a Slate quote re: Chris Matthews…I think it sounds like my blog therefore I am proclaming myself the next Chris Matthews…
Under the heading “The MSNBC motormouth talks a lot, says nothing.”
Nobody in TV news stir-fries his ideas and serves them to the audience faster than MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Drawing from a larder filled with old anecdotes, unreliable metaphors, wacky intuition, and superficial observations, the always-animated Matthews steers whatever’s handy into the hot wok that is his brain. The sizzling free-associations skitter through his limbic system, leap out his mouth, and look for a resting spot in the national conversation, where they steam like fresh lava in untouchable heaps.
I think of Matthews as quite a good representation of what is called the national mainstream leftist media, but I speak of them as the national mainstream vermin. In terms of just plain irritating behavior, he asks questions, then talks over the guest, anticipating their answer to make a rebutal before the question is answered. I have cancelled TV service. Lots of videos, news and otherwise; both recent and historical, is available on the internet, besides thousands of print reports, music, and educational opportunities. I think it is the beginning a true carte blanche media universe.
I do like matthews, but of course haven’t watched for years. At least he was involved in politics himself.
He never struck me as an ideologue who was afraid of intelligent conversation or willing to consider an intelligent point.
In terms of irritating behaviour o’reilley is the absolute worse. He was plain unwatchable.
Unfortunately TV isn’t the best medium for interviews and in-depth conversations. I find myself listening to a lot of podcasts. Radio is a better medium for depth.
It is becoming a carte blanche media, but I absolutely love hearing intelligent people that I may not agree with. The obvious (and horrible) downside to carte blanche media/news/opinion is that people will just seek out their usual sources that they agree with and never hear an actual differing opinion save for the shallow/incorrect explanations presented by the hosts who have a pre-prepared response to a flawed/misunderstood/incorrect/incomplete argument they just presented for themselves to skewer. Any host that does that is also not worth my time.