The Role of Radio Personalities in the Political Process

We all have a voice. We all have a role to play in the complex political matters in our state and country.

For too long, it seems, many have substituted thought for adherence, accepting the howling rhetoric of radio hosts as prime facie philosophical inquiry. No one should demand restrictions to the First Amendment, but listeners and voters alike must evince a greater commitment to informing themselves beyond the sound-bites and biting sarcasm of the left and right screaming on the radio.

We all crave commentary, whether shopping around for advice when buying a new car or a new home, when looking for a school to enroll our children, and also when determining whom we want to represent in government. Different points of view, no matter how strident, support a flourishing pool of opinion, something from which we can all draw upon and satisfy the need to from and informed opinion.

Rush Limbaugh, and his more scullery ilk like Don Imus, have pushed commentary to the point of insult and injury. Demagoguing individuals does not resolve the issues. We can attack the person and the place, but the policies remain unchanged to the extent that individuals refuse to educate themselves on the proper role of government and their role in prospering their own civil liberties. Shock and awe has its place in the media, but when vulgarity mixed with vagaries has replaced honest and good discussion, then radio personalities have abrogated their responsibilities and have abused their influence. Following the fallout over Rush Limbaugh's incendiary comments over Georgetown student Sandra Fluke and contraception, it's time for viewers and voters to focus on issues pertinent to the public, not just ravenous and ravishing for the 24-7 news cycle.