How many Republicans appear on Air America?

In an article at the Huffington Post, John Ridley chastises Democrats for being afraid of appearing on the Fox News Channel. In doing so, Ridley joins Tim Russert who recently appeared on Fox News to question how the Democrats can face al Qaida if they won’t show up for a debate on Fox. Either they do not recognize the strategy Democrats are employing against legitimizing Fox News by refusing to appear, or they are attempting to undermine that strategy.

Many Democrats already realize that their appearance on Fox News will always work to their detriment, but many have yet to learn. Although they are few, there are Progressive and Liberal programs such as Democracy Now, the Jones Network and Air America. The appearances of Republicans on these programs are rare to non-existent, but is Ridley accusing them of being afraid to show up? No.

Ridley’s article also reveals him to be completely enamored of the Conservative political jargon which is virtually compulsory among Republicans when reciting their talking points to the press. He employs the usual “Left leaning”, “Far Left” and the ever popular “Left Fringe” in referring to Democrats, but in particular, his use of the recently clichéd “circus-like YouTube debate” exposes his preference for the agenda driven Conservatives at Fox over the citizens who were interested enough in our political process to participate in it.

Also indicative of Ridley’s anti-Democrat attitude was this gem, “The far left fringe feasting on their own is, of course, hardly a new phenomenon”. The ignorance of this statement is astonishing, if it is, in fact, ignorance. Since the 1994 election that put Republicans in power of both houses of Congress we have witnessed the implementation of tyrannical discipline over the members that was apparent in the illegal threatening of a Congressman on the floor of the House during a vote the Republican leaders wanted to pass. Republican appointed U.S. Attorneys were thrown under the bus because they were too slow in prosecuting Democratic politicians from their territories for trumped up charges of voter fraud that would benefit Republicans running for office. If that's not evidence enough that Republicans are far more vicious toward their own than the Democrats, ask David Brock of Media Matters for America about the cannibalistic tendencies of the Conservatives.

Finally, Ridley observes; “And why not? if Nixon could stare down China, if Reagan could do the same to the Soviets, why should the Dems cower before aggressors”? Why, exactly, would he refer to Fox News as the aggressors? I think it’s because he knows full well that Fox would use any opportunity to attack, marginalize or damage any Democrat foolish enough to actually appear on that network.