On Wednesday’s Radio Show…

• President Obama says “the federal government will go bankrupt” without health care reform. Is he playing the politics of fear – as his critics like to claim – or simply stating a fact?

• Should an elected official lose his job for not believing in God? Atheist Asheville, NC City Councilman Cecil Bothwell debates the man trying to force him out of office, activist H.K. Edgerton.

• It’s a hilarious holiday tradition: Colmes Christmas Karaoke!…

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Forces Inmates To Listen To Christmas Music All Day, Ignoring Lawsuits

The man who fashions himself “America’s toughest sheriff,” Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ, will force inmates to listen to Christmas music all day through the holidays, in spite of six lawsuits against his actions. Arpaio put out a press release in red and green type, downplaying these lawsuits and saying he’s doing in it spite of them.

The six prior lawsuits have claimed Arpaio’s less-than-merry practice should be considered cruel and unusual punishment, or that the sheriff is forcing people to participate in religious celebrations.

The practice of forcing people to listen to crappy music all day long …

Conservative Talk Radio Has Fewer Fans Than Previously Thought

For years, radio stations gauged their ratings by how listeners filled out diaries. Those ratings are what advertisers use to determine ad rates, and what hosts use to presume bragging rights.  But a new methodology called “Portable People Meters” shows that what people say they listen to (diaries) and what they actually listen to (electronic meters) don’t match up (h/t BlatherWatch). Soft rock comes out ahead using this more advanced methodology. The reason this applies mostly to conservatives is because talk radio is predominantly a conservative medium, with only a small percentage of liberal shows.

Talk radio, a …

FCC Chief Diversity Officer Blames “Right-Wing Smear Campaign” For Death Threats

Mark Lloyd, the FCC’s Chief Diversity Officer, says a “right-wing smear campaign” has led to death threats and hate mail, and great misunderstanding about his beliefs.

He said, “Allow me to clear away some mud: I am not a Czar appointed by President Obama. I am not at the FCC to restore the Fairness Doctrine through the front door or the back door, or to carry out a secret plot funded by George Soros to get rid of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or any other conservative talk show host. I am not at the FCC to remove anybody, whatever …

DC City Council Approves Gay Marriage

It’s the first jurisdiction below the Mason-Dixon line to approve gay marriage, and the vote was 11-2.  However, opponents say they’ll fight to overturn it by putting it to a referendum, or protesting to Congress, which has a month to review the measure.

The city already recognizes same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont. New Hampshire will begin allowing same-sex marriage early next year.

Republicans and conservative Democrats in the House, which oversees the District of Columbia’s budget, are considering a variety of legislative methods to block the bill, including adding …

Senate Says No To Importing Low-Price Drugs

The Senate voted 51-48 to reject a plan to import low-price prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. The amendment was put forth by North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan (right).

Importing prescription drugs for personal use is a violation of federal law. Dorgan’s amendment would have lifted the ban, allowing access to low-cost medicines from developed countries where the government limits drug prices.

As a senator, President Barack Obama supported drug imports, but his administration now echoes the objections of the pharmaceutical industry that it would cause safety problems.

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Both the pharmaceutical industry and the Obama …

On Tuesday’s Radio Show…

• Should emerging Democratic Party discontent with the Senate health care plan kill the bill? We’ll debate the road to reform.

• Would blocking foreign workers from entering the U.S. solve the employment crisis? Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) defends his call for an immigration moratorium.

• Think you can survive the cut? It’s a special Holiday Edition of Sudden Death Radio!…

God Calls Oral Roberts Home At 91

Oral Roberts founded the university named after him and was one of the original televangelists.  He died after a fall in his California home, and died of complications from pneumonia.

He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying, “I become anointed with God’s word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I’m ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I’m going to say and I’m feeling like a lion.”

Unity of body, mind and spirit became the theme of Oral Roberts University. The …

Big Issue Among Liberals: Start Over Or Pass What We Can Get

Nate Silver makes the case that we’d be silly not to pass a bill that will lower premiums. The average premium has increased 8.7% a year during the past decade.

For any “progressive” who is concerned about the inequality of wealth, income and opportunity in America, this bill would be an absolutely monumental achievement.

Silver’s done the work that shows a family of four, for example, making $54,000 a year, pays $4,000 in premiums in 2016 with this bill.  With no bill, that cost will be more than double.

At Kos, differing with Marcos himself, “As I Said GOOD DAY …

Howard Dean Says Throw Out This Health Care Bill And Start Over

Former Governor and DNC Chair Howard Dean, who is also a doctor, says to throw out the health care bill because all the real reform has been removed.

“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”

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Dean had previously endorsed the Medicare buy-in compromise without a public option, saying that the key question should …

Attempt To Throw NC Councilman Out Of Office For His Atheism

Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell (right) doesn’t believe in God, and his opponents say that’s a sin making him unworthy of public office.  They want to take him to court, even tough the North Carolina’s requirement that officeholders believe in God is in violation of the US Constitution.

Bothwell ran this fall on a platform that also included limiting the height of downtown buildings and saving trees in the city’s core, views that appealed to voters in the liberal-leaning community at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. When Bothwell was sworn into office on Monday, he used an alternative …