After this political season is over and a postmortem is written on the campaign, the absolute insanity of NBC/MSNBC is going to be one of the bigger stories. They actually do make Fox look fair and balanced, and when Tim Olbermann makes Chris Matthews look like a bipartisan conciliator, then you know something is wrong.
As I have been prone to do when there is a debate, I have watched the political shows preceding it, and shockingly, Chris Matthews was asking questions that were critical of both candidates, but as soon as Olbermann came on, it became one Clinton snark attack after another. I understand on his own show that he has total editorial control, and I do not begrudge him that. However, I do take umbrage at his anchoring the debate analysis, and it basically seems like he was watching a completely different debate. It looks like maybe Saturday Night Live needs to do a spoof of him, because he's obviously lost most of his mental faculties.
Which brings me to the actual debate. Tim Russert is the absolute worst example of journalistic ego run amok. He believes that he is the king/queen maker, and that somehow he is more the story than the actual candidates. The role of a moderator is to ask a question and get out of the way, but he jumped in with both feet and a roundhouse swing, interrupting and counterpunching, like he was running for President himself (god, help us all). Plus, while he did hit Obama pretty hard with the Louis Farrakhan questions, check that, he was COMPLETELY out of line with that question and the continuation of accusing Obama's pastor of being anti-semetic, the lion's share of his derision was aimed squarely at Hillary Clinton. He kept trying to trip her up, cutting her off, asking her childish, debate questions like, "What's the name of the new Russian President?" after she skillfully answered the question of how Medvede is a puppet of Putin. Come on Tim, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are not as stupid as George W. Bush. Quit treating them like they are! Furthermore, it was an absolute pile on in regards to Hillary, and when you have Kathryn Jean Lopez, correspondent at the conservative National Review saying "Tim Russert wants to keep me down. It's clear that women have it worse than blacks in America, the way Hillary Clinton is being questioned tonight." Then you need to take a step back...
With all the hypothetical questions, I half expected Tim to ask "If Cobra Commander decides to attack Kosovo, will you retaliate?" Ye gods...to quote a commenter on Ezra Klein's blog " Tim Russert is a huge Tub of Fail" (I want that on a t-shirt).
Tim Russert, you are an ignorant slut (SNL reference, people), and I refuse to watch Meet the Press EVER again. As a member of the press, you have a responsibility to guide how people perceive politics, and when you sit there and deride candidates for the negative tone of the campaign and then out of the the other side of your mouth perpetuate EVERYTHING that is negative about gotcha politics in America, YOU SIR, are part of the problem. There will be no solution while you are still on the air.
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