“Air America”, the l…

“Air America”, the liberal talk radio network, has a new lease on life.

Liberal broadcaster Air America Radio, which is seeking a full-time chief executive, said Wednesday it has raised $13 million from investors, renewed the contracts of two of its more popular radio hosts and signed RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser on as its chairman.

Air America said humorist Al Franken would remain on the roster for at least two more years, while Randi Rhodes has signed on for three. The company would not say how much it is paying its talent.

Back in March, when “Air America” started broadcasting, I predicted that Franken’s show wouldn’t last 2 years, and if Franken lasts as long as his current contract he’ll outlive my prediction. So is my prediction due for an adjustment or a retraction? Here’s what I said then:

That’s why I think this will ultimately fail. People did not rush to Rush because of a media blitz or advertising. They came because they finally heard what they couldn’t get from the mainstream media. I believe that in large part the American people are generally conservative. Many folks don’t like labeling, and I understand that, but if they were to take a political test, I think a good majority would be center to far right.

I still believe that about America, and the recent election bears this out in a way. I also still believe that the kind of emotion that it takes to keep “Air America” going–the kind of raw hatred we saw before and after the election–can’t be sustained long enough to keep Al Franken’s show in the black.

Or…at least it shouldn’t be sustained that long. And it not just the hatred, but also the outright delusion and paranoia out there. “Post Election Selection Trauma” is not, and has never been, a Republican malady. Yes, two terms of Clinton was painful in many ways but most conservatives picked themselves up and continued the fight, without resorting to depression and devastation. And yes, there are those on the Republican side that inhabit what Hugh Hewitt calls the Fever Swamps, but those folks are not given nearly as much press and influence within Republican circles as Michael Moore got at the Democratic National Convention, or as much as MoveOn (which won’t) gets from <redundant>Hollywood and Democrats</redundant>.

I don’t think hatred and paranoia should be something that keeps a show like Franken’s and a network like “Air America” going for very long. But with Soros’ billions, and what appears to be a boundless supply of vitriol from the left, perhaps such a thing is possible. That’s as far as I’ll modify my prediction for now. But that status quo is not a good thing for America, and it’ll only eat away at those who just can’t seem to part with those feelings.

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