Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (202410)	4/13/2007 9:27:52 AM
From: John Carragher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793778

savage was fired off Fox. i can't stand the guy but a few friends love him.

To: DMaA who wrote (202410)	4/13/2007 9:30:41 AM
From: Glenn Petersen	Respond to of 793778

The departure of Imus is actually bad news for the Democrats: Democratic politicians lose a soapbox with Imus His show gave many of them a way to reach a national audience of white males -- a crucial voting bloc. By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer April 13, 2007 WASHINGTON — They came by the hundreds that hot August day in tiny Johnson City, Tenn., gathering on an asphalt parking lot to meet Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. It was not just that he might become the state's first black senator. More than that, even in Republican eastern Tennessee, the Democratic congressman was a celebrity — a regular guest on Don Imus' radio show. And today, with Imus' career in tatters, the fate of the controversial shock jock is stirring quiet but heartfelt concern in an unlikely quarter: among Democratic politicians. That's because, over the years, Democrats such as Ford came to count on Imus for the kind of sympathetic treatment that Republicans got from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. Equally important, Imus gave Democrats a pipeline to a crucial voting bloc that was perennially hard for them to reach: politically independent white men. With Imus' show canceled indefinitely because of his remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, some Democratic strategists are worried about how to fill the void. For a national radio audience of white men, Democrats see few if any alternatives. "This is a real bind for Democrats," said Dan Gerstein, an advisor to one of Imus' favorite regulars, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). "Talk radio has become primarily the province of the right, and the blogosphere is largely the province of the left. If Imus loses his microphone, there aren't many other venues like it around." Jim Farrell, a former aide to 2000 presidential candidate and Imus regular Bill Bradley, said the firing "creates a vacuum." This week, when Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) was asked by CNN why he picked Imus' show to announce his presidential candidacy, Dodd explained: "He's got a huge audience; he gives you enough time to talk, not a 30-second sound bite, a chance to explain your views; … and a chance to reach the audience who doesn't always watch the Sunday morning talk shows." Though Imus was a regular destination for the likes of Dodd, Ford, Lieberman, 2004 Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry and others — as well as such GOP figures as Sen. John McCain of Arizona — his influence has long been debated. Talkers Magazine ranks him far below Limbaugh and liberal Ed Schultz in terms of power. His audience is dwarfed by many others, and he is not heard in some major markets [though his show was simulcast on cable TV]. One senior Democratic strategist, requesting anonymity to avoid insulting some of his party's power players, said the show was no more than a "locker room for middle-age politicians." Not all high-level Democrats were drawn to the self-styled "I-Man." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), a party presidential front-runner and a frequent target of Imus' jokes, said she never had the desire to appear. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the other current front-runner, appeared once — but he was the first presidential candidate to call this week for Imus' ouster. Ford strategists believe his relationship with Imus was central to earning credibility in the eyes of white voters in conservative regions of Tennessee. "That's how I got to know Harold, seeing him on Imus," said Ben Scharfstein, owner of the One Stop convenience store in Johnson City, who turned over his parking lot that August day for the campaign event. But even Scharfstein said he had now had it with Imus. "I'm going to have to turn Don off now," he said. "His ego has gotten ahead of himself, and that's not worth watching." And Ford was hardly leaping to the defense of his radio ally despite repeated on-air pleas from Imus to appear in his defense. Ford on Thursday called Imus' statements "reprehensible," though he added that Imus was a friend and a "decent man." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- peter.wallsten@latimes.com Staff writer Robin Abcarian contributed to this report. latimes.com

To: DMaA who wrote (202410)	4/13/2007 9:30:41 AM
From: Glenn Petersen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793778

The presence of Wal-Mart is still being heavily debated in Chicago. In the meantime... Wal-Mart store ignites taxes, jobs Austin outlet hires 443 people April 12, 2007 BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com Chicago's first and only Wal-Mart store has produced $2 million in state and local taxes and 443 jobs for West Side residents since it opened in Austin six months ago, the world's largest retailer said Wednesday. Wal-Mart wants to forge ahead with its urban strategy by building at least four more stores in Chicago, primarily on the South Side. The decision whether to approve the zoning changes needed to build those new stores will rest with the newly elected City Council. Mayor Daley vetoed the big box minimum wage ordinance and made it stick with three crossover votes. Union leaders are pouring millions into the 12 aldermanic run-offs in an effort to elect a veto-proof majority for the big box ordinance. Wal-Mart has contributed $100,000 to a fund that supports big-box opponents. On Wednesday, Wal-Mart made its case in a six-month report card released by Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), whose impoverished West Side ward includes the Austin store. It shows the store has generated more than $2 million in state and local taxes, including $500,000 in city sales taxes alone. Of the 443 jobs, more than half went to 37th Ward residents. Seventy-seven percent of those Wal-Mart associates are African American. Eighteen percent are Hispanic. The new Wal-Mart has also served as a catalyst for development. A new Menard's is under construction. Aldi's, CVS, Panera Bakery and Bank of America have made commitments to build on the West Side. Roderick Scott, Wal-Mart's regional manager for community affairs, said the company is scouting locations for more Chicago stores, primarily on the South Side. suntimes.com