I knew I didn't imagine this the other night. Eric Alterman chronicles the infighting at MSNBC--with video.
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I think it is awesome. I say let the anchors debate. Scar-boy would be torn a new one.
My personal favorite was when Chris and Olberman both jumped Mike Murphy for doing the RNC Clinton keep hate alive bit after Bill's speech. I don't think he got back on air.
Obviously, none of these politicos (or Chris Matthews) ever watched "The Big Show" with Olbermann and Dan Patrick.
I guess we expect political coverage to be stern and straight, the old fashioned way like Cronkite or Huntley & Brinkley. To me, I don't mind that these talking heads get slapped around once in awhile because that's what we would do with our friends talking politics around the barbecue. When you decide to pontificate for hours on end, somebody is going to take you down a notch or two (just like here on the blogs/forums). Cable political coverage is entertainment not journalism. We have to understand that.
In sports coverage terms, CSPAN is the agate sports page you look at so you don't miss a thing. All the cable networks are the low rung sports columnists at the paper who are trying to make a name for themselves, who sometimes succeed, sometimes not.
The old school four networks are the crusty veteran columnists who have covered sports for 40+ years, who are "the Voice" of the sports section but who only crank out one or two columns a week and who rely almost exclusively on their old school contacts.
Please tell me someone else saw Scarborough's 'reaction' to Obama's official nomination. I'm paraphrasing, but it was along the lines of "I grew up with African Americans, so I was color-blind...this shouldn't be a big deal because he's black...we need to be in a world where that doesn't matter." easy for you to say Joe S ..easy for you to say...
Olbermann should never be commenting on anyone being longwinded or bias, but as Gene Weingarten of the WAPO stated, the man is shameless.
Overlooked in the Olby vs Scarborough dust up is that Olbermann was just dead wrong. The race has been tightening, daily tracking polls show that, Chris Bowers at Open Left has expressed his discomfort about the standing of the race. But in Olbermann's world, using one poll that is an obvious outlier is all the evidence he needs.
Olby shovels it every night, what is becoming more and more apparent is that the guy just hates dissenting voices. He doesn't want them on his show or even on his network. He even wants Brokaw banned from MSNBC, probably for the sin of practicing journalism over propaganda.
DougEFresh writes: "Olby shovels it every night, what is becoming more and more apparent is that the guy just hates dissenting voices. He doesn't want them on his show or even on his network. He even wants Brokaw banned from MSNBC, probably for the sin of practicing journalism over propaganda."
I think he's probably sick and tired of being pointed out as the "biased one," when a McCain-slurper like Brokaw is supposedly some beacon of objectivity. I could use more Olbermans and fewer frauds like Brokaw.
I never thought I'd imagine a day where Chris Matthews is both the most likable and most correct man in the proverbial room.
Moe states"I think he's probably sick and tired of being pointed out as the "biased one," when a McCain-slurper like Brokaw is supposedly some beacon of objectivity. I could use more Olbermans and fewer frauds like Brokaw."
So then banning dissent voices from the network is a great way to show that you are not the "biased one"? People have been named Worst Person in the World for lesser displays of authoritarianism and cowardice.
These on-air spats are priceless, marvellous, and fantastic!!!
MSNBC needs to keep this going thru to next week in St Paul. This is the perfect fusion of reality television and cable news opinion programming.
It's gold! It's pure gold!
I hope Joe Scarborough gives himself a non-fatal heart attack. This man is a smug, smarmy, sleazy, lying swine and is also a knuckle-dragging neanderthal.
Morning Joe is a super-sized, putrid, steaming pile of excrement. It's a malignant media carcinogen within the cable tv news universe. Along with The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and Glenn Beck, it's hurting America by dumbing down its viewers to death.
Sure JK but how do you really feel about Joe and his show?
DougE, I agree that Brokaw should not be banned he should be confronted about his biases.
Brokaw gets a pass too often because of his "Greatest Generation" story and because he was the lesser of many evils for some time. I doubt that Olbermann has the clout to go toe to toe with Brokaw without consequences. So, it probably will be left to Rachel Maddow who seems to have to do all the dirty work on the network.
Isn't there something about people disliking others who strongly exhibit characteristics that they dislike in themselves? Some sort of transference? Well watching BillO must be like looking into the mirror for Olbermann these days.
Loving your new blog TC. Rock on.
Am I mistaken or did I just see a Biggie reference in a headline in the Atlantic? Am I dreaming? Is this the apocalypse? Am I misreading your headline?