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Photos courtesy of Fox News |
Left-leaning Colmes clears the air for Fox News, more By JON SINGER Radio and TV personality Alan Colmes has made a career of political commentating. From his own radio show, to his book, "Red, White and Liberal" to his red-hot TV show, "Hannity and Colmes," he is on the forefront of these divided political times. Interestingly enough, Colmes plays the role of liberal on FOX News, a network that has been the target of numerous accusations since it’s inception in 1996. It’s just too darn conservative, opponents say. But Colmes objects. "Regardless of what others care to say about FOX News, the bigger we get, the more people try to tear us down," Colmes says. "FOX News I stand by as fair and balanced. I don't subscribe to this idea that we are somehow biased and all right wing. I just don't see it." But the public often disagrees. A day before this year’s Republican National Convention started, as the anti-Bush administration parade was happening in New York City, several derogatory chants were heard ripping on the network. "I think we are powerful and the channel has had an impact and certainly our competitors would like to tear us down," Colmes explains. "The bigger you get, the more people like to come after you. I think that it comes with the territory." Colmes should know. He sees the inside of the newsroom, and knows his work mates’ stances. "One of the great misconceptions is that I'm the only liberal that works at FOX – that's ridiculous," Colmes says. "I have a strong point of view and frankly, I think my point of view is important to be heard and I'm glad I have a platform in which to do it. I don't need to be surrounded by liberals. If all that I worked around were liberals my voice would be less necessary. In fact, I am surrounded by all sides of the political spectrum." Colmes is the first to draw the line between hard news shows, such as FOX’s primetime shows "Special Report with Brit Hume" and "FOX Report Shepard Smith," and opinionated shows such as "The O’Reilly Factor" and "Hannity and Colmes." He says people want to see both styles of news. "With the FOX News Channel it's clearly delineated. One is our straight newscasts and one is our opinion shows," Colmes says. "And you certainly know that Bill O'Reilly, (Sean) Hannity or I have strong opinions and you don't need a scorecard to know that that's the case. But by the same token people tune into our straight newscasts and generally people want a balance. They want the straight news, but they also like hearing what different sides have to say." But even with the rising popularity of opinion-driven politics – often attributed to the entrance of Rush Limbaugh on the airwaves – Colmes doesn’t think hard news is threatened. "Most people don't want just one show," he says. "People that read the newspaper also want to read the editorial page, they want to read the straight news page, they'll watch our show. They'll watch Brit Hume and Shepard Smith." Like a lot of people in the political scene today, Colmes became interested in politics during the Vietnam War. Today, his most passionate issue to advocate is the First Amendment. "The freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, the right to be heard [concern me] because is the core of what I do," Colmes says. "One of the quotes that I use from the book (‘Red, White and Liberal’) is Thomas Jefferson who said to dissent is the highest form of patriotism. And this idea that even in a time of war – as our president likes to call it – we have the right, in fact we have the duty to speak out if we think that something is amiss or that our government needs to be held accountable. So that to me is the most precious right that we have and the one that fires my passions. INSIGHT AND INFLUENCE Colmes loves being in the daily action and battle of today’s divisive political landscape. "I feel very lucky to be in the middle of it all and to have a platform on nightly radio and on television," he says. "I get to speak to the newsmakers and present to the public who the key people are in the political process." But even though Colmes meets lawmakers and shakers daily, he says there’s no secret insight that comes with the job. "People always think that we have inside information," Colmes says, "but people already have so much via the Internet, via the cable news. If you are an interested party, you see what the bloggers did with CBS where they uncovered all this information. Anyone with a computer and Internet connection and a cable box with our channel can basically be more informed than us. I don't pretend to have special information that the public can't get on it's own." Colmes feels blessed to have a mic and an audience, but he doesn’t show signs of an ego that often come with the role. "I wouldn't say I have power, but I guess I do have a microphone and a camera in my face," Colmes says. "I think people presume that there is power in that, but it gives me responsibility to be honest about what I believe." "I don't pretend that I'm delivering the straight news. I'm not a newsman. I'm an opinion-giver," Colmes says. "And what I need to is be honest about giving my opinion and evaluating events based on the prism to which I look at life. I'm not Dan Rather. My job is not to be an objective-neutral person, but I am hired because I do have a point of view and my role and my need is to be honest about that as possible." ‘HANNITY AND COLMES’ Colmes prime face time comes on "Hannity and Colmes" where each night he and co-host Sean Hannity, a conservative, grill guests with point blank questions. Colmes says he and Hannity make a good pair. If they weren't he says, they couldn't have lasted eight years. "We are both very committed to our beliefs, but you know it's never personal," he says. "We've never crossed that line where it's become a personal thing between him and me." At the same time, however, Colmes and Hannity rarely can sway each other to the other side of an issue. But Colmes recalls one issue where both of them reversed positions. "I remember the Elian Gonzalez fiasco. When Elian was here, I started believing that he should stay here, and Sean believed that he should go back to Cuba," Colmes explains. "When his father came here to get him, I started believing his father had interest and he wanted his child back – he should back to Cuba with his father. Sean then said the opposite view and we somehow passed each other at some point." Colmes isn't conservative on much, but there's one issue he thinks fits that description. " I think that I am conservative in wanting to stay true to our founders' Bill of Rights," he says. "That's a conservative point of view – it's a traditional point of view." Colmes supports the right to free speech and privacy. He doesn't like the idea of government intruding on private lives. "Basically what the Bill of Rights does is gives the lowest of the low – the people who are the least powerful – protection from an over-reaching government. The Bill of Rights isn't to protect the majority – it's to protect the minority." Colmes likes to think that he's not set in his ways. That he can adapt on a given issue. "As events change, it sends new light on something and you try to look at it, you don't try to get so fixed on your position," he says. "Hopefully, new information enables you to evolve your thought process. I don't think that I'll ever get so involved that I become a right-wing person. In any one issue hopefully you'll be open to receive new information and open to re-evaluating how you feel about something." No matter where he stands, though, Colmes is a respectable commentator. He's noticeably polite and keeps his cool even when a topic gets heated and guests are shouting over each other. "I've always felt that you can agree to disagree, and disagree without being disagreeable" he says. "And that if you really want to be heard, you don't hit people over the head and do it in a mean-spirited way. If you really want your voice be heard, you want to express your self in a way that's palatable even to those on the other side." "Some of my biggest critics are liberals who wish I were more nasty in the way that I go about or approach what I do," Colmes admits. "But I don't think you get your opinion heard as well that way." "I think that's why our show is successful," he adds. "You tune in and see Sean and I, two people who like each other, but have two very different points of view, and are willing to express it in a congenial atmosphere." |
