Oreilly to pull a Cronkite?

[Beerina]

Bush's problem is nothing to with communication incompetence

What was that about communication incompetence? =D

 

[Ladewig]

I'm out of town for three days.

I'll consider your posts.

Ladewig.

 

[RandFan]

MM is a critical part of our democracy and I would rather have him around than not. His area is far more political in his efforts than O'Reilly (who, as pointed out by another poster, addresses many areas that are more people oriented) which makes his complaining less useful than O'Reillys. As far as I have been able to determine MM really does not care to give face time to cogent alternate perspectives except to mock them in the editing room. That is cowardly.

I don't think that either man really needs defense. They are both, at their core, entertainers who are living on the knife edge of public adulation, recognizing that their brand of discourse dates very rapidly. They will play the audience, using their signature routines (like Borscht Belt comedians) until they don't come anymore. They both contribute a bit, they are both in love with themselves. They both have a price.

I'm with you Ed. I listen to a lot of talk radio and glean something from time to time. It's public discourse. Ultimately it is good for anyone who believes in the maxim that the best response to bad speech is more speech. I agree with you about MM but I really like his movies. But then I really like Rush Limbaugh (often). I get tired of his shtick for awhile and will stop listening to him but he is damn good at what he does. I don't mean he is a great political commentator I mean he is a damn good radio personality. Yeah I know, Chelsea Clinton and drug use. He's human and deserves the criticism he gets. I listen with a critical eye and I listen to multiple sources. We could all do to listen to multiple sources and especially the opposing view. Perhaps if we weren't so damn sure that our world view was right we could learn something.

 

[Ed]

I'm with you Ed. I listen to a lot of talk radio and glean something from time to time. It's public discourse. Ultimately it is good for anyone who believes in the maxim that the best response to bad speech is more speech. I agree with you about MM but I really like his movies. But then I really like Rush Limbaugh (often). I get tired of his shtick for awhile and will stop listening to him but he is damn good at what he does. I don't mean he is a great political commentator I mean he is a damn good radio personality. Yeah I know, Chelsea Clinton and drug use. He's human and deserves the criticism he gets. I listen with a critical eye and I listen to multiple sources. We could all do to listen to multiple sources and especially the opposing view. Perhaps if we weren't so damn sure that our world view was right we could learn something.

I listen to Rush infrequently. My take on him is that he, fairly entertainingly toes the party line. I also have noted (from a VERY limited sample) that he is unfailingly polite to his callers. Is that so?

There are two liberals that I really like, Allen Combes and Ron Kubie. Kubie is sorta a rad/lib lawyer and that SOB is smart. Actually, very often I find myself agreeing with his positions.

Coombes is a different kettle of fish. He is smart but way limited on his show with that lebrachan bastard, Hanniety. I think of him as being akin to Charlie Watts, thumping his drums, watching Mick gyrate and being the center of attention, all the while knowing in his heart that he (Mick/Sean) is the meal ticket.

n.b. Coombes was the last person to use the call letters WOR on their last broadcast. Of some minor historic interest since WOR was one of the first radio stations in the country.

 

[Tricky]

I don't know how many hardcore "Doonsbury" fans there are out there, but such opportunism has been ridiculed for many years. I fonldy recall a strip back from the years of the Watergate hearings. I can't remember the exact words but it was something like this

***

Special Prosecutor: Mr. Dean, why have you changed your story on Watergate?
John Dean: Because I finally recognized Watergate for the horrible insidious monster that it is!
Special prosecutor: And when did you recognize that?
John Dean: To the best of my recollection, around last Thursday.

 

[Upchurch]

Amen. And liberals here do the same thing to Rush and Hannity. They are two of the most well-spoken political commentators of their time and their criticized only because they are conservative.

I haven't listedn to Limbaugh on any sort of regular basis since college, but I don't criticize Hannity because he is conservative. I criticize Hannity because the man (or at least his on-air persona) is a walking/talking example of a wide array logical and argumentative fallacies.
[fquote]And well you shouldn't. Bill is a moderate while Rush and Sean are conservative.[/fquote]Yes, O'Rielly is more moderate than Limbaugh and Hannity. However, that's like saying that an Archbishop is less Catholic than the Pope.

By any reasonable measure, Bill O'Reilly is a conservative. He says so himself. What he claims to be, however, is an Independant. I tend to believe that is more a strategic marketing position to set him apart from the other conservative talk shows than a genuine political one.

 

[RandFan]

I listen to Rush infrequently. My take on him is that he, fairly entertainingly toes the party line. I also have noted (from a VERY limited sample) that he is unfailingly polite to his callers. Is that so?

Absolutely. But he knows how to mock people in general pretty well. My wife has RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) wich is a pretty difficult thing to deal with and he makes fun of it from time to time. So while he can be polite he can also be a world class A-hole

There are two liberals that I really like, Allen Combes and Ron Kubie. Kubie is sorta a rad/lib lawyer and that SOB is smart. Actually, very often I find myself agreeing with his positions.
Coombes is a different kettle of fish. He is smart but way limited on his show with that lebrachan bastard, Hanniety. I think of him as being akin to Charlie Watts, thumping his drums, watching Mick gyrate and being the center of attention, all the while knowing in his heart that he (Mick/Sean) is the meal ticket.

n.b. Coombes was the last person to use the call letters WOR on their last broadcast. Of some minor historic interest since WOR was one of the first radio stations in the country.

I like Combes, he is very bright. I only listen to Kubie occasionally with the avenging angels guy or whatever. I agree the guy is on the ball. My favorite commentator from the left is Pat Cadel who doesn't have a show he is only a pundit and was a writer for The West Wing. Intelectually honest though and damn smart. I can't think of a good equal from the right of the spectrum.

 

[Silicon]

I can't stand any of these people we're discussing. I used to listen to Rush for comic effect during the Clinton years, but now I think we're just in such a worse place as far as our civil rights that I don't find it funny anymore.

I don't like Michael Moore (used to, can't stand him now). I can't stand Howard Stern or Bill O'Reilly on TV. O' Reilly's radio show he seems more level-headed, but I've only listened to it once.

My take is, you shout "Shut up" at your guest, and you just lost me as a viewer forever. That's losing the argument, and every argument you'll ever make. He's on my permanent ignore list.

There seem to be a bumper crop of people who are on my permanent ignore list, which is why I keep feeling more and more isolated with the political discorse in America. I really strain to understand how people think nowadays.

It's like you can just string a bunch of attacks together and they hand you a tv series.

 

[Snide]

My take is, you shout "Shut up" at your guest, and you just lost me as a viewer forever. That's losing the argument, and every argument you'll ever make. He's on my permanent ignore list.

Just so no one takes you literally and defends O'Reilly by saying he doesn't say "shut up" anymore (true) nor did he say it that much previously (true), I'd like to say I agree pretty much entirely with your sentiment. Whether he actually says or said "shut up" is irrelevant...he's a bully and gets his hind end kicked in real discourse just the same.

 

[Mark]

Just so no one takes you literally and defends O'Reilly by saying he doesn't say "shut up" anymore (true) nor did he say it that much previously (true), I'd like to say I agree pretty much entirely with your sentiment. Whether he actually says or said "shut up" is irrelevant...he's a bully and gets his hind end kicked in real discourse just the same.

Same with Limbaugh...his lies and distortions can't survive in a real debate, so he hides behind the safety of his radio booth. On the rare occasion when he has tried to venture out in the real world, he has had his a$$ kicked.