Al Franken, Dick Cheney, Eugene, New York City, Katherine Lanpher

'HE FORGOT TO DUCK'

Mean-Spirited 'Humor' Has Eugene Lefties Yukking It Up





While making cracks at Vice President Dick Cheney's expense may be routine for liberals, what about hunting accident victim Harry Whittington? As he emerges from the hospital, should mean-spirited jokes be completely off-limits?

For alleged comedian Al Franken, it seems to depend on the venue.

In Eugene, Oregon, a longtime haven for violent anarchists and other fringe extremists, his audience apparently thought this joke was hilarious, according to the Eugene Register-Guard:

What's the difference between a University of Oregon basketball player and Dick Cheney pal Harry Whittington?

One's a Duck and one forgot to.

Was this actually funny? Giving her account of Franken's live radio show performance from Lane Community College (gee Al, maybe someday you'll work your way up to a U of O venue), even the reporter felt obligated to put it in "context":

You had to be there. When liberal talk show host Al Franken took the Lane Community College stage on Friday for his three-hour live radio broadcast from Eugene, his humor had as much to do with his physical presence and the appreciative audience as it did with sheer comedic mastery.

Were Al Franken to be hit on the streets of New York City with a stray bullet and we made light of it, would it be funny? And in their coverage, could we count on anyone in the mainstream media to explain our "context", or be slammed for insensitivity?

Also from the story:

Johnny Worthen, who owns The Daily Bagel, brought his 10-year-old son Caius to the show, his son's first political event, he said. Worthen said he enjoyed Franken's skill at bringing both attention and humor to national problems and issues that often feel emotionally crushing.

Wonder if Mr. Worthen's aware of the emotionally crushing problems and issues created by Mr. Franken and his sleazy outfit? Should his son hear about that?

From hearing the truth about Air America's sleazy corporate practices, no doubt the intellectually fragile "progressive" people of Eugene must be protected.

From KVAL-13 news:

"He's the only one who's stood up to Rush Limbaugh and all those folks on the right," agrees audience member Tom Halferty of Eugene. "And with all the lies and stuff, it's good that somebody is calling it like it is."

Yes, but who will stand up to Franken and Company and call it like it is?


Speaking of Franken's show, a sympathetic piece on former co-host Katherine Lanpher has run in today's New York Times, as interesting for the omissions as what is included.

In a fairly lengthy profile, how Air America's turmoil may have led to her departure is mentioned:

But about the time she started to feel as if she might just become a real New Yorker, she faced a new quandary: Air America was floundering and Mr. Franken decided to move the show to Minnesota. Having faced down her Manhattan crisis, she wasn't quite ready to face midlife back in the Midwest. Emboldened by her book contract, and facing a looming deadline, she quit her job at Air America and started hitting the keyboard.

At the time of her departure, Air America's corporate spin indicated it was all about the book deadline. Here, however, we get a bit of the rest of the story, even if the Times didn't care to elaborate.

The Radio Equalizer has a bad feeling Lanpher, who certainly sounds like a nice person, was chewed up and spit out by a sleazy outfit.

UPDATE: Drudge reveals mainstream media outlets believe they can milk Cheney story for another week! Michelle Malkin calls it Cheney Derangement Syndrome. And Captain's Quarters puts it all into perspective.

Thanks for your continued Radio Equalizer support, via Amazon orders that begin with clicks here, regardless of what you ultimately order! In the spotlight: Robert Ferrigno's exciting new thriller Prayers for the Assassin: A Novel. Read the transcript of Hugh Hewitt's interview with Ferrigno here.

Franken graphic: David A Lunde for the Radio Equalizer, Franken photo: Brian Davies for the Eugene Register-Guard, Lanpher: Michael Nagle for the New York Times