Why did so many liberals go to The Imus Show?

OK. I didn't watch or listen to Imus. However, I do know that many liberals were frequent guests on his show. To be fair, Sen. McCain was a guest too.

Why did so many liberals enjoy going on his show?

At the same, I hear that Imus had a history of making outrageous statements. I understand that he took shots at everyone.

Today, I saw Democratic politicians lose a soapbox with firing of Don Imus:

"Equally important, Imus gave Democrats a pipeline to a crucial voting bloc that was perennially hard for them to reach: politically independent white men.With Imus' show canceled indefinitely because of his remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, some Democratic strategists are worried about how to fill the void. For a national radio audience of white men, Democrats see few if any alternatives."

That's interesting.

Of course, "white men" have been voting Republican for a long time. It is a reliable Republican voting bloc. They say that it is related to the Democrats' national security deficit.

Question: If Imus was so insensitive, why didn't some of these liberals call for his firing before?

Just a question.