John / Billybob
Bumpitttt.
Those were the first two who came to my mind. :) Good article. Hearing the rhetoric over and over gets boring. The same trite phrases. Commit news? God forbid they should do that, but how wonderfully refreshing when someone does! Unfortunately, it's like signing up for a radio contest, then having to listen 24/7 for your name.
I do think, however (and I know I'm biased), that Republicans tend to be more open to honest debate than Democrats. And this gets us into trouble.
Republicans have actual plans, ideas, and philosophies. We have principles. We also have some confidence in these things. So, we trot them out, and even if they aren't perfect, they are at least superior to the non-ideas of the Democrats. Then, during a debate, if a Democrat points out a flaw, a Republican might possibly (in a moment of civility) shrug and say, "You have a valid point there." At which moment the Democrat will clap their hands and shout, "He admits his whole plan is a ploy to win tax breaks for the rich!!" and the host of the show will nod sagely and say, "These Republican talking points that you're trying to pass off as the truth, do they originate with Karl Rove?"
The other side is when the Democrats mock Bush for believing he has been Perfect and without sin for the entire adminsitration. "C'mon!", they say. "Won't you admit to making ANY errors at ALL??" And if a Republican concedes that perhaps something didn't go quite right, then -- again -- the Democrat will clap their hands and shout "Even HE admits the fact that the whole thing has been a a debacle from the beginning!!"
I think your overall point is that honest debate no longer exists on TV. I think that's true. I think that both parties are culpable, but I think the Democrats are to blame for setting a tone which makes civility a self-defeating exercise.
I agree with you. Those two liars disgrace Fox News.
You know, it's funny. I like the "Beltway Boys", so I used to routinely watch the show that followed: "NewsWatch".
The name "NewsWatch" led me to hope that the panel would criticize irresponsible actions by the media. Although THAT would be an interesting and socially beneficial show, "NewsWatch" just could never deliver on that promise. It kept being distracted by NG's cheap-shots, smears and deliberate lies.
Finally, when Tony Snow accepted the job as Press Secretary, NG took a cheap-shot at him. I decided that was the last straw for me.
First, I stopped watching "NewsWatch". In time, I stopped watching the "Beltway Boys". Then I started tuning out "Fox & Friends First" and finally stopped watching Fox's evening programs.
IMHO, it is not "fair & balanced" to "balance" truth with lies, or to "balance" a gentleman like Cal Thomas with a nasty cheap-shot artist like NG.
Whoever is putting these wild partisans into Fox's schedule is certainly not doing Fox any favors.
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I would consider Alan Colmes as a must have on your list. I used to think he was merely deluded, but over the past year or two have come to the conclusion that he knowingly does what he does. Maliciously.
"..two most obnoxious frequent guests..."
a good start, but the list can be long, especially for a "right wing" network. Wes and Kalb do me in, too.
You forgot to mention the fact that when the "conservative" tries to mention any of the enumerated points, he/she is immediately interupted by the host/moderator, while the lib (usually in plural), slaps his/her hands over their ears and starts screaming, "LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!", or claims that these points were never made in their alternate universe.
This results in "conservatives" having to continue trying to speak through and past the barrage of noise.
On the Conservative side, "non-response" is usually "dis-belief" that anyone could ask the kind of stupid and inane questions that are usually thrown at them. Most of which are engineered along the lines of, "just when did you stop beating your wife? Hmmm?"
This, I believe, is the underlying reason behind the problem you so ably point out. It is also why I have given up watching these shows myself.
Many (most?)liberals, if not outrightly insane, are so consumed by their ideology as to be beyond reason and rational discussion of facts.
bump.