• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Politics and Press

The interaction of the press and politics; public diplomacy, and daily absurdities.

  • Blog
  • About
  • The North Korea Conundrum

TV Or Not TV: Election Coverage

November 8, 2006 By Jeff

Regardless of the results, watching election returns on TV can be detrimental to good mental health. Last night saw us bouncing between MSNBC, NECN (New England Cable News), CNN, and Comedy Central. One “serious” national channel – MSNBC – included a cast of thousands led by Chris Mathews and Keith Olbermann. I mostly avoid cable news stations and I was reminded why last night. Mathews is a self-centered, egomaniacal, know-it-all screamer who turned the elections into a melodrama all about him. Trying unsuccessfully to bully Howard Dean into taking responsibility for ending the Iraq War was not the least of his rants, but one of the more telling ones.  He actually believes that Dean must demand that all U.S., troops pull out of Iraq tomorrow or he has lost his credibility.  This was a theme last night – “all right, mister know-it-all, you won so what will you do to get out of Iraq”.  Hmmm – I thought the president was in charge of foreign policy. Thought he got us in on a whim and a lie, so silly me thought it was his responsibility to find a way out.

The inaptly named Wolf Blitzer led CNN’s efforts  – no more need be said. Simply awful.  Expounding the obvious made into another kind of melodrama.

NECN actually did a better job – quieter, more thoughtful, less self-serving, and no posturing by R.D. Sahl and his colleagues.

As for Comedy Central – Stewart and Colbert were fun for about 15 minutes and then committed the cardinal sin of comedy – they became boring.

Our friend Mackenzie Brothers comments regularly on the fatuousness of American politics and the American press.  He lives in Canada and is in Europe this fall and I am happy for him. But he would have had something to say about the way we report on what would be the most important decisions made in a democracy if they were made and reported on seriously.

Filed Under: Politics, Press

Primary Sidebar

Categories:

  • 2008 (3)
  • abortion (1)
  • Afghanistan (8)
  • Africa (6)
  • Baseball (1)
  • Bobby Jindal (1)
  • Bush/Cheney (6)
  • Canada (93)
  • Carly Fiorina (1)
  • China (9)
  • Chris Christie (1)
  • Collective Bargaining (2)
  • DARFUR (10)
  • Ebola (1)
  • Economy (30)
  • Education (2)
  • Election (16)
  • Election 2008 (35)
  • Elizabeth Warren (1)
  • Employment (1)
  • Environment (14)
  • Erdogan (4)
  • Europe (52)
  • Free Speech (4)
  • Genocide (11)
  • Germany (52)
  • Global Warming (6)
  • Greece (3)
  • Healthcare (12)
  • Hillary Clintom (2)
  • Huckabee (1)
  • Human Rights (9)
  • Immigration (9)
  • Inauguration (1)
  • internatinal Livability (2)
  • International Broadcasting (20)
  • Iran (35)
  • Iraq (62)
  • Israel (4)
  • Labor (1)
  • Lieberman Watch (7)
  • McCain (17)
  • Merkel (4)
  • Middle East (14)
  • NATO (1)
  • nelson (1)
  • North Korea (7)
  • Obama (29)
  • Pakistan (3)
  • Palin (12)
  • PBS NEWSHOUR (1)
  • Police (1)
  • Police brutality (1)
  • Politics (121)
  • Press (126)
  • Public Diplomacy (24)
  • Racism (3)
  • Republican Party (21)
  • Robert Byrd (1)
  • Romney (4)
  • Romney (1)
  • Russia (27)
  • Sports (23)
  • Supreme Copurt (1)
  • Supreme Court (2)
  • syria (3)
  • Taxes (3)
  • Tea Party (8)
  • Terrorism (22)
  • The Bush Watch (3)
  • TRUMP (17)
  • Turkey (7)
  • U.S. Domestic Policy (68)
  • U.S. Foreign Policy (110)
  • Ukraine (3)
  • Uncategorized (158)
  • William Barr (2)
  • Wisconsin Governor (2)

Archives:

  • September 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (6)
  • March 2018 (2)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (4)
  • April 2017 (3)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • February 2016 (3)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • November 2015 (4)
  • October 2015 (1)
  • September 2015 (3)
  • July 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (1)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • February 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (3)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • September 2014 (3)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (3)
  • February 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (4)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (2)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • May 2013 (1)
  • April 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (3)
  • January 2013 (1)
  • December 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • September 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (2)
  • June 2012 (1)
  • May 2012 (4)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • March 2012 (2)
  • February 2012 (1)
  • January 2012 (2)
  • November 2011 (3)
  • October 2011 (1)
  • September 2011 (3)
  • August 2011 (1)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • June 2011 (3)
  • May 2011 (1)
  • April 2011 (2)
  • March 2011 (3)
  • February 2011 (4)
  • January 2011 (3)
  • December 2010 (3)
  • November 2010 (1)
  • October 2010 (1)
  • September 2010 (3)
  • August 2010 (3)
  • July 2010 (2)
  • June 2010 (3)
  • May 2010 (3)
  • April 2010 (2)
  • March 2010 (3)
  • February 2010 (4)
  • January 2010 (5)
  • December 2009 (7)
  • November 2009 (3)
  • October 2009 (1)
  • September 2009 (4)
  • August 2009 (2)
  • July 2009 (4)
  • June 2009 (3)
  • May 2009 (3)
  • April 2009 (4)
  • March 2009 (4)
  • February 2009 (4)
  • January 2009 (5)
  • December 2008 (3)
  • November 2008 (3)
  • October 2008 (5)
  • September 2008 (7)
  • August 2008 (5)
  • July 2008 (4)
  • June 2008 (4)
  • May 2008 (2)
  • April 2008 (6)
  • March 2008 (2)
  • February 2008 (4)
  • January 2008 (4)
  • December 2007 (5)
  • November 2007 (6)
  • October 2007 (5)
  • September 2007 (5)
  • August 2007 (7)
  • July 2007 (6)
  • June 2007 (12)
  • May 2007 (7)
  • April 2007 (9)
  • March 2007 (13)
  • February 2007 (12)
  • January 2007 (17)
  • December 2006 (7)
  • November 2006 (26)
  • October 2006 (36)
  • September 2006 (19)
  • August 2006 (6)

Environment

  • Treehugger

General: culture, politics, etc.

  • Sign and Sight
  • Slate Magazine
  • The Christopher Hitchens Web

international Affairs

  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • New York Review of Books

Politics

  • Daily Dish
  • Rolling Stone National Affairs Daily
  • The Hotline
  • The writings of Matt Taibbi
  • TPM Cafe

Public Diplomacy

  • USC Center on Public Diplomacy