tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post5285985177798665023..comments2024-03-26T14:20:38.103-04:00Comments on The Thought Criminal: In Which I Disagree With Rachel MaddowUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-6208697488311145522013-08-21T10:14:58.246-04:002013-08-21T10:14:58.246-04:00Her format makes it all about her, which is inviti...Her format makes it all about her, which is inviting trouble. Some of her guests have been pretty appalling. When she had Amanda Marcotte on I wondered if it might have been way past shark-jumping state. <br /><br />I only see either of them when it's my night to sit with our mother, she's addicted to the MSNBC nighttime lineup. I didn't see his weekend show, but two hours twice a week is bound to be higher quality than an hour five times a week. That schedule is an invitation to following a formula and not having enough time to produce real quality. I think the schedule of Moyer's old show helped a lot, and he had co-hosts who produced filmed reports. <br /><br />I'm looking more at Foust's site and am wondering where he's been all my life. It is excellent. Thank you, again. The Thought Criminalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381376556757084468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-82931387027887712032013-08-21T10:03:42.165-04:002013-08-21T10:03:42.165-04:00I have my critiques of both of them. Chris was be...I have my critiques of both of them. Chris was better on weekend mornings, with the format of a two hour show where he could lead very intelligent discussions. He's gotten better, but I miss the old show.<br /><br />Although his comments on Ted Cruz last night had me shouting at the TeeVee. He was impressed with Cruz as Texas Solicitor General (an office basically invented for Cruz; Chris didn't know that), but Chris is no lawyer, and probably is impressed with Scalia, too (even as he disagrees with him). Chris thinks Cruz is dangerous; I think Cruz is a male Sara Palin, a man in love with the sound of his own voice and with TV cameras. I'm not as impressed with glib eloquence as some people are. It didn't carry Newt Gingrich all that far politically, and it won't make Cruz the next GOP POTUS.<br /><br />Rachel tends to flat out talk too much. She obviously works without a teleprompter, so she stops, blunders, repeats herself several times for emphasis when anyone listening got the point five minutes ago, and then tends to launch off into unsupported rants like the one you caught here. She'd do better to have more guests on to talk to, instead of just talking by herself for much of the show. I've gotten pretty tired of her.<br /><br />YMMV, of course.Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-43553129994880009212013-08-21T10:01:51.379-04:002013-08-21T10:01:51.379-04:00Thank you for the link. I was involved with writi...Thank you for the link. I was involved with writing a series of posts when he wrote this, I wasn't really paying that much attention to the Snowden-Greenwald-Poitras (am I just imagining that they're all jealous for attention?) affair. Looks like I've been playing catch-up and I will put Joshua Foust in my bookmarks right now. Thank you. The Thought Criminalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381376556757084468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-84807072136916644522013-08-21T09:55:58.895-04:002013-08-21T09:55:58.895-04:00The last I knew, they weren't married.
I th...The last I knew, they weren't married. <br /><br />I think Rachel Maddow is in danger of pandering to a fan base, that's the beginning of the end of a really distinguished career in journalism, though you can still be merely good. <br /><br />Chris Hayes, on commercial TV, is about the only real competition she's got in terms of intelligence but she should take his example as a way for her to freshen up her format and extend her repertoire. She's in danger of getting stale and turning into an audience pleaser. The Thought Criminalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381376556757084468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-56172149325706682922013-08-21T09:39:06.584-04:002013-08-21T09:39:06.584-04:00then putting journalists and their families throug...<i>then putting journalists and their families through marathon interrogations and seizing all their electronics is a really great way to start convincing the world that all that reporting is accurate. </i><br /><br />I can't confirm this, but I don't think Greenwald and Miranda are married under Brazilian law. If so, then Miranda isn't even "family." He's a roommate. Maybe a very, very committed roommate, but a roommate.<br /><br />And I don't say that in antagonism to same-sex marriage. I knew a couple once, male and female, who lived together and weren't married, even under the very loose allowance of Texas common law marriage (just say once "That's my husband," and you're married in Texas. It has to do with community property.). They were roommates, and in no way "family" for any legal purpose (next of kin, inheritance, etc.).<br /><br />So can we slow down and recognize what's before us, rather than erasing critical distinctions in favor of a position that really isn't tenable, that doesn't stand up to the least scrutiny?<br /><br />I used to expect better of Maddow, but mostly I don't, anymore.Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764506766343254616.post-54522553132436812272013-08-21T09:31:13.541-04:002013-08-21T09:31:13.541-04:00Two points: a) as news stories in England have ma...Two points: a) as news stories in England have made clear (it doesn't seem to have penetrated as much here, because it's not about US), the Guardian has info on British secrets and surveillance, too. So the Brits have reasons to detain Miranda independent of any US interest. Which puts a very sharp pin in the balloon of speculation that everything that happens in the world is about US.<br /><br />b) you might find this interesting. I've just started reading it, but I want to pass it along. https://medium.com/state-of-play/d2ca30c2f2abRmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.com