Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday Question for Liberals
Same question: who is the best Democrat/liberal on TV or radio? Define best however you want -- most entertaining? Most intelligent? Most persuasive?
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Jonathan Bernstein
I'm a political scientist blogging about American politics, especially the presidency, Congress, parties, and elections.
New item alerts and occasional other tweets @jbplainblog
New item alerts and occasional other tweets @jbplainblog
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Ones That I Liked
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Attack Politics Inevitable.
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Hard Boards Politics ain't easy.
Pardon Them On torture.
"Live" Filibuster Give it up, already.
Attack Politics Inevitable.
When Polling Doesn't Help
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Probably Rachel Maddow. I can't even think of anyone else with a regular show that I even like much. If Ezra Klein had one, maybe him.
ReplyDeleteFor all his flaws, I can't help liking Chris Matthews-- it was his book, Hardball, that first got me interested in politics. But when it comes to intelligence and coherence, I've always thought the best was Rachel Maddow.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jon Stewart. I know he's a comedian and I should feel guilty counting him alongside professional politicos. Jon Stewart anyway.
(As you can perhaps guess from the above, that's just the opinion of a TV viewer; I don't really know much about liberal radio personalities, and I'm certainly open to the idea that none of the above is really very informative.)
Chris Hayes. He wonks out hard.
ReplyDeleteEzra comes second, as a sometimes guest-host on MSNBC shows. But he's getting that largely because of his blogging work, not just his TV appearances.
Maddow comes in third, and everyone else trails.
It's gotta be Maddow, right? Stewart is the only other one that comes to mind, but he refuses the label and occasionally attacks team D.
ReplyDeleteMaddow comes across as really condescending. I can't stand her constant sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteMy vote is Bill Moyers. He's serious, and actually makes an effort to persuade, unlike Maddow who is preaching to the choir and pursuing those endless "outrage pieces" that 24 hour news loves so much.
I should have said Bill Moyers. Yeah, he's legit.
DeleteReally? Nobody has mentioned Colbert yet? He's funnier than Stewart and smarter than Maddow.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Colbert is more entertaining (he's a true multi-faceted performer), whip smart, and he regularly has some truly stinging commentary segments, whose irony and wit really deconstructs the logic and emotional pull of talking points and conventional wisdom. Stewart often relies way too much on calling out politicians simply for hypocrisy.
DeleteAs far as more straight ahead analysts and journalistic shows, I don't know who's a liberal worth watching on TV. Doug Henwood's leftist radio show/podcast "Behind the News" is always intelligent and deeply substantive in covering issues. Fareed Zakaria is a mandarin centrist, but he conducts foreign policy/global affairs discussion with a seriousness that doesn't put up with ridiculous Republican rhetoric.
And if radio includes regular podcasts, I think I'd also add the liberal, weekly shows put out by the New Yorker and Slate (for Emily Bazelon's legal analysis on their Political Gabfest).
DeleteAlso the producers of "This American Life" occasionally put together a nice study of political issues from a moderate perspective that leans toward liberalism (but on social issues more than on economic matters).
Colbert / Stewart are your top dogs, followed by Bill Maher. top liberal I'd put up against any conservative? Thom Hartmann. For that rah rah, cheer for the home team liberalism, see Ed Schultz
ReplyDeleteI'd second Hartmann. As a young socialist, I would listen to his shows when he brought on various flacks for Ayn Rand... and listen in horror as they dismantled his arguments about the history of commerce and monopolies and the nature of democracy: 50% + 1 order compliance from the minority, etc.
DeleteHartmann's fairness towards them pushed me toward libertarianism.
Colbert / Stewart are the best. If they don't count because it's comedy, they're followed by Chris Matthews. Matthews is simultaneously the biggest blow-hard on cable and the best cross-examiner.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand Maddow's show. She's smart herself but always caters to the lowest common-denominator. It's just an ideological cheer-leading show and I never understood the appeal.
I'm not sure I'm answering the question that was asked, but I'll take Barney Frank. I love it when he gets asked something by an idiot like Joe Kernan.
ReplyDeleteI gotta go with Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
ReplyDeleteStewart/Colbert. Given modern polarization, sometimes only the court jester can tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnonymousApr 22, 2012 01:57 PM nailed it with Chris Hayes. I can enjoy Bill Maher a great deal, but it's disturbing that anyone would list him as a Democrat/Liberal. Maddow can be good but, and I attribute it to the medium, is often quite silly.
ReplyDeleteBRIAN LEHRER on WNYC!! I'm 20 years old now and have been listening to him every single morning since I was 12. I realize that he's probably not as liberal but he's incredibly informative and argues both sides. Stewart, Colbert and Maddow are all amazing, but no one beats Lehrer.
ReplyDeleteYes, Lehrer's show is great! As you say, very informative. He gets knowledgable speakers who he interviews well. Has really helpful coverage of NYC-area state politics too. It's sad that so few TV shows, including network and cable, set out to simply do this format.
ReplyDeleteSince it's relevant here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2012/apr/23/2012-election-battleground-voter-groups/
As a once and sometime Obamacon, I believe the following: if Michael Moore had directed the movie Heathers, it might have looked a lot like The Rachel Maddow Show.
ReplyDeleteWhich isn't a knock on Maddow; Shannen Doherty & Co were much more compelling than ostensible protagonists Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. The problem with the Heathers, as it relates to Maddow, is that they were ridiculously insincere and opportunistic.
I can't shake the impression that someday the Koch Brothers will buy off the hipster kids at the Beltway event of the year, and by the end of the night Maddow will be the head of a fledgling Tea Party division.