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I’ve been watching Rachel Maddow’s show (7PM mountain time, MSNBC) when I can, and I cringe when she has guests like Bill Maher on. He has a tendency to say things that are true, and that could get her canceled. Who does she think she is?
Maher did a program on ABC called “Politically Incorrect”, and not too long after 9/11 said “”We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.” Nothing wrong with that, from a truth standpoint. We are cowards who prefer to do our killing with elaborate devices rather than face-to-face, and when we bomb these backward countries, our pilots always come back alive. (Suicide bombers, on the other hand, rarely return from their missions.) But his statement created an uproar, and his advertisers demanded that he be canceled, and he was toasted over an open fire.
Note that good ratings did not help him, just as high ratings did not save Phil Donohue in the face of the jingoist post-9/11 tide in 2002. He was canceled despite being the highest rated show on MSNBC at that time. He was beating Chris Mathews. But advertisers rule, and they have a right wing ideological agenda that overrides business sense. (Click here to see a list of Fortune 500 companies that are boycotting Air America.)
Maddow’s show beat Keith Olbermann in the ratings last week. She might think she has job security for a while. But if she keeps pounding the progressive drum, if she keeps having guests on like Maher and allowing them to speak freely, she’ll go down in flames. And that’s too bad. She’s quick-witted, friendly, smart, and a nice balance to all of the conservative agitprop we see on regular TV. Glenn Beck can spew what right wing blather he pleases, Joe Scarborough can beat the drum for McCain all he wants, and right wingers are normally cock of the walk all over the dial, but there are limits on what can be said in response. Maddow’s show is refreshing, but treads dangerous ground. It’s not a liberal media – right leaning liberals are welcomed, but lefties are only barely tolerated (if given face time at all).
Conservatives play their greatest strength – control of the media, as their greatest weakness – “the liberal media”. It’s a brilliant strategy – it keeps everyone on air in a defensive posture, always placating the right. Maddow is an anomaly – she is only on the air at Keith Olbermann’s insistence. I cannot imagine she will last.
Maher also said “I keep going back to this cynical view I have, and people jump down my throat, but the underlying problem we have in this country is that the people are too stupid to be governed.” That’s probably true. He used the analogy of a dog that understands inflection more than actual commands. That’s perfect. For the American public, everything has to be reduced to utter stupid simplicity.
For instance, the energy issue is complex – we have to consider climate change and alternative sources and balance our need for resources with another asset, a clean environment. We shouldn’t let our need for oil override all the other issues. It takes thoughtful leadership to find the right balance.
Right? No, wrong! “Drill baby drill!” That utterly trite pearl of idiocy carries the day.
It’s election time. Fido – speak!
Footnote: Maher is doing well on HBO, which has no advertisers and mostly responds to viewer preferences.
Piece of Mindful 