I
posted earlier this year about my love for MSNBC's coverage of the 2008 election. Over the past couple of weeks, that channel has moved from commenting on the news to making news. Anchored by Chris Matthews and (barf) Keith Olbermann, the convention coverage has been marred by on-air spats and off air speculation about the feuds. So, now the subpar David Gregory will host as Matthews and Olbermann are tossed aside. Click below for more of my thoughts on the coverage:
At first, I didn't mind Olbermann because I knew what I was getting and he was juvenile in his attacks. Now, though, he holds himself up as both the protector of the American Left and the direct descendant of Edward R. Murrow, which he clealry is not. After each of the Democratic speeches, he did his best to help define their spin/interpretation by immediately jabbering 'that was a home run' for Hillary, and gave similar ecstatic exhortations to all of their speakers before Matthews or anyone else could get a word in edgewise. During the RNC convention, he demanded to stay in NY ostensibly to cover the overhyped Gustav, but in reality because he didn't feel 'secure' enough at the convention. Talk about taking yourself too seriously. Anyway, his self-important B.S. absolutely took a toll and has unfairly poisoned the whole channel and more specifically and unfairly, Chris Matthews.
Matthews is my favorite political commentator. He is smart, has political skins on the wall, and tells it like it is. He is basically 'in the middle' and keeps his bias in check, as far as I can tell. He was criticized as being in the tank for Obama during the Spring, but I watched all of those nights, and he was just reacting like everyone else to an electrifying speaker tapping the zeitgeist of the country (don't worry, I still have my NOBAMA shirts, I wasn't electrified by The One). He should come back and isn't a self-important bloviator like Olbermann.
As for the new host, David Gregory, he is off-putting and overachieving, and, of course, seems a little too pleased with himself. I would MUCH prefer the great, brilliant, Brian Williams. He has no known political affiliation, is self-deprecating and has the journalistic chops to handle the momentous occasions.
Bottom line: I am now in search of a new election 'headquarters'.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Election Coverage - MSNBC
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2 comments:
Brian Williams would have been a much better choice. Gregory's democrat bias is as obvious as Olbermann's. Matthews is obviously biased, but at least provides some nice insight from time to time.
I couldn't agree more. My love for matthews is well established. Olbermann is the left's answer to O'Reilly, with all the bad that comes with that. But even Fox has the good sense not to prop him up to host their coverage. Matthews is the most "honest" of the commentators, able to both be caught up in the moment in a great speech, but able to do so for either side. I've heard him on the record state that he voted Bush in '00 and Kerry in '04, so he does seem pretty centrist (if kerry isn't centrist in '04, neither was bush...). Gregory is stop-gap. Hopefully NBC realizes that. That gray hair only gets you so much gravitas. The rest you've got to earn. I'd rather see Norah O'Donnell (for a variety of reasons) than Gregory.
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