So, for whatever reason I was watching Dubya’s taped speech to the RNC on MSNBC just now. It was a recording of the earlier speech. Time for the producers to tee it up in just the right way, if they were so disposed.
George Bush has been a politician for a while, and he’s given his fair share of speeches – although, not admittedly, the kind of taped speeches his predecessor had to give. So I cringed for him when he paused on his video at all the right moments for applause, and smiled, and waited, and heard… nothing. Just those painful moments dragging on in silence. Him smiling.
It went on and on, painfully. An applause line, a pause – nothing. Nothing but an expectant smile that dragged on for moment after silent moment. Almost unbelievably: There was red meat stuff out there for the true believers. The devil would have gotten a cheer or two. Even Bill Clinton could have gotten a rise out of that crowd.
But no, nothing.
I know that folks on the left are eager to tie McCain to the failed policies of a failed Bush’s failed failures, while the right would be just as happy to leave it all behind and not deal with the emotional baggage of the infantilized. But, still: This was, and is, our president. Their 2004 nominee. It was, to me, inexplicable.
A sudden seed of suspicion grew in my mind. I grabbed the remote and changed the channel away from those painful, awkward silences on MSNBC to CBS. And heard – in the very same moment, at the very same words in the president’s speech – the ringing cheers and adulation of the crowd.
MSNBC had jiggered the speech in a way calculated to maximally humiliate a sitting president of the United States of America. This is what passes for “news” at Keith Olbermann’s house.
Can you dig it?
Update: I had to shift again from CBS to ABC in order to hear what Fred Thompson was saying. Apparently CBS thought that the former presidential candidate’s speech was not as newsworthy as Katie Couric’s “analysis”.
This is at least partly why I don’t watch TV.
I don’t know how you can bear to watch MSNBC – I’d stroke out. I was so afraid the President would be treated disrespectfully by the people in his own party, but was pleased to hear applause, whistles, etc. in the proper places. I just wonder how many people have ever had a Perfect President in their lifetime?! I don’t recall a single one in my 68 years with which everyone agreed at all times. I also don’t recall another one who was blamed for every single thing that went wrong during his tenure. …and yes, this election has made me awfully grouchy.
Caught the last bit on CNN and heard a reasonable amount of applause, etc. I don’t subscribe to MSNBC – it’s a “premium channel” around these parts. Just as well I’m not wasting the money.
Brian
Why don’t you watch it on C-Span?
Yet another reason I don’t watch TV and another reason I plan to cancel cable once MacGyver deploys again.
Despicable.
I noticed the same thing, Lex. As each of the mainstream networks pissed me off I changed to another, so I joined that disconnected-from-the-applause version mid-stream and knew exactly what they were doing. I actually ended up watching the convention on PBS. Who’d have thunk it?
Did anyone notice MSNBC scanning the crowd looking for close-ups of yawns? (I can imagine the director behind the scenes – “yawn on camera 4 – quick switch to close-up on 4″.)
Even after all the game-playing the media couldn’t screw it up, though. I thought both Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman gave the speeches of their lives.
Oh, Lex,
Don’t you recall that they all said that if Bush were elected that we would have managed news (among all the other “return of the Nazis” paraphernalia)? And they were right!
I have not tuned in to MSNBC, CBS, NBC or ABC for YEARS! There is no news there, at least none that is not the talking points for the liberal left. I have even noticed a shift in CSPAN. At the very least, the conservative stuff is scheduled for the late night hours, Sunday morning and other low viewership times. No so with the liberal stuff.
So after the blogs, which have the absolute BEST coverage, I tune to FOX. Between Cavuto and Special Report with Brit Hume I find enough fair coverage. I even watch (at times) Hannity and The Corpse. There are times, of course, when I must hit the mute button when The Corpse starts spouting off the most egregious lying talking points of the leftards. But that is the price I pay to hear Dick Morris and Carl Rove (he who controls the universe with his little pinky — the one on the right hand).
Just remember, most folks still get their news from the big three. That’s the extent of their interest in following this stuff. And they get the wrong impression from misleading reporting. That’s what pisses me off so much.
When I think of those people, I think of that young Chinese “student” that the Candace Bergen character thought so well of in “The Sand Pebbles.” Then I think of him when Steve McQueen meets him at the boom. With an axe. In the tummy.
Jake Holman is my favorite borderline-aspie character in all the movies; instinctive genius with all machinery (including weapons), but just can’t get that social stuff right. I remember his first interview when reporting aboard, and the Captain says, “Well, Holman, it says here that you’re very good at everything except, umm, leadership….”
Were I John McCain, and had I been elected to the office of President, I can state the first executive order to come from my mouth is that MSNBC is not allowed in the press pool.
If they want to talk about the freedom of the press, fine. They’re free to make up news, they’re free to alter live coverage, they’re free to pick up the White House briefings from their competitors too.
And the first reporter to ask about the VP’s family has 30 seconds to pack up their gear and exit the building. I’m not kidding.
The second executive order I’d make is that any reporter allowed into the White House press pool will have a segment on the White House website complete with their voter registration, donation history, tax returns, criminal and civil records, names of all family members and their criminal records, in short every bit of public information to be found. Just like the elected officials they report on.
To, you know, keep it fair.
Wonder how well that would go over?
– Max
Max, I gotta tell ya, I think that’s a terrific idea.
Oh, yeah, X, transparency is the only sauce that’s good for both goose and gander.
This is why honest cops should welcome citizens making video records of everything they do in public while wearing uniform and badge.
Max gets to oversee the Press Corps.
Fred, oh Fred…
my brother! where were you six months ago?
i want a doosie-over again, with last night’s Fred sent back in time to talk like that during the debates and stumping, and then quick fast fwd again to last Friday when Fred would have picked Sarah all over again…
Olberman calling one speech “militaristic” was typical of MSNBC’s coverage. Their coverage of the Democratic Convenion had no mention of “abortion,” a sharp contrast where they see this convention as all about the issue. It’s really fascinating to observe how MSNBC is shaping the conventions and how they’re ignoring some issues.
I’m moaning over Fred, too. Where was this Fred a few months ago? Makes me want to kick him!
Exactly. Why the hell didn’t Fred campaign?
MSNBC is owned by Microsoft (MS) and GE (NBC).
Why do these two corporations permit their corporate assets to be used for promoting the personal political beliefs of certain employees?
Sometimes the candidate knows it’s not him. Maybe that’s the case. I mean, it’s a HARD job.
Seems to me that the biggest threat to a free press, at least lately , is the press it’s self.
My wife turned the TV to ABC in time to catch Fred Thompson. After he ended as they broke for commercial I heard the talking head at ABC say something I didn’t quite believe.
So I had her run back the DVR (I love that thing!) and I heard the same thing.
Run it back. Turn on closed captioning.
And there it was, in bold print on the screen: Senator Fred Thompson…. of Wisconsin.
I think the citizens of Tennessee would be surprised.
I’m with Skippy: C-SPAN. No talking heads, no frickin’ banners with “Breaking NEWS!”… no nuthin’. .. except for what’s going on, warts and all.
Or, as Joe Friday allegedly said…”Just the facts, Ma’am. Just the facts.”
Justthisguy is my man all the way!
“….everything except, umm, leadership….” (Chortle….I’d totally forgotten THAT part) It’s always the “students” who are the most of the totally lacking in humor zealots, isn’t it?
At first I enjoyed watching “K.O.” foam at the mouth, hoping to see him stroke out live on camera, and Dan Abrams trying hard to catch up on the sense of outrage meter. Unfortunately for Dan, he seemingly couldn’t bring himself to be vituperative enough fast enough, with enough spittle, so has been replaced by that dainty thing Madow.
(How willingly they eat their young!)
Everyone here who comments about MSNBC is right, of course. I would guess the reason that it has become so blatant is that they’ve finally decided that they might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb and go all the way, rather than linger in the “doth protest
to much” category of denial of the obvious.
“too” much. ouch.
CSPAN would be a good answer, except both CSPAN and CSPAN2 seemed to think that Ron Paul and his merry band were more newsworthy than the RNC across the street (at least when I checked them). WTF, over???
I think CSPAN learned from the Iran-Contra hearings, where an unedited and un”interpreted” Col. North emerged a hero. They no longer are content to simply provide unedited governmental functions without commenters. They have silly call-in shows where they read such wonderful news sources as the NYT and WaPo and ask callers to comment on same. Plus, they choose to televise such silliness as those mock “hearings” back when the Dems were out of power and held their own “hearing” in a conference room rearranged to look like some committee meeting room.
The inequality of the press is unbelievable. Maybe that’s why the libs think MSNBC, etc., are telling it like it is. You simply couldn’t make this stuff up, it’s too blankin’ outrageous!
Give me Fox – 24/7. At least they sometimes show both sides, more than I can say for the others.
This will probably shock the sh**t out all of you, but I thought Thompson’s speech was pretty good. Unlike the man with the lobotomy on the campaign trail.
Red meat for the masses.
DD,
Where I work, I make a point of turning Fox News to CNN whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Just doing my bit to prevent stupidity!
Fox news causes brain damage……………..
This makes me so sick…now if only the “news” would report on this egregious misuse of power…so everyone would know how badly they’d overstepped their bounds.
I’m beginning to think there’s truly no hope for our country.
d
I make a point of turning Fox News to CNN whenever the opportunity presents itself.
LOL, you must love sitting at the airport gate as much as I hate it! I have no issues with CNN one way or the other, but I sure wish I wasn’t held captive to it when I’d prefer to be able to just sit and read in peace.
Fred! where were you? Garnering personal favors for the future? If so – good on ya. Would have loved to see more of that red meat last fall, but I’d be happy if he gets a cabinet post in the McCain admin.
Then again – we now have the unquestionable red meat of Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Which isn’t so bad. I may be a girl, but I’m crushing on Ms. Palin just like our humble scribe.
As for the MSM, I rarely watch any of them, including CNN and Fox. I deliberately watched PBS to catch the Fred! speech and the speeches last night. Will likely do so again tonite for the same reason.
Otherwise, it’s the blogs I hit for news. The MSM are useless.
Being actor pays better than being President. Fred knows that…………
“Fred Thompson don’t take a dump without a plan son”.