The Supreme Court decision, overturning Roe, apparently was so grievous that Howard Stern determined he must run for president.
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for my old friend and comrade in arms. In 1994 Howard declared his candidacy for governor of New York. His platform consisted of three planks:
- Reinstating New York’s death penalty.
- Staggering toll booths to reduce traffic.
- Limiting road construction to overnight hours – also lessening traffic.
After carrying out these three goals, Stern planned to resign and turn the governorship over to the Lieutenant. Governor. He won the Libertarian nomination at the party’s convention in April 1994.
However, Howard ran head-on into the Ethics in Government Act, which requires candidates to disclose their assets and income. In August, a New York State Supreme Court judge denied Stern’s request to stop the state from enforcing the disclosure requirements, causing Stern to drop his campaign. Stern told his audience: “I’ve told you everything about myself…There’s only one fact that I never revealed. I never told you how much money I made…The reason I never told you…is because it’s none of your business.”
Back then, some questioned Howard’s sincerity about running for governor or whether it was a publicity stunt. The three issues Stern ran on were personal to him. Somebody had recently stabbed a friend of Howard’s to death, which enraged him. “This guy now is in prison. He’s sitting there eating three square meals a day, and my friend is laying there dead,” Stern explained while calling for reinstating the death penalty.
Like most New Yorkers, Stern faced daily traffic snarls. Common sense dictated to him staggering tollbooths and limiting construction to off-peak hours. One year after leaving the governor’s race, Stern joined Governor George Pataki (who he eventually supported) at a parkway gas station to sign legislation called “The Howard Stern bill,” which limited construction on state roads to nighttime hours. Howard won without having to campaign.
I was Vice President of Programming for Greater Media during Howard’s run for governor. A research company added a question as a favor. It showed that Stern was polling into the low twenties among men in the New York City Metro. I still remember calling Howard with the data and his response. “That’s no good. I’ve got a career here….”
People hoping to remain in the public eye over long periods usually reinvent themselves, and Stern is no exception. His persona and show gradually started shifting. Critics started noticing and writing positively about the changes around 2015.
It earned Howard respectability and invitations to celebrity dinners. Stern discussed his metamorphosis in conjunction with his 2019 book “Howard Stern Comes Again.” Social media isn’t gospel, but the new Howard and revamped Stern show isn’t as popular with at least listeners who comment on Stern fan pages.
I understand people change but disagree with his rebuke of what he did from 1985 – 2000. Change is one thing. Telling people who made you what you are that they were stupid for buying what you did another. Regardless, Howard Stern remains the most significant and talented radio personality in the medium’s history. Nobody comes close to his accomplishments.
This “new” Howard Stern feels he must run for president, “To make the country fair again.” Stern would be 71 on Inauguration Day 2025, making him a baby compared to Biden, Trump, Bernie, or Hillary.
Like his run for governor, Stern has a limited plan. He’s on point when he says, “The problem with most presidents is they have too big of an agenda.” Most politicians are far too ambitious and over-promise. Stern’s is a two-prong platform:
- Eliminate the Electoral College.
- Add five new Supreme Court justices – increasing the total from nine to 14.
If I speak with Howard, I will tell him that the president doesn’t have the power to change either.
Adding five justices is dumb because the court would have an even number.
The Constitution doesn’t specify the number of justices for the Supreme Court. Congress has that power and has set the number as low as five and as high as 10. There have been nine justices since 1869. Congress could change the number, but before Howard starts counting his judges, he should wait for the mid-terms to see which party controls the Senate.
The upper chamber will still have to confirm all nominees, even if “President Stern” and Congress agree to increase the number of justices.
The Constitution’s framers worried that heavily populated states would bully smaller states, which they called the Tyranny of the masses. Their compromise gave us the bicameral legislative branch we know as the House and the Senate and the Electoral College. Changing the Electoral College requires a Constitutional amendment.
The founders created a process to amend the Constitution because they understood times change and that the Constitution couldn’t address every circumstance that would happen. They also wanted to ensure that it wasn’t changed casually or carelessly.
Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds supermajority in the House and the Senate. This will disappoint Howard, but the president has no official role in amending the Constitution. The president does not have to sign or approve the proposal. After passing both chambers of Congress, three-quarters of the states’ legislatures must approve it (or ratify it at a state convention) for the resolution to become a constitutional amendment.
So, is he, or isn’t he? There’s no question that he’s enraged by the Supreme Court’s decision. There’s also no doubt that the president can’t change the things that Stern would like to change. Howard isn’t any more likely to fill out the disclosure forms now than in 1994. But another day, another round of news stories for Howard Stern. Hail the King of All Media!
Andy Bloom is president of Andy Bloom Communications. He specializes in media training and political communications. He has programmed legendary stations including WIP, WPHT and WYSP/Philadelphia, KLSX, Los Angeles and WCCO Minneapolis. He was Vice President Programming for Emmis International, Greater Media Inc. and Coleman Research. Andy also served as communications director for Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio. He can be reached by email at andy@andybloom.com or you can follow him on Twitter @AndyBloomCom.
