The self-destruction continues

The problems of the mainstream media are one thing. The problems with FOX News? That's a special case.

Like a lot of phony conservative institutions, FOX is experiencing a multifaceted meltdown. It's all on screechy, self-righteous display in this clip.

I've been thinking an awful lot lately about the future of the conservative movement in America. Maybe conservatism needs this tower to fall just as much as the rest of us do. Maybe they've been trapped by this weird "right-wing freak machine" too.

Anyway: Ash heap of history. Moving on...

Here's conservative Andrew Sullivan on why his ilk should vote for Obama (Reason No. 2 of 10):

Until conservatism can get a distance from the big-spending, privacy-busting, debt-ridden, crony-laden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant faux conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, it will never regain a coherent message to actually govern this country again. The survival of conservatism requires a temporary eclipse of today's Republicanism. Losing would be the best thing to happen to conservatism since 1964. Back then, conservatives lost in a landslide for the right reasons. Now, Republicans are losing in a landslide for the wrong reasons.

I think there are plenty of great reasons to give the GOP a timeout in 2008. But we agree that this could be good for Republican Party... and consequently, potentially healthy for a two-party system.

BONUS CLIP: Remember that wingnut interview of Biden in Florida? I love the way some people think this was exactly the way Couric/Gibson/Etc. treated Palin, that liberals simply expect special treatment, that Barbara West's interview was good, unbiased journalism and the treatment of Republicans is bad uniformly bad, partisan hackery. Argue amongst yourselves about liberal bias, but as for West's agenda, judge for yourself.

Two words: Ass. Hat.

Comments

[Agricola]

Xarker...you've been on a tear recently and I think the prospect of a dem majority everywhere has gotten you a little flushed. Don't lose sight of the fact that, however much you hate Fox News, it is still the top rated cable news show. Which, compared to the hysteria of Olbermann et al,or Jack Caffterty, ain't saying much. But it's still preferable to the unctious, soft-pedaled belittlement presented as objectivity by Katie and Brian. We listen to what we want to hear, and however much it appalls, more people want to hear Brit et al than Keith and Jack.

As to the tottering of the Republican tower, don't confuse the voter's frustration of the last 8 years with a call to ¡la revolución! We're still a country of moderates, and a few years of Waxman, Obey, Pelosi, Durbin, and Reid ought to bring some more change to Congress in 2010, giving Pres. McCain some help.

[Daniel]

Nice touch with that last line!

And yes, I do hate FOX. I don't begrudge its existence, btw -- more is better -- only the laughable claim that they're something other than an overt propaganda machine. To say that FOX is biased is to miss the point entirely.

Some quibbles: Olbermann just passed O'Reilly for the first time this month. I don't know if he's held the lead, though, and don't care enough to look. And most significantly: This "most popular" argument is a contest for plurality. When you stack FOX up against the set of TV news sources defined as "Not-A-Subsidiary-Of-The-GOP," you get a much more relevant picture.

And here's a good way to think of it: In every poll that was taken after the third presidential debate, Americans by varying degrees agreed that Obama "won" it. FOX didn't run any of those measures -- instead, it publicized a FOX viewer phone-text poll (utterly unscientific). Outcome: 86 percent of FOX viewers thought McCain was the winner. That's compared to national polling that had McCain in the 30-40 percent range.

I think our biggest area of debate is just how radical/moderate Obama is. You think more. I think less. We shall see.

[Agricola]

FWIW, I don't watch Fox for Hannity/Colmes, or O'Reilly; my purpose is to receive a realtively conservative newscast. I long since quit watching the bloviates/opinionators on any channel.

I'll get back to you on the moderate/radical metric in 12 months, if "The One" squeaks into the Oval Office and the litigation is resolved.

[jhota]

i love FOX for the same reason i love Rush Limbaugh: they make me laugh.

but i really don't like the idea of this election being good for either party; i think one of the greatest flaws in our political system is that power has accreted into two parties. on national issues, each party is dominated by its lunatic fringe and those who are interested in power over the greater good.

"It had become unmistakeably manifest that the two great factions into which politicians were divided had no other object than to share in the general plunder, and, as a first step to this, to embarrass the government of the ‘ins’ by the factious opposition of the ‘outs.’ Indeed, so obvious had this become, that the appellations of Whig and Tory were laid aside by common consent, and the more descriptive names of ‘outs’ and ‘ins’ substituted in their stead.

…

Each accused the other of grasping at offices for the sake of personal or dependent advantage, and averred that the aim of their opponents was neither the administration of government - which, as has been seen, was left to administer itself in its own way - nor the good of the country, but the possession and distribution of the public money. So virulent did these mutual recriminations become, that it cannot be wondered at if people took the disputants at their word; the more so as the moment either party was in power they threw aside the principles which had gained momentary ascendancy, and devoted their sole attention to their former practices, knowing that, as their possession of office might be short, a tenure so uncertain must be made the most of. Statesmanship amongst such people was out of the question." - Lord Cochrane, writing of the state of British politics in the early 19th century.

sounds more than a little like today.

[Daniel]

It's funny, but I'd actually prefer a parliamentary system to the one we operate, but that's water under the bridge.

I see things slightly differently: America has a two-party system that is influenced by multiple parties and groups. Socialist parties, libertarian parties, green parties, Southern segregationists, Bull Moosers, etc.: They push and pull and warp and correct. Not a perfect system, but not exactly a two-party system, either.

The problem at the moment is that the three parties that make up the GOP (The Wall Street Establishment, The Conservative Evangelicals and the Red State Mainstreamers) have been spun apart by the Dubya centrifuge. Consequently, the GOP in alarming disrepair.

I'm a liberal and I still want them to get their act together. There's a powerful tradition of conservative thought in America and it needs to be expressed intelligently. Where it's wound up is just shameful -- not an indictment of everyone in the party, but certainly of its leadership.