Tonight is Larry King’s last show and I think 25 years deserves respect, so I turned on CNN preparing to watch this last show in real time. I’ve seen relatively few over the years, but whenever I did, I appreciated how he stepped back and never made the show about himself.
And that is how I came to see some of the new 8pm show, Parker/Spitzer. These are two smart knowledgable people – and the show sucks. I don’t know if CNN has noticed but Parker communicates from every pore that she is bored and finds the guests just not worthy of her attention – almost Cokie Roberts level bored.
(At least it seemed so during the ten minutes I saw. On the other hand I’ve often enjoyed her columns, but the woman lacks an on-air personality.)
None of this matters of course. But what the heck, Christmas is coming no matter how hard Harry Reid tries to stop it and nobody is paying any attention. So I can say whatever I want.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
I think it’s time to tell the kids that CNN went to live on a farm upstate.
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Where he will have lots of friends and space to play in . . . .
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Whoops – I misread. You meant all of CNN? Well of course they’ve gone to that big broadband spectrum in the sky.
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All of it. They confused neutrality with mediocrity. I dumped them for MSNBC. Best move ever.
I listed my problems with CNN here if your day is boring:
http://upsideofinertia.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/349/
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Just spent some time at your place and enjoyed very much! And (belatedly) added you to my blogroll.
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Let’s say you qualify for my “blogs I often comment on because I want my keyboard’s money’s worth” blogroll.
I guess my comments show I enjoy your blog too… 🙂
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That show is hopeless – ratings are minimal – and they apparently hate each other. She’s threatened to leave many times, also during live breaks. He dominates everything – and she feels stepped over.
The ratings from monday (in thousands)
FNC THE OREILLY FACTOR 3,105
CNN PARKER SPITZER 415
MSNBC COUNTDOWN W/ K. OLBERMANN 1,091
And this new brit at 9p – another disaster. You saw him last night at Jon Stewart..
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Haven’t seen Stewart from last night yet. But I said a million posts back that CNN should have replaced King with Bill Mahar – they’d have attracted entire new audiences and the show would be GOOD. People would climb all over each other to get on it.
The guy they’re using – total capitulation to substantless(sp?) tv by CNN. They’re committing suicide. Cooper continues to be worth watching sometimes.
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Ahhh, I think I meant unsubstantial!
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Of course!
CNN should hire you as a programming consultant – in charge of anchor strategy 🙂 I’m wathing the King show from last night right now – and Bill is very good.
It was two nights ago on JS.. the Pierce guy who says tv is “theater”.. it’s DOA.
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I think Bill Maher is funny. But, I find his views offensive. He supports persecuting Muslims. He supports the killing of the handicapp and elderly. And I think he is a hateful, arrogant cynic. Just my opinions, though. No offense.
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I like him a lot Sam – but killing the handicapped and the elderly? He’s made jokes, but that’s not the same as supporting.
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Bill Maher is like David Letterman, funny a couple of decades ago. Too left wing to take seriously. Like so many on the left, he is a Pseudo Intellectual. The type was very common in the mid 1930s. One reason the 1940s were so bad.
Anyway if you are on the left it is easier to offend people and not be censored.
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“Too left wing to take seriously.”
Speak for yourself, soft boy.
Anyway, these days, even Mussolini is too liberal for most Americans…
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Alan – what the frack is a ‘psuedo’ intellectual. I’ve always wondered about that. As for Mahar, anyone who makes their living as a comedian isn’t really pretending to be anything except a sharp wit – he wants to provoke AND be funny. And he succeeds at that quite well.
So tell me what makes Mahar a ‘psuedo’ intellectual (whatever that means)?
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jean-phillippe,
” Speak for yourself, soft boy. ”
I suppose that is derogatory, but I don’t hang with that crowd so I don’t know.
” Anyway, these days, even Mussolini is too liberal for most Americans…”
If I remember right many Americans on the right and left admired Il Duce until he and Der Furer intervened in Spain. That was the beginning of the fascists seeing that the Western Democracies had no stomach for stopping evil early. Kinda like the Democratic Party of the post Vietnam era.
Thank God, those of us on the Right have studied World history and try to prevent repeating it’s mistakes.
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“Thank God, those of us on the Right have studied World history and try to prevent repeating it’s mistakes.”
This year, every time I heard the GOP, I’ve been thinking about Italy in the 1930’s. Or that other country, up North.
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Ms. Holland,
My idea of a pseudo Intellectual is someone who uses unnecessary obscure words or phrases, or falsely impunes the intelligence of their political foes. I realize the first part could also describe the President.
Maher is a left wing commentator disguised as a comedian. So is Jon Stewart. The difference is that Stewart is funny and Maher is not.
jean-phillippe,
” This year, every time I heard the GOP, I’ve been thinking about Italy in the 1930′s. Or that other country, up North. ”
Why are we about to invade Spain or Ethiopia? Why don’t you tell me what you think you know about 1930s Italy?
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Look at the military budget of Mussolini and look the Pentagon budget and get back to me, champ.
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[unnecessary obscure words or phrases] It’s like you’re saying he’s a fake because he doens’t speak in bumper sticker.
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I agree with Alan. Anyone should speak with 3 words sentenses. Let’s refudiate these elitists.
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jean-phillippe,
” Look at the military budget of Mussolini and look the Pentagon budget and get back to me, champ. ”
Champ, dunno if I should be insulted or thankful. So if I read you correctly, the size of a Country’s military budget is somehow relevant to whether it is fascist or not. You still have not shown me that you know what you are talking about in regards to the rise in power of il Duce. By your own standards the United States must have been the most evil Country in history during FDR’s WW2 administration. In real terms our military budget was enormous then. Champ.
Ms. Holland,
” [unnecessary obscure words or phrases] It’s like you’re saying he’s a fake because he doens’t speak in bumper sticker. ”
If we are back to President Obama, then yesss. The man’s favorite phrase is ” let me be clear “, because he never is. I can’t listen to his speeches, and when I try to read them later, I need a translator. I was going to say that bumper sticker English would be a huge improvement but, then I remember that he does speak that way sometimes. ” Hope and change “. ” We are the ones, we have been waiting for. ” He is a comedian. I would rate him somewhere between Bill Maher and Jon Stewart.
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When a wise man points the moon the fool looks at the finger.
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Exactly. (Great line, where does that come from?)
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I think that’s an old Chinese proverb. Seems that the issue transcends time and space…
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Alan, I am quite puzzled – how did Obama become the answer? Thought we were talking about Bill Mahar.
But yeah, that damn Obama used all those campaign phrases when he campaigned. All that politico talk when he was doing politics. And that ‘let me be clear’ thing! – he should have used the original as phrased by Ronald Reagan constantly ‘let me be perfectly clear’. Obama is probably one of those psuedo intellectuals, but he broke the rule by leaving out the unnecessary word instead of adding another.
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Send Bill Maher to Canada and he’s just one mainstream comedian.
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Ms. Holland,
Please excuse me I am probably in too many discussions on too many boards right now. I don’t have any recent examples of Maher because I don’t even watch him for boredom reasons like I do the MSNBC crowd. Guess I’ll have to watch him again just to be qualified to criticize .
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Fair enough!
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And when you do, try to catch him skewering the media like Jon Stewart does. Taht’s what they both do best
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