Talk:Michael Graham (radio personality)/Archive 1
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Unnoted Talk Discussions
I don't understand why someone is including long passages of text from the H.L. Mencken article in THIS article -- that's why you ~hyperlink~ the name of Mencken in the first place, for redirection to the separate article. There seems to be a slant inferred with the selectiveness of the passages from an entirely separate article. Is this an encyclopedia or kindergarten? I'm embarrassed to send anyone to Wikipedia as a "reference" anymore, it's not reliable.
Eye on Washington
Just saw this guy on "Eye on Washington" on PBS. This has got to be one of the dumbest commentators, liberal or conservative, I've ever seen. Linda Chavez, a fellow conservative, seemed like a giant sitting next to this puny intellect. — Stevie is the man! Talk | Work 04:58, May 21, 2005 (UTC)
- And now Mr. Graham has been fired for spewing his non-intellectual venom against a religion that's no better or worse than Christianity. My question: Why would anyone hire this clown in the first place? He's batshit crazy. — Stevie is the man! Talk | Work 17:53, August 23, 2005 (UTC)
The sad thing is not that we have people like Graham in the media. But the sad thing is that these type of people have huge audeiences that are eagier to hear the message of hate. August 24, 2005
- The sad thing is that he's from my state... 24.88.16.137 03:33, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
The sad thing is the complete anonymity of all posters on Wikipedia. At least when I used to read a hard copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica, I had a better chance of reading something written by both A) experts and B) neutral writers.
Regardless of political opinion, highly suspect information is making it onto this page. That should be for sites other than this one!
There are no political opinions or intents involved...it appears that either Mr. Graham or one of his supporters is currently attempting to "edit" the record to provide a positive spin on the events that led to his dismissal. The facts are that it is pure conjecture to state any of the following:
- WMAL received 10,000 emails. - Cannot be verified, and is conjecture
- E-mails to WMAL were overwhelmingly supported of Graham. - again, conjecture
- CAIR was behind the decision by ABC and WMAL to fire Graham. - WaPo article states clearly why Graham was let go, and WMAL states that neither CAIR or ABC had any role in the decision.
- Graham's first ammendment rights were violated by CASA and MoCo police. - again, conjecture.
Either stick to the facts that can be supported by resources, or label your statements correctly as opinion...and opinion has no business on Wikipedia.
Mr. Graham is a xenophobic loudmouth, and while he has a following, it is clear that his intent is to foment fear and hatred of people who are not native born American, and people who do not share his religous beliefs. Don't believe me? All you need to do is look at Michael's own comments on the DNC convention..."From the Japanese guy greeting the audience in Spanish, to the singing of the national anthem in Oompa Loompa, the whole event was exotic to the point of exclusion."
This begs the burning question.....Why is Graham so afraid of non-white people who were not born inamerica who pray in ways different than what he believes?
Let the FACTS speak for themselves, and quit deleting FACTUAL edits.
Please Provide the source of the information that Michal Graham A)Commutes in a plane from Provincetown, and B) Lives with his "partner". Have searched for hours and can not find that information.
________________________________________________________ As these two items were not inserted by me, I cannot comment on their source or veracity. As for the others, please leave them alone unless you can show them to be false. If you can't face the truth about Michael Graham, then I strongly suggest you stay away from his wikipedia page. Every item I post is sourceable.
Various unsigned/unlabeled comments
I am confused by the blanket statements that have been foisted that "almost everything in this posting is untrue". Please cite what portions of this article you believe are false, and cite references for each, so that we may discuss them civilly.
By the way...I have read Graham's column, and I believe it is titled "Help! I've been wikk'ed!"....can you please point out where anyone here, other than Graham himself has used the term "gay pilot" in reference to him?
As for your assertion that nobody can be a better reference on Graham than himself, I believe that to be true....however, where I have a challenge is in the editorialization Graham takes in support of himself....claiming WMAL received "tens of thousands of e-mails, the overwhelming majority in support of Graham" is self-serving. I have serious doubts that Graham has any personal knowledge or proof of the number, or breakdown, of e-mails received by a station he was suspended from. Additionally, while Graham is unhappy with being dismissed, several statements previously posted in this article make assumptions that the only opposition to the statements that eventually resulted in Graham's dismissal was generated by CAIR, which is not only unprovable, it is blatently false, and again, self-serving. On the subject of his dismissal, Graham also seeks to infer intent and involvement of organizations outside of WMAL and himself in the action that are not corroberated in any manner. The fact is, Graham was fired by WMAL. Regardless of any attempts to link the action to ABC radio or CAIR or any other party, statements from the management of WMAL that were contained in the WaPo article that has been deleted from the sourcing and replaced by the link to Graham's citypaper article patently deny this assumption. Graham's personal belief that his dismissal was caused by pressure exerted on WMAL by CAIR or ABC radio are NOT verifiable facts, they are opinions, and thus DO NOT belong on this page. Likewise, his statements regarding the intent of other parties involved in the casa de maryland incident are personal assumption that assigns intent to the actions of others. Without proof to substantiate these beliefs, or at least cited varifiable sources, they are unsupported, and thus, opinion, not fact, and should not be posted here.
Graham's word should be taken as gospel because he is an authority on himself? Gee, how genuine wikipedia would be if everyone wrote their OWN bios! Richard Nixon would surely write that he was framed by a currupt prosecutor....and the paragraphs on Jeffrey Dahlmer would contain the sentence "Jeffrey, with great love of God's creatures, swore off of eating beef, pork and fish."
Unfortunately if everyone got to "explain" off their errors and poor judgement and post excuses without substantiation, the greatest thing we would lose would be the truth.
There is no such thing as the "Columbia City Paper."
The rally that Graham attended, as reported by third party Michelle Malkin, was a rally supporting the rights of illegal immigrants, not just a "rally." Graham was not barred from the rally. Michelle Malkin posted photos of Graham at the event on her website. He also talked about attending it on KFI.
This entire article is filled with bias, probably posted by someone from ABC or CAIR. They clearly have an agenda and are using this "article" to put out their spin, disguised as fact. This posting is not journalism and it is not factual. It is full of conjecture, speculation and factual errors. It's obviously being manipulated by somebody with an ax to grind.
If this article represents the Wikipedia is all about, then Wikipedia is useless.
__________
Commentary A star is rising on right-wing radio by: Harry Jaffe Published: Monday, May 9, 2005 11:08 PM EDT The Washington Examiner
Michael Graham wants to start a war in Washington. And Maryland. And Virginia. Why? It's good for ratings, which is good for business, which is good for Graham - and his corporate patron, ABC Radio......Graham is the new right-wing talk radio jock in the D.C. area. You can hear him on WMAL in the midmorning. He's the setup guy for Rush Limbaugh. WMAL is to WTOP what Fox News is to CNN. Rush does national issues. Graham sticks to enraging locals on local topics. Graham's weapons are the standard fare of conservative talkmeisters: riffs on gay marriage and illegal aliens and stupid liberals. WMAL program director Randall Bloomquist calls it "right-wing screaming brain vomit." The reviled liberals surround Graham in his "Ronald Reagan Studio" at Friendship Heights, snug in the swank corner of Northwest Washington, hard by the Maryland line. If Maryland is a blue state, Northwest D.C. and Montgomery County are royal blue. "It's hard to find more insanity than in Montgomery County," he tells me. Graham, 43, is a tall, sinewy guy, married with two kids, native of South Carolina, a graduate of Oral Roberts University, veteran of a Pat Buchanan presidential campaign, author of "Redneck Nation: How the South Really Won the War." He had lived in Maryland, but he moved to Virginia - "God's side of the river." On Sunday, Graham took his act to Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville. The school was hosting a rally by Latino immigrants protesting the Real ID Act, a federal law that would deny drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Maryland is one of 10 states that issues licenses even if applicants don't prove they are legal residents. Proponents of the law say it will make it harder for terrorists to get licenses and legal status; critics argue that it will discriminate against immigrants - in particular illegal ones. You know where Michael Graham comes down on this one. So do the organizers of Sunday's rally. Graham strolled up to the high school. He was wearing his black T-shirt with INS in white letters, which translates to "I Need (Border) Security." He held a tape recorder and a camera. What happened next is a subject of interpretation and perhaps litigation: Security people stopped Graham and asked for identification. "Funny for them to ask me for ID," he tells me. He flashed his ABC credentials and tried to walk in. They jumped him. A struggle ensued. Someone alerted the police officers standing nearby. "Finally," Graham figured, "they're going to pull these illegals off of me." But no. They took him into custody and asked him to leave. "Makes sense, actually," he says, "if you consider the whack jobs who run the Montgomery County Police." Monday morning he made verbal mincemeat of the county, the cops and CASA, the group that organized the rally, which he referred to as a front group for illegal aliens. Actually, CASA is a well-respected advocacy group for immigrants of all kinds. They are known, for instance, for rescuing enslaved domestic workers. Everything was going according to script until the Montgomery County police went to extremes. Lt. Eric Burnett told Graham's boss, WMAL president Chris Berry, that police were planning to "file a complaint against Graham." I asked Burnett about the charges. Failure to shut up? "Graham was acting unprofessional as a reporter," Burnett said. But as Chris Berry says, Michael Graham is an entertainer, not a reporter. The cops did their job on Sunday. Now they are just giving Graham more material.
...Wow...Graham "flashed his ABC credentials", yet Graham's BOSS, Chris Berry, who later FIRED Graham for insubordination, clearly states "Michael Graham is an entertainer, not a reporter. "...Graham's own program director, in an article that appeared in a washington paper at the time of the incident refers to his musings as "right-wing screaming brain vomit."
Let me quote again...."CASA, the group that organized the rally, which he [Graham] referred to as a front group for illegal aliens. Actually... is a well-respected advocacy group for immigrants of all kinds."
You see, that is the great thing about wikipedia. Unlike Michael's radio rant, Graham does not have the ability to cut the mic of anyone who dares to oppose his "version" of the "facts". The entire story gets presented here...warts and all.
Seems Michael is attempting to present a little "revisionist history" here.
FOR PERSPECTIVE, CNN TRANSCRIPT OF GRAHAM INTERVIEW
Below is the transcript from Graham's appearance on CNN with aaron Brown on August 24, 2005. The full transcript can be located at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/24/asb.01.html
BROWN: Outrage is to talk radio, what nature shows are to PBS. But even modern talk radio has its limits. Last month, conservative talk radio host Michael Graham called Islam a terrorist organization: all of it. He said so 23 times during his July 25th program. He also said this, "the problem is not extremism, the problem is Islam." And he added this, moderate Muslims are those who only want to kill Jews.
Mr. Graham's employer, WMAL in the Washington area was deluged with complaints and a letter writing campaign by a leading Muslim group.. Mr. Graham was canned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): In the sometimes over the top world of talk radio, Michael Graham is neither the best known nor the most outrageous. Yet when he called the entire religion of Islam a terrorist organization, he moved well up the charts.
CAIR, the Islamic advocacy group, demanded an apology or Graham's head. And said this on its web site. "While WMAL the radio station initially stood behind Graham, it changed it's position after hundreds of people responded to the groups action alerts by contacting the station and its sponsors." Michael Graham blames CAIR for his firing. But WMAL, an ABC station owned by Disney says otherwise. Chris Perry, the station's general manager denied it lost advertisers over the issue, and said Graham was fired because he refused to back off his remarks in any way.
I asked Michael for an on air acknowledgment that some of his remarks were overly broad. He said and inexplicably, he refused.
Had Michael Graham apologized, CAIR says it would have been satisfied.
ARSALAN ISTAKHAR, NATIONAL LEGAL DIR. CAIR: CAIR and the American Muslim community would have accepted his apology and retraction if he had decided to do so. And that's what the radio station asked him numerous times to do. Unfortunately, he stood by his remarks and the radio station felt then that it was in their best business interest not to have Mr. Graham bigotry on their airwaves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: He still stands by his words. We talked to Mr. Graham earlier tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Look, I don't believe that I'm going to get you to apologize here, but I do want to try and get a context for some of this. If -- within the Christian community there are a few hundred anti-semites, no one would say that Christianity is an antisemitic organization. And if there are a few pedophile priests, no one would say that Catholicism is a pedophile organization. Why is Islam a terrorist organization?
MICHAEL GRAHAM, CONSERVATIVE RADIO SHOW HOST: Well, let me start off by saying if I had said any of those previous things you mentioned about Christians and Catholicism, I'd still have my job and nobody would mind. And that's the interesting about this story, about who it is you are allowed to have these tough, honest conversations about.
But the reason that Islam as it's constituted today is a terrorist organization is because the theology feeds the terrorism. Rightly or wrongly, I'm not an expert, the organization of Islam is such that no matter how violent and vile your views are, you apparently cannot be removed from the religion. And because poll after poll after poll show not 100 people Aaron, not 1000 people, but tens of millions of Muslims say that violence against innocence in the name of their faith is acceptable.
You put those things together, and it hurts me to say it, it's a tragedy, but Islam is a terrorist organization. The good news is, it doesn't have to stay that way because the majority of Muslims are people of goodwill. But they have to confront the people and stop following the lead of CAIR in denying the problem.
BROWN: Well, let's set CAIR aside for a second and let's just focus on the problem. First of all, very few religions that I'm aware of, short of Catholicism, which has this clear hierarchy organization, allows you to be thrown out. You can't be thrown out of Christianity. It's something you believe in.
GRAHAM: Actually, that's not true.
BROWN: You can't be thrown out of Judaism, it's something you are or your believe in. So, who is going to do the throwing here? Who should be throwing them?
GRAHAM: For example, if they -- let's say a group of Lutherans started a series of churches across the middle part of the United States advocating murder and violence, the Lutheran synod would throw them out, the same with the Baptist convention, et cetera, et cetera.
Inside Islam, when you tell me, as happened the week after the London bombing attacks, a group of moderate British Muslim clerics said they could not condemn murder bombing in every case, because sometimes it was OK.
And they were asked -- this guy Botti (ph), this radical Muslim, why don't you throw him out? And they said, well we can't. That's not a solution. That's not an answer. That's an excuse. And as long as you leave Islam governed this way, you're allowing terrorists to operate with impunity.
Why not reform the faith? Why not change the rules? It's your faith. But ignoring the problem and simply saying well, I'm not that kind of Muslim, that doesn't save anyone.
BROWN: Well, I'm not sure that painting all Muslims with a broad brush accomplishes much anyway. But let's set that aside for a second. You get fired. And do you appreciate -- I assume you do at this point, that your bosses have every right to fire you if they find your behavior unacceptable or offensive.
GRAHAM: Absolutely, of course. And I engaged in this behavior with a conversation about Islam as a terrorist organization on a Thursday, the Thursday of the second London bombing. They had no comment. Friday, same conversation, same words, management had no comment. Monday, the same topic. Tuesday, I did it for three hours my entire show with management's instructions. Great topic, keep up the great work.
It was only after the Council of American Islamic Relations objected that suddenly my words transformed in the minds of management from completely acceptable to a firing offense. And that's what scares me, a group like CAIR exerting that kind of pressure on free speech and open discourse in the United States.
BROWN: Well -- I'm -- not to wrestle on this one. This isn't a free speech question, it's not. You have every right to say whatever you want. You have absolutely zero right, as do I, frankly, to say anything on television or radio. That's somebody else's right, but it's not ours.
GRAHAM: Sure. But do you think...
BROWN: Let me ask you the question here. I appreciate the change in roles for you CAIR has every right to defend its position. That's what it exists for, to try to eliminate bigotry as it defines it.
GRAHAM: Sure, of course. And CAIR can call for my punishment. And they did. And ABC Radio caved and suspended me. CAIR can then promptly call for my firing, which they did. And ABC Radio can cave and fire me. And the listeners can judge whether or not the station and ABC Radio did the right thing.
But I'll tell you, talk show hosts across America have been talking the last 48 hour, are terrified that a large company like ABC Radio would give in to a group like CAIR with its well-documented connections to terrorism and terrorist organizations. How the heck do they get to set the standard for acceptable speech?
BROWN: Nice to meet you. Good luck to you.
GRAHAM: Thank you very much.
BROWN: Thank you, Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Michael Graham still looking for a gig tonight.
- Thanks for posting that. I've placed a link to it in the article. --Idont Havaname 01:19, 11 December 2005 (UTC)
______________
Wow...I offer the challenge to prove what in the article is a lie, and a graham supporter offers 1.) someone typed "columbia" citypaper when they were referring to the charlston issue, (by the way, there IS a columbia city paper, but that is beyond the point), and 2) points to a MM article that said he was allowed to enter the rally....when the article states he was told he could not enter enter "wearing the shirt". The fact that he was tols to take the shirt off by MoCo police is clearly factual, admitted by Graham, and contained in the MM article too...Two pitches, and two strikes.
proof graham attempted to manipulate public response e-mails to WMAL, and admitted he has no concrete knowledge of actual numbers or breakdown of e-mail support on his suspension and firing.
the following message can be found on freerepublic.com at www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1453716/posts
Michael Graham Needs Help
Michael Graham Website ^ | July 30, 2005 | Michael Graham
Posted on 07/30/2005 5:46:05 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
SATURDAY, JULY 3O, 2005
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! A special "thank you" to everyone who has called or written 630 WMAL on my behalf. You have left the entire organization stunned and amazed. And you've done the impossible--left me speechless.
I don't have definite numbers, but based on specifics that I have been able to gather from various sources, a total of around 10,000 emails were sent to the various email addresses at 630 WMAL. It's PHENOMENAL. And more importantly, it blew away the few hundred pro-CAIR emails and phone calls the station received.
Just so you know, it's working. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's may not be a train. I have not been contacted by the station, but the back chatter is getting much more positive. And it's all because the listeners have spoken.
Thank you again!
SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I am off all this coming week for a long-planned vacation and work session with a charity I support. I don't want to mention them now and drag them into the controversy, but I'm very excited about what I'll be doing next week.
And yes--next week's vacation has been on the calendar for months. I'm just laughing like crazy about the reports that somehow my suspension is a stunt.
Trust me: CAIR is not playing games. They are making threats and shaking down our advertisers and trying to intimidate everyone concerned. The worst part is that, in the past, it has almost always worked for CAIR. They've managed to scare a lot of people into silence.
But not everyone.
However, to keep them from succeeding in their stated objective of getting me fired, I need your help. I'll be travelling next week and will have a hard time monitoring the mainstream press, the CAIR website, etc. Please, please, PLEASE email me with anything you see or hear about CAIR, their threats against my station, etc., etc.
Thanks for your help. If we stick together, we can we a great victory for freedom of speech and common sense.
2002 ARTICLE ON GRAHAM FROM CHARLESTON (S.C.) CITIPAPER
Link to the article at: http://www.uswriter.com/newsgraham.htm
A SEAT AT THE BIG TABLE THE CAUSTIC TREK OF POLITICAL PUNDIT MICHAEL GRAHAM
originally published in the 10/09/02-10/16/02 edition of The Charleston (S.C.) City Paper
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
uswriter.com
When rube-bashing writer and radio talk show host Michael Graham was in college he launched a crude though effective public broadcasting system which became the first of many steps toward his earning a seat at the big, national table. He had been pining for that seat since he was a boy growing up in the tiny township of Pelion, S.C. “I remember sitting at the kids’ table at family reunions while all the grown-ups were at the grown-ups’ table,” says Graham, 39, from his home in Washington, D.C. “I wanted to be at the grown-up table, and I wanted them looking at me. I tried to wind my way into the conversation. Of course, I probably got whacked and thrown out of the room. But I wanted their attention.”
Graham began gaining that attention as a student at Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma - an institution he contends combined “the intellectual rigor of a Sunday School picnic with the sound theological theories of a slumber party séance.”
There, he challenged the university’s archaic manipulation of the press.
“ORU had a rule that said nothing could be published on campus without permission,” says Graham, adding that ORU’s definition of publish was any sheet of inscribed paper and one duplicate copy.
Graham claims that the publishing rule became a problem when students wanted to share thoughts regarding newly implemented directives such as no refrigerators in dorm rooms or student requests such as, according to Graham, “we want more gruel.”
Undaunted, Graham decided to pen his thoughts and crank out a few cartoons on single sheets of paper and tack them to the outside of his door. “It got to the point where there would be a gang of students hanging around the outside of my dorm room reading the missive of the day,” he laughs. But the school’s resident advisors, whom Graham now refers to as the “Gestapo Youth,” weren’t amused. They were constantly ripping the letters off his door, and admonishing the impertinent Pelionite for posting them.
Free and open conversation was not the order of the day. Aside from the door postings, Graham was barred from writing for the school newspaper, and when ORU officials learned he had edited the school’s fine arts magazine they refused to allow it to go to press.
Graham graduated from ORU with a degree in English Literature in 1985, and he’s been spouting off at the mouth ever since. For the next several years, he earned his living as a standup comedian. He also held a number of posts with several Republican Party election campaigns across the United States. He served a stint as South Carolina statewide coordinator for the campaign of presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan in 1992, and in 1993, he became communications director for the S.C. Secretary of State’s office. It was also during those years that he was officially banned from the South Carolina Educational Radio Network after making negative albeit hilarious comments about state government on the network program, Dateline: Carolina.
“The rush to bring ethics to state government is misguided,” Graham said on the air. “If we prevent criminals from serving in state government, we won’t have enough people left to convene a quorum.”
His lampooning commentary wasn’t limited to statewide television.
Graham began writing The Usual Suspects, a political/humor column that today appears in a number of weekly newspapers and boasts a readership of over 100,000.
"Michael once told me that he wanted his column to combine the humor of Dave Barry with the relevancy of George Will," says Kathleen Parker, a nationally syndicated columnist. "That's a pretty high standard, but he comes as close as anyone to meeting it."
Graham also began writing books: Banned from public radio (1995), Clinton & me (2000), The Dumbest Generation: Can American Democracy survive in the era of Unabashed Stupidity (2001), and his soon-to-be-released Redneck Nation: How the South really won the war. The first two are a collection of many of Graham’s most memorable columns. The second is an ultra-brief e-book tackling the dangerous proliferation of stupidity in America. The latest, Redneck Nation, addresses his contention that multiculturalism, good old boy nepotism, and the fact that Americans are increasingly turning to NASCAR and psychic hotlines as preferred past-times; are proof that the South’s “redneck culture” has conquered all.
“I can’t remember the last time I read a political book as witty and incisive as Redneck Nation,” writes Tucker Carlson, a political analyst and co-host of CNN’s Crossfire. “It was like potato chips: I couldn’t stop. And I felt better after.”
Graham has contributed to a variety of national publications as well, including The Washington Times and National Review. He has also appeared as a regular guest on national television programs such as ABC's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CNN’s Talkback Live, and MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews.
But his bread-and-butter is radio.
In 1998, Graham landed a job as talk show host with radio station WBT in Charlotte, N.C., where he quickly earned sterling reviews and the accolades of his bosses. But hours after the tragic Columbine High School shooting in April 1999, he made an on-air comment which cost him. According to the Associated Press, Graham said that the Columbine shooters were “‘targeting minorities and athletes - which, the athletes part, (is) one minor benefit to this otherwise horrible story.’ He immediately followed with ‘No, I’m kidding.’”
The statement, meant to be tongue-in-cheek, shocked both his audience and station management. Graham apologized profusely the following day, but was subsequently fired.
“It was a flippant remark,” admits Graham. “I said something stupid on the air before really thinking about it. The guys who pay the bills and keep that station on line, fired me. That’s how it’s supposed to work.”
He received four job offers almost immediately, and went to work for WSC radio in Charleston where he hosted the afternoon drive program. Soon thereafter, he also began hosting a morning show on WTNT in Washington, D.C. with a live feed from the Charleston studios.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Graham was preparing for the Washington show when he watched from a studio television set as United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into tower two of New York’s World Trade Center.
“We went live immediately on the Charleston station,” he said. “While we were on the air, I witnessed the collapse of the second tower. It just kind of freaked me out. There was silence, then I said, ‘ladies and gentleman, the World Trade Center is gone.’ I still get shivers thinking about it. But if I were gonna list my accomplishments, the honor of being the voice of that day for those who could not get to a TV rates up there.”
That week he hosted a series of national radio programs for Clear Channel Communications, parent company for both WSC and WTNT.
In the spring of 2002, Graham left Charleston for Washington and a full-time gig at WTNT. It was a move that, in one sense, brought him closer to what he considers to be the big national table.
"If I can be part of this big national conversation that goes on in American life and in the power centers of Washington, New York, and Hollywood, I’ll be happy,” he says. “If I can just be one of the people at that table and occasionally be recognized, I’ll be so flattered, feel so lucky, because I know I really don't belong there."
Within weeks of his move to Washington, Graham’s family joined him.
Graham’s wife, Jennifer, is a former department editor with The State newspaper. She’s currently a national freelance writer who spends much of her time taking care of the four Graham children - Mencken (age nine), named for writer H.L. Mencken; Alexandra (eight); Galen Luke (three); and Katherine Grace, born in September.
For those who’ve listened to his radio programs, Graham seems to be constantly firing on all cylinders.
"It's not caffeine," says Jennifer. "He doesn't drink coffee. He just has a natural, intrinsic energy that seems to come out of nowhere."
Columnist Parker agrees.
"When Michael walks into a room, everything starts shaking," says Parker. "The molecules in the walls rearrange themselves. He'll say anything and frequently does, which accounts for his having been fired from nearly every job he's ever held. He takes pride in this fact.
"His style - as a columnist, talk-show host, comedian, whatever - is to open fire on a crowd with two Uzis, then criticize the dead for having no sense of humor," she adds. "For some reason, people seem to enjoy this."
There are, however, those who don't appreciate his biting satire.
Graham has been threatened with physical violence for voicing his often controversial opinions and mockery, both as a radio host and a stand-up comic. Once at a comedy club in Michigan, he was confronted by a knife-wielding man who was rankled over some jokes Graham had previously made about bikers.
“This guy looked like he had been airlifted out of Saluda, S.C.,” says Graham, who was approached by the man in the men’s restroom. “He was wearing the typical black biker t-shirt and the belt with the chain. I couldn’t wet my pants, because I was standing at the urinal holding my vital interests. The guy was standing behind me with a knife which was very disconcerting. I didn’t know if what I had in my hand was as long as what he had in his, but I knew it wasn’t as sharp.”
Graham claims he was able to confuse and ultimately befriend the attacker with comments like “Oh yeah, bikers are great. I always like to make fun of bikers, because you guys always know how to take a joke.”
On another occasion, an angry listener drove to the radio station in Charleston where Graham was hosting his show and attempted to force his way into the building. Station employees stopped him at the door. The police were called, and the man was removed from the premises.
Jennifer claims she's also been “annoyed” by her husband’s sometimes harsh criticism of groups or individuals. "I love Mayor Joe Riley and always hated it when Michael criticized him," she says. "But what sends me over the edge is when he criticizes the press. Having worked for newspapers for 10 years, I have empathy for journalists and believe that the majority of them work hard and try to be accurate and fair. Michael, on the other hand, likes the Wall Street Journal and that's about it, other than a few individual reporters here and there."
She adds, however, that Graham is not obnoxious in private. "If he were, we wouldn't be together," she laughs. "Every now and then, I have to remind him that I am NOT a caller. But for the most part, he is considerate, cheerful, romantic, and almost always in a good mood, even if he's had just two hours sleep from being up with the baby."
Graham adores his family, but in the past he has dismissed and often tried to distance himself from his Southern roots.
Today, he simply shrugs his shoulders in defeat as he believes the culture of Southern "redneckery" has permeated the fabric of the entire nation. "It's not that America has become like the South," he says. "But it has been overcome by the worst the South has to offer."
Asked to define himself politically, he says, "I'm a right wing nut job, though I get criticism from fellow right wing nut jobs who don't like being associated with me. I'm what a liberal was before the great depression - libertarian leaning, small government.
"I guess I'm a social Darwinist. You can't beat Darwin. Darwin always wins. Every time somebody says, I've got a great idea that'll cause dumb people to be smart.' I say, no, you don't. Or, 'I've got a great idea that'll make poor people rich.' I say, no, you don't. I know you don't. We all know you don't. You're just gonna take a bunch of my money or a bunch of my liberty, and we're gonna end up with the same idiots we've got now."
Graham says he's basically abandoned all hope. "The object of most theological, philosophical, and political endeavors is to give people hope," he says. "That somehow the things that are palpably not true will spring forth into life. Well, it's not gonna happen."
Sounds grim. But just as the "unwashed masses" seem to provide grist for the brassy pundit’s commentary, hopelessness seems to fuel his right-brained thoughts.
“The paradigm is that artists must be miserable to create art,” says Graham. “But my natural state is misery. So, the happier I am, the more cantankerous and unpleasant I become. My writing gets darker and darker as I get happier. So, if you think Redneck Nation is cynical, just wait until the next one.”
Graham adds, that the recent birth of his fourth child has put him in a delightful, “almost giddy” state of mind. “My writing is just simply gonna turn Gothic,” he laughs.
And with a neo-redneck culture now sweeping the nation, there’ll be no dearth of material for him to draw from.
Clearly, what the edible, honey-sweetened crackers did for one Graham; the poor White trashy ones are doing for another.
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W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a Columbia-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in USA TODAY, George, U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, and The New York Post, among others.