Al Franken and Building a Progressive Infrastructure

How great would it be to have Al Franken, a former Air America radio host, in the Senate? Franken's candidacy bears witness to the progressive infrastructure that is slowly being built and which we must continue to support if the progressive movement is to really take hold. While conservatives still dominate the radio, Air America has opened thousands of doors to progressive talk-radio hosts. The same could be said for T.V. talk shows where the likes of Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson and Joe Scarborough all either have/had their own shows to spout off right-wing talking points. In this sea of conservative shows, the success that Keith Olbermann has had and the talent chain that Air America has provided paved the way for Rachel Maddow (also a former Air America host). It's our viewership that gives these shows ratings and the money for advertisements. And these shows--which get a ton of their information from the progressive blogosphere--are vital instruments in changing the discourse around the major issues of our day. Let's keep supporting these figures and working to build a progressive infrastructure. That means electing progressives starting at the most local levels, donating money to progressive organizations like MoveOn, writing letters to newspapers, watching and listening to progressive T.V. and radio shows, and staying informed via the blogs and putting pressure on even our own candidates to make the right decisions.

See the Al Franken poll averages below (courtesy of mydd.com):

	MPR/Humphrey Institute 10/3-5	Rasmussen 10/7	RCP	Pollster
Franken	41	43	40	40
Coleman	37	37	37.8	39.2
Barkley	14	17	17