| Dennis Prager speaks most Saturday mornings at the
liberal Bel Air synagogue Stephen S. Wise.
Last week he made two main points on the week's Torah portion
(opening chapters of Deuteronomy). One. He disagreed with the commentary
of Cassutto that a verse should be read "blessing or curse." Prager
says that all blessings carry curses with them. It's "blessings
and curse."
Point two. Rituals protect ethics. They train us to do right,
and they accustom us to saying no to our inclinations. Rituals provide
a buffer against us acting naturally and unethically.
With temperatues reaching 100 degrees outside, Prager spoke today
(8/29) for 45 minutes to about 150 persons. Prager said that he
reads the Torah to seek wisdom on how to live today, not because
he's fascinated with the ancient Near East. Today's Torah portion
warns kings (rulers) about seeking women, power and money. Prager
noted that is why most people in modern democracies seek power -
fame - public office - to pursue above three. Good people generally
want to spend their time with family, community and friends, and
shun public office. The parallels to Clinton are obvious.
On Friday, 8/28/98, Prager hosted Kim and Jay Warburton on his
show. During April-June, 1995, Prager talked about their Baby Richard
case incessantly.
Friday's was a highly emotional show. The Warburton's proved themselves
articulate and Prager was over the top with emotion for their cause.
Dennis Prager's radio show was simulcast by CSPAN 8/17/98.
Prager appeared in a collared shirt (Lands End) and tie, which
he does most workdays. His grey hair is cut short above his ears.
His skin is white.
His producer Manya appears. She looks in her 30s, sharp, attractive
with reddish-brown hair. I believe that she received an MA in Political
Science from UCLA and has taken calls for Dennis for over ten years.
Prager's engineer is a long-haired hippie (in a wheelchair?).
After 16 years at KABC, Prager is clearly comfortable with his
role. What primarily struck me today was the minimal difference
between Prager the talkshow host and Prager the person. There is
so little affectation with him. He dramatizes little.
He appears deeply grounded and happy. At 50, his skin is smooth
and his face unlined.
Most of the calls came from out of state, evidencing that CSPAN's
viewers (about one million?) outnumber KABC's (about 500,000?).
Camera shows two Prager duffel bags weighing about 40 pounds each,
full of newspapers.
Doug Wilson writes on the Prager List: "Does anyone have an idea
of how we can help Dennis get syndicated nationally?
I think Dennis is such an important thinker, and quite frankly,
I think he could be one of the most influential men in history.
In history, since America is so important to mankind, and I believe
that Dennis' role as a moral thinker can be invaluable to this great
nation.
So does anyone have any ideas?
Luke: These are great points and great suggestions. I agree totally.
IMHO, the primary reason that Dennis Prager is not nationally
syndicated is Dennis Prager. The primary reason that his ideas don't
have more influence is Dennis Prager. The primary reason that Dennis
does not have more influence in Jewish life is Dennis.
He is far more deep than any other talk show host of which I am
aware. In part because of this, however, his show is not particularly
entertaining or profitable.
Dennis represents the triumph of substance over style. His show
is ponderous, repetitive, awkward and far more important than anything
else out there.
Dennis believes that his ideas won't get their due until he's
dead. He's probably right. He conducts himself in a manner to insure
that he's right, simultaneously producing important thoughts while
insuring that he does not become 'big.'
Quoted from SIngleMom's post to alt.radio.talk:
Opinions in brackets are mine.
"This week, KABC shock jock Dennis Prager opened up and shared
with his listeners that he just couldn't... just couldn't possibly
at all, have any guest debating him in the studio who challenged
his moral, erudite, perfect opinions. He said that to destroy his
opposition on-air would be bad manners and he just.. couldn't do
it. He couldn't show bad manners on-air! He claimed that that was
his idiosyncracy.
[I agree that at times Prager is a shock jock...and that he did
not across well above.]
(One must take a moment and pause and think a second time about
a radio talk show host who refuses to have in-studio guests with
differing points of view because he would feel bad about "destroying
them".)
Following that touchy/feely announcement Prager began mowing down,
with extreme prejudice, the many callers who challenged his recent,
bizarre ultra-anti-Clinton assaults. One challenging caller shouted
over Prager's interruption of her statement, "Quit twisting my words
and let me talk!" Prager set a new low in on-air manners.
[P is usually courteous.]
The next caller found hersef drowned out by his barrage of interruptions.
Prager finally asked the caller if he could have a minute "to take
a deep breath, I'm serious" so he could understand the caller and
the majority of Americans who do not share Prager's distrust of
Clinton. And he stopped, on-air, dead-air and took a long, long,
deep breath! One is reminded of Jack Nicholsen - "You can't handle
the truth!" Prager screamed at the caller - "He hasn't asked for
forgiveness! How could you forgive him?" The caller said that she
forgave him and Prager responded that his religion demanded that
one ask for forgiveness to be forgiven.
Prager might have (and usually does) overlooked the fact that
Clinton and the majority of Americans do not subscribe to Prager's
religion.
(KABC - Get this guy to a GOOD doctor. If he croaks on-air due
to shock from his perceived less than perfect morality of the majority
of Americans, his Century City attorneys will be at your door guaranteed.
After all, he is fat and fifty plus. Check your actuarial tables.)
Prager bleated that he has let 6 years pass without attacking
Bill Clinton. He pointed out that he even defended him when disturbed
religious psychos like Jerry Falwell and the Christian Coalition
accused Clinton of murder and endorsed "The Clinton Chronicles".
[Prager should quit his "I never attack Bill Clinton line." It's
not true.]
Prager carefully neglected to add that he has regularly and vociferously
attacked policies of this administration starting with Year (Day?)
1 "Gays in the Military" through anti-tobacco legislation. He carefully
neglected to add that he has regularly and vociferously attacked
Bill Clinton's Democratic party for the last 6 years. He carefully
neglected to add that he has attacked Clinton's Vice President Al
Gore for the last 6 years, expressing his extreme distate with him
- "He is a true believer".
Prager, Falwell and their ilk are the "true believers". They use
their US Government subsidized bully pulpits to deceptively scare
Americans to believe their twisted, voodoo superstitions. Life after
death with Jerry and Dennis floating on a cloud wearing white robes.
[I disagree with most of post but found it funny.]
8/31/98
Dennis spent his first two hours discussing how a number of school
have banned peanut butter because some kids are allergic to it.
P. says the majority is bending too often to the sensitivities of
minorities.
In his last hour, he talked about the recent study which says
that using the internet causes depression. P was agnostic on the
question. Several callers said the internet attracts nerds and social
retards.
I phoned up four different times during the hour, using my name,
and the screener Manya hung up on me each time.
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