Ralp Doty in the Budeteer

I put this on the interview and colum page. I think it is interesting to know what I and others think about go to the main page. duluthpolitics.blogspot.com


Subject: Budgeteer News Article: Ralph Doty: Claiming the flag as their ownThis could prove beneficial in the race this fall.Ralph Doty: Claiming the flag as their ownRalph DotyBudgeteer

News - 09/18/2008The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "patriot" as one who loves hiscountry. Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus says synonyms for patriot include"flag-waver," "loyalist" and "partisan."Until the war in Iraq was launched by President Bush, we didn't often hearthat word - except in school history lessons when textbooks describedcolonists who wanted out of the British empire as "patriots."

The word got new life a few years ago when Vice President Cheney used it todescribe folks who supported the war in Iraq. People who didn't support thatmisadventure were traitors.So now, in the Twin Ports, a local news/talk radio station, WDSM-AM (710),calls itself "The Patriot."Just who are the "patriots"on WDSM? Well, there's Rush Limbaugh, thetalk-show reactionary who said that Michael J. Fox was faking hisParkinson's disease - at the same time my late mother was dying of thedisease. And who can forget Limbaugh's protests about giving women rightsand privileges men have always taken for granted: "Feminism was establishedso as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society."Then there's one of the most hateful talk show hosts in the nation, MichaelSavage. Personally, I think Savage is a pitbull, but WDSM says he's a"patriot."Even Limbaugh doesn't think much of Savage, recently telling the New YorkTimes, "He's not even in my rearview mirror."Sean Hannity, also seen nightly on Fox News Channel, has been on WDSM for afew years. Limbaugh told the Times Hannity "isn't even close" to him as acompetitor. WDSM thinks Hannity is a "patriot." I think he's a comedian, atbest.

Locally, WDSM has aired Lew Latto's program for many years. Last week,KDAL's Brad Bennett show was moved to WDSM, although word is he didn'tespecially want to return to the station where his show started years ago.I know both men, and although I seldom agree with their political views, Ipersonally like them. (Even though this summer, while I was responding onthe phone to his incorrect assertion about how debate is shut down in theU.S. Senate, Lew cut me off the air in mid-sentence. No contrary viewswelcomed on his show - that's for sure.) Latto and Bennett are now on thesame radio station with all those other so-called true-blue Americans.

"Patriots."So, what about folks in the middle or left-of-center on the politicalspectrum? Why are none of them on WDSM and, as it's turning out, also not onthe only other AM news/talk station, KDAL-AM (610), one of six Duluth radiostations owned by Midwest?Clearly, Midwest Communications' top man in Duluth has a political agenda.Ron Stone is extreme right on the political spectrum, as he was when heserved as general manager of Clear Channel's four Duluth stations beforethey were sold last year. Stone was an active political campaigner forright-wing former senator Rod Grams. These days, Stone never misses anopportunity as a "true believer" - the title of a fascinating book writtenyears ago by Eric Hofer - to tell people what he thinks about politicianswho don't agree with him.Is it unethically questionable for the manager of six radio stations servingone market to impose his personal political views on the radio stations heoperates?

You betcha. And where does the Federal Communications Commission -the toothless agency that at one time policed radio and TV fairness - standon unfair and unbalanced programming? Answer: In a swamp.But give Stone credit for completing the neo-con transformation of his twonews/talk stations so quickly. At KDAL, for example, some folks working atMidwest were led to believe that Carinda Horton, Brad Bennett's replacement,would be politically in the middle of the road.But, alas, on Tuesday a caller to her show blurted out, "How nice to hearanother Republican voice on the radio." Horton did not disagree. Afterlistening to her for a few minutes, one begins to believe that Brad Bennettis a liberal.And then there's Russ Stewart, the former Duluth city councilor heard onKDAL from 3 to 5 p.m., hours previously occupied by Joe Soucheray. When hewas elected to the Duluth city council eight years ago, Stewart had someprogressive views. By the end of his second term, I sensed that he was atthe center of the political spectrum. Fair enough.Stewart calls his new radio show "A Reasonable Man," a title presumablyselected to hide the fact that, unless you're a conservative, he doesn'tsound very reasonable at all. All of a sudden he sounds like a politicalconservative.

What happened, Russ?So, that leaves syndicated host Lou Dobbs as the only political moderateremaining on KDAL. But neo-cons can take solace: Stone is looking for alocal ultraconservative to replace Dobbs. Then the transformation to allconservative talk show hosts on both his news/talk stations will becomplete.And then KDAL-AM, at one time a great radio station sensitive to allpolitical viewpoints, will have evolved into a shameless apologist for theright wing.

Ralph Doty resigned from Midwest Communications - by letter - several weeksago. He was a part-time newsman and host of "Radio Memories." This columnexplains his reason for leaving. He can be reached at rdoty71963@aol.com.