Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension Is a Wake-Up Call
The loss of late-night voices is a blow to free speech — but it could be the spark Democrats need.
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The sudden suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after threats from FCC chair Brendan Carr was a jolt. It looked like the next step in Donald Trump’s campaign to silence dissent.
But there’s another way to see it: an opportunity.
It’s been clear since the last election that conservatives dominate the independent media space. Trump rode the reach of right-wing podcasts to victory while Kamala Harris stuck to traditional television.
But those old outlets are collapsing — and they’re never coming back.
That means the stars of late-night TV — Kimmel, Colbert and others — could thrive outside corporate networks. They can build their own platforms, reach bigger audiences, and escape the grip of billionaires and timid executives.
The same is true for many journalists.
The crackdown we’re witnessing is a tragedy for free speech. But it’s also a wake-up call.
If Democrats want to compete, they must build their own independent media infrastructure, just as Republicans already have.
No one wants corporations spoon-feeding government-approved content. And if Democratic ideas truly represent the majority, the audience will follow.
But it will take guts. This is the moment for them to seize what’s being destroyed and turn it into something stronger.
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Amen amen. Let's go people, this is not a drill
I offer as a suggestion that you read a speech given by Jack Burden in Robert Penn Warren's ALL THE KING'S MEN (1946) that is in neither of the films made from the book. Jack is reacting to Willie Stark's desire for "a new tax structure," and goes into an explanation of what and, more importantly how, he actually needs to say in order to win. What Jack advises Willie is as good an insight into what lies at the core of first the campaigns of George Wallace and second, our current Chief Executive. Building an infrastructure will be necessary for 2026 and 2028; it will not succeed unless those who do the organizing and planning realize the nature of what their opponents are going to say and, as Willie Stark discovered, how effective it continues to be.