Why is Gov. Patrick so bothered by conservative talk radio?
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he is "disappointed" a Boston radio station reinstated a talk show host who called Mexicans "criminaliens" and other derogatory terms amid the swine flu outbreak.Before participating in his monthly call-in appearance at WTKK-FM, Patrick said Thursday he found the criticisms by host Jay Severin "just way over the line" and he was "embarrassed" to be associated with the station.
Severin has been a frequent critic of Patrick.
The governor says he hopes society can find ways to discuss issues without demeaning people.
The Herald's Jessica Heslam has more:
“I found Jay Severin’s comments on the air about Mexicans hateful and hurtful, really just way over the line and I was just as disappointed, frankly, that the station chose to let him resume broadcasting this week,” Patrick said.“I like you guys, but it made me embarrassed to be associated with the station,” Patrick added. “I read and I appreciated his apology and I am here because I believe his apology is sincere.”
The governor added: “But, it seems to me, we have got to figure out a way on this station, and in our broader civic life, to engage even on difficult issues without demeaning people who differ from us in background or point of view.”
Keep in mind that Patrick once tried to blame talk radio for the 1996 church arsons and also lashed out against Severin's colleague Michael Graham in 2007.
What is Patrick's gripe with non-liberal talk radio, anyway? The conservative talkers didn't stop his buddy Bill Clinton from being elected in 1992...nor did they stop his other buddy Barack Obama from winning in an Electoral College landslide in 2008...nor did they stop Patrick himself from kicking Kerry Healey's behind in 2006. Talk radio is a great medium, but it isn't that influential. So why does Patrick always lash out at the conservative talkers? Is he so thin-skinned that he can't stand people expressing non-progressive opinions on-air?
This is not to defend Severin's unfortunate comments, merely to point out that Patrick's obsession with right-wing talk radio is more than a little strange. Maybe it's a failure of human understanding...
UPDATE: More from Randall Bloomquist and the Globe.
SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.
THIRD UPDATE: From Matt Margolis, Holly Robichaud and the Globe.
