Most of the presidential candidates, democrat or republican, are running because they have something to show for their hard work and would like to work even harder by serving the American people as president. Regardless of political views, that is admirable. However there's one man who is running on a lie. That man is the republican frontrunner, Rudy Guiliani and the sad part is, most people trust and like this guy.
Rudy is basing his entire campaign on one event: 9/11. He is using what he did on 9/11 as his reason to be president. But I ask, what did Rudy do that was so great? He appeared visibly upset on TV, ok, big deal, everyone was upset. That was it. Rudy became the face of 9/11 because he was on TV so much, its that simple. The question has to be asked though--what did he do before 9/11 and what did he do beginning on 9/12?
Before 9/11, his only claim to fame was reducing crime. Yet he alone didn't magically reduce crime. Crime had been steadily decreasing before he came into office. What about after 9/11? Well I prefer to listen to the people who were there instead of drawing my own conclusion. The NYPD, FDNY, and WTC victims all say that Guiliani used this tragedy for political gain. One story particularly upsets me. Rudy called off the search for the remains and possible survivors in the rubble as soon as he found gold and silver from the WTC vaults. He has harmed the health of thousands of brave rescue workers by downplaying the negative health effects of the air quality near Ground Zero. Rudy could have saved many lives of firefighters as well, if he had just done what he knew needed to be done years before---upgrade the FDNY radios. And how about Rudy supposedly knowing oh so much about Iraq and is going to do the right thing there. Well, that could be more believable if he had attended just some of the Iraq Study Group meetings instead of making speeches for his profit. And speaking of profit, if you still don't believe Rudy uses 9/11 for political gain: Before 9/11 he was worth $2 million. Now after giving speeches about 9/11, he is estimated to be worth 30 times that amount. And what does he do with that money??? Yo guessed it, run for president and further promote himself.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The battle for prime time: a Review of cable opinions shows
The top 3 cable news channels all have their pluses and their downs. Then there is Fox News, or as Keith Olberman and myself like to say, Faux Noise. Here is my reviews of their prime time opinion shows and the network overall.
-CNN: CNN itself doesn't really have an "opinion" show, but rather shows that have guests who talk their opinion. Their best program has to be the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Its features quick segments on the top news stories of the day while also featuring segments where political experts such as Carville, Huffington, Crowley, and more give their views on the hottest political news. Lou Dobbs is a terribly boring host. To be honest I could never watch his show for more than 5 minutes. Speaking of boring, Larry King needs to retire. His show brings nothing to CNN. While his interviews used to be sharp and crisp, he rarely follows up on anything his guests say and to top it all off, he rarely remembers their name. Then is Anderson Cooper. While an okay host, again he just doesn't add any spice to the mix. His monotone voice and needless stories just aren't what today's audience needs. CNN is like the CBS evening news, obviously catering to the older, traditional crowd.
-Headline Prime: Well there are really only two opinion shows on Headline Prime. Glen Beck is a bumbling right-wing idiot who sucks up to the base of his party like no one else's business. I'm surprised he hasn't been offered a contract by Faux Noise. His fear tactics are right in line with those of the GOP, in fact, a few months ago he and his guests talked about this current Iraq/Iran conflict causing the end of the world if we aren't careful. Than there's Nancy "Good Night Friend" Grace. What can I say about her? Comedy, pure comedy. Good for a laugh. Especially her frequent guest Susan "I rhyme everything I say" Moss. I would assume these two shows appeal to crazies.
-Speaking of crazy, we have Faux Noise. To be honest its kind of hard for me to review them based on opinions, because there is no opinion with them. Its "I'm right, you're wrong". Its right-wing bias taken to the extreme. And the kind of Faux Noise...the "Worst Person in the World" himself, Bill O. I really don't know how people watch this and make this the #1 "news" channel.
-Then there is the fastest growing news channel, MSNBC, my personal favorite. It has opinion shows, yet has diverse opinions. Tucker Carlson provides the conservative view. Chris Matthews provides the moderate view, and Keith Olberman gives his liberal opinions. Its a good mix and not to mention there is even further diversified opinions within the shows. Tucker usually features one republican and one democrat on the panel. Hardball with Chris Matthews has the daily Hardball Debate between a democrat and republican, similar to the crossfire days, and Countdown with Keith Olberman usually has all moderate guests, some leaning right, others leaning left. And then we have Dan Abrams, the male Nancy Grace. Easily MSNBC's worst show, they should give Allison Stewart or David Shuster their own show in that slot.
So the verdict:
1) MSNBC for its diverse opinions and sharp, energetic, and passionate commentators.
2) CNN by default. Not as bad as the following two, and if you like more calm, traditional shows, then CNN is for you.
3) Headline Prime's Glen Beck is enough to make this network go sour quickly, add in Nancy Grace and you have a network
thats would finish last on this countdown if I didn't have to rank Faux Noise.
4) Faux Noise, the reason should be clear.
-CNN: CNN itself doesn't really have an "opinion" show, but rather shows that have guests who talk their opinion. Their best program has to be the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Its features quick segments on the top news stories of the day while also featuring segments where political experts such as Carville, Huffington, Crowley, and more give their views on the hottest political news. Lou Dobbs is a terribly boring host. To be honest I could never watch his show for more than 5 minutes. Speaking of boring, Larry King needs to retire. His show brings nothing to CNN. While his interviews used to be sharp and crisp, he rarely follows up on anything his guests say and to top it all off, he rarely remembers their name. Then is Anderson Cooper. While an okay host, again he just doesn't add any spice to the mix. His monotone voice and needless stories just aren't what today's audience needs. CNN is like the CBS evening news, obviously catering to the older, traditional crowd.
-Headline Prime: Well there are really only two opinion shows on Headline Prime. Glen Beck is a bumbling right-wing idiot who sucks up to the base of his party like no one else's business. I'm surprised he hasn't been offered a contract by Faux Noise. His fear tactics are right in line with those of the GOP, in fact, a few months ago he and his guests talked about this current Iraq/Iran conflict causing the end of the world if we aren't careful. Than there's Nancy "Good Night Friend" Grace. What can I say about her? Comedy, pure comedy. Good for a laugh. Especially her frequent guest Susan "I rhyme everything I say" Moss. I would assume these two shows appeal to crazies.
-Speaking of crazy, we have Faux Noise. To be honest its kind of hard for me to review them based on opinions, because there is no opinion with them. Its "I'm right, you're wrong". Its right-wing bias taken to the extreme. And the kind of Faux Noise...the "Worst Person in the World" himself, Bill O. I really don't know how people watch this and make this the #1 "news" channel.
-Then there is the fastest growing news channel, MSNBC, my personal favorite. It has opinion shows, yet has diverse opinions. Tucker Carlson provides the conservative view. Chris Matthews provides the moderate view, and Keith Olberman gives his liberal opinions. Its a good mix and not to mention there is even further diversified opinions within the shows. Tucker usually features one republican and one democrat on the panel. Hardball with Chris Matthews has the daily Hardball Debate between a democrat and republican, similar to the crossfire days, and Countdown with Keith Olberman usually has all moderate guests, some leaning right, others leaning left. And then we have Dan Abrams, the male Nancy Grace. Easily MSNBC's worst show, they should give Allison Stewart or David Shuster their own show in that slot.
So the verdict:
1) MSNBC for its diverse opinions and sharp, energetic, and passionate commentators.
2) CNN by default. Not as bad as the following two, and if you like more calm, traditional shows, then CNN is for you.
3) Headline Prime's Glen Beck is enough to make this network go sour quickly, add in Nancy Grace and you have a network
thats would finish last on this countdown if I didn't have to rank Faux Noise.
4) Faux Noise, the reason should be clear.
The Biden Auditions---our next Secretary of State?
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware is one of the most experienced men running for the presidency. Yet just like Richardson and Dodd, his years of experience has not yet helped in the polls. Yet unlike Dodd and Richardson, the Delaware Senator for 34 years is a great performer in the debates. He has that forcefulness and passion that Dodd and especially Richardson lack. Yet have you noticed what I've seen?
Joe Biden is auditioning to Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State, much like he did in the 2004 election. Why do I say that? Well in the first debate Biden backed Hillary Clinton, saying that the Republicans are sadly mistaken if they believe she would be easy to defeat. He has said kind words about Senator Clinton in every single interview I've seen him give. And he loves to tout the fact that he is Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. But in fact, I must say, whether Biden auditioned are not, he has to be at the top of any and every democrat's list for Secretary of State. That position is becoming increasingly important with the conflicts in the Middle East. Joe Biden has great knowledge of foreign relations and his forcefull and "say it as it is" attitude is exactly what America needs right now.
Who else would I consider for the job? Not Obama thats for sure....but anyway:
-I truly like Barbara Boxer. I've heard her speak several times, and every time she speaks she demonstrates her foreign relations experience. She is the chairwoman on the Senate Foreign relations sub-committee for Asian affairs as well as being member on the sub-committee for terrorism and the Peace Corps. She too has been a long time Senator for 14 years now.
-Bill Richardson has a mighty impressive resume. What qualifies him most for Secretary of State is the fact that he was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Not to mention he has successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein, Castro, and Kim Jong-il for the release of American prisoners. He was also involved in foreign relations while in Congress for 14 years.
Joe Biden is auditioning to Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State, much like he did in the 2004 election. Why do I say that? Well in the first debate Biden backed Hillary Clinton, saying that the Republicans are sadly mistaken if they believe she would be easy to defeat. He has said kind words about Senator Clinton in every single interview I've seen him give. And he loves to tout the fact that he is Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. But in fact, I must say, whether Biden auditioned are not, he has to be at the top of any and every democrat's list for Secretary of State. That position is becoming increasingly important with the conflicts in the Middle East. Joe Biden has great knowledge of foreign relations and his forcefull and "say it as it is" attitude is exactly what America needs right now.
Who else would I consider for the job? Not Obama thats for sure....but anyway:
-I truly like Barbara Boxer. I've heard her speak several times, and every time she speaks she demonstrates her foreign relations experience. She is the chairwoman on the Senate Foreign relations sub-committee for Asian affairs as well as being member on the sub-committee for terrorism and the Peace Corps. She too has been a long time Senator for 14 years now.
-Bill Richardson has a mighty impressive resume. What qualifies him most for Secretary of State is the fact that he was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Not to mention he has successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein, Castro, and Kim Jong-il for the release of American prisoners. He was also involved in foreign relations while in Congress for 14 years.
I am woman....hear me roar!(or not)
Hillary Clinton is the first woman to have an actual shot at winning the United States Presidency. Many thought she would be running as the ultimate feminist, courting the woman vote. However, that has not been the case at all. She is proving to be popular with a woman, while still appearing to men. I think she summed it up best when she said, "I'm running as a woman, but not because I am a woman." But why is the question being asked, "Is Hillary feminine enough?" The question itself is up to interpretation, what is feminine? Can't someone who is a strong, intelligent, and ambitious still be feminine. The question is actually degrading to women. Its somehow telling women they can't be strong, that they can't be outspoken, that they always have to play the quiet, ditsy blonde. I might not be a woman, but I would have to assume a mother would want her daughter to be Hillary Clinton-like, that is a strong, powerful woman. Its not like Hillary is hiding the fact that she's a woman. The best sound-bite coming out of the 8/7 AFL-CIO forum was Hillary saying, "If you want someone to take on the right-wing machine.....I'm your girl." And indeed if democrats want someone who has experience dealing with the slime slinging right wing machine, she is their girl. No one in the history of politics has had to take so much crap from the "holy-then-thou" base of the Republican Party than Hillary an Bill Clinton.
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