Bolshevik Party Meeting. Sitting (from left): Abel Yenukidze, Mikhail Kalinin, Nikolai Bukharin, Mikhail Tomsky, Mikhail Lashevich, Lev Kamenev, Evgeny Preobrazhensky, Leonid Serebryakov, Vladimir Lenin and Alexei Rykov

Boris Kustodiev's 1920 painting "Bolshevik"

The Bolsheviks, originally also^[1] Bolshevists^[2] (Russian: большевики, большевик (singular); IPA: [bəlʲʂɨˈvʲik]; derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split apart from the Menshevik faction^[3] at the Second Party Congress in 1903.^[4]

The Bolsheviks were the majority faction in a crucial vote, hence their name. They ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.^[5] The Bolsheviks came to power in Russia during the October Revolution phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and founded the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic which would later in 1922 become the chief constituent of the Soviet Union.

The Bolsheviks, founded by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov, were by 1905 a mass organization consisting primarily of workers under a democratic internal hierarchy governed by the principle of democratic centralism, who considered themselves the leaders of the revolutionary working class of Russia. Their beliefs and practices were often referred to as Bolshevism. Bolshevik revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky commonly used the terms "Bolshevism" and "Bolshevist" after his exile from the Soviet Union to differentiate between what he saw as true Leninism and the state and party as they existed under Stalin's leadership.

History of the split[link]

Part of a series on
Marxism-Leninism
Core tenets  · Communism  · Vanguard party  · Democratic centralism  · Marxist–Leninist atheism  · Central planning  · Single party state  · New Man  · Socialist patriotism
Topics  · Marxism  · Leninism  · Trotskyism  · Stalinism  · Maoism  · Dengism  · Titoism  · De-Stalinization  · Khrushchevism  · Juche
People Vladimir Lenin Joseph Stalin Ernst Thälmann Earl Browder Gonchigiin Bumtsend Josip Broz Tito Fidel Castro Che Guevara Mao Zedong Enver Hoxha Kim Il-sung Ho Chi Minh Pol Pot Mathieu Kérékou Agostinho Neto Samora Machel Mengistu Haile Mariam Alfonso Cano
Literature  · Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism  · The State and Revolution  · The Permanent Revolution  · Dialectical and Historical Materialism  · On Contradiction  · Guerrilla Warfare  · Fundamentals of Marxism–Leninism
History  · Great October Socialist Revolution  · Soviet Union  · Comintern  · Spanish Civil War  · World War II  · Warsaw Pact  · Greek Civil War  · Chinese Revolution (1949)  · Korean War  · Cuban Revolution  · De-Stalinization  · Non-Aligned Movement  · Sino-Soviet Split  · Vietnam War  · Portuguese Colonial War  · Nicaraguan Revolution  · Revolutions of 1989  · Nepalese Civil War  · Naxalite-Maoist insurgency
Lists  · List of Marxist-Leninist movements
Related topics  · Bolshevism  · Leninism  · Maoism  · Marxism  · Stalinism  · Titoism  · Trotskyism
Communism Portal Politics portal
v t e

In the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, held in Brussels and London during August 1903, Lenin and Martov disagreed over the membership rules. Lenin wanted members "who recognise the Party Programme and support it by material means^[6] and by personal participation in one of the party's organisations." Julius Martov suggested "by regular personal assistance under the direction of one of the party's organisations." Lenin advocated limiting party membership to a smaller core of active members, as opposed to "card carriers" who might only be active in party branches from time to time or not at all. This active base would develop the cadre, a core of "professional revolutionaries", consisting of loyal communists who would spend most of their time organising the party toward a mass revolutionary party capable of leading a workers' revolution against the Tsarist autocracy.

The base of active and experienced members would be the recruiting ground for this professional core. Sympathizers would be left outside and the party would be organised based on the concept of democratic centralism. Martov, until then a close friend of Lenin, agreed with him that the core of the party should consist of professional revolutionaries, but argued that party membership should be open to sympathizers, revolutionary workers and other fellow travelers.

The two had disagreed on the issue as early as March–May 1903, but it was not until the Congress that their differences became irreconcilable and split the party.^[7] Although at first the disagreement appeared to be minor and inspired by personal conflicts, for example, Lenin's insistence on dropping less active editorial board members from Iskra or Martov's support for the Organizing Committee of the Congress which Lenin opposed, the differences quickly grew and the split became irreparable.

Origins of the name[link]

The two factions were originally known as "hard" (Lenin's supporters) and "soft" (Martov's supporters). Soon, however, the terminology changed to "Bolsheviks" and "Mensheviks", from the Russian "bolshinstvo" (majority) and "menshinstvo" (minority), based on the fact that Lenin believed that most of the party stood behind him. On the other hand, Martov's supporters won the vote concerning the question of party membership. Neither Lenin nor Martov had a firm majority throughout the Congress as delegates left or switched sides. At the end, the Congress was evenly split between the two factions.

From 1907 on, English language articles sometimes used the term "Maximalist" for "Bolshevik" and "Minimalist" for "Menshevik", which proved confusing since there was also a "Maximalist" faction within the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party in 1904–1906 (which after 1906 formed a separate Union of Socialists-Revolutionaries Maximalists) and then again after 1917.^[8]

Composition of the party[link]

The average party member was very young. In 1907, 22% of Bolsheviks were under 20, 37% were 20-24 and 16% were 25-29. By 1905, 62% of the members were industrial workers (3% of the population in 1897^[9]).^[10] 22% of Bolsheviks were gentry (1.7% of the total population), 38% were uprooted peasants, compared with 19% and 26% for the Mensheviks. In 1907 78.3% of the Bolsheviks were Russian and 10% were Jewish (34 and 20% for the Mensheviks). Total membership was 8,400 in 1905, 13,000 in 1906 and 46,100 by 1907 (8,400, 18,000, 38,200 respectively for the Mensheviks). By 1910 both factions together had fewer than 100,000 members.^[11]

Beginning of the 1905 Revolution (1903–1905)[link]

The two factions were in a state of flux in 1903–1904 with many members changing sides. The founder of Russian Marxism, Georgy Plekhanov, who was at first allied with Lenin and the Bolsheviks, parted ways with them by 1904. Leon Trotsky at first supported the Mensheviks, but left them in September 1904 over their insistence on an alliance with Russian liberals and their opposition to a reconciliation with Lenin and the Bolsheviks. He remained a self-described "non-factional social democrat" until August 1917 when he joined Lenin and the Bolsheviks as their positions assembled and he came to believe that Lenin was right on the issue of the party.

All but one members of the Central Committee were arrested in Moscow in early 1905. The remaining member, with the power of appointing a new one, was won over by the Bolsheviks.^[12]

The lines between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks hardened in April 1905 when the Bolsheviks held a Bolsheviks-only meeting in London, which they called the Third Party Congress. The Mensheviks organised a rival conference and the split was thus formalised.

The Bolsheviks played a relatively minor role in the 1905 Revolution, and were a minority in the St. Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies led by Trotsky. The less significant Moscow Soviet, however, was dominated by the Bolsheviks. These soviets became the model for those formed in 1917.

The Mensheviks ("The minority") (1906–1907)[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

As the Russian Revolution of 1905 progressed, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and smaller non-Russian social democratic parties operating within the Russian Empire attempted to reunify at the Fourth (Unification) Congress of the RSDLP held at Folkets hus, Norra Bantorget in Stockholm, April 1906. When the Mensheviks struck an alliance with the Jewish Bund, the Bolsheviks found themselves in a minority.

However, all factions retained their respective factional structure and the Bolsheviks formed the Bolshevik Center, the de-facto governing body of the Bolshevik faction within the RSDLP. At the Fifth Congress held in London in May 1907, the Bolsheviks were in the majority, but the two factions continued functioning mostly independently of each other.

Split between Lenin and Bogdanov (1908–1910)[link]

With the defeat of the revolution in mid-1907 and the adoption of a new, highly restrictive election law, the Bolsheviks began debating whether to boycott the new parliament known as the Third Duma. Lenin, Grigory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev and others argued for participating in the Duma while Alexander Bogdanov, Anatoly Lunacharsky, Mikhail Pokrovsky and others argued that the social democratic faction in the Duma should be recalled.^{[citation needed]} The latter became known as recallists ("otzovists" in Russian). A smaller group within the Bolshevik faction demanded that the RSDLP central committee should give its sometimes unruly Duma faction an ultimatum, demanding complete subordination to all party decisions. This group became known as "ultimatists" and was generally allied with the recallists.

With most Bolshevik leaders either supporting Bogdanov or undecided by mid-1908 when the differences became irreconcilable, Lenin concentrated on undermining Bogdanov's reputation as a philosopher. In 1909 he published a scathing book of criticism entitled Materialism and Empiriocriticism (1909),^[13] assaulting Bogdanov's position and accusing him of philosophical idealism.^[14] In June 1909, Bogdanov proposed the formation of Party Schools as "Proletarian Universities" at a Bolshevik mini-conference in Paris organised by the editorial board of the Bolshevik magazine Proletary in June 1909. However this was not accepted and Lenin tried to expel him from the Bolshevik faction.^[15] Bogdanov was then involved with setting up Vpered, which ran the Capri Party School from August to December 1909.^[16]

Final attempt at party unity (1910)[link]

With both Bolsheviks and Mensheviks weakened by splits within their ranks and by Tsarist repression, they were tempted to try to re-unite the party. In January 1910, Leninists, recallists and various Menshevik factions held a meeting of the party's Central Committee in Paris. Kamenev and Zinoviev were dubious about the idea, but were willing to give it a try under pressure from "conciliator" Bolsheviks like Victor Nogin.

Lenin was firmly opposed to any re-unification, but was outvoted within the Bolshevik leadership. The meeting reached a tentative agreement and one of its provisions made Trotsky's Vienna-based Pravda a party-financed 'central organ'. Kamenev, Trotsky's brother-in-law, was added to the editorial board from the Bolsheviks, but the unification attempts failed in August 1910 when Kamenev resigned from the board amid mutual recriminations.

Forming a separate party (1912)[link]

The factions permanently broke off relations in January 1912 after the Bolsheviks organised a Bolsheviks-only Prague Party Conference and formally expelled Mensheviks and recallists from the party. As a result, they ceased to be a faction in the RSDLP and instead declared themselves an independent party, called Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (bolsheviks) - or RSDLP(b). Unofficially the Party has been referred to as the "Bolshevik Party". Throughout the century, the Party adopted a number of different names. In 1918, RSDLP(b) became (All-)Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks) and remained so until 1925. From 1925-52 the name was All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks), and from 1952-91 Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Although the Bolshevik leadership decided to form a separate party, convincing pro-Bolshevik workers within Russia to follow suit proved difficult. When the first meeting of the Fourth Duma was convened in late 1912, only one out of six Bolshevik deputies, Matvei Muranov, (another one, Roman Malinovsky, was later exposed as an Okhrana [Tsarist secret police] agent) voted to break away from the Menshevik faction within the Duma on 15 December 1912.^[17] The Bolshevik leadership eventually prevailed and the Bolsheviks formed their own Duma faction in September 1913.

Political philosophy[link]

The Bolsheviks believed in organising a party in a centralised and disciplined fashion that sought to overthrow the Tsar through a mass workers' revolution. They believed and succeeded in creating a vanguard party, a mass revolutionary party composed of what they called "the most militant and class-conscious" workers capable of leading the masses of Russian workers.

Although the Bolsheviks were not monolithic, they were characterised by a rigid adherence to the leadership of the central committee, based on the principles of democratic centralism. The Mensheviks favored open party membership and espoused cooperation with the other socialist and some non-socialist groups in Russia. Bolsheviks generally refused to co-operate with liberal or radical parties, viewing them as "bourgeois" parties, or even eventually other socialist organisations, although Lenin sometimes made tactical alliances.

Left to right: Trotsky, Lenin, and Kamenev

"Bolshevik" as an obsolete term[link]

In 1952, at the 20th Party Congress, Stalin declared: "There are no more Mensheviks. Why should we call ourselves Bolsheviks? We are not the majority, but the whole party."^{[citation needed]} According to his suggestion, the Bolshevik party was renamed the Communist Party of Soviet Union. Since that time, the term Bolshevik has been regarded as obsolete, and relevant only to the pre-Revolutionary times, during the Russian Revolution itself and the Russian Civil War which followed.

Derogatory usage of "Bolshevik"[link]

During the days of the Cold War in the United Kingdom, labour union leaders and other leftists were sometimes derisively described as "Bolshie". The usage is roughly equivalent to the term "Commie", "Red" or "pinko" in the United States during the same period. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and other Nazi leaders used it in reference to the worldwide revolutionary movement coordinated by the Soviet Union.^[18]

See also[link]

• Democratic centralism
• Leninism
• October Revolution
• Old Bolshevik
• Vladimir Lenin

Related terms[link]

• Marxism-Leninism
• Trotskyism

Non-Russian/Soviet groups having used the name "Bolshevik"[link]

• Bangladesh: Maoist Bolshevik Reorganisation Movement of the Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party
• India: Bolshevik Party of India
• India/Sri Lanka: Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma
• India: Revolutionary Socialist Party (Bolshevik)
• Mexico: Bolshevik Communist Party
• Senegal: Bolshevik Nuclei
• Sri Lanka: Bolshevik Samasamaja Party

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bolshevism, the Road to Revolution, by Alan Woods
• Chronology of the Bolshevik Party World History Database
• The Bolsheviks and Workers Control, by Maurice Brinton
• The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism at Project Gutenberg by Bertrand Russell, November 1920
• Twenty Years in Underground Russia: Memoirs of a Rank-and-File Bolshevik, by Cecilia Bobrovskaya

Michael Savage (born Michael Alan Weiner; March 31, 1942) is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. The Savage Nation has an audience of 8 to 10 million listeners on 400 stations across the United States, making it the fourth most listened-to radio talk show in the country.^[2][3] He holds master's degrees from the University of Hawaii in medical botany and medical anthropology and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in nutritional ethnomedicine. As Michael Weiner, he has written books on herbal medicine and homeopathy. As Michael Savage, he has written four New York Times-bestselling political books.^[4][5][6][7]

Savage has summarized his political philosophy in three words: borders, language, and culture. Some, including Savage himself, have characterized his views as conservative nationalism,^[8] while critics have characterized them as "fostering extremism or hatred."^[9] He outspokenly opposes illegal immigration to the United States, supports the English-only movement and argues that liberalism and progressivism are degrading American culture. Although his radio delivery is usually characterized as confrontational and politically themed, some of his show involves ruminating on topics such as medicine, nutrition, music, literature, history, theology, philosophy, sports, culture, and personal anecdotes.

Since 2009, Savage has been barred from entering the United Kingdom, for allegedly "seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred".^{[9][10][11][12]}

Personal life[link]

Savage was born Michael Alan Weiner in the Bronx, New York, one of three children of Benjamin and Rae Weiner; he comes from Russian Jewish heritage.^{[13][1][14][15]} He described his childhood as difficult.^[1] His father, the owner of an antique shop, died of a heart attack at age 57,^[13] and his mother died in 2003.^[15]

After graduating from Jamaica High School in 1958,^[16][17] Weiner attended Queens College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1963.^[13] After college Weiner taught high school for several years in New York City. His first marriage to Carol Ely in 1964 ended in divorce, and he remarried after meeting his current wife Janet in 1967. His first wife says that she became pregnant twice and aborted both pregnancies over Weiner's objections.^[1] During this time Weiner also worked for famous psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary as keeper of the stone gatehouse on Leary's Millbrook estate. Leary hired him to the post because Weiner did not use LSD himself.^[1] Weiner then earned two master's degrees in ethnobotany and anthropology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He obtained a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of California, Berkeley, in nutritional ethnomedicine.^[18] His thesis was titled Nutritional Ethnomedicine in Fiji.^[19]

While in the South Pacific, he became fascinated with the 19th-century sailor Charles Savage, who was believed to have been the first man to bring firearms to Fiji.^[20] That fascination led to Weiner's name change to Savage.

Savage and his second wife Janet have two children, a daughter and a son; his son, Russell Weiner, is the founder of the company that produces the Rockstar energy drink.^[21] Russell's mother, Janet, served as CFO of his company until July 2009.^[1] Daughter Rebecca Lin Yops has worked as an elementary school teacher.^[22] Savage has said that although he believes in God, he attends houses of worship only a few times a year.^[23] During the 1980s, Savage attended Friday night services at a Chabad house in Berkeley.^[13]

Shift in philosophy[link]

Savage introduced himself to certain writers in the North Beach area of San Francisco in the early 1960s.^[22] He befriended and traveled with Beat poets Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Stephen Schwartz, also an acquaintance of Savage from this time, reported Savage possessed a photograph of himself and Ginsberg swimming naked in Hawaii and used the photograph as sort of a "calling card."^[1][22] Savage maintained a correspondence with Ginsberg consisting of ten letters and a trio of postcards across four years, which is maintained with Ginsberg's papers at Stanford University.^[1][24] One letter asked for Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti to come do a poetry reading, so others could "hear and see and know why I adore your public image."^[14] One postcard mentions his desire to photograph Ginsberg in a provocative way, though Savage states that this correspondence is actually a forgery created by homosexual detractors.^[1] Another acquaintance was poet and author Neeli Cherkovski, who says Savage dreamed of becoming a stand-up comic in the mold of Lenny Bruce.^[1]

Around 1980, an acquaintance, Robert Cathcart, says in his private conversations with Savage he knew him to have conservative political views.^[22] Schwartz stated Savage became alienated from the North Beach scene in the early 1980s. Savage had intense arguments with his liberal friends.^[22] When asked about his shift in politics and other views, Savage replied, "I was once a child; I am now a man."^[14] Savage has cited many occurrences in his life that helped shape his conservative views. Savage states that his opinions on welfare were partly shaped by his first job out of college as a social worker.^[25] He described one incident in which his supervisor had him deliver a check to a welfare client to furnish their apartment, while his own apartment was furnished with cardboard boxes.^[26] Another turning point occurred for him as a writer of health and nutrition books in the 1980s, when he experienced what he saw as "political opposition" after making the suggestion that the closure of homosexual bathhouses might be necessary in response to the emerging AIDS epidemic.^[27] In 1994 his final health and nutrition manuscript, Immigrants and Epidemics, was rejected by publishers for being inflammatory.^[28] In 1996, Savage applied to become the Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. The University instead selected award-winning journalist and China scholar Orville Schell. Savage sued the University, contending discrimination for being conservative.^[22] Savage later dropped the lawsuit.^[29]

Career as commentator[link]

Radio show[link]

The rejection of his 1994 manuscript prompted him to record a demo tape with a mock radio talk show about illegal immigrants and epidemics. He mailed this tape to 250 radio stations in an attempt to change careers and become a radio talk show host.^[22][30] On March 21, 1994, Savage began his radio career on KGO (a San Francisco news/talk radio station) as a fill-in host for the liberal Ray Taliaferro. Less than a year later, he began hosting his own show on KGO's sister station KSFO.^[13][1]

At the time, his slogan was "To the right of Rush and to the left of God." On January 1, 1995, he was given his own show during the drive-time hours. The show quickly became a local hit. During his time at KSFO, Savage reached #1 in Arbitron ratings among both adult men and women over 18 during afternoon drive-time in San Francisco and became top talk host in his timeslot in Northern California.^[31] In 1999, he came to the attention of the Talk Radio Network, based in Oregon, which currently syndicates his The Savage Nation radio program.

As of the fall of 2006, Savage has 8–10 million listeners per week,^[32] making his show the third most widely heard broadcast in the United States. Savage calls his listeners "literate callers with intelligence, wit, and energy." He says that he tries to make a show that has a "...hard edge combined with humor and education...Those who listen to me say they hear a bit of Plato, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Moses, Jesus, and Frankenstein."^[31] Mark de la Viña of the San Jose Mercury News wrote of Savage, "In contrast to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Schlessinger, Bay Area-based Savage mixes conservative diatribe and blunt observations with acerbic humor and a gift of gab. It has propelled him to the top of radio talk-show ratings as well as bestseller book lists."^[14]

On September 10, 2009, KNEW-AM (910 kHz) in Savage's home market of San Francisco announced that it was dropping his program and replacing him with John and Ken from sister station KFI-AM (640 kHz)/Los Angeles.^[33] John Scott, program director of KNEW said in an e-mail that the station was headed "...in a different philosophical and ideological direction, featuring more contemporary content and more local information."^[34] According to Arbitron monthly ratings, KNEW-AM dropped in the ratings since Savage was let go. San Francisco station KTRB picked up the program for the San Francisco market, and saw a ratings boost in the afternoon drive. However, the program was among the first casualties when KTRB went into receivership in September 2010.^[35]

Savage had asked his audience for their opinion prior to consenting to a profile interview by Kelefa Sanneh of The New Yorker; Savage eventually accepted that offer and the New Yorker profile, titled "Party of One", was published in the August 3, 2009 issue, which covered Savage's life and personality in great detail.^[13][36]

On January 22, 2010, Savage revealed to his audience that a writer for Playboy had contacted him via email to do a lengthy interview, and again asked his listeners if he should accept the offer. During the show, Savage read from personal emails between the Playboy writer and himself. The writer admitted to being a listener of the Savage Nation but a critic of the profile done by The New Yorker. The writer also stated that the purpose of the interview was to "rattle" Playboy's readers. On May 12, 2010, Savage revealed that he had granted the interview at his home. Playboy published the interview in June 2010.^[26] He read from a pre-publication copy of the 8,000 word Playboy interview, in which the writer expressed animosity for Savage and his views. Savage said that he was disappointed at the lack of journalistic objectivity, but did not harbor hatred for the writer. He referred back to the New Yorker interview by Kelefa Sanneh, and praised Sanneh as a "real writer" who had understood his subject.

On October 1, 2011, Michael Savage was ranked as the #2 for online streams according to the internet rankings report published by TalkStreamLive.com ^[37]

MSNBC television show[link]

Savage was hired by MSNBC president Erik Sorenson to do a one-hour show beginning March 8, 2003, despite Savage's previous criticism of the network in his book The Savage Nation and the objections of NBC employees like anchor Tom Brokaw, who asked NBC executives, "Is this the sort of man who embodies the values of NBC?"^[24] Sorenson, at the time, called Savage "brash, passionate and smart," and promised that he would provide "compelling opinion and analysis with an edge."^[38]

From the very beginning of his stint at MSNBC, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) urged the show's sponsors to stop advertising on the show. Savage did not sue GLAAD, but Talk Radio Network Inc. (TRN), which syndicated his radio show, did sue the owners of three small noncommercial websites that had criticized Savage and endorsed the call for advertisers to withdraw their support for the show. The suit alleged that the defendants had caused Savage financial damage by interfering with his relationship with advertisers, had used material from The Michael Savage Show without permission, and had spread "false and malicious" information about Savage.^[39] The suit was brought in Illinois, the location of Culligan, a company that stopped advertising with TRN.^[40] Public Citizen undertook the legal defense of the owners of savagestupidity.com.^[41] Savage also contended before the National Arbitration Forum that the "savagestupidity.com" and "michaelsavagesucks.com" domain names were "confusingly similar" to his own "michaelsavage.com", and that he should be given those domain names.^[42] Several months after filing the lawsuit, TRN withdrew it without obtaining any concessions from the defendants.^[43] The National Arbitration Forum ruled against Savage's claim.^[44]

Four months later, on July 7, Savage was fired from his MSNBC television show after remarks made in response to a caller, later identified as prank caller Bob Foster, who insulted Savage's teeth. Savage then asked if Foster was a "sodomite", to which the caller answered, "Yes, I am." Savage then said to the caller,

Oh, so you're one of those sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig; how's that? Why don't you see if you can sue me, you pig? You got nothing better to do than to put me down, you piece of garbage? You got nothing to do today? Go eat a sausage, and choke on it. Get trichinosis. Now do we have another nice caller here who's busy because he didn't have a nice night in the bathhouse who's angry at me today? Put another, put another sodomite on....no more calls?...I don't care about these bums; they mean nothing to me. They're all sausages.^[45][46]

The day after being fired, Savage apologized on his radio program and on his website. He explained that he believed that MSNBC had gone to commercial to cover the gaffe of the attempted sabotage by a prank caller and that he was off the air at the time of the offensive comments, despite the fact that clips of the segment show Savage going to commercial after he made the comments. He also said his remarks were meant only to insult the caller, not all people with AIDS.^[47]

Political views[link]

Michael Savage calls himself an "independent-minded individualist" and says that he "fits no stereotype."^[31] He has also cited Barry Goldwater as an influence.^[48] Savage criticizes big government as well as liberalism and liberal activism, accuses the news media of liberal bias, and champions conservationism and animal rights.^[8] He considers the three aspects that define a nation as borders, language, and culture; those aspects inspired the motto of the Paul Revere Society.^[49]

In 2003, Savage said that he voted in 2000 for George W. Bush "quite reluctantly, incidentally."^[50] In 2004, Savage and the Revere Society hosted a party at Schroeder's Cafe in San Francisco celebrating the re-election of Bush.^[49] Savage donated $5,600 to the campaign of Democratic candidate Jerry Brown in the 2006 California Attorney General election.^[51]

Regarding candidates for the 2012 Republican primaries, Savage said that Ron Paul had "great ideas" but expressed that Rick Perry should be the nominee.^[52]

On December 12, 2011, he offered Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich "1 million dollars" to withdraw from the Presidential contest, saying that only Mitt Romney had a chance to beat Barack Obama, a man he regards as a Communist and a possible foreign usurper^[53], in the 2012 election^[54].

Activism[link]

Legal defense contributions[link]

Savage has regularly donated money toward the legal defense of the Marines accused of murdering civilians in Haditha, Iraq; occasionally, Savage will offer proceeds from any sales through his website. Savage had regular contact with the attorneys of the accused and criticizes their treatment at Camp Pendleton.^[55] Most recently, Savage has donated over $10,000 to the U.S. Marines Charity Defense Fund at the Thomas More Law Center^[56] On April 25, 2007, he pledged $1 for each copy of Healing Children Naturally and Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer's purchased from his website to be donated to the U.S. Marines Defense Fund.^[57] The Marines were ultimately found not guilty.

Lieutenant Michael Behenna[link]

On his nationally syndicated talk radio program, Michael Savage announced that he had sent another $50,000 to aid in the defense of First Lieutenant Michael Behenna, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for allegedly murdering terrorist suspect Ali Mansur Mohammed while serving in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division in 2008. Savage has previously given $50,000 to Behenna’s defense from the Savage Legal Defense Fund and his own personal contributions. According to Vicki Behenna, the lieutenant’s mother, additional contributions from listeners since Savage brought up this topic on his program have amounted to over $40,000. This brings the total contributions from Savage and his listeners to nearly $150,000.^[58]

Awards, criticisms, and controversies[link]

Awards[link]

On June 9, 2007, Talkers Magazine awarded Savage with the publication's annual "Freedom of Speech Award," and he accepted it with a pre-recorded speech.^[59]

Criticisms[link]

In July 2005, conservative writer Bernard Goldberg ranked Savage number 61 in his book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. Goldberg wrote that "Savage's brand of over-the-top bile... puts him right in there with the angriest haters on the Left."^[60] David Klinghoffer, a National Review columnist, speculated that The Savage Nation "is an act, a put-on."^[48]

Liberal advocacy groups and media watchdogs such as GLAAD and FAIR accuse Savage of racism,^[38] homophobia,^[61] bigotry^[38] and Islamophobia^[62] because of his controversial statements about homosexuality, Islam, feminism, sex education, and immigration.^[63] On his September 21, 1999 broadcast, Savage said that the motivation for female students who come from a Marin County private school to feed and provide services to the homeless is so they "can go in and get raped by them, because they seem to like the excitement of it..."^[64][65]

On April 17, 2006, he said of Muslims, "They say, 'Oh, there's a billion of them.' I said, 'So, kill 100 million of them, then there'll be 900 million of them.' I mean, would you rather die—would you rather us die than them?"^[66] This was taken from an argument dealing with the possibility of a nuclear conflict in that region. After Savage was banned from the UK, this was also reported in the UK media.^[67]

Controversies[link]

Roman Catholic Church and immigration[link]

In March 2006, Savage drew the ire of some in the Roman Catholic community when he accused the Roman Catholic Church of breaking federal law by giving assistance to illegal immigrants (in response to statements by Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles calling it "pastoral support").^[68] William A. Donohue, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, was scheduled to be on the show that day, but refused after hearing Savage's language. He later said, "what is not fine is Savage's diatribe about the 'greedy pigs' in the Catholic Church and how 'the institution is rotten from the top to the bottom.' He owes all Catholics an apology."^[69]

On March 28, 2006, Savage encouraged his listeners to burn Mexican flags to counter massive rallies held in California during which demonstrators marched in opposition to proposed legislation that would impose new immigration restrictions.^[70]

C-SPAN broadcast of Talkers Award[link]

When Talkers Magazine awarded Savage with the publication's annual "Freedom of Speech Award," C-SPAN opted not to broadcast a pre-recorded speech that had been sent by Michael Savage.^[59] Although the award ceremony had received coverage in previous years, C-SPAN did not televise it due to its policy of televising such speeches only when delivered in person. Savage stated that C-SPAN's decision was "censorship" and he told his listeners to express their ire to C-SPAN through calls and e-mails to the organization.^[71]

Dispute with CAIR[link]

In early November 2007, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on radio listeners to contact companies that advertise on Savage's program to express their concerns about his comments concerning Muslims. Savage was quoted as saying Muslims "need deportation", and that adherents of Islam would do well to "take your religion and shove it up your behind" because "I'm sick of you."^[72] On his show and website, Savage answered by reminding his listeners that CAIR is linked to terrorist organization Hamas, and as such has been called an "unindicted co-conspirator" by government officials in an anti-terrorist trial" (the Holy Land Foundation trial). On November 8, 2007, following a campaign by CAIR meant to get Savage off the air by going after his sponsors, Citrix Systems, Inc. pulled its advertisements from his show.^[73]

Savage sued CAIR for its use, on its website, of excerpts from his show, for copyright infringement by CAIR.^[74] The suit alleged that CAIR's repackaging of Savage's comments was "deliberately designed to obscure the specific message conveyed by Michael Savage". The excerpts included Savage's characterization of the Qur'an as "a throwback document" and a "book of hate". CAIR called the suit "bizarre, sloppy and baseless".^[75] On July 25, 2008, the United States district court dismissed Savage's suit against CAIR, holding that the posting of the audio clip was protected under the First Amendment doctrine of fair use, as it was used to "comment on and rebut derogatory statements regarding their organization and their religious affiliations."^[76] The court gave Savage the opportunity to file an amended complaint if he wanted to try to cure the defects in his suit. On August 14, 2008, however, Savage's lawyer announced that Savage would not file an amended complaint and would drop the case.^[77][78] CAIR then sought attorneys fees against Savage but U.S. District Court judge Susan Illston denied that request.^[79]

Autism[link]

In July 2008, Savage claimed that the increasing rate of autism diagnoses was the result of "a racket" designed to get disability payments for "poorer families who have found a new way to be parasites on the government."^[80] He returned to the subject on his July 16, 2008 show with the following remarks:

Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, "Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot."^[81][82]

On July 21, 2008, following a public information campaign led by the liberal advocacy group Media Matters for America, several dozen parents and grandparents of autistic children picketed outside the studios of WOR in New York, calling for Savage to be fired and for commercial sponsors to withdraw their advertising from his program.^[83] In response, WOR issued a statement saying, "We regret any consternation that his remarks may have caused to our listeners."^[80] Also that day, the insurance company Aflac pulled its advertising,^[84] and the Supertalk Mississippi radio network dropped Savage's program, replacing it with The Dennis Miller Show.^[85] Later that evening, Savage devoted his entire three-hour program to the subject, taking calls from parents who took issue with his comments. On that show Savage stated that his remarks had been "ripped out of context" by "far left Stalinists" who want him off of the air. He appeared on Larry King Live with Glenn Beck as the substitute host for Larry King, and said that the real issue he was commenting on was the overdiagnosis of children due to pharmaceutical companies' drive to drug children for higher profits.^[80][83] On July 25, 2008, Autism United advocates gathered to announce that several advertisers, including RadioShack, Sears, Home Depot, and DirectBuy, will discontinue their support for Savage's show.^[86]

Savage's syndicator, Talk Radio Network, has responded by releasing a lengthy statement, along with a selection of 20 audio clips drawn from Savage's discussions of autism, to show that the comments were taken out of context.^[87]

Banned from entering the United Kingdom[link]

On May 5, 2009, it was announced by then-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that Savage was on a list of individuals banned from entering the United Kingdom as he is "considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence".^[88][89][90] The list also includes Erich Gliebe, Fred Phelps, Mike Guzovsky and Abdul Alim Musa.^[91] During his radio broadcast on that same day, Savage declared that he would sue Smith personally for defamation, calling her a "lunatic".^[92]

During a subsequent NPR talk show, Savage said that he has never advocated violence and repeatedly invoked the United States Constitution's First Amendment. After host Neal Conan pointed out that the U.S. Constitution does not apply to the United Kingdom, Savage replied, "No. Thank God I'm an American. But for this lunatic... to link me up with Nazi skinheads who are killing people in Russia... to put me in league with Hamas murderers who killed Jews on buses, is astonishing".^[93] Savage also called on his listeners to support him by canceling travel and business in Britain as well as by boycotting British-made goods, commenting, "If they want to play hardball, we'll play hardball."^[94] When a caller challenged Savage about his talk show rhetoric, Savage called him a "foaming lunatic... someone in pajamas in a mental asylum... You’re nobody and I’m not going to talk to you!" At that point, Neal Conan invited him to leave.^[93] One commentator later said "It's quite ironic that someone like Michael Savage sees no hypocrisy in strongly defending his right to the First Amendment only to show outrage and intolerance a few minutes later toward the views of someone else he doesn't agree with."^[95]

Of the banning, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wrote: "America still has a constitutional protection of free speech, and I have been amazed... to see how few people in this country are willing to stick up for that elementary principle... a country once famous for free speech is now hysterically and expensively sensitive to anything that could be taken as a slight."^[96] In The Guardian, Catherine Bennett wrote: "The ban on Savage is so far from being a comprehensible act, so staggeringly capricious and stupid, as to defy evaluation."^[97] While Sam Leith wrote: "Barring this shock-jock from Britain risks turning a rabid blabbermouth into a beacon for free speech."^[67]

On July 12, 2010 the new Coalition government, of which the Conservative Party's David Cameron is Prime Minister, announced that it will continue to ban Savage from entering the UK.^[98][99]

Books and other writings[link]

In total Savage has written 29 books. Under the name Michael Savage he has written eight books, including a #1 New York Times bestseller and three further books which made the best seller list.^[5][6][7] He has also reprinted two books with the name Savage, Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer's and Healing Children Naturally.^[100]

His 1980 book Weiners's Herbal: The Guide to Herb Medicine advocated the medical benefits of marijuana.^[14]

Savage's recent books are political in nature and published by WND Books, a partnership between the conservative website WorldNetDaily and Thomas Nelson, a publisher of Christian books.

In 1991, Savage self-published The Death of the White Male, an argument against affirmative action.^[101] In the book, Savage, calls affirmative action "reverse discrimination", and demonstrates his emerging philosophy. This eventually led to his starting the Paul Revere Society and he continues to sell the book to raise money for this group.^[102]

In January 2003, Savage published The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language and Culture, his first major book under the pseudonym Michael Savage. The book quickly reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, earning Savage, as noted above, a commentary show on MSNBC. The book directs attacks at "liberal media bias," the "dominating culture of 'she-ocracy'", gay activists, and liberals.

In January 2004, Savage published his second political book The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Schools, Faith, and Military. His next book, Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder, was released on April 12, 2005. Unlike The Savage Nation, both of these books cited sources for some of the more controversial claims made.

In April 2006, Savage released The Political Zoo. The book contains satirical profiles and cartoons of different public figures, most of whom are liberal political figures and celebrities, who are depicted in caricature as animals in the "Political Zoo", with Savage himself portrayed as the zoo keeper. Savage has remarked that the book is "easier to digest" than his previous political books.^[103]

In October 2010, Savage released Trickle Up Poverty: Stopping Obama’s Attack on Our Borders, Economy, and Security. Released through the HarperCollins imprint of William Morrow, the book argued: "Americans are boiling mad over the way Congress and this Marxist/Leninist-oriented President are manipulating the current economic crisis to nationalize businesses."^[104]

In November 2010, it was confirmed that Savage had signed a deal to write two thrillers for publisher St. Martin's Press. The first political thriller, "Abuse of Power," was released on 13 September 2011. The novel is based on "My fictionalized account of being banned from Britain and hunted by overbearing governments is set in the San Francisco only I know," said Savage. It is set in San Francisco, mainly in North Beach, as well as London, and Tel Aviv. It tells the story of a failed carjacking that reveals a government cover-up. A dark plot involving British officials and a terrorist group known as "the Hand of Allah." The publisher has described the novel by saying, "will make 9/11 look like child's play." ^[105]

Bibliography[link]

Books as Michael Weiner[link]

• Earth Medicine—Earth Foods: Plant Remedies, Drugs, and Natural Foods of the North American Indians, New York: Macmillan Publishers USA, 1972, ISBN 0-02-625610-X
• Plant a Tree: A Working Guide to Regreening America, New York: Collier Books, 1975, ISBN 0-471-57104-0
• Bugs in the Peanut Butter: Dangers in Everyday Food, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1976, ISBN 0-316-92860-7
• Man's Useful Plants, New York: Macmillan Publishers USA, 1976, ISBN 0-02-792600-1
• The Taster's Guide to Beer: Brews and Breweries of the World, New York: Macmillan Publishers USA, 1977, ISBN 0-02-625600-2
• The Way of the Skeptical Nutritionist: A Strategy for Designing Your Own Nutritional Profile, New York: Macmillan Publishers USA, 1981, ISBN 0-02-625620-7
• The Art of Feeding Children Well with Kathleen Goss, Warner Books, 1982, ISBN 0-446-97890-6
• Nutrition Against Aging, New York: Bantam Books, 1983, ISBN 0-553-23642-3
• Secrets of Fijian Medicine, San Rafael, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1983, ISBN 0-912845-02-3
• Vital Signs, San Diego: Avant Books, 1983, ISBN 0-932238-20-3
• Dr. Weiner's High Fiber Counter, New York: Pinnacle Books, 1984, ISBN 0-523-42211-3
• Getting Off Cocaine, New York: Avon Publications, 1984, ISBN 0-380-67900-0
• The People's Herbal: A Family Guide to Herbal Home Remedies, Los Angeles: Putnam Publishing Group,1984, ISBN 0-399-50756-6
• Maximum Immunity: How to Fortify Your Natural Defenses Against Cancer, AIDS, Arthritis, Allergies—Even the Common Cold—And Free Yourself from Unnecessary Worry for Life, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1986, ISBN 0-395-37910-5
• Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer's, New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1987, republished under the name Michael Savage, Ph.D., 2007, ISBN 0-946551-53-7
• The Complete Book of Homeopathy: The Holistic & Natural Way to Good Health, Garden City Park, N.Y.: Avery, 1989, ISBN 0-89529-412-5
• Weiner's Herbal: The Guide to Herb Medicine with Janet A. Weiner, San Rafael, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1990, ISBN 0-912845-03-1
• The Herbal Bible: A Family Guide to Herbal Home Remedies, San Rafael, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1992, ISBN 0-912845-06-6
• Healing Children Naturally, San Rafael, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1993, republished under the name Michael Savage, Ph.D., 2007, ISBN 0-912845-10-4
• Herbs That Heal: Prescription for Herbal Healing, Mill Valley, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1994, ISBN 0-912845-11-2
• The Antioxidant Cookbook: A Nutritionist's Secret Strategy for Delicious and Healthy Eating, Mill Valley, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1995, ISBN 0-912845-13-9

Books as Michael Savage[link]

• The Death of the White Male: The Case Against Affirmative Action, Mill Valley, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1991, ISBN 0-912845-08-2
• The Compassionate Conservative Speaks, San Rafael, Calif.: Quantum Books, 1995, ISBN 0-912845-13-9
• The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language, and Culture, Nashville, Tenn: WND Books, 2002, ISBN 0-7852-6353-5
• The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Churches, Schools, and Military, Nashville, Tenn: Nelson Current, 2003, ISBN 0-7852-6102-8
• Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder: Savage Solutions, Nashville, Tenn: Nelson Current, 2005, ISBN 1-59555-006-2
• The Political Zoo, Nashville, Tenn: Nelson Current, 2006, ISBN 1-59555-042-9
• Psychological Nudity: Savage Radio Stories, San Francisco: Savage Productions, 2008, ISBN 1-4276-3401-7
• Banned in Britain: Beating the Liberal Blacklist, New York: Plume, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4276-4253-0
• Trickle Up Poverty: Stopping Obama's Attack on Our Borders, Economy, and Security, New York: William Morrow, 2010, ISBN 978-0-06-201097-1
• Abuse of Power, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-312-65161-9
• Trickle Down Tyranny, New York: William Morrow and Company, April 3, 2012, ISBN 978-0-06-208397-5

References[link]