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Talking Head Roundup
I have a secret vice. It's watching political talk-shows.
As a right-leaning libertarian, somehow I started watching these shows back in the days of Bush I and Clinton even though I "didn't have a dog in the fight", as Clinton used to say.
Why? For a lot of reasons. When you do consulting, sometimes you have to know how to be a politician. I used to love to watch those aides get on TV and say things they knew to be false. Car salesmen could only dream to be so duplicitous! I also liked to learn more how the real political system works in my country: many say it is broken and many think it is irredeemable. But I doubt it. While I think America is "a mess", as Gingrich put it recently, I think it is a chaotic system that works mostly because of the chaos.
But these shows? That's another story completely. They've really lost their way. Lately I've either spent my time yelling at the TV or nodding my head sadly. Here's my roundup of the talking head scene:
- McLaughlin Group - A show that confuses being loud with having a point. John and his merry band of stooges are so far behind reality it's a wonder they're not still debating Dred Scott. I'm sure they're nice people, but this show is the blind leading the deaf. John never misses a chance to miss the point. I used to think he was a conservative. Now I just think it's time for him to take a spritz.
- Crossfire - A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Crossfire was a show where people seemed passionate yet respectful. Over time, however, as producers strove to make it more "hard-hitting" and hip with today's kids, it lost it's way. CNN finally put a bullet in it back in 2005. I included it here for honorable mention.
- Meet the Press - Tim Russert is a guy who tries to play it straight down the middle. Over the years, Tim has been accused of pandering to both the Republicans and the Democrats. The truth is, he just panders to whoever is in power at the moment. Tim's best when he's grilling some Congressperson over why we can't seem to balance a budget. He's worst when he has a cadre of priests or historians on discussing the evolution of duck hunting or some such esoteric subject. Tim, I know you mean well, but some topics you just can't do in the format you have.
- This Week - It used to be called "This Week with David Brinkely" and there were some interesting commentators, like George Will, Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson, and George Stephanopoulos. But David left, and the inmates got to running the asylum. Stephanopoulos took the show, dressed it up like a 3-dollar hooker on a Saturday night, and proceeded to alienate most all of the audience. Either George Will has gotten dumber over the years or I've wisened up -- hard to tell. Fareed's a great talking head, but the show has always suffered from not knowing the difference between saying something clever and saying something insightful. Leading up to the Iraq War, there was a lot of "me too" thinking going on. Now they're doing the same thing, only in an anti-war slant. If I wanted to hear popular wisdom repackaged as commentary they might be interesting. As it is, they're not.
- Face the Nation - One of the most pompous, pretentious, and artificial people on television news, Bob's schtick is that he's just a good old boy. It would be ludicrous if it weren't so painful. Every week, old Bob comes on with his commentary. It usually begins, "Now I'm not the smartest person in the room" or "Maybe it's just me, but", or "Back where I come from". You see, Bob, multimillionaire pundit and news anchor who fought tooth and nail for the CBS anchor chair before they pried it free from his behind, is actually just like the guy down at the grocery store who bags your groceries. Just a common, folksy, take-it-easy fellow. It's bad enough watching him completely misunderstand what's going on in the world. What makes it worse is the way he does it. That back-handed criticism wears thin quickly.
- Fox News Sunday - Okay, okay, Please put down the rotten fruit. Yes, I am going to endorse FNS because I think it's the best talking head show out there. Please -- I know that many of you look at Fox News in general as an outlet for the Republicans. Many call it "faux" news. Many spend a lot of time trying to trash it. To me, that tells me I should look a little closer. Chris Wallace, Mike Wallace's son, actually had his old man on the show and proceeded to grill him about his career. Interviewing your dad -- Mike Wallace --- on your show! And it wasn't a cushy interview by any means. Then Chris had Bill Clinton on, and Bill proceeded to have a little meltdown because he can't face up to making any mistakes regarding Osama Bin Laden.
But overall, it's the talking heads that bring me back. When FNS does the show right, I feel as if I have a 2-4 day lead on the rest of the news. I'll learn something Sunday that most outlets aren't talking about until Wednesday. CBS may still be stuck on why Bill 4372 is having such a fight, but the FNS crew has already called the bill dead and are moving on to other topics. Yes, there's some grandstanding, but I feel that the folks are actually talking to each other. There have been times the panel has made jokes with each other that were funny, and that showed that these people are working to try to give the best amount of insight they can, instead of just sounding pithy or combative. What can I say? I like 'em.
- Fox News Watch - Finally, an honorable mention. Fox News Watch is a show that does commentary on the way the media works. It has a great cast of some serious conservatives and liberals. I think even if you don't like the talking head shows, you should give Fox News Watch a chance because it's good commentary on the way our media works. Plus, they've got the chemistry thing going there as well. And it's only a half-hour. Couldn't hurt that much, could it?
The blind leading the deaf
Stewart, a guy who makes money making fun of stuff instead of understanding it,
famously went on a tear on CNN's Crossfire regarding the fakeness of the show
Stephanopoulos speaks to the show's last remaining viewer, his mom
Lights on. Here's Bob!
If people are actively seeking to discredit you, you're either
bad or you've got something that they want.
It's not political talking heads, but Fox
News Watch does a good job of making you think about the role of media
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