November 4th: The Battle Has Begun!:
Today America found out who the search for the next great Progressive Talk Radio Star finalists are. Each contestant had five minutes at the microphone to convince the judges why they deserve to be added to the progressive talk show lineup with the likes of Ed Schultz and Bill Press.
Not exactly like trying to crack the '27 Yankees lineup, is it?
The premise of this event rests on the rather dubious assumption that there already is a great progressive talk radio star (or stars). It turns out that Ed Schultz is not only the standard these contestants are seeking to emulate, he's also one of the judges. Having Schultz judge a contest for "great" radio stars is like having K-Fed judge a contest for great pop singers.
As announced on today's broadcast, the finalists are:
Khalid Elmasri TalkProgress.com At Large (Web)
Russ Belville AM 620 KPOJ
Kevin Skiest 1300AM the Voice
Linda Morton KLSD AM 1360
Curtis Hannum AM 760 Progressive Talk
Mike Lampers 1350 AM Radio Free Ohio
Buzz Lutrell AM1200 Boston's Progressive Talk
Steve "The Sarge" Beavers 92.1 The Mic Madison's Progressive Talk
Household names all. If you're in a masochistic mood, you can listen to a sample of each contestant here.
There's an interesting back-story on contestant Khalid Elmasri. He's among the finalists by virtue of receiving the most votes in an internet election to fill the "at large" position. I've been privy to a series of e-mails sent by local Muslim groups urging those on their distribution lists to vote for brother Khalid because:
He plans to utilize the program as an opportunity for the Muslim perspective to be heard in an unbiased manner on issues such as the Patriot Act and the "war on terror".
They also assured their fellow Muslims that:
Also, for those of you that know Khalid and who take the time to listen to the sample show, you'll notice that his tone (in the sample) is more mainstream liberal/democratic than he actually is. But such a tone was necessary in order for him to receive consideration and advance in the contest.
Oh, those things that he says about abortion, gay rights, women's equality, and separation of church and state? Just ignore them. He's doing what he has to do to get where he's going.
Hmmm....A little taqiyya perhaps?
While it should be pointed out that one of the respondents on the chain of e-mails objected to this apparent deception, it's interesting to see how readily some in the Muslim community accept the idea of concealing your true views to gain a position of influence (if you consider being a progressive talk show host influential). When it comes to talk radio, it's probably fairly harmless. But what if such practices were extended to politics as well?
More on that next week.
JB ADDS:
My favorite kind of taqiyya is probably Petron.
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