Sunday, October 26, 2008

Friday talk radio update

Dave Rye uncharacteristically read a monologue to open his broadcast on Friday. The monologue essentially explained why Republicans are good and Democrats are evil.

I was glad to hear him take on the topic and sorry that he said he didn't plan to do such a thing again. I also was pretty disappointed that the monologue took such a standard, stereotypical approach to the topic.

There was really nothing, for example, about why Republicans seem to be in so much trouble this election cycle. Are Americans turning socialist or have Republicans abandoned too many of the principles that made them electable in the first place?

There was no discussion of the split along ideological lines within the party: the old-school big-business Republicans, the libertarian Republicans, the social conservative Republicans. The breakup of this coalition is no more surprising, but is at least as worthy of discussion, as the breakup after Vietnam of the uncomfortable Democratic coalition of union workers, Southern conservatives and anti-war leftists.

There was no substantive discussion of some the party's apparent contradictions. Why is the party of individual liberty so opposed to letting people marry whomever they want? Why is the party of fiscal responsibility so indifferent to budget deficits? Why does the party that favors preserving what made America great have such a poor record on the environment?

Instead, we got mostly predictable homilies about how Republicans are more patriotic, more pragmatic and just all around better Americans than Democrats are. Too bad.

4 comments:

Randy said...

David, I don't know why you're surprised at the way Dave Rye presented his thesis. All he ever does is spout GOP talking points while rarely offering an original thought. It's his SOP.

Unknown said...

Mine: Why does a party that claims dibs on Christianity behave in ways and believe in tenets directly counter to what Christ believed and professed? (See: Mount, Sermon on)

Anonymous said...

Sorry the piece was too cliched and predictable for your taste, David. When I wrote it, I wasn't planning to go public with it. (I also wasn't planning on hosting a talk show, since I was happily retired and meant to stay that way.) Thanks for giving me a hearing, anyway.

Randy, at least credit me with some courage. I could have stayed a lot more popular, as well as a lot more affluent, by never "coming out" about what for most of my career as a public person had been opinions that I kept private.

Todd, during an election season, neither side is merciful toward the other, so maybe that's why they won't obtain mercy. They're not meek, either, which I guess means they won't be inheriting the earth anytime soon.

Chuck Rightmire said...

If your description is accurate, David, and Dave doesn't seem to dispute it, that last paragraph is an indication that Dave Rye has lost any clear views he ever had of what it means to be a Republican in this city and state. After your years in the news business, Dave, you should know when you're dealing with facts that should be told and when you're dealing with opinions about what should be buried and not talked about. But then Republicans and the far fringe Democrats don't seem to understand that the main stream media goes for facts whether it suits their view of the world or not.