Obama Challenges Radio Station For Airing Ayers Smears

Chicago Tribune:

Just hours after Democrats formally nominated Barack Obama for president, his campaign launched a call-in offensive to WGN radio to protest the appearance Wednesday night of a conservative Obama critic on the "Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg" talk show.

"WGN radio is giving right-wing hatchet man Stanley Kurtz a forum to air his baseless, fear-mongering terrorist smears," Obama's campaign wrote Wednesay in an e-mail urging supporters to flood the stations phone lines with complaints. "He's currently scheduled to spend a solid two-hour block from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. pushing lies, distortions, and manipulations about Barack and University of Illinois professor William Ayers."

Read the whole story: Chicago Tribune

Comments

[coldshot]

How could anyone put any blame on Obama for this?
If I had connections with a known terrorist I would try to suppress it too.

[roald]

coldshot. I don't know you, but I bet I could link you to a terrorist at some level, perhaps a few people removed. I could also link you to Ghandi. Guilt by association is meaningless.

[CrittersRTasty]

Then put someone on the show to say that! You can dispute the connection or you can ignore the comment, but you cant forbid someone making the connection without the appearance that you are afraid of the point.

[kcmookie]

Well said roald, THANK YOU!

[KOisGod]

You listen to hate wing radio, and IF you get through as a called (don't even hint that you are a progressive, you have lie that you are a fellow hater to be heard), and then IF you do get on, and you reveal through your comments that you are not one of THEM, they immediately start to ridicule you, speak over you, laugh at you and dismiss you with explatives. You cannot get your point across, you are not allowed.

By contrast, I hear progressive hosts take right wing callers, have a conversation with them, attempt to reason with them and are courteous.

[UnbiasView]

"By contrast, I hear progressive hosts take right wing callers, have a conversation with them, attempt to reason with them and are courteous.­"

It really depends on the show on either side . . .

Like it or not, right wing radio has been a success in this country while liberal radio has failed.

[UnbiasView]

I like to tune into Thom Hartman every once and awhile to see what the new conspiracy theories are out there and I have heard him be very rude to people that didn't agree with him.

[roald]

I listen to both sides and have to disagree. I have only heard a few occasions where a progressive host has insulted and cut-off a caller. I have rarely heard a conservative host engage in an open conversation.

[connorin]

Rush, Hannity , and O'Reilly have liberal callers on all the time to debate them (which ends up making them look silly because they cannot bak up their assertions or fight off the host's assertions)

[Coinyer101]

and in the meantime , putin has accused the US of fomenting the fighting in south ossetia for partisan political purposes. seems some 'americans ' were involved in the fighting. curious that mccain was so quick to capitalize on the conflict to appear more 'presidential' while barack was still on vacation. it backfired in two ways:
1 - the russian response was overwhelming.
2 - barack had the more 'measured response'. he didnt jump to any conclusions until he got more information. he showed the true qualities we need in a president.

putin is more believable than the 'twins'.

[phyzise]

The Fabulous life of John McCain. Lets make this viral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7PfSEtiXPw&eurl=http://politicalirony.com/2008/08/23/the-fabulous-life-of-john-mccain/

[UnbiasView]

Are we supposed to be angry that he is rich?

I would love to not know how many houses I owned.

[gluvox12]

When he devises policy that affects the rest of us who aren't rich through his distorted view of reality, yes, it does make me angry. When his entire campaign centers around Obama being an "elitist" the lie should make you angry, but it wont' because you're brainwashed.

[Coinyer101]

mccain maintains a personal tie to a homegrown terrorist. his name is bush!

[Coinyer101]

he even hugs him on national TV.

[EnricoPallazzo]

Oh the horror!!!! Obama actually lived on the same street as Ayers!

How can we trust him to run the country if he can't properly vet every single person living on his street, and then pick up and immediately move if you find out your neighbor was involved in the 60's peace movement!!!!!!!!

[Durango]

Isn''t it amazing that in all his time in the spotlight the only thing they can get on Obama is his pastor and his neighbors?

Oh, and the fact that he is a Muslim.

Heh, Wingnuts. Wonder why we are upset.

Google Obama and Muslim.

GOP and the media would NEVER spread lies would they?

[UnbiasView]

"60's peace movement!"

Are you a big supporter of peace moevements that use bombing the pentagon as a tactic?

I can point to many peace movements but wouldn't call the Weather Underground one of them.

[roald]

Ayers' crimes and continuing attitude are more serious. On the other hand, there is nothing to show that Obama was influenced or shared political opinions with Ayers or Wright or Rezko or ....

[Durango]

How many of these trolls defended the right of Clear Channel to censor the Dixie Chicks?

[Triangle1]

That's the thing about this country. You can say anything you want. http://mespace.wordpress.com

[Grunty1]

But you have no right to expect to be rewarded for your words.
Nor any right that people have to agree with your words.
Nor any right that you cannot be held accountable for your words.

Why is this so hard for you guys?

[connorin]

Why is it so hard for you...you say Bush has stifled free speech for eight years, but I have ssen him bashed repeatedly everywhere since before being sworn in...but having a guy who studied some documents on a radio show is unacceptable?

[heal57]

Not with Bush/Cheney in office, you can't. You might get on the 'no fly' list or worse.

[CrittersRTasty]

Or with Obama running for office, apparently­....
(or did you forget the subject of this thread?)

[StillIRise]

Those who are saying that WGN is a "mainstream" radio station couldn't be more wrong, unless their perception of mainstream is right wing. WGN is the radio equivalent to FOX News. It is the home station of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin. The other less vociferous hosts are simply more subtle in their right-wing worldview. Even the lighter show with Roe Conn reflect the same right-wing and sometimes blatantly racist attitudes of the more opinionated hosts. They even have a regular caller to Roe's show, as well as to the morning show, who pretends to be black, speaking in an exaggerated black dialect, and perpetuating the stereotypes that are attributed to the black community, their own version of "Amos and Andy."

Everyone knows Bill Ayers' story by now, and most intelligent and rational Americans realize that Mr. Ayers, the elderly college professor who serves and contributes meaningfully to his community, is not the Bill Ayers who protested the horrid war in Vietnam forty years ago. He is no more of a "terrorist" than Nelson Mandela, and yet they both were labeled as such by our government. And if the GOP could find a relationship between Mandela and Obama, they'd be assaulting Mandela's character too!

[rwe]

Hey , Prograssive nut job.... WLS IS THE STATION YOU ARE THINKING OF.. WGN is the home of the CUBS, Their afternoon guy regularly rips hannity.Oh and Ayers is a terrorist who's acts caused death ,who got off on a legal technicality from a lib judge

[philinmedford]

Ok I laughed out loud at that one. " It had summtin with a "W" in it"

[StillIRise]

You're right. Sorry! Wrong station!!

[connorin]

RWE is correct...­WLS has Rush and Hannity and Roe Conn...WGN does not

So you are the one we are supposed to trust and you cannot manage to get that one Giant item correct?

[obamaluv]

And Obama should be proud of the accomplishments he made with Mr. Ayer's in Chicago. These acomplishments should be promoted not hidden. I guess I understand why they are.

[connorin]

So let the guy talk about what he found out!

[roald]

Are we talking about the same station? WGN, AM 720? You must have them confused with WLS, AM 890 or WIND, AM 560. I have listened to Extension 720 in the past and have heard a wide variety of guests. This was a bad choice for the host and bookers. I agree with the rest of your analysis, though.

[StillIRise]

Sorry. I made a HUGE mistake, confusing WGN with WLS.

[Grunty1]

The trolls are so busy whining about Freedom of Speech that they automatically dismiss that THEY are saying Obama has no such right.

[connorin]

Obama campaign officials were invited on the show and refused...­they recognized his right of free speech, offered him a platform and were declined..­.how are they denying Obama campaign's right to free speech?

[kdublya]

On what legal basis does telephoning an "open call-in radio talk show" infringe on 1st amendment rights?

[rwe]

So far Brownshirters,,,, have not heard any say what lies were uttered only that you want to be Castro like

[doctorwang]

Who said they wanted to be Castro like?

[kdublya]

Godwin's law

[cobobs]

No kidding. Conservatives have been swamping media armed with talking points from Conservative Central or from Religious Wacko Central for decades, all of them sounding like programmed robots. You are such whining cry babies when your time honored tactics are turned on you. For shame.

[connorin]

so have the far left nutjobs like yourself..­.you got a real point you intend on making?

[doctorwang]

I believe the point is that it's okay for the neocons use such tactics...­.but when liberals do it you cry like a bunch of babies. It's called hypocrisy.

[genseric13]

These aren't liberals. These people are leftists. Yesterday, they arrested an ABC reporter just for shooting film on a public sidewalk. Apparently, he was filming money bundlers going in to pay off Obama and his friends. Obama's presidency will be a tyranny. I dread it.

[doctorwang]

The leftists arrested the ABC reporter? Really. Huh. I thought it was the police.

[kdublya]

I'm curious to find out what transpired over the 2 hour period from the initial warning to the time of the arrest.

My initial guess, continued loitering/­trespassin­g on private property.

I could be wrong.
We'll see.

[MidSection]

Freedom of speech is defended by liberals only when in agreement with what is being said.

Liberals are like communists.

[kdublya]

Are you saying BHO has no right to protest?

tsk tsk

[connorin]

he has every right...wh­y doesn't the station have a right to talk to the guy...the email said it was unacceptable

[bygollymissmolly]

Freedom of speech or freedom of lies? If someone was going all over town telling lies about you, would you stand up for their freedom of speech or would your protest the fact that they were spreading lies?

[deanfv]

They may be smears but they are facts.

[connorin]

There are laws for that...why haven't they even tried to go that route?

If this guym is truly libeling or slandering Obama...pr­ove it

BTW...what exactly is he saying he found out in his studies that you say is a lie?????

[IanStuart]

... which is why their protests of Bush need to be confined to fenced and guarded protest zones, and why they should not be allowed in any arena with their president?

Free civics lesson: Communism, like Capitalism, is an economic model, and not by definition indicative of how much power a government has vs. how much freedom the people enjoy. I suppose you mean to imply Authoritarianism.

For instance, an Authoritarian regime would consider itself above the law, free from Judicial and Congressional checks and balances ... like the Bush Administration.

[doctorwang]

I don't see anyone here saying you don't have to right to comment and make your opinion known.

[DallasMike]

so much for freedome of speech

[zippywpinhead]

so much for the tired republican talking points...

[bygollymissmolly]

He has his "freedom of speech" to spread his lies and O'bama and his followers have their "freedom of speech" for protesting their lies and standing up for the truth.

[IanStuart]

What's your name? I'll go an a radio show and say you support terrorism. If you call the station to protest, then that means you are trying to take away my freedom of speech.

Duuuuuuuuu­uuhhhhhhhh­hhhh.