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Larry Elder

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Larry Elder
Born (1952-04-27) April 27, 1952 (age 72)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationRadio Talk Show Host
Parent(s)Randolph
Viola (1925-2006)

Laurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an American, libertarian radio and television personality.[1] His radio program The Larry Elder Show was heard on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California from 1994 to 2008, and was syndicated on ABC Radio Networks from 2002 to 2007.[2]

Career

While he was a lawyer in Cleveland in the late 1980s, Elder began to host a topic-oriented television show on PBS affiliate WVIZ produced by Dennis Goulden. "I auditioned for and got a television show on PBS, which I hosted for six years. I can't say I had a plan. I literally picked up the phone and talked my way into getting this audition on PBS and they hired me. They just happened to be looking for a cohost."[3] In the early 1990s, the show's name was retitled to The Larry Elder Show and moved to the local Fox Network affiliate WOIO and cable TV. Goulden and Elder won the Ohio Cable Television Association's "Best Program Series Award" in 1992 for their work on the show,[4] which lasted until Elder moved back to Los Angeles in 1994. Between 2000-2001, Elder hosted the court series, Moral Court, distributed by Warner Brothers Television. In September 2004, he began the television version of The Larry Elder Show, which was dropped on April 12, 2005 due to low ratings. Elder was profiled by 60 Minutes and 20/20 and served as replacement for Geraldo Rivera on CNBC’s Rivera Live while Rivera was on vacation. He was a host of the PBS program National Desk, including the segment, "Redefining Racism: Fresh Voices From Black America," for which he won an AEGIS Award of Excellence, a Telly award, and an Emerald City Gold Award of Excellence. Elder also won a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award in 2000 for his KCAL-TV News Special, Making Waves - LAUSD. He has played himself on the sitcoms Spin City and The Hughleys. Elder's newspaper and online column is carried by Investor's Business Daily, World Net Daily, Townhall.com, Jewish World Review and David Horowitz's Front Page Magazine and The Atlasphere.

From 2002 to 2007, Elder's show was nationally syndicated by ABC Radio Networks and its news-talk network, ABC News & Talk. After Citadel Broadcasting took over most of ABC's radio operations in 2007, syndication of Elder's show was discontinued in favor of Mark Levin, and the show reverted to a local show in August of that year.

Elder was one of the rotating talk hosts auditioning for the slot vacated by the now-canceled Imus in the Morning on MSNBC. His audition was on May 7 and 8, and Elder was said to be openly pursuing the permanent position.[5] However, the job went to Joe Scarborough instead.

On July 5, 2008, Showdown with Larry Elder premiered on Fox News Channel. The show has since not been renewed.

On December 11, 2008 Elder announced that the following day, December 12, would be his final day on KABC.[6]

DVD

Elder recently created a self-financed DVD called Michael & Me, in which he attempts to repudiate filmmaker Michael Moore's anti-gun politics and his assertions in Moore's controversial documentary, Bowling for Columbine.[7]

Books

  • The Ten Things You Can't Say in America ISBN 0-312-28465-9
  • Showdown: Confronting Bias, Lies, and the Special Interests that Divide America ISBN 0-312-32017-5
  • What's race got to do with it? : why it's time to stop the stupidest argument in America (2009),[8] originally titled Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card — and Lose.[9]

Video

  • Redefining Racism: Fresh Voices from Black America—"Probes the deep chasm between black and white Americans and the increasing hostility towards whites felt by a vast number of African-Americans"
  • Title IX And Women In Sports: What's Wrong With This Picture? Whidbey Island Films
  • Michael & Me (2005)

Personal

Early life

Larry Elder was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city's Pico-Union and South Central areas, Elder attended Washington Preparatory High School and later graduated from Crenshaw High School and earned his B.A.. in Political Science in 1974 from Brown University. He then earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 1977.[10] After graduation, he worked with a large law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, where he practiced litigation. In 1980, he founded "Laurence A. Elder and Associates", a business specializing in recruiting experienced attorneys.

Family

Elder's mother, Viola, died on June 12, 2006 at the age of 81. His father Randolph (Randy) is 91. Elder has one older brother named Kirk. Elder is divorced.

Politics

Elder's political views are philosophically libertarian, and include support for free trade, school choice and abortion rights.[11] He opposes the income tax and supports replacing it with the FairTax, a national retail sales tax. He is also a firm opponent of the war on drugs and has been quoted as saying "Philosophically, I think that if somebody wants to sit around and get stoned that's up to him or her. And if that ruins your life, so be it....So I am for drug legalization."[3] Although he is not an Objectivist, he says that Atlas Shrugged, written by novelist Ayn Rand, is one of his favorite books.[12]

He has called himself a "libertarian with a small 'l'" to distance himself from the national Libertarian Party concerning the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Elder was registered as Decline to State, but became a Republican in May 2003 in support of the War on Terror,[13] to be more influential within the Republican Party and to open up the possibility of running for office.[12] In his May 13, 2003 column for Jewish World Review, Elder explained reregistering as a Republican by quoting Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman, who said, "I am a Republican with a capital 'R,' and a libertarian with a small 'l.' I have a party membership as a Republican, not because they have any principles. But because that's the way I am the most useful and have the most influence. My philosophy is clearly libertarian."[13] Elder ended his column by saying, "Make no mistake: My libertarian principles remain unchanged. But as writer Midge Decter once said, 'There comes a time to join the side you're on.'"[13] Elder has said that the Libertarian Party differs in ways from the libertarian philosophy, which has roots in the Whig and Republican parties[citation needed]. Melding the two parties, he sometimes refers to himself as a "Republitarian," which he defines as a Republican Party member who holds libertarian political ideals.[14]

Following Elder's reregistering as a Republican, in a 2008 interview with The New Individualist Magazine, he said, "A lot of my listeners will often call up and say, 'I preferred you when you were a Libertarian.' I always tell them I never was a 'capital-L Libertarian.' I am still 'small-l.' It’s a philosophy to me, not a party."[12] Elder supported presidential candidates Harry Browne[12] in 2000, George W. Bush[15] in 2004, and John McCain[16] in 2008.

Possible US Senate Run 2010

Roll Call reported that Elder is contemplating a possible run for the United States Senate against California Senator Barbara Boxer in 2010.[17]

References

Notes

  1. ^ "The Official Website Of Larry Elder". Larryelder.com. 2002-08-12. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  2. ^ Shuster, Fred (1998-02-10). "Elder's Radio Show Back to 4 Hours Long". Los Angeles Daily News.
  3. ^ a b "Elder Statesman: He was a promising young lawyer when he quit to stat a business. It thrived. So he sold it, moved across the country, and became Los Angeles's most controvers..." Reason.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  4. ^ Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 3, 1992
  5. ^ Lycan, Gary (2007-05-13). "Radio: Elder calls MSNBC stint a 'blast' - Entertainment - OCRegister.com". OCRegister.com<!. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  6. ^ "Larry Elder Departs From 790 KABC", "KABC-AM", December 11, 2008
  7. ^ "The Larry Elder Show". September 17, 2007. KABC 790am. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |episodelink=, |serieslink=, |ended=, and |transcripturl= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "What's race got to do with it? : why it's time to stop the stupidest argument in America". Worldcat.org. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  9. ^ "What's Race Got to Do with It?: Why It's Time to Stop the Stupidest Argument in America: Larry Elder: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  10. ^ "Larry Elder.com". Larry Elder.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  11. ^ "Advocates for Self-Government - Libertarian Education". Theadvocates.org. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  12. ^ a b c d "TNI's Interview with Larry Elder, by Robert L. Jones". Objectivistcenter.org. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  13. ^ a b c "Larry Elder". Jewishworldreview.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  14. ^ "F.A.Q." Larry Elder.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  15. ^ "Column - Larry Elder - Historians Write Off Bush's Presidency". The Cagle Post. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  16. ^ Elder, Larry. "Larry Elder : Obama vs. McCain - A Clear Choice - Townhall.com". Townhall.com<!. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  17. ^ "California: Ex-Talk-Show Host Eyes Boxer Challenge". rollcall.com. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
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