Why are Political Commentators so Mean?

My simple question this evening is why do you have to be mean if you are a talking head talking about politics?

This has been a question I've had for some time.  At the 2008 elections I had wondered if the vast Democratic majority would learn the lesson's from the past and move to govern in the center and would they return to civility in the way the left and right dealt with issues?  We know from the experiences of the last two years they did not (for the sake of fairness the Republicans didn't make much effort either).  We also know from this past election they paid a price for their decisions to remain completely partisan.

(C) Art@BrokenTeapot

I really think John Stewart nailed it when he critiqued the left and right wing commentators as fanning the flames of hate that are leading to the inability of the government to govern.  It was amusing to watch Mr. Olbermann and Ms. Maddow take such great issue with being cast in the same light as Messrs. O'Reilly and Beck.  The "clearly we are not as bad as the other guys" defense struck me as, at best, childish in its approach.

I follow a couple of conservative blogs, and will from time to time drop in on a couple of liberal or progressive blogs to see what they are saying.  What I find is, for the most part, a waste of time.  The Blog owner will write about some perceived crime against his or her view, (both sides do the same thing) and everyone will pile on with a sentence or two of righteous indignation.  There isn't any real discussion of a pressing issue, analysis of options available, and second or third order affects from the decision.  It is such a pity, we have become a population that can only think in sound bites.

In entertainment (AKA Television and Radio News), I think Mr. Limbaugh has set the standard that all must follow.  His attack style of commentary now means that everyone must attack, or they will not have the ratings to continue.  I guess therein lies the problem.  We drive this kind of virulence because we watch or listen.

As our Representatives struggle for television air time, and national recognition so they may further their individual ambitions they have learned the way to get it is to make outrageous statements and establish unsupportable positions.  When that happens one side jumps to attack, and the other is forced to defend.  It is even better if we can make the argument personal.  I really think TV did this when they started to segregate the country by color.  Are you a Red or a Blue?  Are you with us or against us?

Maybe... rather than attacking an opinion we disagree with we should listen.  There must be some value in the position or the proponent wouldn't have it.  What is that value?  Is there any other way we can find the same value?  Debate and compromise used to be a good thing.  To bad it isn't still.

So What are You Doing for the Next Two Years?

A fortnight ago those American’s so inclined went to the polls to take their shot at government reform.  An increasing number opted for voting early, or in absentee so technically they made their choices even earlier.  What was the outcome of that exercise in democracy?  Well, on the surface we all shifted the balance of power in the Congress from left to right, kind of.   There was much gnashing of teeth, beating of breasts, and claims of doom or salvation, take your pick.

I see in the news today the Democrats have elected as their leaders in the House and Senate the same visionary team they had for the last Congress.  Ditto for the Republicans.  Boy they have done such a bang up job working together for the last two years we can clearly look forward to great and wonderful harmony, cooperation, and focus on the Nation’s problems.

Ah well, life goes on.  

On a related note, Mr. Olbermann has survived his indefinite suspension with all the good grace we’ve come to expect from this whimsical, mirth-filled, commentator.  From the extracts of his show it appears that his singular agenda for the foreseeable future will be to explain why he and MSNBC are pure as the driven snow, and no-where near as bad as the clearly far-right ultra-conservative rabble rousers at Fox.  I am sure along the way he will bow to the will of the people and reinstate the “worst person in the world” segment we all now recognize as the humorous, light hearted jab at those who may not be as enlightened as he and his core audience.

It appears Glen Beck and Bill O’Reilly are holding up under the pressure and between them raking in a tidy sum.  Clearly this is why they must favor tax cuts for the rich.  Although I would be guessing, I bet Keith Olbermann is making more than a buck two ninety-eight himself, I have to assume he is donating everything above the minimum TV Commentator scale to help pay for the social programs he supports.

I had a chance to go through the new heightened security screening at Reagan-Washington National Airport this morning.  Three observations: TSA agents have a hard job, they don’t set policy but are stuck carrying it out (I am not sure if you need a HS diploma or not to be a TSA agent, but I am betting some of them have GEDs).  The pat down would be a lot more fun if the TSA agents that were doing them didn’t weigh 300 lbs or look like they were 90 years old.  Finally, why can’t we get copies of the full body scan to hang up at home?  It reminds me of Hans Solo after he pissed off Jabba the Hut in StarWars.  Clearly these could be like the brass rubbings we did on tombs in England.  

Anyway, back to the question at hand -- what will I be doing for the next two years?  I will be wondering if there is a way to get Congress to work.