When does the man ever take a break? Fresh from a bloggers' conference call, which KV reported on yesterday, Senator Kerry phoned into the Ed Schultz Show for an amicable and interesting ten minutes.
After commiserating about the snow storms of the last few days, the two of them discussed the proposal by FCC chairman Kevin Martin and Senator Kerry's demand that the vote on media consolidation be delayed in favor of more discussion. He noted that most of the responses to Martin's proposal have been negative so far, and that even some of the commission members were telling it like it is and standing up to their chairman.
"Senator Kerry, is it time to redefine what the FCC is supposed to be about?" asked Ed near the end of that segment. "We're going to look at that", replied Kerry. "Senator Rockefeller raised the issue today, and it is something we may get to next year, but the immediate step is to protect the American people's interest, and having local and diverse interests represented in our media."
"You'd have been one hell of a president, you know that?" Ed smoothly segued into the next subject - the 2008 presidential contenders, asking the Senator about his impressions so far.
Firmly declining to make an endorsement at this point, JK did note that Biden and Dodd very very qualified, but would not have much opportunity to break through due to the media's effort to tier the candidates. He praised the Iowa voters' independence and informed decisions, and that a lot could still happen in the following three weeks.
On Ed's question about the Republican contenders, Senator Kerry declined to offer any individual insights, but stated that he would take our field over theirs any day.
Moving on to his trip to Bali, the Senator warned that the issue of Global Climate Change is far more serious than the media and our government are willing to admit, and that he has never been one to 'cry wolf', but is now strongly urging a global solution to the problem.
He was clearly frustrated about the US being the main blocker and restrainer of action.
Ed's final question dealt with the latest news about Major League Baseball, and if Congress should get involved in the matter. While not ruling out congressional intervention, Senator Kerry thought that hopefully Bud Selig would address the problem at this point, considering how the league has been aware of it for quite some time now. He also stressed that drug- and steroid use was not limited to just this sport, and that all major sports must get more serious about cracking down on it.
Listen here:
