Jim McDermott, Seattle Times, David Postman

JIM'S LATEST TRICKERY

To Get Talk Hosting Gig, McDermott Resorted To Deceit







From a guy who has supported Saddam Hussein, what more could we possibly expect?

According to David Postman of the Seattle Times, Congressman- For- Life "Baghdad" Jim McDermott claimed he wasn't a candidate for re-election this fall.

By using this excuse, KIRO-AM was "cleared" to utilize McDermott's services as a talk show host this week. In addition, the station will likely feel free to tell his equal- time seeking Republican opponent to take a hike.

From Postman On Politics:

Jim McDermott is filling in for Dave Ross on 710 KIRO this week. His performance is being listened to carefully from Blatherwatch on the left and The Radio Equalizer from the right.

In 2004 Ross had to step down from his KIRO show when he became a candidate for Congress in the 8th Congressional District. McDermott hasn't filed for re-election and gave KIRO a letter indicating that "at this time he is NOT a candidate for re-election," KIRO Program Director Tom Clendening says via e-mail. Because of that, he says, "our legal dept. believes there are no equal time considerations." (CONFLICT ALERT: I have been a fill-in host on KIRO.)

McDermott continues to be news elsewhere. The Pittsburgh paper has a story on the congressman's legal fight which "has the elements and plot twists of the most intriguing kinds of Capitol Hill dramas, and it still has no final episode."

Who are we kidding here? Does this mean the infamous Congressman- For- Life (a term coined by Seattle Post- Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly, by the way) is ready to retire?

If you believe that one, I've got a crumbling viaduct to sell to you.

How will McDermott get away with this deceit? By making clear it's technically true: he hasn't yet filed his papers, hence the carefully- placed "at this time" in his letter to the station.

But that doesn't make it any less sleazy, as this commenter on Postman's blog indicates:

KIRO takes the stand that no one is actually a candidate until they file the last week of July- which is ludicrous if the same candidate has declared to the Federal Elections Commission (or the state Public Disclosure Commission) when they begin fundraising that he or she is a candidate. It is having it both ways, which is the typical entitlement attitude of members of Congress and congressional wannabes, regardless of party.

Posted by Jim King

If he really wasn't going to run for another term, the local Democrat Party machine would already have a replacement annointed, right? Beyond that, his congressional departure would be quite a news story.

As for the station, even lefties are reporting McDermott was a bore. During the crucial spring ratings period, that's not a good sign.


ALSO: Seattle Arbitron ratings data emerged today. Taking a dump was Air America's Seattle outlet, KPTK. Reader Will Hansen best tells the story:

Hey, the new ratings for Seattle are in. KIRO went from a 4.3 to a 4.2, KVI from a 3.1 to a 2.9, KTTH held steady at 2.9, and KPTK (Air America) dropped from 2.8 to 2.0. Maybe KIRO going more liberal isn't the answer.

Will, what really isn't the answer is to go left of Air America, which seems to be the station's most recent approach.

ELSEWHERE: Michelle Malkin exposes a big mess at the Times of London.

--- Al Franken, or a cardboard cutout? Hat tip: Cap'n Ed.

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McD with Iraqi official: AFP