance of all the hosts with the exceptions of Bob, Dan, and George. I also believe that none of the hosts excepting George and Dan (who appears to be the most Left--and most politically astute-- of all the hosts) seriously think about political issues. And yes, that includes Gordon...sophomoric psychologizing isn't tantamount to political analysis. Alas, Gordon is only aping what can be seen every single hour on FOX NEWS, CNN, MSNBC, et alia.
At lunch today, listening to BadRadio in the car, and for the 2nd day in a row, Bob's wasting almost my entire in-car time talking to some hockey player. I protest here, not because I am not a hockey fan, but because those guys have the most annoying accents.
ReplyDeleteJW: BaD is out on the road with the Stars. That's why you're hearing more hockey talk and having more players on than usual. Also, the ex-player on today was Stu Barnes. He was on the Cup winning Stars team. And don't forget, BaD is the hockey voice of The Ticket.
ReplyDeleteJW actually probably heard them talking to current Star Ryan Garbutt right after the show open.
ReplyDeleteOh and Stu played for Buffalo in 99.
ReplyDeleteShaggy, my bad (Stu). You are exactly right about him being on the Sabres in '99. Thanks for the correction. We have to get these things right in order to put out good info! I must admit that Garbutt was tough to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI concur.
ReplyDeleteStill way, way far away from the channel. As usual, very worthwhile commentary from Confessors.
ReplyDeleteap, I cannot claim to clairvoyance respecting politics-talk. However, for the record: Creighton.
I could not agree more about those Capital One commercials with the guy who calls "everyone in Texas" or the like. The Viv/Vivian ad is objectionable, but it is not the first time that that pitchman has called up to berate citizens ("I said, knock it off!") about their responses to his intrusive questions. What is it about sponsors that makes them think that featuring extremely annoying characters flogging their products is a good idea? Is it the same theory that given rise to the falsehood that "there's no such thing as bad publicity"? I would never, ever, consider buying a Mitsubishi automobile for no reason other than my nuclear loathing for that gravel-voiced guy who called random citizens to demand that they take advantage of one or another Mitsubishi sale that they apparently have to have at all times to get people to buy their dreary automobiles.
Good point about Dan McDowell, 1:21 pm Anon. You hit on something that I tried to articulate during Plainsman's Dan discussion of a month ago or so, but I couldn't quite figure out.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to derail the conversation a bit and call back to an earlier post.
Not only does Dan have the most articulate political stance, but usually the most defensible HSOs as well. He's not just throwing out "suspend him for the rest of the year!!" tripe like Greggo use to do, but almost always something that he has considered and debated himself. His thought on how computer polls of college football rankings should be the most objective if we trust that the underlying formulas are accurate is one example.
He is also exceedingly confident in what he says. From the taint-talk incident and subsequent on-air recovery with Rick Arnett on The TeaBag, to his discussion of his dumping habits in the head at the Ticket studio, and finally his stand against the bully talk from tools like Hanson, Corso, and Teixeira, it's always appeared to me that he is very sure of himself.
I too think Dan, and maybe George, are the actual deep thinkers on a larger, outside of sports and pop culture, of The Ticket. I tend to agree with what a few of the Anons have said about Gordo. I think he's a smart and very funny guy, but I also think he's a one trick intellectual pony.
ReplyDeleteI love the hockey talk the Ticket has now. They constantly ignore the Stars (other than BaD Radio) and its nice to see them getting some recognition for us hockey fans who love the Stars. I will say its amazing to try and listen to the Hardline talk hockey but at least its happening.
ReplyDeleteWow... could the E-Brake segment this morning have been any more flat? I guess it's Jub that has all the energy for that segment. The entries were uninspired and the whole process lacked any energy. Makes me wonder if Craig and Gordon don't like the segment but still do it because George wants to.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about the e-brake. The candidates weren't all that strong this week though.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if maybe The Little One might have been a little thinly-staffed this week on the production front. Did I hear that that Nice Young Michael Gruber was unwell? Maybe on spring break week no one was keeping a hawk eye out for E-Brakes. (Or is it "E-Breaks"?)
ReplyDeleteBut yeah -- those were fairly undistinguished stop-downs. Perhaps it was a week of extraordinarily professional broadcasting.