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Blakeslee and Achajdian traitors or saviors?

March 4, 2011

OPINION BY KEVIN P. RICE

Senator Sam Blakeslee and Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian found their political heads figuratively impaled on sticks this week on a Los Angeles talk radio show and web site.

The John and Ken Show on L.A.’s KFI AM 640 has been scouring state GOP legislators who have not committed to opposing tax extension measures that Governor Jerry Brown hopes to place on a June ballot. In order to place a referendum on the ballot, Governor Brown needs the votes of two Republican senators and two Republican assembly members, in addition to the votes of Democrat legislators. John and Ken are aiming to prevent that.

The afternoon radio duo, comprised of loud talker John Kobylt and springboard Ken Chiampou, have relentlessly blasted any and all Republicans who appear weak on opposing Governor Brown’s tax referendum. The John and Ken Show–the most listened to “local” talk radio program in the U.S. with one million listeners–is famous for mercilessly blasting political ‘hacks’ and double-talking ‘spokesholes’ on issues such as taxes, crime, and illegal immigration. While largely viewed as conservative, John and Ken support gay rights, are pro-choice and are against the war in Iraq. Ken voted for Obama in 2008. The hosts eschew party labels and loyalties and are quick to attack Republicans and Democrats alike.

Politicians drawing the strongest ire of the John and Ken Show are treated to a metaphorical placing of their head onto a stick. On Monday, it was the head of our local Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian for failing to take a position on Brown’s tax referendum:

“Katcho Achadjian has quite an unfortunate… haircut?” Kobylt lambasted, just prior to the figurative lifting of Katcho’s head onto a stick.

“It is a big, heavy, balding head! So, Katcho Achadjian, here we go. Lift! And lower!”

The political impalement is accompanied by squishing sound effects and a painful grunt from the unfortunate radio show victim whose image then joins previous victims on the show’s web site.

“Heads on a stick!” became a John and Ken Show war cry at public rallies organized in 2009 which were likewise aimed at Republicans who supported then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tax ballot measures. The show’s 5 p.m. hour is dubbed “John and Ken’s Tax Revolt” and begins with a recording of a crowd chanting the “Heads on a stick” cry followed by Howard Beale’s line from the 1976 film, Network, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

It would be difficult to label John and Ken as Republican talk radio considering all the Republican heads on sticks, the hours they devoted last year to castigating Meg Whitman’s double-speak, and the signature drive and fund raising in 2009 for the recall of San Bernardino County Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams. In short, John and Ken despise crooked and weak politicians. It only took them six weeks to figure out Katcho Achadjian who isn’t even a Los Angeles area representative.

Since February, John and Ken have been doggedly calling each and every Republican legislator demanding a firm answer whether or not they support voting for Governor Brown’s tax extensions.

“The only assemblyman who hasn’t called us back is somebody named Katcho Achadjian.” John Kobylt said on the air last Friday, mangling Katcho’s last name. “I can’t believe a $55 billion tax hike is in the hands of Katcho Achadjian!”

John and Ken also tore into our local Senator Sam Blakeslee for refusing to sign the “no tax pledge”, labeling such behavior ‘suspicious’.

Kobylt raged about the possibility of Republican deals in exchange for the votes Governor Brown needs, reflecting on Abel Maldonado’s deal making over Schwarzenegger’s tax measures in 2009, “That’s what they did two years ago. Damn these people! Damn them, I hate them so much! This is our 55 billion dollars!”

“One hundred percent of the power is in the hands of the Republicans,” Kobylt charged. “They have the power to shut this damn thing down, and if it’s not shut down it’s their fault.”

Republican Senator Bob Huff, recently lamented John and Ken in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, “Their action resulted in throwing people under the bus, or getting their heads on a stick.”

John and Ken responded with a new addition to their web site: a cartoon graphic of themselves driving a bus–with Republicans underneath, including Huff.

Fast-forward to this Thursday, after the addition of two more Republican heads alongside Katcho (Senators Bill Emmerson and Tom Berryhill). The Wall Street Journal published an article alleging Senator Sam Blakeslee is secretly cutting a deal with Governor Brown.

“Let’s get state Senator Sam Blakeslee’s head up here on top of that stick and also… under the bus,” Ken Champiou announced, followed shortly by the squishing sound effect as Blakelee’s head was lowered into place; then, the sound of the show’s political bus backing up over Blakeslee and the other Republicans.

Don’t bother shaming John and Ken for their theater. On Monday, John Kobylt reveled, “We were denounced five times in five newspaper columns in four different newspaper publications over the weekend! A record!”

Will San Luis Obispo again be blamed for electing the legislators that make billions of dollars of statewide taxes possible, just as Abel Maldonado did in 2009? Phone numbers to contact Katcho Achadjian and Sam Blakeslee can be found on the John and Ken Show web site at www.johnandkenshow.com. Right next to their heads on a stick.

Kevin P. Rice is a Central Coast political activist.


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There’s an old saying in politics that the guy in the middle gets shot by both the left and the right.


Unfortunately for our boys from the central coast, playing the middle to the left only works here, everyone else actually expects you to take a position… like the position you originally supported.


Oh yeah, did you read where ammunition was allegedly found near the Union protesters in Wisconsin…. probably put there by the governor. ;)


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Regardless of what you think about Blakeslee and Achajdian, putting their decapitated heads on pikes is over the top. It sends the wrong message.


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I have to agree and want to add that after the events in AZ this seems particularlly disdainful


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You know, my dad was a WW2 vet, and as conservative as they come. Hated hippies, hated liberals, not real fond of immigrants or people of color. A real Archy Bunker type. BUT, as a result of his religious faith and his experiences during the war, he also was a strong believer in the sacredness of human life and would NEVER have condoned the kind of casual violent talk so commonly heard on right-wing talk radio today. He never felt it was OK to “joke” about hurting or killing people, even if you hated everything they stood for. I have a really hard time squaring this casual attitude towards violence with the family values and patriotism also touted by the right wing. How is is patriotic to even joke about doing something so barbaric and grisly to a fellow citizen and elected representative? How did we become so callous? How did we become so vicious? When did we start letting the schoolyard bullies start calling the shots? We should all be ashamed that our public discourse has come to this.


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Leave it to Kevin Rice to illuminate crude tasteless anti-productive bullying-This is what he brings to the forefront-He fancies himself a real tactician-Now he’s running for some office or another-as soon as he figures out which one.


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Kevins metaphorical depiction of these two local politicians is in line with the story. Maybe we should require that readers must be 18 years old an able to read before they enter the forum?


In short, I think some of you just don’t like Kevin P Rice. Personally, I’m glad to have him around, at least he gets off his duff and does something rather than simply complain. Regardless of whether you agree with his opinions and politics or not, he puts his money where his mouth is and that is about as respect worthy as it gets these days, at least in my book.


Thanks for the story Kevin.


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We just gave away nearly a trillion dollars in tax cuts to wealthy Americans, just ignore the fact that just before all this budget cut talks and austerity rants they extended tax cuts that didnt creat a single job over the ten years they were originaly in place just ignore that and blame teachers and fireman instead because we know how rich they are


Thanks in large part to those tax cuts and government subsidies US corporations are sitting on nearly 2 trilion in cash reserves, thats nearly $8,000 for every person in the country but they arent hiring because thanks to all those jobs that havent been created demand is down.


You dont have to be a socialist or a communist to recognize that Karl Marx correctly predicted this outcome for unregulated capitalism. All the money would work its way to the top sending all the power with it into the hands a very few very rich individuals creating an unsutainable system that leaves nothing in the hands of consumers to purchase anything from the capitalists.


Capitalism is eating itself


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Well written. Capitalism truly is represented by the guy sawing through the limb he sits on. It ultimately creates one hugely rich guy and the rest wishing they could afford to even be in the game.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHjGDvurG_4


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Katcho commented once he was “going home” referencing Armenia Id imagine. Mr. Katcho, if home is elsewhere than the Central Coast then perhaps you should stay and take Brown and Sammy with you. Calif dosent need more taxes, it needs less public corruption and fewer parasitic residents.


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Your final comments are terrific, and have no relation to the former one of no more taxes. Someone has to pay for the services we want, that is done through taxes. Taxes are not bad, only bad taxes and unfair taxing is bad. Right now we have both of the latter with the billionaires getting off for nothing.

Are you against the voters deciding?


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We should vote on Brown’s tax thing, otherwise, the Legislature will just raise taxes without our input.

I have a strong feeling that Gov. Brown is in for a rude awakening should his tax measure make the ballot. I for one, would not vote for any tax measure unless I saw a significant cut in the state bureaucracy.

It’s the astronomical cost of this bloated state government that reaches into every aspect of our lives that’s killing this state not too few taxes.

I say let the people vote on this and send another clear message to Sacramento that we demand huge, wholesale cuts to the bureaucracy before we’ll even consider giving them one more dime in increased taxes.


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I should think that with a handle like “paperboy” you’d be aware that Brown is calling for budget cuts on the same order of magnitude as the tax extensions. The real problem comes if the extensions get nixed by the voters. Local governments and state-funded (basically all) schools will take the hit, and it will be huge.


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Hey R.,


There is contention that Brown’s “cuts” are about 1/3 financial tricks–moving money between accounts, “borrowing” from special accounts, etc. The $12B in tax extensions is allegedly only matched with $8B or less in “real” cuts. My guess is Brown is 50% likely to go back on his promise not to raise taxes w/o a vote if a ballot measure fails.


Personally, I’d like to see some deeper cuts. Elimination of things like the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation and employees that do not directly serve the public–those that just generate paper to satisfy other departments. It is popular to cut visible services first to protect the invisible. It seems that a hard stance on taxes is the only way to force Sacramento to take real action. I think efficiency reforms could go a long way w/o raising taxes. If Sacramento showed some real financial reform I might not fight a modest tax.


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Kevin, Why do you hate the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation so much? Does their regulation of flammable material threaten your government job and excessive pension? Burn, baby, burn!


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Hey “K” why comment on your own article-?


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Saying whatever it takes to keep an audience, and stay on the air.


Hypocrites? Liars?


We’re so fortunate to have near corporative control of our media, to keep the stories ‘straight’.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Ken


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Oh, yeah, better not our citizens have a VOTE on how we want to get out of this mess, let’s just leave it all up to a handful of conservative true-believers who want it all their way or not at all. Here’s an idea for you — for every dollar in cuts to the budget, we add a dollar in taxes. Gets us out of the hole twice as fast, doesn’t it?


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Terrific idea!


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Not bad. I figured if you cut a billion, then that leaves a billion in taxes. A billion in taxes divided by 30 million california people= roughly $33.00 a head. Not bad. I don’t like taxes but I am realistic that we are going to have to both cut and tax to start getting out of this mess.


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BTDT:


You seem to be eliding over the heart of the matter.


If we’re all hit with a $33 increase, the misery is shared and endurable. If I have to pay $99, so that three of my less-wealthy co-citizens can skate, well, then, there’s a problem.


Of course, my co-citizens have three times the voting ability to vote money out of my pocket, so it’s a foregone conclusion that the rich get to pay everyone’s share.


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T guess those guys who run the show are jerks. Oppose allowing the people to vote on something? I hope our two reps are better and wiser than to sign some idiotic pledge, the issues should be determined on their merit when the time is right.


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