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Politics : Err America: They Report, They Decide -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (1190)	12/7/2007 4:27:18 PM
From: Bill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1513

December 3, 2007 Air America to Test Its Fan Base and Its Sea Legs By GREGORY ROTH In the current political climate, it seems that no news item is too small to be lampooned in the blogosphere by the guys across the aisle. Last week Air America Radio, the liberal chat network, announced it would be sponsoring its first vacation cruise. For $1,380 to $6,305 a person, guests can board a Holland America ship in February, visit ports of call like Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta and attend high-minded seminars with people like Randi Rhodes, an Air America host; Mark Green, the network’s president and a former New York mayoral candidate; and Paul Krugman, a columnist for The New York Times. The news release prompted some conservatives to pounce with glee. “The boat is going to lean so far left that I fear for the passengers’ safety,” wrote Michelle Malkin, a prominent conservative blogger. She also posted a picture of a sinking ship that had been modified by contributor to show the Air America logo on its hull. Although the voyage will be Air America’s first, the cruise business is far from virgin water for media organizations with intensely loyal audiences. National Review, The Nation, The Weekly Standard and Ms. Magazine have all sponsored cruises in recent years. Conservative and liberal cruises seem to be equal-opportunity teasing targets: National Review’s cruise was lampooned by the Huffington Post, a left-leaning blog; The New Republic magazine; and The Independent, a newspaper in Britain that called it a “Ship of Fools.” Jack Fowler, National Review’s publisher, called the cruises “ideology on saltwater.” He said his conservative magazine began to conduct cruises for avid readers in 1994 after it saw Rush Limbaugh make a success of the business; the goal was to make money rather than to recruit readers. Air America has struggled financially since it was introduced in 2004. It filed for bankruptcy protection in 2006 and was acquired by Mr. Green’s brother, Stephen L. Green, a real estate investor, this year. Mark Green said that while Air America looked forward to giving its fans a chance to rub shoulders with hosts and commentators, the primary motive was to make money. He said that he would welcome Ms. Malkin aboard the ship for “re-education purposes,” adding that he would even give her a discount. Ms. Malkin said that she had traveled aboard a National Review cruise with her family. Asked whether she would do it again, she hesitated and said, “You are just surrounded by tons of hyperpolitical people.” Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company