It wasn’t exactly a friendly hello, either – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) called comments from Clear Channel radio talker Chris Baker unconstructive and possibly dangerous. Baker was speaking at a rally for US Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) that also had former VP candidate and AK Gov. Sarah Palin in attendance.
Baker works for Clear Channel’s 100.5 KTLK-FM Minneapolis.
Hoyer was worked up over Baker’s remark that Democrats in Washington are a “lying, thieving … bunch of commies,” according to a report from Politico that Baker flagged on his own website.
At a regularly scheduled press meeting, Hoyer told reporters, “I don’t think that’s very useful, not only do I not think it’s useful, I think it creates an atmosphere and a debate that is neither constructive and can sometimes be dangerous.”
Baker is not so partisan, if his own self-description is taken into account. CNN.com found this Baker statement: “I am an independent conservative with 3 small children and a wife who I love more than anything I could have ever imagine. I see politicians as nothing more than puppets and gangsters and that is regardless of party. Talk radio is my job and my dream come true. … It’s the most important entertainment medium because it is the only real time, interactive medium where politicians are held accountable for their actions.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Usually when a radio talker is mentioned by a political type, it’s a member of the upper echelon, the national figures – Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity. There is no such thing as bad publicity, and Hoyer has lent Baker a helping hand in boosting his national name recognition factor.
