AIR AMERICA AND THE EXTREME LEFT NEED TO REBUILD THEIR MESSAGE

As some of you know, Air America is going through some financial difficulty. It is simply not the mismanagement of their operations, but a misdirection of their energy. When a majority of their programming is filled with inflammatory language and blind one-sided rhetoric, it is simply not appealing to non-partisan people and the average American. This is proven in Air America's early failure in their ratings and the success of such media outlets as Fox News, which leads in national ratings across the board and in many of their shows.

Though many liberals mock the catch phrase of Fox News, "Fair and Balanced," their programming does not even come close to the critical style and rhetoric of right-leaning media outlets. This past week, one of my staunch Democratic friends agreed with me that journalists like Bill O'Reilly at least criticize their own and far more color-blind when it comes to issues of right and wrong. O'Reilly doesn't care if a person is Republican, right-wing, or the issue will damage President Bush, he will bring it out in the open and discuss in his raw, straightforward manner. How many times have you heard liberal journalists or media personalities criticize their own?

People are smarter than many liberals think. Most people do not want to listen to radio or television programming that is simply an advertisement for liberal thinking or political views. They want an informative and interesting discussion. Even a major left-leaning media company, such as CNN, has taken an approach to make it too one-sided. Before I left for Asia four years ago, I loved watching CNN's "Crossfire" because it was a solid, roundtable political show. I moved back to the U.S. a month ago and much has changed. Now I find "Crossfire" to be too politicized (sounds funny, but true). The format changed into short debate rounds, which I assume was an attempt to be more competitive with Fox but probably the wrong move. The studio audience could not be more biased. Their claps and cheers are far more frequent for Paul Begala and James Carville while the right-leaning co-hosts, Tucker Carlson and Bob Novak, sit there hoping for a few scraps after their lines. It is pathetic.

Even a couple nights ago I watched Hannity & Colmes where John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress, "took on Sean Hannity for distorting the truth" (from American Progress' email newsletter). If you watch the clip, it was barely anything. Why such inflammatory words when the substance is not there?

If it there was substance in some of the criticism from the left, I believe their words and style are creating a divide in America. Not the policies of this administration... not the war in Iraqi, which they foolishly or stupidly compare with Vietnam... not the right-wing whackos... it is the rhetoric from the left, especially the extreme left, that is hurting our nation. There is a better way to discuss and talk about issues. There is a better way to seek out solutions. Minus the hate. Minus the fear of listening to the other side. Minus the partisanship. Of course, the right side of the political spectrum is guilty of acting blindly and spreading vile rhetoric too, but the left's foundation seems to be built upon such divisive actions and words which has been a virus for our nation's health.