South Dakota Politics

Ed Schultz and Democratic money

It's been awhile since I've written an "Ed Schultz Watch" post, my effort to chronicle the Democratic attempt to create the liberal version of Rush Limbaugh.  Ed Schultz, of course, is the Fargo, North Dakota-based radio talk-show host frequently touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh.  This week came the news that Schultz has left his local talk show at KFGO in Fargo in order to focus on his national show:

Ed Schultz will stop hosting his weekday morning talk show on KFGO-AM Radio here Monday to focus on a national show he began almost a year ago, the station announced.

The Fargo station will begin airing the national show, "The Ed Schultz Show," during the afternoons. Schultz will replace "The Jack and Sandy Show," which has been discontinued, the station said.

Interestingly, the Ed Schultz Show is financed purely by money from Democratic donors.  Democracy Radio, the umbrella organization that syndicates the Ed Schultz Show, is led by Democratic media consultant Tom Athans, who is married to Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.  Last November, several Democratic senators, including Senator Daschle, "feted" Ed Schultz at a fundraiser held in Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu's home in Washington, D.C., according to the New Republic.  Roll Call, the Capitol Hill publication, reported the following on October 27, 2003:

With the help of Democratic lawmakers, a progressive radio outfit plans to launch a national talk show in January, the first step by a liberal organization to gain a presence in a medium dominated by conservatives in recent years.

Partnering with Jones Radio Network, Democracy Radio has signed Ed Schultz, a North Dakota-based radio personality with a liberal bent, to deliver a progressive message....

Democratic leaders and staff have been intricately involved in the project, and Members are being enlisted to help raise money to pay for it. Several Democratic Senators are expected to attend an upcoming event at Sen. Mary Landrieu's (La.) Capitol Hill home to raise money for the venture, which is expected to cost about $1.5 million over the next two years.

(Emphasis added.)  Senator Daschle was heavily involved in this project.  Here's what CBS Marketwatch reported on Daschle's involvement in the Ed Shultz Show:

As the U.S. heads into a presidential election in 2004, Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota has high hopes for Ed Schultz.

No, Schultz isn't a candidate for the White House -- or any other office, for that matter. Schultz is a radio talk-show host in Fargo, N.D., who loves to vent on the air about politics. Daschle and other Democrats are counting on Schultz to help them counter the conservative wave on the radio and communicate their liberal message to the American people....

Daschle, speaking on a panel at Newsweek headquarters on Nov. 17, noted that Democrats lack a presence on talk-radio stations. "We've got to have that," Daschle said.

When Newsweek's Jonathan Alter said Schultz sounded newsworthy, Daschle declared: "IT IS A STORY!"

During the Daschle v. Thune campaign here in South Dakota, the Argus Leader reported an exchange between Ed Schultz and John McCain regarding John Thune's comment that Senator Daschle's attack on the administration on the eve of the Iraq war "emboldened the enemy."  You can read my post responding to that Argus Leader story HERE. 

So Senator Daschle was actively creating an "infrastructure of attack" in the form of the Ed Schultz Show, and attempted to use it in his campaign, in cooperation with the Argus Leader.  Frankly, I'm surprised that the Ed Schultz Show seems to be succeeding.  Many observers expected his show to fizzle after the election.

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, played a prominent role at the Democratic National Convention, with guest appearances by various Democratic figures, including Senator Daschle. The New Republic has a snippet regarding Schultz headlined "Radio Frequency" in this week's edition. Excerpt:

Down on the ground level of the FleetCenter, right where the commuter trains normally disgorge their passengers into North Station, Ed Schultz is doing his show from 2:00 to 6:00 every afternoon. One of the new breed of liberal talkers, Schultz, who's based in Fargo, North Dakota, landed a national syndication deal in January and is now heard on 37 stations across the country. That hardly puts him in the same universe as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, but it's not a bad start. "If we keep up this pace, we'll break Limbaugh's record of 54 stations in his first year," Schultz said.

Ed Schultz Watch

Al Franken's new radio show "The O'Franken Factor" debuted yesterday on the new Air America Network, which can't be a welcome development for Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal version of Rush Limbaugh. This XM Satellite Radio press release indicates the corporate realization that all the media suck-up now going to Al Franken and his band of lefties means Schultz is old hat.

For a less saccharine view of Franken's debut on the new Air America Network, read this new piece from the New Republic.

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, scores some good press from the local newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia, where Schultz attended high school. The piece is headlined "Ed Schultz -- A progressive voice from Norfolk to America's Heartland." Excerpt:

Lisa Sinclair, general manager of local talk radio mainstay WNIS, said Schultz’s show probably would not be picked up by her station.

“We have not had great success with liberal hosts in the past,” she said. It can be heard locally on satellite radio providers XM (Channel 166) and Sirius (Channel 143), from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays.

In the last week, the show has been picked up by stations in Chapel Hill, N.C., Gates City, Va., Huntington, W.Va., and Salt Lake City.

Two of the first guests on his show, after he was signed to The Jones Radio Network, were Democratic senators Tom Daschle and Hillary Clinton.

“They are probably the two most vilified people on conservative talk radio in America,” Schultz said. “This program, from time to time, is going to give those folks an opportunity to fight back.” It’s lofty company for the red-headed boy who grew up in Norfolk’s Larchmont section.

How wonderful it must be for those poor defenseless liberals to finally have an opportunity to "fight back." I guess there's simply no opportunities for liberals to fight back through media like NPR, the New York Times, CNN, and network television.

Rush Limbaugh on Ed Schultz

Rush Limbaugh takes note of Ed Schultz's appearance on NBC's Today show. Ed Shultz is the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal version of Rush Limbaugh.

Also, Philadelphia Weekly has published an interview with Ed Schultz headlined "Rushing to FIll the Void."

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, appeared on NBC's Today show on Tuesday. The Media Reseach Center has details. Excerpt:

Can you imagine the Today show running a promotional segment about Rush Limbaugh in 1988, months after he launched his national show, but when it was only carried by a few stations? That never happened, but on Tuesday, Today dedicated a 7:30am half hour segment to a glowing look at liberal talk show host Ed Schultz, whom Katie Couric claimed is “shaking up the industry,” though he began a national show, which is not carried by any significant station nor in any major city, barely two months ago. Couric touted him as “the man being called the liberals' answer to Rush Limbaugh."

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, gets vivisected by Hugh Hewitt:

The panel was an interesting exercise in quick wit, with Neal Boortz, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham and me put opposite Alan Colmes, Tom Leykis, a fellow named just "Lionel," and the great new hope of the left, Ed Schultz. If it was a fight, they'd have stopped it, and if the FCC fined non-sequitors, Schultz would be bankrupt.

Ouch.

Ed Schultz Watch

Drudge links to the latest AP story on Ed Schultz, headlined "North Dakota 'Liberal' Starts Radio Show."

Ed Schultz Watch

John Fund of the Wall Street Journal's Political Diary (subscription) has written some paragraphs today on Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh:

Liberal When It Pays

Liberal donors have helped create a nationwide talk radio network called Democracy Radio to combat what they view as the overwhelming dominance of the medium by conservatives. Democracy's flagship host is Ed Schultz, a former football hero who merrily bashes President Bush on the half-dozen stations that pick up his Fargo, North Dakota-based based program. But the donors who have put Democracy Radio on the air might be surprised to know that just a few years ago the 50-year-old Mr. Schultz was a red-meat conservative who sometimes put Rush Limbaugh to shame with his critiques of welfare recipients and the homeless. He used to refer to three Democrats who represent North Dakota in Congress as "the Three Stooges." Now he says, "I've learned a lot from our guys in Washington" and frequently has them on as honored guests.

Mr. Schultz credits his change of ideology to his new wife, Wendy, a nurse who introduced him to soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Ryan Bakken, a local newspaper columnist, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he thinks Mr. Schultz's shift might be pinned to ego. "I know of none bigger," he says. "So when he goes from the right to the left, I'm suspicious. Ed knows that no radio talk-show host gets any attention -- or listeners -- by being in the middle."

Put me down as giving Mr. Schultz the benefit of the doubt regarding the sincerity of his conversion. Even so, some of his attempts to reconcile his old and new self seem peculiar. He told the Minneapolis paper that even though he's "always been pro-life," he's "never done a show on abortion. I don't think it would be good radio." That's clearly not the case, as any number of talk show hosts can attest. More likely, Mr. Schultz's new liberal patrons just wouldn't appreciate his mixing liberal economic populism with social conservatism. Many Democrats used to embody those values, but in recent years they've either been driven from the party or silenced.

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as "the anti-Rush," gets a long piece in tomorrow's edition of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune under the headline "Liberal talk radio finds a voice in North Dakota." Excerpt:

Ryan Bakken, a columnist at the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald who often spars with Schultz, admires the tactician but wonders about his motives.

"Even I have to agree that he is an excellent talk-show host," Bakken said. "I know just about every radio in every tractor in North Dakota is tuned toward him.

"He does his homework. He's well-informed on more issues than anyone I can think of in the state. And he gives callers a chance to make their point, even if he disagrees with them. He doesn't shout them down . . . like so many others do."

But what drives Schultz, Bakken said, is ego.

"I know of none bigger," he said. "So when he goes from the right to the left, I'm suspicious. Ed knows that no radio talk-show host gets any attention -- or listeners -- by being in the middle."

Schultz's conversion coincided with Democrats waking up to the influence of talk radio, Bakken said. "Did Ed see that opening? He's certainly smart enough."

The notion that Big Eddie has cynically changed ideologies to advance his career won't go away. It's no wonder Tom Daschle, who cynically portrays himself as an ultra-liberal sharpie operator in three thousand dollar suits when in Washington and a conservative when he's back home in South Dakota, thinks Ed Schultz is great.

Ed Schultz Watch

The New Republic's cover story this week, headlined "The coming rise of liberal talk radio," briefly discusses Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the left's answer to Rush Limbaugh, as well as Tom Daschle's role in the coming rise of liberal talk radio. Excerpt:

Moreover, the desire to create viable liberal talk radio programs goes all the way up to the top of the Democratic Party. "[I]f we're going to try to break through as Democrats, we have to have the same edge that Republicans do," Tom Daschle said of the need for liberal talk radio shows shortly after the 2002 midterm elections.

Which is why, last November, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu hosted a fund-raising lunch for Democracy Radio at her Capitol Hill home. Together with about 20 other Democratic senators--including Stabenow, Daschle, and Hillary Clinton--Landrieu fêted Rhodes and a North Dakota liberal talker named Ed Schultz, both of whom Democracy Radio hopes to syndicate nationally.

I like G. Gordon Liddy's response to Democratic whining about talk radio, as quoted in the LA Times last week:

Conservative hosts say their fans turn to talk radio for views they can't find in the rest of the media. "Network TV and the New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times axis is totally dominated by the left," said G. Gordon Liddy, whose talk show airs on 178 stations.

"Now the left, never satisfied with 9/10ths of the pie, has gotten its knickers in a twist about talk radio. It's a free country. They're certainly welcome to try," Liddy said. "But I'm inclined to think … listeners will say, 'Look, we can get all that stuff already.' "

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the North Dakota radio personality touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, gets a story in the Los Angeles Times headlined "A Sharp Left Turn on Dial."

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, touted as the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, is Esquire magazine's "Man of the Month" for February. To access the story, click HERE.

Ed Schultz Watch

A fellow liberal talk show host asks whether Ed Schultz, touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, is an opportunist:

[I]n your professional past, among the many, many other things that you've done for a living in the media and outside the media, you have been a conservative talk show host, where you were using all of the same professional techniques and tricks of the trade to sell a conservative point of view, and now all of a sudden you're on the other side of the political spectrum. Did you have a "come to Jesus" moment about your personal politics, or are you an opportunist who's just taken what looks like a pretty good gig?

Elsewhere in the news, Ed Schultz gets mentioned in US News & World Report's "Washington Whispers:"

Democratic Rush?

Fargo, N.D.'s Ed Schultz has a face for local radio--and a voice for national Democrats. After years of Democratic promises to match Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, Jones Radio Networks is offering up the tough-talking Schultz. "This is war," Schultz says of his battle with conservative radio. That you've probably never heard of the longtime radio guy doesn't matter to the Dems. They rushed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, candidates Wes Clark, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, and Joe Lieberman, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in Schultz's first week.

Ed Schultz Watch

The Bismarck Tribune carries an AP piece today headlined "Fargo broadcaster Ed Schultz begins national talk show." Excerpt:

Democratic lawmakers have pledged to raise money for the show, which is being marketed by Jones Radio and Democracy Radio. Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., were among Schultz's first guests.

You can listen to the Ed Schultz Show via the show's website. You can access Democracy Radio's website HERE.

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, began his new nationally syndicated show today. His very first guest was none other than Senator Tom Daschle. The Boston Globe carries a story on the subject headlined "Left in the air? Liberals are working to make their voices heard on talk radio." Also, the Dallas Morning News has an interesting story headlined "Longtime listeners, first-time players: Dems find radio voice" (registration required).

Ed Schultz Watch

The High Plains Reader, a Fargo, ND alternative weekly, has a cover story on Ed Schultz, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh. Er, that is, it's more of a transcript of an interview than a story. Interesting excerpt:

HPR: How do people here hear you in your new program?

ES: XM Satellite on the talk channel. They've got over two million subscribers around the country. They're going to be announcing here probably the first of January, maybe a little after that, how many stations we're going to launch on. Syndication's tough. It takes time. Rush Limbaugh launched on two stations and he was on two stations for a long time. Then he got on three, then four. When it takes off, it takes off. What we've got to do is get into a big market. Get on a station somewhere, knock down some ratings, do some good industry advertising, get some people believing, and then grow it from there. We'll see where it goes.

In other words, no local station in North Dakota will be carrying Ed Schultz's nationally syndicated show. Schultz's show begins on Monday. I dislike making predictions, but I would be surprised if this show will exist this time next year.

Ed Schultz Watch

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: The New York Times recently carried a story about what Tom Daschle labels the Republican "infrastructure of attack," a story you can access HERE. Stories like these make Tom Daschle seethe. Of course, it shouldn't be forgotten that NPR has long been the Democratic "infrastructure of attack." In response, Tom Daschle has pitched the emergence of a liberal Rush Limbaugh, a man by the name of Ed Schultz, a radio talk-show host from Fargo, North Dakota. Ed Schultz's nationally broadcast show, syndicated by Democracy Radio, is set to begin January 5.