excerpt: "muzzled" by juan williams

8/6/2019 Excerpt: "Muzzled" by Juan Williams

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C H A P T E R 8

THE PROVOCATEURS

IN THE MOVIE Te American President, acor ichal Douglas

plays a prsidn who wals ino h Whi Hous bring

room and dlivrs a powrul rspons o a poliical oppo-

nn’s prsonal atacs on his characr. “W hav sriousproblms o solv, and w ned srious popl o solv hm,”

h bgins. “nd whavr your paricular problm is, promis

you Bob [his opponn] is no h las bi inrsd in solving

i. H is inrsd in o hings and o hings only: maing

you afaid o i, and lling you who’s o blam or i . . . [so h

can] win lcions.” n h nal lin o h spech, h calls ouBob: “is is a im or srious popl, Bob, and your en

minus ar up. y nam is ndrw hphrd and am h

prsidn!”

Li all good wors o cion, ha scn is so mmorabl

bcaus i ouchs on somhing so ral.

oday’s provocaurs in poliics and h mdia sed con-ic vrywhr. Bu nowhr do hy show a gnuin inrs

in bringing mricans oghr o achiv posiiv rsuls.



M U Z Z L E D 211

hy did, hy migh b ou o a job, ar all. W ar no longr

living in h 24-7 nws cycl. is nw ra is bing calld h

“1,440-7” nws cycl, whr mdia ar comping or h au-

dinc’s atnion vry minu o vry day. nd on surr

way o g atnion in h 1,440-7 nws world is o say som-

hing ouragous. s a rsul, w hav an nir gradua class

o prossional provocaurs. W all now hm. y ar my

finds, my collagus, and occasionally my advrsaris in h

mdia. ush Limbaugh. achl addow. an Hanni. Law-

rnc ’Donnll. Glnn Bc. vn my collagu and anispin

misr Bill ’illy has ben accusd o h rol, alhough

nd his show balancd in a way w al shows on h L or

igh can mach.

s is ru o h mdium, al-show hoss ar nrain-

rs as much as hy ar commnaors, and bing bland as

oas wins nihr rviws nor raings. Whhr on h L orh igh, whhr on NBC or Fox Nws, ach is awar

o hir arg audinc. ach ors provocaiv commn-

ary ha grabs our atnion and rs up dba. prob-

lm is ha al-show hoss arn’ on h air o compromis

or bring opposing sids oghr; hy hav a srong poin o

viw, which hy rcly xprss. By hir vry naur hy ar dsignd o spar dba, no sarch or answrs; ocus our

concrns, no rach a biparisan compromis. Bu in sparing

dba ha plays o o our ars and concrns, hy also ac o

driv ou raional discussion and rasond dba. ir vry

uncion as hoss and provocaurs can srv o driv us apar.

inunc o al-show hoss on oday’s poliical cul-ur is prvasiv and worh xploring in mor dail. om

hav calld such pundis and provocaurs prpual conic



M U Z Z L E D 213

somon in auhori nally sands up o poliics and mdia

run amo. naion would lov or a poliical uprman o

a o as h growing hord ha has no inrs in solving

h srious problms acing mrica.

L’s ac i, hs prossional rud boys (and girls) hriv

on arousing popl’s passions. y ma mony by maing

our problms vn wors. mor bitr h divid ovr an

issu, h mor inracabl h problm, h brighr hy

shin. o hy ma us afaid o problms; hy blitl and d-

moniz hos wih a dirn poin o viw as nmis—vn

poliical allis who ar no willing o b as xrm or radical

in hir viws. W ar givn suprb poliical har bu litl in

h way o ducaion. is li waching a docudrama a ims.

Ys, i is basd on h acs, bu hy hav ben mbllishd,

mad mor nraining, wih non o h painul sarching

and uncrain o ral li. provocaurs dligh in coming up wih dmaning,

cuting sound bis ha quicly go viral on h nrn and

cabl nws. y collagu Glnn Bc has ben guil o his

rpadly. uch atacs and prsonal pu-downs atrac atn-

ion, as wll as condmnaion fom criics. Nonhlss, h

spoligh, good or bad, brings h provocaurs o h atniono vn mor popl, puting mor popl in h sas or hir

carnival ac. nd ha pus mor mony in hir pocs. is

nraining among hir consiuns, o b sur. Bu hir

viriolic displays scar good popl away fom gting involvd

in poliics, and hy hav ld smar, wll-inormd popl in

h poliical middl o say away fom imporan dbas. prpual conic machin hs agiaors hav crad avors

nrnchd consiuncis ha ar looing no so much or



214 J U A N W I L L I A M S

ral dba wih nw idas and hop or compromis as much

as or conrmaion o h blis hy alrady hold. ir audi-

ncs ar capivad by h xplosiv angr hy se on h air,

arousing hir own angr and fusraion.

is phnomnon has rachd h poin whr our pro-

vocaur culur inhibis h uncions o govrnmn. ur

public srvans incrasingly rspond rs o h louds voics

bhind h biggs microphons, who can ma hm or bra

hm in h opinion polls and a h ballo box. rsul is

a chronic hardning o poliical viws ha is dsroying h

xibili nedd or civ dmocracy. Bu oday’s polii-

cians el hy hav litl choic bu o play along. r all, h

prophs o doom and dsrucion g popl o atnd rallis,

o giv mony o poliicians, and o g ou and vo. Candi-

das running or o c, and vn hos poliicians in lcd

o c now, nd i o hir advanag o mimic h scraming,hcoring, and ngr-poining insad o looing or compro-

mis and soluions. nyon who varis fom hir par’s hard

lin is condmnd and ulimaly muzzld.

Firs mndmn o h Consiuion givs vryon

h righ o spa wihou ar o govrnmn cnsorship or

rprisal. allows m o arn a living doing wha lov odo—aling and wriing abou poliics. cours, i dos no

guarane hr will b an audinc whn xrcis ha righ.

omims blls and whisls, rwors and sparls ar

nedd o atrac an audinc. omims w ned poliical

har o g us ino our sas. Bu his ned also cras pro-

grams wih atiud and opinion. os o h programmingday a Fox Nws Channl is an up wih nws prsnd by

woring journaliss collcing h acs and prsning com-



M U Z Z L E D 215

plling soris. T channl srivs o mainain and grow an

audinc by providing a mixur o hons, original, and n-

gaging analysis and nws. Bu i also ors a vari o po-

n alk shows on h issus o h day wih hoss and guss

who hav big prsonaliis. Fox CEO Rogr Ails rcognizs

ha h mdia is a dmanding, compiiv businss and h

audinc canno b akn or grand. Atraciv, ngaging,

provocaiv popl and complling argumns ar always in

dmand.

Whnvr I appar on Fox Nws or wri a column or

T Hill, I ry o me h conomic dmands o hos ouls

by advancing h convrsaion, avoiding h prdicabl, and

making a consruciv conribuion o h discussion. I mak a

conscious or o avoid ad hominm atacks or nam-calling.

I atack idas and poin ou hir consquncs, rahr han

atack h popl who hold hm. I don’ say hings jus orh sak o bing provocaiv. I criiciz boh librals and con-

srvaivs whn I hink hy ar wrong and agre wih hm

whn I hink hy ar righ, rying o kep my argumns

groundd in hons, civili, and raional hough. As a rsul,

h largr-han-li mdia prsonaliis—who nvr nrain

any doub o hir fxd posiion—occasionally shou m downand upsag m. Bu I giv hm ull crdi or having m on

in h frs plac o prsn wha is somims a conradicing

poin o viw. I wan boh l-wing and righ-wing audincs

o pay atnion o wha I hav o say bcaus hy know m

as somon who is sraigh wih hm, who dosn’ com a

h issus om a fxd idological posiion. I pu a prmiumon lling hm wha I rally hink, and hy sem o valu

ha. My b is ha h audinc wans o har wha I will say,




oo, vn i hy can’ coun on m as rliably consrvaiv or

libral.

cours, causic poliical commnary and sair has

a chrishd, wll-sablishd radiion in mrican hisory.

ar wain, H. L. ncn, Will ogrs, Dorohy arr,

and scors o ohr sairiss could hav ben dscribd as po-

liical provocaurs in hir day. W clbra hir wor and

can rcall hir mos mmorabl quos. Whn hy wro, h

mdia nvironmn was smallr, slowr, lss complicad, and

lss signican in mrican poliics. Bu as mdia has volvd

ovr h las svral dcads, poliical commnaors hav b-

com an nirly dirn spcis. oday poliical parisan-

ship has bcom insiuionalizd as mdia chnology has

incrasd ouls or nich poins o viw on h xrms o

h poliical spcrum, and h mony and clbri ow o

hos voics a h xrms hrough radio shows, boo dals,and Wb ra c.

uch o h hisory o provocaurs in mrica is par o

h glorious hisory o fe popl spaing fely—dmocracy

in acion. s voics mrgd o challng h saus quo or

in som cass o dnd h saus quo agains h orcs o

poliical corrcnss, boh good and bad. om o our naion’smos had dbas oo plac during h posrvoluion-

ary ra as omas Jrson, Jams adison, and lxandr

Hamilon argud passionaly ovr h dails o our naion’s

dmocraic bluprins, h Dclaraion o ndpndnc and

h Consiuion.

omas ain is among h mos rnownd o h ounding-ra provocaurs. H is h original mrican agiaor, an

immigran o h Unid as who wro h inammaory



M U Z Z L E D 217

Common Sense . His rais, which raild agains Briish co-

lonial dominaion, was inndd o inam and goad mri-

cans o rbllion. H wro in bold languag: “vryhing ha

is righ or rasonabl plads or sparaion. blood o h

slain, h weping voic o naur cris, ’IS TIME TO PART.”

His words mad h mrican voluion much mor han an

uprising. H ransormd i ino a holy crusad or all human-

i. “ caus o mrica is in a gra masur h caus o

all manind,” ain wro.

By h la 1800s, ain’s pugnacious phrass semd po-

li and poic compard o h daily viriol prind by h o

gra nwspapr magnas o h im, William andolph

Hars and Josph ulizr. ir covrag o h nws, fom

crim o poliical scandals o war, was a sudy in snsaional-

izd accouns, including ourigh disorion and lis, in a batl

o sll mor paprs in Nw Yor Ci. high-dcibl consben Hars’s New York Journal and ulizr’s New York

World gav ris o h rm “yllow journalism.” dscribs

alarmis, snsaionalis journalism ha is drivn by a dsir

or atnion and is willing o inci and provo radrs wih

litl rgard or h acs. Hars and ulizr bcam ina-

mous or saring a ral war. y whippd up so much angra pain hrough inammaory soris abou pain’s handling

o mrican vssls ha hy incid h Unid as o go

o war wih pain in h panish-mrican War.

adio had mrgd in h arly nih cnury as a

orm o mass mdia. bs-nown voic o arly hundr

on radio was Caholic pris Charls Coughlin. Fahr Cough-lin spwd an inammaory mix o poliical ourag, social

conrovrsy, and division. rsidn oosvl usd radio o




rach ou o a counry sruggling o rcovr fom conomic

dprssion; his us o radio was a rs or a prsidn, and his

occasional rsid radio chas fom h Whi Hous bcam

a signaur o his prsidncy. Fahr Coughlin rs gaind

prominnc as a supporr o rsidn oosvl’s Nw Dal

programs. Bu h urnd agains hm wih qual ury. H

blamd Jws or h Gra Dprssion, sympahizd wih Hi-

lr, and bcam an ardn opponn o U.. involvmn in

World War . H onc broadcas a qusion ha combind

isolaionism and ani-miism: “us h nir world go o

war or 600,000 Jws in Grmany who ar nihr mrican,

nor Frnch, nor nglish ciizns, bu ciizns o Grmany?”

His populari ll, howvr, whn h was lind o a group

rying o ovrhrow h govrnmn.

cold war, wih is srong anicommunis snimns,

producd svral arly vrsions o oday’s provocaiv mdiaprsonaliis. Far o communis inlraion ino h Unid

as sirrd h audincs o ha ra. adio shows, pam-

phls, and spechs wr sponsord by h paranoid, ar-righ

John Birch oci.

civil righs movmn o h 1950s and 1960s, oo, pro-

ducd a class o racial provocaurs. vral sas addd som vrsion o h Condra ag o hir sa ags. labama’s

Govrnor Gorg Wallac proplld himsl o naional prom-

innc and a hird-par candidacy or h prsidncy using a

“sas’ righs” argumn, as wll as championing h “good”

o racial sgrgaion. n Jun 1963 Govrnor Wallac drw

world atnion whn h physically sood in a schoolhousdoor o bloc blac sudns fom nring h Univrsi o

labama. Wih V camras rolling, and in danc o h



M U Z Z L E D 219

U.. Jusic Dparmn o cials sanding nx o him, h an-

nouncd ha h dral acion o ingra h school was “in

violaion o righs rsrvd or h sa by h Consiuion o

h Unid as and h Consiuion o labama.” Lar, h

sirrd warli passion by proclaiming, “n h nam o h

gras popl ha vr rod his arh, draw h lin in

h dus and oss h gaunl bor h e o ranny and

say, ‘grgaion now, sgrgaion omorrow, sgrgaion or-

vr!’ ”

Wallac’s succss as a poliical provocaur was aidd by

his prominnc as govrnor o h sa. Bu i was also bol-

srd by h growh o mass mdia—radio and V—ha

rumpd his words o vry cornr o h naion.

n h ra o domsic social uphaval during h 1960s and

1970s, h ladrs o h minis movmn, h sudn pro-

ss agains h Vinam War, and h civil righs movmnall capializd on h growh o V nws and commnary o

build suppor or hir causs. vry caus now had o ma

sragic dcisions on h us o visuals, signs, and symbols

inndd o display disdain or h sablishmn, as wll as

whn o sag marchs or maximum lvision covrag, how

o incras im on V by mploying Hollywood clbriis ospa or a caus, and how o nlis musicians and mssags in

movis o agia or chang.

onald agan’s prsidncy saw poliical polarizaion

rach anohr lvl. rsidn agan’s prossional acing and

spech-maing sills, combind wih h birh o V cabl

nws and h al/nws radio orma, urnd poliics ino l- visd conss o rhoric and saging. Woring wih a pub-

lic rlaions xpr, ichal Davr, as his communicaions




dircor, h prsidn ld h naion wih bold languag and

powrul stings or his spechs. H sood a h Brlin Wall

o challng ovi ladr ihail Gorbachv wih h lin,

“r. Gorbachv, ar down his wall.” H did no hsia o

labl h ovi Union “h vil mpir.” H anagonizd his

libral criics by aling abou poor womn as wlar quens

in “pin Cadillacs,” aing h bold conomic posiion ha i

h rich go richr h poor would also b hlpd bcaus “a

rising id lis all boas.” Considraion o on agan nomi-

ne or h uprm Cour, obr Bor, ransormd l-

visd na conrmaion harings ino a sag or poliical

ghs ovr aborion, rac, gun conrol, and vry ohr ho-

buton issu. s nod arlir, during h Bor harings, na-

or d Knndy unlashd his own inammaory atac on

h nomine. “obr Bor’s mrica,” h snaor said, “is

a land in which womn would b orcd ino bac-ally abor-ions, blacs would si a sgrgad lunch counrs, rogu

polic could bra down ciizns’ doors in midnigh raids,

schoolchildrn could no b augh abou voluion, wrirs

and ariss could b cnsord a h whim o h govrnmn,

and h doors o h Fdral cours would b shu on h n-

grs o millions o ciizns.”al shows bgan o combin h chniqus o nws pro-

grams wih nrainmn shows. hil Donahu’s V show,

which was syndicad naionally or a rcord n-six yars,

s h sandard or puting srious convrsaions on h air in

h arnoon, bu his show also bcam nown or acling

aboo subjcs and bringing lighning-rod prsonaliis on odiscuss hm. Up-and-coming V producrs ollowd in his

oosps and on oo h orma o grar xrms. Gr-

aldo ivra had his nos bron on an pisod o his al show




advisr o rsidn Carr, rcognizd his criical shi in h

mdia, and is powr conribud o a chang in h naur o

govrning. H warnd h prsidn ha i had h powr o

driv rnds and opinions o such orc ha hy could swamp

vn h mos sincr and abl ladr. Caddll old Carr, “

is my hsis ha govrning wih public approval rquirs a

coninuing poliical campaign.” a man ha vn vicori-

ous candidas, onc in o c, had o ep campaigning; hy

nedd o se govrning as a spara, somims scondary,

as i hy wand o hold on o h powr ha coms fom

srong public approval. n ha sns, a prmann campaign

bcam h qual o a Hars-ulizr circulaion batl, a

raings war, and a compiion ben brands—a qus o

siz yballs, o capur hars, and o sir passions. olii-

cians ned o absorb h lssons o h mdia abou apping

ino h biggs possibl audinc and holding ha audinc. y lsson is ha hr is nohing lss dramaic han a

w popl aling raionally, ignoring xrmiss and now-

nohings, whil maing sady, incrmnal improvmns in

public policy. vn an uninormd, unducad rub can ba

a brillian sasman in opinion polls i h rub has passion,

prsns himsl as a vicim o Washingon’s arroganc, and is willing o a a sand and pu on a show o populis ourag.

n poliics, h had mdia culur o h 1980s and

1990s saw h ris o hre major poliical prsonaliis who

h mold o provocaur—Jss Jacson on h L, a

Buchanan on h igh, and oss ro as a poliical indpn-

dn. Jacson had rs usd h powr o lvision in h imm-

dia armah o Dr. King’s assassinaion, whn h appard



M U Z Z L E D 223

on air h nx day waring a shir ha h said was saind

wih Dr. King’s blood. roughou h nx svral dcads,

his public samns and apparancs on V and radio spo

o his ambiion o bcom h nx Dr. King. By h 1988

prsidnial campaign, Jacson was widly acnowldgd as

h “prsidn o Blac mrica,” a maninglss il xcp

in is powr o command h atnion o h mdia and win

Jacson his own cabl V show.

a Buchanan, a ormr aid o rsidn Nixon, posiiond

himsl as a social consrvaiv and a man o principl willing

o lad h charg in wha h calld “h culur wars.” was

Buchanan who had coind h rm “siln majori.”

Buchanan bcam a rgular on poliical V and radio

shows and vnually landd his own. H was on o h origi-

nal cohoss o h cabl V shouing mach Crossfre, which

crad h spi-ying, barbd-pu-down, L-vrsus-ighmpla or poliical panls and programs ha hav com

sinc. H ran a lucraiv nwsltr aimd a consrvaivs

seing hard-lin righ-wing viws.

Li Jss Jacson, Buchanan mad a run or prsidn. n

1992 h usd his hard-righ sands on social issus o atac

rsidn Bush as a poliical modra who mad “bacroom”dals wih Dmocras and did no dsrv a scond rm.

oss ro, li Jacson and Buchanan, also ran or prsi-

dn. n an amazing urn, h walhy corpora xcuiv ran

as a populis, a man raind by his succss in businss o g

hings don. hro and proagonis o a bs-slling boo

and V sris, On the Wings o Eagles, abou how h organizdh rscu o mployes bing hld hosag ovrsas, ro

prsnd himsl in h nws mdia as a srious ladr. H




spo as a no-nonsns pragmais wih a paricular disas

or rsidn Bush. n nonsop mdia inrviws, including

rgular apparancs on cabl V’s Larry King Live, h labld

rsidn Bush a wa ladr wih no conomic now-how

and lacing in srong principls.

“is ci [Washingon] has bcom a own lld wih

sound bis, shll gams, handlrs, mdia sunmn who pos-

ur, cra imags, al, shoo o oman candls, bu don’

vr accomplish anyhing. W ned deds, no words, in his

ci,” ro said. n o his mos lling campaign pldgs

h vr-scalaing mdia culur o h im. H said ha as

prsidn h would govrn by paricipaing in “lcronic own

halls,” whr popl could spa ou and also rgisr hir

prrncs or policy and lgislaion.

Bu ro’s rraic bhavior, dropping ou and hn renr-

ing h prsidnial rac in a mdia fnzy, and his charg hagovrnmn agns had rid o ruin his daughr’s wdding, as

wll as his choic o h unnown and ou-o-his-dph dmi-

ral Jams ocdal as his vic-prsidnial running ma, un-

drmind ro’s candidacy. Nonhlss, h won 19 prcn

o h vo, a rcord or an indpndn candida.

Bu mos o all, ro, Buchanan, and Jacson l an in-dusry o xrm poliical pundis in hir wa, poliicians

and al-show hoss who gaind a lvl o walh and poliical

powr nvr nown o arlir poliical commnaors such as

Will ogrs and H. L. ncn. y pridd hmslvs on

bing ousid obsrvrs o h procss.

currn crop o provocaurs, oo—fom Glnn Bco rianna Hu ngon—hav bcom playrs in ha procss.

y ar rwardd or bing h ons who shou h louds



M U Z Z L E D 225

and ma h mos ouragous atacs, who garnr h high-

s lvision raings, h largs radio audincs, and h mos

Wb si ra c. y n lucraiv boo conracs and rciv

rapurous sanding ovaions a poliical conrncs. nd hy

hav discovrd hy can ma or bra li-mindd poliical

candidas wih hir commnary and ndorsmns. Voics

o modraion and calm prsuasion hav a hard im bing

hard ovr h loud, graing voics o oday’s poliical provo-

caurs. nd h nrn and h communicaions plaorms

i has crad—fom Facboo o blogs—hav suppord h

mrgnc o vn mor provocaurs: popl paid or scram-

ing ou any conrovrsial ida, any conspiracy hory. os

o hs agiaors ac wihou ar o bing hld o accoun

or disorions or ourigh lis. Whn challngd on h acs,

hy run bhind h Firs mndmn and charg ha hir

fedom o spech is bing an away. acolys in hiraudinc could car lss abou spin and disorion—unlss i

is commitd by hir poliical os. y jus wan o har a

rousing spech by a al-show hos who agres wih hm.

is psychological phnomnon is on surprising rsul o

chnology’s abili o dlivr mor cabl channls, mor radio

saions, inni Wb sis, and witr eds. Wih h grar vari o plaorms o g nws and opinion, mos radrs,

viwrs, and lisnrs ar drawn o plaorms and prsonaliis

o hir choic, in h sam way homown audincs bcom

ans o a basball am. y bliv hir am can do no

wrong. y rvl in h company o li-mindd hinrs.

y rally don’ wan o har nws ha mas hm qusionhir poliical prjudics. y don’ wan opinions ha chal-

lng h logic o hir poliical hining by giving a conradic-




ory poin o viw. y wan consisncy. y ar glad o

dismiss criics, h loahsom “mainsram” or “righ-wing”

mdia, and opposing poliical paris. y bond wih ohrs

as ousidrs and g a ic ou o prsonaliis who us moc-

ing ons o dbas h insidrs or li who disagre wih hm.

is his nw poliical culur ha producd l Frann

and ush Limbaugh, sand-up comic and disc jocy wih

brash poliical viws, o unny guys who hav risn o unb-

livabl prominnc in h naion’s highs councils o srious

poliical dba.

Limbaugh is h louds o all h voics in h consrvaiv

mdia cho chambr. collg dropou and aild disc jocy,

h crad a on-man poliical show mad possibl by h r-

pal o h Fairnss Docrin in 1987. adio saions no longr

had o air opposing viws, and Limbaugh is crdid wih bing

h rs and crainly h bs o a advanag o h nw law. H bas on idological drum or hre hours a day—

h drum o social consrvaism. H has mad himsl ino

h voic o opposiion o vryhing libral, fom aborion o

war pross o concrn ovr orur o capurd rroriss and

civil righs aciviss. H lambasd womn’s righs aciviss as

“mi-Nazis,” dclaring, “Fminism was sablishd so as oallow unatraciv womn asir accss o h mainsram o

soci.” H mocd D aciviss by inroducing any dis-

cussion o h disas wih Dionn Warwic’s hi song “’ll

Nvr Lov is Way gain.” n Limbaugh’s show, mmbrs

o h miliary who did no agre wih rsidn Bush’s dci-

sion o invad raq wr “phony” soldirs. H showd no aro maing h ind o racial poliics pu-downs o blac popl

ha hav sun ohr al-show hoss. Limbaugh onc old a



M U Z Z L E D 227

blac callr o “a h bon ou o your nos and call m

bac.” His a on h majori o blac mricans idniing

wih h Dmocraic ar? “y’r only 12 prcn o h

populaion. Who h hll cars?” n im h rmard ha

all composi picurs o criminals loo li Jss Jacson.

big ooball an, h nonhlss disparagd h larg numbr

o prossional playrs who ar blac by saying: “ NFL all

oo on loos li a gam ben h Bloods and h Crips

wihou any wapons.” is pisod was cid as on o h

rasons NFL powr brors blocd Limbaugh’s atmp o

buy an ownrship sa in h . Louis ams ooball am in

2009. r h plan ll hrough, libral comdian and al-

show hos Bill ahr jod ha his had dashd Limbaugh’s

lilong dram o on day owning blac popl.

Limbaugh’s comdic aln, his mimicry, his us o music,

and his buoonli boas ha h is aing on h L wih“hal my brain id bhind my bac” ld h New York imes o

dscrib him as a “vaudvillian.” Whn ichal el, chair-

man o h publican ar, dscribd h radio al-show

hos as mrly “an nrainr” who sirrd up his audinc

wih “incndiary” and “ugly” commns, h ound himsl dl-

ugd wih rbus fom h ush “dito hads” and hrand wih a loss o nancial suppor or h par. o dspi el’s

poliical sanding wihin h par, h bowd his had, ord

a prsonal apology o “l ushbo,” and appard chasnd,

vn abjc, whn h bsechd h nrainr o go asy on

him. s rsidn bama nrd h Whi Hous a a im

o war, rror hras, and conomic crisis, Limbaugh baldly said, “ hop h ails.” H lar rid o xplain ha h was

aling only abou h prsidn’s libral policis, bu h un-




apologic commn, indirn o h neds o h naion bu

crad o grab atnion, f Limbaugh prcly.

Limbaugh’s sharp ongu has mad him h mos succss-

ul radio broadcasr o all im. His ponymous radio show,

which bgan in 1988, now has an simad wekly audinc

o fen million lisnrs. According o a Nwswek rpor

las yar, h is by ar h highs-arning poliical prsonali,

arning $59 million annually. For rrnc, Glnn Bck cam

in scond a $33 million. In hird was San Hanni a $22

million. Limbaugh’s saur is all h mor imprssiv whn

you considr ha his show savd h AM radio quncy om

irrlvanc. Consrvaiv alk-radio hoss vr sinc hav cop-

id h Limbaugh modl.

T succss o righ-wing alk radio in shaping naional po-

liical opinions and policy vnually prompd h qusion,

Why don’ librals hav hir own alk shows? T answr washa librals did no el alinad om wha consrvaivs

calld h “mainsram mdia.” T oldr, whi majori o

consrvaivs had long complaind ha hy wr ignord or

marginalizd as rligious xrmiss, sxual pruds, and big-

os by h major nwspaprs and broadcas norks. And

h libral il in Hollywood producd popular libral-laningV sicoms going back as ar as All in th Family, in which a

consrvaiv blu-collar workr was prsnd as unducad,

ull o blusring rsisanc o raing womn and blacks as

quals. T movis promod libral hms, including racial

ingraion, prmarial sx, and disdain or h Amrican mil-

iary, om M *A*S *H o Platoon . On h radio dial, NPR gois sar in h arly svnis as a nork o collg saions.

Is frs big nws sory was h Warga scandal and h con-



M U Z Z L E D 229

grssional harings ha ollowd, wih rsidn Nixon as h

villain. N was immdialy adopd by h campus pros

crowd and libral inllcuals.

Consrvaivs had complaind or dcads ha librals

ndd o win nurd acul posiions a h naion’s op uni-

vrsiis. N bcam an xnsion o libral campus coun-

rculur. o consrvaivs, h arrival o righ-wing al

radio on h dial crad a singular oupos or hir viws

in a libral mdia landscap. Bu o librals and Dmocras

h succss o consrvaivs li Limbaugh and hir powr

o push naional poliics o h righ was maddning. Libral

counrprogramming nally hi h airwavs in 2004 wih a

nw radio ou calld ir mrica adio. nd is sar, h

L’s answr o ush Limbaugh, was h comdian and sai-

ris l Frann.

Unli Limbaugh, Frann was a op-noch sudn whograduad fom Harvard wih a dgre in poliical scinc.

nd h had ben a sar on a hip, libral-laning V show, Sat-

urday Night Live, or en yars. n 1996 Frann wro a

New York imes bs-slling boo wih h insuling, scahing

il Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations.

n 2004 Frann was slcd o hos ir mrica’s mainshow. H was sen as h man o a on Limbaugh as wll

as h succssul Fox Nws Channl and is lad prsonali,

Bill ’illy. Frann iniially calld his show Te O’Franken

Factor . Bu h show’s proccupaion wih mocing consrva-

iv radio and cabl prsonaliis did no lad o raings succss.

Frann l i wihin hre yars as h nor sruggld opay is bills and hn collapsd.

Bu Frann ound anohr oul in ral-li poliics. H




had writn a scond boo, ild Why Not Me?, a sairical ac-

coun o a cional Frann campaign or prsidn. nd in

on o hos bizarr momns whn li imias absurdis ar,

Frann acually ran in 2008 or a ral U.. na sa in his

hom sa o innsoa and won in a vry clos rac ovr a

publican incumbn. n h na, h mad nws whn h

rolld his ys and mad acs o disgus whil publican n-

a minori ladr ich cConnll spo in opposiion o a

Dmocraic nomine o h uprm Cour. a prompd

cConnll o rbu him wih h commn “is isn’ Satur-

day Night Live, l.” (Frann lar wro a handwritn ltr

o apology o cConnll or using his comic raining on h

oor o h na whn ral issus wr bing dbad.) Bu

wha was asounding was h lvaion o Frann, a man bs

nown or clowning and poliical sair, a man wih no prior

poliical xprinc, o a sa in h U.. na. Frann may now b mauring in h job, bu his bacground is as a hclr

and provocaur.

r is a vas consllaion o sars li Limbaugh and

Frann now blaning h mdia and poliics. n h L

hr is ichal oor, h mos succssul documnary

lmmar o all im. H is a ol hro o h mrican L who is praisd on collg campuss, on h libral cabl chan-

nls, and in h progrssiv nroos communi. rianna

Hu ngon, h publican pundi urnd libral rbrand,

crad an incrdibly succssul Wb si, h Hu ngon os,

which provids librals wih nws and opinion. Hu ng-

on os has ben so succssul ha sh was abl o sll i oL or $315 million arlir his yar. Lawrnc ’Donnll,

on o NBC’s mos popular libral commnaors, now



M U Z Z L E D 231

hoss h nor’s 8:00 p.m. show, which comps wih Bill

’illy.

n h igh, ush Limbaugh’s lgacy has spawnd a

plhora o consrvaiv al-radio hoss who hav ollowd

in his pah: an Hanni, ichal avag, Laura ngraham,

ar Lvin, Nal Boorz, and i Gallaghr. ach on has

achivd succss by parlaying his or hr radio show ino l-

vision apparancs and boo dals. rhaps h mos asci-

naing xampl is Glnn Bc, who atracs h hird-biggs

audinc in consrvaiv al radio, bhind Limbaugh and

Hanni. Li Limbaugh, Bc nvr graduad fom collg

and had a chcrd carer as a disc jocy playing prans

and hi rcords. Bc bgan his poliical al show in 2000

on a ampa, Florida, saion, mixing consrvaism and

conspiracy horis. n dar, whisprd voics h claimd lib-

rals wr ploting o dsroy mrica, whil also conssingo his li as a rcovring alcoholic and convying occasional

rligious mssags.

n addiion o his radio show, wih a wely audinc o

abou n million lisnrs, Bc had a 5:00 p.m. show on Fox

Nws ha garnrd highr raings han h combind raings

or prim-im programs on CNN and NBC. His boosinsanly caapul o numbr on on h New York imes bs-

sllr liss. ough no as parisan as Limbaugh, Bc’s ms-

sag is clarly consrvaiv and highly criical o h Dmocras

and rsidn bama. H amously rmard ha h prsi-

dn was a “racis” who had a “dep-sad hard o whi

popl.” n airnss, h apologizd and rracd ha rmarlar. Bu h rouinly calls h prsidn a socialis, a commu-

nis, and a arxis and has lind him o dol Hilr. H




on compars h agnda o bama and h Dmocras o

Nazi Grmany, aois China, and ussia undr h ovis.

philippics and oulandish irads agains h bama

adminisraion orm h ngin or Bc’s succss. Wihou

hm, no on would pay atnion o his warmr, uzzir, and

somims lgiima claims abou hisory, morals, and valus.

Bu rahr han spar a gnuin dba, Bc ses o igni

our ir and go on h atac. r is no progrssiv conspiracy

o dsroy h Unid as o mrica fom wihin, and i is

absurd o suggs ha hr is. lhough o Bc and hos

who ollow him, i may wll sem as i am dismissing h ida

bcaus am a par o h conspiracy. For ha matr, you

mus b oo, i you agre wih my idas. can se h chal-

board diagram now.

s provocaurs cross h poliical spcrum and ar

paid salaris normally associad wih Las Vgas nrain-rs. rsonali is y hr. nyon can say provocaiv hings

and voic conrovrsial opinions. popl whom hav

mniond ar civ bcaus hy ar always saing on

h dg o ouragous conrovrsy, always pushing h limis

o supporabl acs, logic, and rspc or popl who hold

opposing poliical viws. ir audincs wan o se how arhy can go wihou crashing. rhaps hy shar h sns

ha h rs o h world is crazy and hy ar no going o

a i anymor—hy ar going o s h rcord sraigh and

ll i li i is. nd our hoss dlivr daily jrmiads ha con-

rm w ar no h only ons who bliv hs poliicians

and world ladrs and corpora moguls and pamprd movisars and ahls ar a bunch o hivs, liars, and idios.

iron s hammring h abl wih h microphon blongs



M U Z Z L E D 233

o a man or woman—consrvaiv or libral—who is no in-

rsd in aling with popl. H or sh is in h businss o

aling at popl. closs hs dominaing radio and V

prsonaliis com o an xchang o idas is atacing hir

rivals on anohr nor. insuls y, and hn hir r-

spciv audincs ar rousd o dnd hir hros, and h

raings climb vn highr as mor and mor popl un in or

h spcacl.

Now, hr is nohing wrong wih al radio bing domi-

nad by consrvaiv prsonaliis or Hollywood bing

dominad by libral wrirs and acors. Compiion among

poliical idas is ssnial o mrican dmocracy. migh

b hard o nd a libral radio show as inunial as ush

Limbaugh’s program, bu hr is no absnc o libral idas

and prsonaliis lswhr in h poliical univrs and h

mdia. h high o hir powrs, h consrvaivs on alradio could only wach as prhaps h mos libral mmbr

o h na, Barac bama, was lcd prsidn. a

is why will sand sid by sid wih ush and an in oppos-

ing atmps o manipula ha marplac wih h rurn

o h Fairnss Docrin. rsidn bama has also said h

opposs h rurn o a govrnmn-imposd manda haach individual saion provid qual im o all sids o a

poliical issu. his poin ha ind o lgislaiv rspons

o h provocaurs will no srv o dissmina mor idas

and opinions. amouns o a libral sragy dsignd o a

down Limbaugh and h ohr consrvaivs who domina

on orma—al radio. am or h govrnmn oring axbras o suppor mor programs wih local al and nws.

Having ben muzzld mysl, don’ hin muzzling ohr




voics or having h govrnmn dica programming dci-

sions is in eping wih h Firs mndmn promis ha

Congrss will ma no law rsricing fedom o h prss.

ral dangr hr is byond h scop o govrnmn’s

powr. xcss o provocaurs corruping public dialogu

in mrica ss up a gh on vry issu or vry mrican.

is rbllion agains h provocaurs will hav o b don in

h radiion o colonial parios, who cam ou o hir homs

and ormd priva armis o gh Briish ranny. ndividual

mricans ar going o hav o urn away fom h nrain-

mn associad wih xrmis, a ims buoonish, dma-

gogus on h air and hir imiaors who ar now running

or public o c. y will hav o prsonally rais h bar or

convrsaions abou imporan social and poliical issus. n

ohr words, w hav o a matrs ino our own hands. r-

dinary mricans ned o join h gh agains h scourgha is undrmining our ssnial mrican bli in lting

popl spa hir minds. dominanc o h paid agia-

ors has ld o a loss o criical-hining sills by mrican

ciizns—w ned o hin or ourslvs. scramrs, h

sl-righous, and h arrogan on radio, on V, in prin, and

on h nrn cra an nvironmn in which a lo o poplin h middl don’ bohr spaing up bcaus i’s hard o

shou abov h bombas and nois. lo o us, suspc, el

an urg o a covr unil all h shouing and nam-calling

sop. W ar waiing or somon ls o ll h provocaurs

ha hir en minus ar up.

ar ha a baclash agains h provocaur culur iscraing cynicism abou h nir poliical procss. vulsion

or poliics and dba is now common among mricans, s-



M U Z Z L E D 235

pcially young popl. nd ha pah lads o poliical apahy.

wo hirds o h mrican popl ll pollsrs h counry

is hadd in h wrong dircion. Y incrasingly, poliicians

hmslvs bgin o ac li h provocaurs in h mdia,

rsoring o h sam crass schoolyard bullying and nam-

calling. n on o h mos onsiv campaign ads o h 2010

poliical campaign, a Florida Dmocra, prsnaiv lan

Grayson, rrrd o his publican opponn, Danil Wb-

sr, as “aliban Dan.” Labling somon, vn in hyprbol,

a mmbr o a brual rgim ha slaughrs is own popl,

and mricans or ha matr, is bad nough. Bu on op

o ha, h viriol bhind h samns was basd on a li.

Grayson usd a vido clip ha showd Wbsr lling womn

o “submi” o hir husbands in eping wih h ns o an

xrmis inrpraion o h Bibl. Bu Grayson had did

h clip o disor wha Wbsr had acually said. n rali,Wbsr had cauiond rligious mn no o us liral ransla-

ions o som Bibl xs o opprss womn.

indpndn poliical wachdog group FacChc.org

was appalld by Grayson’s blaan atac on his opponn and

h ruh. “W hough Dmocraic p. lan Grayson o

Florida rachd a low poin whn h alsly accusd his op-ponn o bing a dra dodgr during h Vinam War and

o no loving his counry,” rpord FacChc.org. “Bu now

Grayson has lowrd h bar vn urhr. H’s using did

vido o ma his rival appar o b saying h opposi o

wha h rally said.”

2010 lcion also saw harron ngl, h publicancandida or a Nvada U.. na sa, ll a group o vors

ha sh would mploy gun violnc—“cond mndmn




rmdis”—o dal wih mmbrs o Congrss who did no go

along wih hr idas. h mad hadlins wih h snsaion-

alis bu oally als charg ha hr Dmocraic opponn,

na majori ladr Harry id, wand o giv Viagra o

sx ondrs. ngl also ran ads suggsing id was giving

ax bras o illgal immigrans. os V ads dpicd h

popl crossing h bordr o com ino h Unid as as

huggish, hraning, and dar sinnd, in a crass atmp o

sir up vors’ ars and win vos.

is low lvl o poliical discours is chasing away al-

nd popl who would ohrwis pu hmslvs orward as

candidas or o c. Who wans o b subjcd o shrill and

malicious atacs? Who wans o b calld nams and vrbally

icd around by opponns who ar no hld o accoun?

n vry dmocracy, no matr wha h ra, h languag

o poliics is on prsonal, on harsh, and a ims down inh gutr. is was ru o poliical opponns o rsidns

omas Jrson and b Lincoln. Bu h proliraion o

mdia hrough high chnology in h las n yars has

ld o 24-7 sabs fom sharp voics, and ar h body pol-

iic is bleding o dah. r is no o-sason or poliical

atacs, spcially around lcion im. W now liv wih aprmann campaign; i is a yar-round spor. From rrorism

o budgary criss o immigraion o h war in whrvr, h

al-show saic is so loud ha voics o lcd o cials ry-

ing hir bs o rsolv horny poliical issus can barly b

hard. rsul is ha a gnuin dialogu abou imporan

issus gs pu o ar oo long. urgn ned or soluions,combind wih our anxi ovr a alring conomy, mulipl

wars, and dmographic shis ha hav raisd h numbr o



M U Z Z L E D 237

racial minoriis and immigrans, has crad a poliical prs-

sur coor. only sound o b hard is h angry sam

vning fom ovrhad popl.

a is wha happnd during h dba ovr halh-car

rorm in 2010. mrica’s gra radiion o own halls whr

ciizns can xprss concrns o lcd o cials dvolvd ino

circus-n spcacls, in which vry shri mimicd h

harsh rhoric, angry on, and prsonal insuls ha pi h

mdia provocaurs mricans lisn o and wach daily. nd

h hosil nor o h meings was s by hos provoca-

iv prsonaliis. During a dba on halh car, fshman

na Dmocra l Frann, siting as prsiding o cr o

h na, cu o naor Jo Librman, h snior snaor

fom Conncicu. “Wilding Gavl, Frann hus Libr-

man Up!” is how h incidn was dlighdly dscribd in

h libral-laning Hu ngon os. Givn ha a rqus onish a bri n-minu spech is commonly grand in h

na, h dcision had h avor o disrspc. nd h ac

ha naor Frann, a ormr nrainr, was h lad acor

prompd naor John cCain o lamn h dmis o ci-

vili vn among snaors. “’v ben around hr or mor

han n yars,” cCain said, “and ysrday on h ooro h na, h snaor fom Conncicu was nishing his

rmars . . . and was objcd o by h nws mmbr o h

U.. na—and in h mos brusqu way.” Lar h addd:

“a’s how h comi in his body has driorad. W go

o sop—w go o sop his ind o bhavior.”

naor cCain’s complain cam barly o monhs arprsnaiv Jo Wilson o ouh Carolina bro radiional

dcorum a a prsidnial addrss o a join sssion o Congrss




o yll, “You li!” a disrspc was unprcdnd, and h

congrssman was wrong on h acs, as wll. a assachu-

sts own-hall meing during h sam priod, prsna-

iv Barny Fran wn o-o-o wih a woman who hld up

a sign auring rsidn bama porrayd as dol Hilr.

h asd hr congrssman why h was “supporing his Nazi

policy.” Fran rspondd: “n wha plan do you spnd mos

o your im?” hons answr is ha sh is living on a

plan ull o provocaurs on hr radio, V, and nrn.

Formr lasa govrnor and vic prsidnial candida

arah alin usd h nrn o conribu o h poisonous

amosphr in own-hall meings in 2010. Jus bor h

congrssional summr rcss and h bginning o h own-

hall meings, sh wro on hr Facboo pag: “ mrica

now and lov is no on in which my parns or my baby

wih Downs yndrom will hav o sand in fon o bama’s‘dah panl’ so his buraucras can dcid . . . [a ciizn’s]

lvl o producivi in soci [and] whhr hy ar worhy

o halhcar.” is mislading dscripion o h provisions

o naional halh-car rorm was surprising, and disappoin-

ing, givn ha alin rgularly confond h mdia or ma-

ing hings up abou hr.om popl migh rgard h passiona ouburss during

h own halls as ovr-h-op bu wihin h limis o dmoc-

racy in acion. Bu somhing dirn was going on hr.

ac ha hr wr so many hras o violnc and vicious,

prsonal insuls xchangd and posd on Youub lads o

qusions abou h dircion o mrican poliical culurand h impac o h provocaurs. Whr ar hy aing

us? s his whr w wan o go as a counry? urly hr



M U Z Z L E D 239

wr srious popl who cam o hs own halls waning o

g answrs o qusions abou h halh-car bill and o har

inormaiv dba on h issu. olls had consisnly shown

or dcads ha mricans, boh individuals and businsss,

hav ben burdnd by h high cos o halh car and wand

rorms. Bu h own-hall meings wr no abou wighing

h comparaiv impac o rorm proposals. goal semd

o b an xrcis in mocry, cynicism, and vn conmp or

h poliical sysm. r is no way h own halls wr good

or dbaing lgislaion. pcacls li hs undrmin h

uncioning o govrnmns o any poliical srip and ar a

hra o a vial, halhy dmocracy.

obr ich, who was scrary o labor in h Clinon

adminisraion, wro abou ouring h counry o se som

o h own halls. H ralizd ha h provocaur mdia

culur had ben hijacd by h lobbyiss and businssmnopposd o halh-car rorm o cra a circus ha d h

righ-wing radio al shows and V cabl programs in an a-

mp o shoo rorm down. hn inspird mor hras and

urhr hysria a uur own hall meings.

“n our driv across mrica,” ich wro a alon

.com, “my son and hav spotd spi whi vans mbla-zond wih phrass li ‘bamaCar Will ais Your axs,’

and ‘bamaCar Will u Buraucras in Charg o Your

Halh.’ Jus ousid maha w drov clos nough o a

a pe a h drivr, who lood as duiully prossional as

h spaning nw van h was driving. is isn’ grassroos.

’s srour. vans carry h logo ‘mricans or rospr-i,’ on o h Washingon fon groups orchsraing h gh

agains univrsal halh [covrag].” ich wn on o wri




ha hs fon groups usd h hos o h provocaurs o

“sag rsaz local ani–univrsal halh rallis, and ll hom-

own mdia wih carully crad, mar-sd mssags

dmonizing halhcar rorm.”

ich is obviously a parisan wih a poin o viw. nd no

vryon opposd o halh-car rorm is an agn or h

lobbyiss or a mmbr o h publican ar. Bu his ob-

srvaion ha prossional poliical and indusry groups wr

dlibraly craing mdia spcacls o advanc hir nan-

cial and poliical inrss is xacly righ. mus b nod

ha librals also us h acic. Whn Wisconsin govrnor

cot Walr proposd budg cus and nw rsricions on

collciv bargaining or public-scor unions, opponns did

no ma hir cas in dbas. y sagd spcacular pro-

s rallis ha playd o h camras and microphons and

sarrd clbriis li ichal oor. os pross clarly had a lo o ich’s “srour” in hm. n his cas unions

and h sa’s Dmocraic ar supplid h aric. n ac,

ouren Dmocraic sa snaors acually d h sa, pr-

vning h majori publicans fom bing abl o mov h

bill hrough h lgislaur. spcacl o h Dmocras in

hiding includd on sa snaor bing inrviwd on Good Morning America fom an “undisclosd locaion.”

n h on hand, sripping public unions o hir righ o

collciv bargaining is drasic, spcially wihou ull discus-

sion. orovr, h unions had accpd many o h govr-

nor’s proposals—hy had agred o conribu mor o hir

pnsions and halh-car plans. was h govrnor’s atmpo unilarally srip h unions o bargaining righs ha s

o h rucus. Now w ar l wih boiling-mad, nrnchd



M U Z Z L E D 241

paris who ar incapabl o civil, rasond dba in srvic

o h public good. On sid, h Dmocras, l h lgisla-

ur in an ac o har and poliical gamsmanship insad o

agreing o alk. Bu Govrnor Scot did no sem opn o d-

ba and prsuasion, a las om h Dmocras’ prspciv.

Nonhlss, h is h lcd govrnor o h sa o Wis-

consin. As Prsidn Obama amously said: “Elcions hav

consquncs and a h nd o h day I won.” Tis is qually

ru or h Rpublicans in h Wisconsin sa hous. o hav

Dmocraic lgislaors run away o dny h govrnor h quo-

rum ncssary or a vo whn h had nough vos o win

amound o hijacking our rpublican orm o govrnmn.

o m, wha happnd in Wisconsin confrmd ha w

hav nrd an ra o sun govrning. Tis gos byond h

poinlss scraming discussions among xrmiss and provo-

caurs on h alk shows. Now govrning, oo, has bcomon big sidshow in which srious issus and h neds o h

popl can’ b honsly dbad and stld; govrnmn o-

fcials rduc hmslvs o Blay vrsions o h provoca-

urs. Ty inroduc maninglss lgislaion o ban Sharia

law in Oklahoma or call or Prsidn Obama o mak public

his birh crifca. Tr is no subsanc o hs acs xcpo produc hadlins and mor pppry gris o b chwd ovr

on h parisan alk shows. An ouragous was o axpayr

im and mony by lcd o cials is olrad and accpd.

And raional voics atmping o do h hard work o seking

compromis on big issus know ha highly parisan primaris

will ambush and punish hm or vn alking o h ohrsid o h aisl. T provocaurs hav ld h way o an ag

in which sun govrning and incual ladrship now ar




h rul. mgaphon o h provocaur culur has ovr-

whlmd dlibraion and gnuin atmps a lgislaion.

voic o hons dba in mrica has ben muzzld. nd as

hos voics o hons dba hav grown siln, h quali

o our poliical insiuions has ben diminishd. os own-

hall meings, school-board meings, and join sssions o

Congrss drmin h viabili o h mrican xprimn

and all h drams i mbodis. W can’ aord o los hm.

excerpt: "muzzled" by juan williams

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