Al Franken on Rush Limbaugh: debate needs "mutual respect for the truth."

[Eric J in MN]

From the August 3 "Al Franken Show."

Al Franken talks to his friend who is a Rush Limbaugh fan; points out that Limbaugh said John Kerry didn't discuss the War on Terror in his acceptance speech when actually Kerry did.

Audio at moveleft.com:
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_08_03_the_al_franken_limbaugh_mutual_respect_truth.asp


AL FRANKEN: Rush has so much contempt for his listeners. He has contempt for you. Because day after day after day after day, he pulls stuff out of his butt that isn't true, and...he's not held accountable for it. No, you don't hold him accountable for it. For you it's just, "Ok...that was wrong, but..."
...Why does he (Rush Limbaugh) say something like that?

He either knows it isn't true, or-he can't possibly know that it's true?...There is certainly no certainty there on his part of "I'm going to tell the truth now."


...Why do you hold him to such a low standard, and... why don't you feel insulted that he holds his audience in such contempt?

Because what he's doing is manipulating his audience.

He is not serving his audience, he is manipulating his audience.

MARK LUTHER: Well, it's a tough question Al, and you're not going to like the answer, because you've done a good job of pointing out his misstatements when he makes them, or untruths, about whatever you want to call it.

But...I'm still convinced-and I think about it often, for example, after our conversation, yesterday- philosphically, I believe he's preaching the right way about the way of the world.

AL FRANKEN: Ok, well, I don't know what to say about it.

I think that all debate has to start with a mutual respect for the truth.

And I don't think Rush Limbaugh has that, Mark, I really don't...

Good luck.