Inside the Beltway

RADIO WAVES

Memo to White House: Get a grip. Hush up about Fox News, talk radio and other media rivals, as the proverbial negative blowback could be a mere sound bite away.

“There he goes again: President Obama comparing Fox News to talk radio. Well, I wonder if Mr. Obama is on the payroll of these two news outlets? Every time he opens his mouth about either one, he generates more ratings and revenue for them,” Michael Harrison of Talkers magazine tells Inside the Beltway.

The founder of the magazine - which tracks the talk radio industry - has advice for the White House.

“If they want to avoid strengthening media rivals, stop carrying on about them. Mr. Obama may even misunderstand talk radio itself. While conservatives and Republicans have a demographic presence in the listening audience, the majority still call themselves ‘independent.’ Our own numbers place the listenership at 52 percent independent, 27 percent Republican, 16 percent Democratic,” Mr. Harrison says.

Hm-m. Could this be evidence of the emerging Tea Party party? Stay tuned.

“But listeners have one thing in common. They see politics as a spectator sport, and they’re loving the battle between the White House and the media. It’s very entertaining, and it’s a war that’s actually benefiting Fox News and talk radio,” he concludes.

Which brings us to Memo No. 2, to paranoid Republican “leadership”: Fellahs. Puh-lease. Stop being so afraid of Rush Limbaugh. He’s not going to run for office, or open a strategy firm anytime soon. He’s an idea guy with exquisite timing, his index finger upon the rapid pulse of the cultural-political beast. A “GOP vs. Rush” rivalry could prove an unnecessary sideshow and a distraction, as much so as Mr. Obama’s crabby moments with Fox.

As Mr. Limbaugh says, “Ladies and gentleman, I, Rush Limbaugh, live in Barack Obama’s head rent-free.”

BEWARE THE TWEET

Republicans should be wary of the pre-loaded political Tweet.

Progressives have announced plans for a social-media offensive, geared to “our new reality”, says Xavier Lopez-Ayala of the Alliance for a Better Minnesota. The progressive group is one of several across the country that are honing the Twittering, blogging, videography and advocacy prowess of grass-roots types to “further change” as 2010 approaches.

Uh-oh. There’s that old “c” word, Mr. Obama’s onetime mantra. Progressives are hot to Tweet, and they still recall the Web-based victories of Howard Dean well over 100 years ago. Wait. It was 2004. It only seems like a century ago.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lopez-Ayala calls the dicey art of social media “impact journalism.” So, Republicans: Log in and get thee to thy Tweet board.

BIG FOOT

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