After the first Presidential debate, I was listening to a crazy, right-wing talk show hosted by some dude named Mark Williams. He was making the great point that the reason Bush looked so bad was because he's not a polished debater like Kerry. Bush, rather, is more of a regular-type guy who you may want to go hang out and have a beer with. So I called in to disuss this.
Here's an mp3 of that call.

2 Nov 2004 - UPDATE

I was checking out the election coverage on the right-wing radio and on comes Jeff Katz saying that election fraud was already underway. He was also making the great point that Democratic voters are typically uneducated and uninformed. I called in to discuss this - here's the mp3 of that call. I got cutoff pretty quickly (I'm actually talking all throughout, but Jeff has turned my sound down right after he says, "You're certainly entitled to your opinion." ). It was still fun.

Here are some tips for becoming a Right-Wing Radio Subversive Caller Superstar (RWRSCS):

1. Be ready for the screener
When you call in, the screener will ask you what you want to talk about. This is a 5-10 second interview for you to get on the air. It is very important. You probably have spent several minutes dialing and redialing, trying to get through and may not be paying close attention. Be ready to speak clearly and immediately when your call is answered. The screener's main job is to screen out people who will slow the show down or who will make the host look bad.

2. Follow for now
When the screener asks for your topic or what you want to talk about, DO NOT say that you want to disagree with the host - even if you do. Many would-be RWRSCS's make the mistake of thinking they'll just go on, make some reasonable arguments, and have the host see the wisdom of their points. If you've listened to right-wing radio for any amount of time, you know that this never works. I have never heard any right-wing radio host say "Gee, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about that. I guess I was wrong." They do, occassionally, have dissenting callers on the air, but they are always set-up and/or cut-off. Don't be a patsy.

3. Exploit their weakness
Tell the screener you agree with the host and you want to make some auxillary point. One of the most dangerous things about talk-radio is that the hosts can have any nut-job come on the air and make any claim, without any corroboration or supporting evidence. This makes talk-radio fertile ground for misinformation and probably explains a lot of its success. You, the would-be RWRSCS, can use this to your advantage. Give the screener what he/she wants - to get on the air.

4. Rope-a-dope
When you get on the air, don't change topics immediately. If you want the maximum amount of time, you must first disarm the host. If you come out swinging, you'll be cut off immediately. Remember, talk-radio is designed to appear to be a forum for free exchange of ideas, but it is not. The host has total control of the show. If you want to be heard, you have to trick him/her. Start out with the topic you gave the screener.

5. Have a succinct point
Once you do get around to what you really want to say, make sure you really have something you want to say. Keep in mind that the typical right-wing talk show / Fox News listener is mildly retarded. The best points to make have these characteristics:
(a) They are true, verifiable, and directly contradict something the host has just said. This is never hard to do.
(b) They can be made quickly. Try stating your point before you go on. If it takes more than a few sentences, forget about it.
(c) They are funny and/or interesting.

6. Relax and have fun
One question you may ask of me is, "If talk radio hosts are a bunch of right-wing crazies and their audience is nothing but weak-minded idiots, what good does it do to subvert it?" The answer, of course, is: who cares, it's fun!

Some brain-dead radio

Show	Interesting link
Mike Savage	Interesting book review
Bill O'Reilly	Book Expo smack-down
Rush Limbaugh	F.A.I.R. report on Rush
Lars Larson	Good point. Lars