We would never say that the cold-blooded murder of two young television journalists, broadcast live, is much ado about nothing. But we will say that too much of the rhetoric we're hearing in the aftermath amounts to much ado about a no one.
Specifically, a no one who was a loser, a whiner, and - most importantly - an asshole.
The shooter, himself a former (and serially incompetent) wannabee TV journalist, desperately wanted attention - so Hope n' Change isn't going to give it to him. We won't use his name (either his real name, or on-air name), or quote from his masturbatory "manifesto."
We won't grant him the significance of representing anyone else except, perhaps, other assholes. It doesn't matter that he was black. It doesn't matter that he was gay. It doesn't matter who he supported politically, or what delusional agenda he was hoping to set in motion by committing murders and showcasing them on social media.
We don't think that this particular asshole was interesting or important enough to inspire debate on gun laws, mental health treatment, workplace racism, or political correctness. He wasn't indicative of anything about our society, other than that it's teeming with assholes who act unpredictably, and sometimes good and innocent people will tragically be unable to get out of their way.
But speaking of assholes (we segued deftly), Barack Obama's comment on this horrific shooting was wildly inappropriate: "What we know is that the number of people who die from gun-related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism."
Really, Barry? Do you really think that this is the time for you to once again insert yourself as the apologist-in-chief for radical Islam, and that the lesson to be learned from these tragic deaths is that terrorism is no big deal?!
Granted, if we look at the past few years, there are far more deaths caused in Chicago alone by gun-wielding thugs than by terrorists nationwide. Not that Barry is doing anything - anything - to stem the pandemic of black-on-black inner city violence.
But it's doubly troubling when he treats terrorism as a game which can be played by statistics alone. The number of deaths by terrorism spiked dramatically on September 11th, and could do so again at any time - making a mockery of gun death numbers.
In much the same way that Obama claims the only options for dealing with Iran are utter capitulation or all-out war, he's floating the preposterous notion that America can fight gun violence or terrorism but not both. That's not only preposterous, but it's morally reprehensible political opportunism of the worst kind.
Asshole.
36 comments:
The cold-blooded murder of two young television journalists is a very tragic event. I was not surprised that the usual anti-gun nuts came out within minutes about more gun laws and better background checks. Of course it became clear later that this nut case passed the required background check and purchased the gun legally. We all know that it’s not the gun, but it’s what’s in the heart that causes the danger.
The next day some news personnel were saying that they haven’t discovered the “exact” reason the shooter did this. Almost caused my head to explode. It seems obvious that this guy was a black gay, racist nut case! He was likely influenced by the known race baiters that want to start a race war. His boss said he was always looking for someone to say some word he could find insulting about his race or sexual orientation. I’ve had the experience of working around these type of assholes and it’s not fun. And not all of them are black.
I was not surprised when I heard Obama claim gun deaths dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism. One would have to assume that was leaving out all the deaths in the middle east. He might have tried to tie this event to global warming, but he still has time to do that.
Now they are saying that this is not a hate crime. What!! Oh, right the shooter was black only white killers can do hate crimes and be racist assholes. There must be some other motive.
Then there’s the story about the black guy that complained that he was fired because he’s black. Turns out that he was hired because he’s black (affirmative action), he was fired because he was unable to perform the required duties was lazy and unreliable.
When the cowardly clown in Charleston murdered unarmed innocent black people, nobody defended him, if they did, it was marginal.
When the cowardly clown in Roanoke killed unarmed innocent white people, the internet is replete with his defenders.
Black people, you want to be equal, then act like it, assholes.
As far as you SJW go, how do you assholes look at yourselves in the mirror?
Respect is earned, the government can’t send you a check for that, eh?
The FBI reportedly found a gay pride rainbow flag in the asshole's apartment. Where is the outrage and calls for banning that symbol?
As long as assholes like this "man" are protected by the asshole elites running this country, there will be NO solution. They ignore the real threats and continue to promote their agendas of divide and conquer, marxism, and destruction of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As the husband of the woman who survived this attack said, this creep wanted his 15 minutes of fame and chose to do it on live TV. He would have used another weapon if he didn't have a gun.
Today's picture is good for multi purpose. I can download it and label many copies with different names; Barry O, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpie, and all the race baiters and others of their ilk. It makes a nice rogues gallery. Same picture, different names. How efficient.
And our very own governor (Virginia) came out saying we need gun laws. As a governor, he is woefully uninformed. I think he lives under a rock. Grrrrrr......
Ummm... asshole is not a fitting descriptive name for O'Liar. Assholes actually serve a very important and vital purpose.
I find it pathetic that the race baiting crowd is pretty much silent on this one. Where are you Al Sharpton and Jesse Ja-hack-son? Why are we not hearing the cries of racism on all the moonbat TV shows? And Geoff King is right; where are the demands that we ban the rainbow flag?
Great comments all!
@Joseph ET- It's sadly hilarious to see the talking heads trying desperately to ignore the elephant in the room while wondering how such an incompetent jerk managed to land a string of jobs. Yes, it was affirmative action. And it was the fear of lawsuits that kept his previous employers issuing vaguely positive references even when throwing him out their own doors.
Incompetent assholes come in every color of the human rainbow, but it's far easier to discipline or fire a white male than anyone else. Personally, I'd like to see affirmative action stopped dead in its tracks as a useless anachronism. It now serves only to put people into jobs they can't handle, and undercuts the credibility of black professionals by making others wonder if the job was won by merit or not.
Regarding Obama's statement on terror, he obviously was referring only to deaths in the United States - but why the hell inject such a comparison into an unrelated story? Unless, perhaps, this was his way of getting in front of any accusations that a black man who had been disciplined for wearing a Barack Obama campaign sticker and wanted to start a race war (according to his own manifesto) was engaged in terror.
@OpenTheDoor- I haven't heard too much in the way of defense of the shooter, but rather a lot of depersonalization in which the gun is being blamed more than the lunatic pulling the trigger.
I think one of the reasons that Ben Carson is riding so high in GOP polls is that he speaks truthfully and forcefully about our nation's racial ills, their causes, and their potential cures. I don't see him becoming President, but I hope he retains a platform which will allow him to be instrumental in freeing black Americans from the liberal entitlement plantation.
@Geoff King- It would make every bit as much sense for the LGBT rainbow flag to be banned as the Confederate flag. Which is to say "none" - not that it stopped the Left from their feeding frenzy of banning.
@Judi King- There is no law which could have stopped this killer from acting. And if he didn't have a gun, he could have used a knife, a samurai sword, or a Dixie cup filled with gasoline and a Zippo. And it's legitimate for reasonable people to have a real discussion on mental health treatment in this country, but I haven't seen anything yet which would have put this jerk on the radar enough for him to be involuntarily committed before he finally flipped out.
@Fred Ciampi- By the way, in today's picture that's actually a cake donut superimposed on the guy's face. I wanted to make a point, but don't actually want to make people throw up.
And can anyone tell me (or your governor) what the hell gun law - other than one forbidding private ownership by anyone - would have kept this guy from getting a gun? He didn't have a police record. His former employers were afraid to say anything bad about him. He wasn't (to my knowledge) actively seeing a mental health professional.
@Colby Muenster- I agree that Barry deserves a worse appellation than "asshole," but it provided a handy symmetry to the commentary.
And isn't it interesting that following the murder of black church members, Barack Obama labeled the young white killer as part of a larger, historical movement whether he knew it or not. So why isn't he doing the same in this case, when the shooter specifically stated that his crime was racially motivated? And sadly, the answer is that Obama is not against racial hatred or even racial violence as long as they can be used to enhance his political power.
This is sort of an inside baseball thing. The media have been hell-bent on being PC to the max, and the VA shooting is one of the consequences. Let the media deal with it, preferably off the air.
Sadly the irony will be lost on reporters that reporters provided all the details of other mass killers (including names and grievances) that fueled this a**hole's rage and got these reporters killed.
Maybe instead of gun control, we need reporter control... "If it saves just one reporter's life, it will be worth it!"
The Commie-in-Charge forgot to mention that deaths from automobiles dwarf gun deaths. If he had maybe also thrown this in that the family of the two victims might have been assuaged. So, what did you have in mind, Obama, that would have prevented these deaths?
More "gun control?" Guns are easily available on the streets in any large city and you can introduce all the "gun control" laws you want; deaths such as this will continue until gang bangers and crazies somehow suddenly evaporate, and this is another liberal fantasy.
This incident was the result of the perfect storm of mixing affirmative action and identity grievance. This asshole was given jobs based on his skin color (and probably his sexual preference) and in his warped mind blamed his dismissals on the same thing! It never occurred to him that he was incompetent, oh no! This is the legacy of the left wing.
As usual, your comments and commentary from readers are spot on!!!
"Incompetent assholes come in every color of the human rainbow, but it's far easier to discipline or fire a white male than anyone else. Personally, I'd like to see affirmative action stopped dead in its tracks as a useless anachronism. It now serves only to put people into jobs they can't handle, and undercuts the credibility of black professionals by making others wonder if the job was won by merit or not."
Stilton, but you might add that minority job applicants have only to blame activists and those within their own ranks for reticence of white employers to hire them. Why? Because they are the first ones to cry, "Racism" as the cause for their being fired. Employers don't want to have to go to the time and expense of having to defend themselves against resulting lawsuits. As a former employer (now retired), I have been in that position.
@John Ortmann- Thank you!
@BillH- Political Correctness is not a victimless crime. The case of this shooter reminds of of Fort Hood jihadist Nidal Hassan; at virtually every step in his career, people could see that he was unstable and potentially dangerous, but rather than risk being labeled politically incorrect, his superiors just kept advancing him so he'd be someone else's problem. Russian roulette meets musical chairs, with the goal not to be in the killing zone when the music stops.
@Weetabix- That's an interesting perspective (and one echoed by Greg Gutfeld, who I really like). It's hard for the media not to give coverage to murderers like these, but maybe it would help if the reporters and talking heads would universally refer to these killers only as assholes and pathetic losers and never mention their names on the air. It might take a little of the shine off infamy.
@Alfonso Bedoya- When watching "The Five" on Fox News yesterday, I heard Juan Williams blaming the easy access to guns for the umpteenth time. And I had a couple of interesting thoughts: first, what kind of law would Juan propose that would deny a gun to a black journalist with no criminal record, just because he was fired for making statements which could be considered racist? Because here's the kicker - that description fits Juan Williams, who was fired from NPR for allegedly racist comments about Muslims.
Like you've pointed out, a law which can make these sorts of fine distinctions is an unrealistic and unworkable liberal fantasy.
@Shelly- I don't want to flat out blame anyone but the shooter, but he didn't live in a vaccuum. Affirmative action and identity grievance politics clearly helped fuel this creep's belief that he was being discriminated against.
@Kelly from WI- Like you, I'm always pleased by the quality of the comments and interesting perspectives provided by the readers here.
@Alfonso Bedoya- Exactly. I have way more first hand knowledge of this subject than I want to get into here, but God help employers these days. References are a meaningless joke, with previous employers afraid to say anything which might get them sued - no matter how accurate or well documented. Disciplinary action for any employee who isn't a straight white male? Yeah, good luck with that.
No wonder companies are outsourcing...
"It doesn't matter who he supported politically, or what delusional agenda he was hoping to set in motion by committing murders and showcasing them on social media."
Why doesn't it matter? When a-hole #20150617 did his thing, it certainly mattered. Almost instantaneously, practitioners of the racial grievance industry branded every white person in America a racist. Proof you were a racist? Arguing that you were not a racist. In short order, we then devolved into silliness about banning The Dukes of Hazard.
So before doing his thing, nutcase 20150827 sends a fax to ABC News saying "As for Dylann Roof? You ----! You want a race war ----? BRING IT THEN YOU WHITE ----!!!" If that's not a pretense for a hate crime charge, I clearly don't know what is.
So why isn't it fair to call for the banning of rainbow flags or sex toys? No, instead this will be added to the list of crimes blamed on the gun instead of hate. That's why the Feds deployed the ATF, and not the DOJ to investigate.
Oh, and let's not let a day go by without Hillary deploying the "terrorist" meme:
On women's health, Clinton compares Republicans to 'terrorist groups'
That's right. Outraged about Planned Parenthood collecting taxpayer dollars and making millions selling baby parts, you're a "terrorist" too.
Personally, I've long since gotten over this kind of thing. In fact, the Democrats have been using this level of demagoguery so long now that it's largely meaningless. Yeah, it's not fair that conservatives get held to a higher standard, but as I've been saying for decades now, "Get over it" Let the left proudly own the sewer. This country needs adults, and being an adult means being unpopular at times.
As for stupid gun control advocates.....Sheriff David Clarke's answer is the best I've heard and have mentioned myself......Mr. Obama, try getting rid of the security team you, your family and others in DC have and see what it's like to live with no means of protection. I.m sure his security people carry guns! Amen to him.
Most people with rational thought processes realize that, if all guns in the world were suddenly and magically teleported to Uranus, murderers would not take long to find a substitute. There are probably as many ways to kill people as there are people. Why don't the Terry McAuliffe's and Juan Williams's of the world just get to the point and propose banning murder? Oh, wait....
Stilton! You actually watched "The Five?!" Like, with your eyes and ears open? You are a brave man! My TV is entirely too close to a rock garden outside the door for me to risk it anymore. I will NEVER forget years ago, when they were discussing Roman Polanski, and Whoopee saying, "... yes, but was it RAPE rape?" No doubt she would have no problem questioning whether or not the Roanoke incident was "MURDER murder." I mean, shouldn't black people be allowed to off a whitey every now and again in retribution for their great great grandfather's uncle's slave ownership?
Stilton,
My bad... I was thinking of The View! The Five is a different story, but Juan Williams is still an idiot.
@John the Econ- We're in agreement, albeit expressing it in different ways. It shouldn't matter what motivated a lone whackjob, but clearly it does matter (as far as exposure goes) when the media and politicians can use such connections to suit their own agenda.
It is preposterous that this isn't being treated as a prima facie "hate crime" suitable for DOJ interest. And isn't it interesting that Barry isn't offering to give consoling words at the funerals of the victims?
Regarding Hillary likening the GOP candidates (and anyone who doesn't support ripping babies to pieces) to terrorists, I came this close to doing a cartoon and commentary on it. Then I heard Charles Krauthammer opine that this was a deliberate provocation on her part to get people to A) talk about her while B) being distracted from the email story. So I gave it a pass - but you've given me the opportunity to at least say that Hillary is not only a disgusting excuse for a human being who betrayed our national security, cost American lives and sold American influence, but she's also a wretched vote-whore.
@Judi King- I'm reminded of an old HnC cartoon in which I suggested that Obama dismiss his Secret Service agents and replace them with signs saying "please don't shoot the president."
@Colby- Ack! How could you even momentarily think I'd watch "The View"?! No, I watch "The Five," but I let TIVO record enough first that I can fast forward through a lot of it. I'm always interested in what Greg and Dana have to say, but it's hit and miss with the others.
@ Stilton: re "The Five:" Interesting comment about Juan Williams. I have never considered him to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and why he continues to be a part of FOX baffles me. The same thought applies to Geraldo Rivera.
As for FOX in general: we all know that it is basically a conservative news source, yet I feel continually plagued with having to listen to the same old tired arguments ranted by the same old liberals that such newscasters as Megyn Kelly keep inviting to the program. Maybe FOX wants to be considered "fair and balanced," but if this part of their conservative agenda, why give the opposition free ammunition in the war of ideologies?
Does anyone else share the same feeling?
@ Colby Muenster's comment: "I mean, shouldn't black people be allowed to off a whitey every now and again in retribution for their great great grandfather's uncle's slave ownership?"
(LOL); Sounds good to me, Colby; I mean, what's fair is fair!!
@ Stilton: re "The Five:" Juan Williams is not the brightest light on the string. I remember his commit on FOX was something about getting stressed when seeing Muslins in their costumes at the airport. I was flying regularly at the time, I worried about the Muslins that were trying to blend in as the 9 11 hijackers did. I didn’t feel any better if there were Muslins in their costumes on board because the hijackers don’t care if they kill Muslins with everyone else.
At least Juan Williams isn’t as bad as Geraldo Rivera who is a racist idiot that makes up his own “facts” and “pretends” to dodge bullets when he’s in the field or try’s to provoke fights with people while on the air. I didn’t like Geraldo Rivera since April 1986, when Rivera hosted the syndicated special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault, a piece of junk TV.
Geraldo Rivera also seems to have temper with a short fuse, much like Bob Beckel who also made up his own “facts.” I’m real glad we don’t have Beckel around anymore.
One of FNC’s new liberal talking head is Kirsten A. Powers, I find her much better than the rest, at least she occasionally disagrees with the liberals and seems to have her own arguments instead of just quoting the talking points as they were issued that day.
@ Alfonso Bedoya
There groups and individuals that want to kill whitey don’t know about our history. Maybe they should learn about the thousands of white’s that fought for the north during the Civil War to free the slaves. There were many civilian white’s that volunteered to bury the dead black soldiers and give them a Christion funeral. That is what my forefathers did because the people given the task to clean-up the battle field wouldn’t bury the blacks. These racist also don’t account for the whites who’s forefathers arrived in the USA long after Civil War. How about the whites that marched with MLK.
So, these black racist just want to going around killing folks or even better, provoke others to do it. How stupid is that?
Isn’t some laws being violated with all this provoking of riots and violence? Never mind, I just remembered, this is the Obama administration.
You hit it on the head. Fox invites the left so they can call themselves Fair and Balanced. And due to those 'Invites', I stopped watching Fox two years ago.
@Alfonso Bedoya re FOX: I know how you feel. I know I'm certainly going to be in the minority here on this topic, but I really can't stand the channel. The last show I ever went out of my way to watch was "Special Report" with Brit Hume, which as TV news went actually was relatively "Fair and Balanced". When he retired, I lost all interest in the channel. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that a fair amount of the left's criticism of FOX is accurate; it is the absurdly biased voice of establishment Republicanism that talks down to its audience. Beyond the standard conservative catch-phrases, I doubt many of the talking heads on FOX could actually articulate conservative principles on any deeper level.
When I watch FOX, I usually learn nothing. I already understand conservatism, probably better than most people at FOX. At least when I watch leftist media, I learn the mindset of the left, which is far more interesting, if not disturbing.
Of course, I understand that FOX exists in the sea of alphabets are transparently the highly biased voices of modern Progressivism. But that on it's own doesn't make FOX better. Understanding that, I can only imagine how much it must grate the heads of the other alphabets that FOX continues to kick their asses in the ratings. Over the last several years, their answer to this seems to be to emulate FOX's flashy and superficial style, which only makes them even worse, and subsequently their ratings. None of these people get it.
IMHO, Megyn Kelly is the worst. Being exposed to her is like taking a wood rasp to my brain. I can't decide who I find more obnoxious; Megyn or Nancy Grace.
@ John the Econ: Thank you for your comments, John. I would like to pick your brain just a bit, since I would like to be able to better watch FOX, but from your viewpoint.
So...just how does FOX deviate from your idea of conservatism, and how could they improve? I am obviously missing something, and it may be because I don't sit in my LazyBoy all day and watch all the programs---perhaps as intently as you have---and therefore may not have had a chance to improve my grasp of a real or perceived deficit in their news presentations.
Yes, FOX certainly has a flashy style, but I would hope that their style doesn't negatively affect the substance of what they have to say. My own take on Nancy Grace is---yes she is grating in her delivery; as for Megyn Kelly, it is a matter of opinion; some people like her style and delivery, and some don't. My opinion is that I like what she basically presents, but I do wish she would get away from daily news that presents itself in tabloid form. That stuff can be seen on any other network...and it usually is---over and over and over.
Kelly and others on FOX (as well as those we nominate to run for office) need to stick more to how and why the U.S. is in dire straits at this time, how we got here, and what we can do to change course. Spotlighting liberal guests and their opinions serves little purpose, except of course to allow their platform (no matter how egregious) to flourish on a network whose basic reputation was built on conservatism. When the direction changed is something I don't know; maybe it has always been "fair and balanced" as mentioned earlier.
You mentioned, "It is the absurdly biased voice of establishment Republicanism that talks down to its audience. Beyond the standard conservative catch-phrases, I doubt many of the talking heads on FOX could actually articulate conservative principles on any deeper level." I am not disputing what you have said, but it would help me (and perhaps others) if you could expand on your statement so that we might be led to the same conclusions. For instance, I have never felt that Judge Napolitano has talked down to anyone, and I can put Brit Hume into the same boat.
Again, thank you for your astute comments. I appreciate your bringing to my attention some things about FOX that I never had particularly noticed, but with your input, you can bet that I will be doing that from now on.
@Alfonso Bedoya- I think of Juan Williams as a nice guy who would probably be a pleasure to know personally, but sweet mother of mercy can he be a political nitwit. My only interest in listening to him is to hear what the genuinely and sincerely clueless liberals are thinking (unlike Geraldo and others, I don't think Juan is just spinning - I think he really believes the BS he spouts).
Regarding FOX in general, I've got no real love for the network. I frequently watch "The Five" (with my finger on the fast forward button) because I like Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino. I also usually watch the roundtable at the end of Brett Baier's show to hear the opinions. But I skip Megyn, Greta, Hannity, O'Reilly and the rest - and I get genuinely pissed when I hear the network pandering and spinning.
Regarding murderous reparations, it can sometimes be tricky to figure out whose ancestor was a slave owner no matter what their color is. Perhaps the government should pay for a genealogical targeting service...
@Joseph ET- I can learn a little from Juan, even if it's only witnessing how well-intentioned but clueless people think. But Geraldo is a liar, a spinner, and a self-promoting asshole. He's a detriment to the network.
@George- There are a few (very few) liberals who I actually like hearing from. Christopher Hitchens was one of them, rest his hell-raising soul. I also like Camille Paglia, who is damned smart and pretty fair about smacking down her own side when they deserve it. But I have no patience for the "usual suspects" that FOX trots on to say stupid liberal tropes simply so their hosts can bat at the easy underhand pitches.
@John the Econ- Maybe you're not in the minority about FOX after all. I'm a big Brit Hume fan (and how I miss Tony Snow). Bret Baier is okay, but overall the network is too bombastic and tiring. And Shepherd Smith's "breaking news room" with peons sitting at gigantic iPhones in order to show what viewers are tweeting is just an embarrassment.
@Alfonso Bedoya- As you say, people have varying opinions about Megyn Kelly. Personally, I like most of what I've seen her do, though I don't watch her show that frequently. I like the fact that she seems to ask tough questions of liberals and conservatives, which is (dare I say it?) almost journalistic.
I hate any shows which devolve into shouting matches and won't bother with them. But I really enjoy the Journal Editorial Report in which blindingly intelligent people from the Wall Street Journal speak about the week's news without shrieking and without liberal rebuttal. Highly recommended!
@Alfonso Bedoya, that's a good question: "So...just how does FOX deviate from your idea of conservatism, and how could they improve?"
IMHO, FOX today (or post 2008) exists primarily to throw red meat at the GOP base to keep them fired up in their anger against the left. If this is indeed their goal, they are apparently very successful. And remember, the reality is that pretty much all television news is just filler in between paid advertising. So from a pure business sense, if that filler, whatever it is, fails to attract a large enough audience, the whole endeavor ultimately fails. (Think Al Gore and "Current TV")
Since my views are somewhere between between classic Reagan conservatism and neo-libertarianism, I really don't expect to find much media that conforms 100% to my ideology. But then again, is that what I really want and/or should that be the goal of good news media? As I alluded to above, I already know what I believe, so anything that panders 100% to my ideology will not inform me all that much, or challenge me to expand or grow. Also, I'm not afraid of opposing viewpoints. I either evaluate them and reject them on intellect or principle, or I am forced to re-evaluate my position. This is healthy, and not only important for us to evolve as individuals, but as a society as a whole.
So as I think FOX has been a successful business model, I think it also is failing "conservatism". To those outside of their core audience who thrive on the red meat, I don't think FOX is approachable. People who are fundamentally disgusted with where the Democratic Party has sunken to who might just be receptive to a honest conservative narrative tune into what has been represented to them (by both sides) as the current mouthpiece of the right in America, and I think they are instantly turned off. I suspect they see Meygn Kelly as little different that the propaganda screen out of Orwell's 1984, and it repels them, and they come to the conclusion that everything the left says about FOX, and therefore conservatism as a whole is correct.
Again, since FOX is a successful model as it is, from their perspective there is little to improve. I hope that answers your question.
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As for their "flashy" style and "tabloid" format, I think it's just media evolution in a post-MTV short attention span world. Again, it turns me off, but obviously keeps millions of others hooked. They'd be daft to change it just over what I think.
I agree that spotlighting the wackiest of the left is mostly pointless. It's just more of the red meat. Yeah, it's fun and satisfying. But that's not the real problem the right faces. What I'd like to see is them to take on the more "nuanced" of the left; those who portend to be the more "intellectual" and "reasoned" that makes Progressivism the easier sell to those in the "center". Unfortunately, this takes a lot more work, and their current format doesn't really accommodate any idea that takes more than 15 seconds to explain. Also, it takes a deeper fundamental understanding to conservative principles to do this, and as I suggested above, I don't think a lot of people at FOX have it in them to successfully do this.
I did call out Brit Hume above as someone I respect. I consider him the "adult" in the room. Unfortunately, we don't see as much of him anymore. I do admit to enjoying much of what Napolitano has to say.
Also, at this point I think it's important to disclose that since last year, we at the Econ household have been "cable cutters". We don't even get FOX anymore. As I was rarely watching it previously, I couldn't watch today if I wanted to. (During the recent GOP debate, I was limited to listening to the audio on-line) It's relevant to note that "the millennials" don't watch TV like we did. They've never subscribed to cable, and don't surf channels. They primarily consume content on-line. Since FOX is primarily only available as a traditional cable channel, their audience is going to skew older and older as time goes on unless they change their model.
The only news channel I currently get is CNN, which we only watch when something is currently happening. CNN is a shell of it's former self, and I can barely consider it a news channel anymore. They are shedding more and more of their former "hard news" programming, and deploying more pre-produced "reality" programming. (Talk about being behind the curve)
@Stilton re Juan Williams: Would he have that job if he was white? Just saying...
Geraldo: Another example of why I can't consider FOX a serious news organization, and more than I can consider NBC one for giving Al Sharpton a job. Geraldo is a jester. Remember, he was Jerry Springer before there was a Jerry Springer to re-define the "daytime talk" genre even lower.
Reparations: When I was in school, I once listened to a lecture where the speaker boldly asserted that there was a time when Africans had enslaved the Europeans. Since neither side of my family was in this country before the Civil War, I assume that entitles me to some moolah too. I hear that Ford is bringing the Bronco back, so I already know where I'm spending my check...
I loved this Camille Paglia piece. Her stock went up quite a bit in my book after that.
I really miss Tony Snow. I loved his radio show. And he was probably the best presidential press secretary in generations. And unlike most of the recent holders of that job, he did much more than simply read statements and then obfuscate and spin. He didn't need a script to explain the reasoning behind his bosses actions. He understood them thoroughly, and could debate them on his own. Tony Snow was one of the smartest hires that GWB ever made. He was truly a loss to the conservative movement in mass media.
"Bombastic and tiring." Those are the words I should have used to describe too much of what FOX is.
And you're right; Shepherd Smith is embarrassing to watch.
If Obama had a son, he would look like this a-hole.
@joe jetson: Given how Stilty created the picture, would O's son be a chocolate bismarck or a chocolate eclair? ;-)
Stilty, the sign you propose (Please don't shoot the president) should also include the note: Gun Free Zone
Basically the cause of this and a thousand other similar incidents is the result of affirmative action. They get through school, college, university assured they are just as good as anybody else, they are given the same marks and diplomas and even the same jobs. And when everybody finally finds out they can't cut the mustard, fancy degree or not it is got to be someone else's fault.
Ditto to Ciccio....There's a difference between intelligence and education but affirmative action dictates the equalization of everyone to a lower standard, so when the unintelligent can't cut it in the real world, they become frustrated and violent.
@John the Econ- Great review of FOX News, and no - I don't think Juan would have his job if he were white.
One thing I will say in Fox's defense is that along with some of the clearly partisan posturing, they do give coverage to important stories that no other outlet will touch. The Planned Parenthood scandal, Hillary's email, and the many unanswered questions about Benghazi immediately spring to mind.
@joe jetson- I will never tire of opinions about what Obama's "son" would look like.
@Boligat- I agree. With the right signs and decals, the president shouldn't need any protection at all.
@Cioccio- For the umpteenth time, I'll repeat the phrase "the soft bigotry of low expectations." It's damning and damaging, and sometimes has fatal consequences.
@Judi King- Affirmative Action has become, in practice, a liberal declaration that black Americans can't compete on their merits. And if that's not racism, I don't know what is.
Stilty,
O's sign should read: "If you waste me you'll wind up with this." (And then show a picture of Biden.) That should give pause to anyone with a gun.
@Stilton, that much is true. Just as Rush Limbaugh was of the few national voices keeping the rest of the media at least somewhat honest in the '90s, today FOX's primary contribution has been the same for the last 15 years. The rest of those working in the semi-legitimate news media owes them a debt of gratitude, because without FOX keeping most of these issues alive, the rest of them would be reduced to little more than celebrity gossip.
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