What Krugman should understand is that the White House social secretary is the most important person in Washington DC to the people who actually operate as journalists in DC. Plus, no one likes to hear that whole why-are-we-telling-jokes-while-people-are-starving-in-Africa type of argument that Krugman attempted to deploy. There is no convincing these people that human suffering is more important than the calligraphy fonts on the White House stationary.
I think the bigger problem is that the Republicans are allowed to go on all these political programs and just lie and lie and lie, and the broadcast journalists (mostly hired for their looks more than their brains) haven’t done their homework and don’t even know they’re providing a platform for utter bullshit. But, it isn’t like this should be a news flash to anyone. Our media sucks, which is why we have a blogosphere where we can bitch and moan about the press and correct them when they make fools of themselves.
What do you think the average age of these DC journalists is, anyway? They never seem to disappear (Robert Novak, excepted) or to lose their jobs. Even when they retire (I am looking at you, Broder) they don’t really retire. They just get more annoying. I hope Sally Quinn’s son’s wedding goes well, though. That’s important to me.
For real.
After The Hitchhiker’s Guide, Douglas Adams wrote a mystery (sorry, I forget the title), the central premise of which was that an ageless alien character had lived comfortably in Britain for well over 200 years, but nobody had noticed just how long he’d been around because he was a tenured professor.
Today we could update that to Village pundit.
Say, I hear they moved up the wedding of Quinn’s son because they’re keeping his bride’s pregnancy a secret…
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Very funny book!
Yes, and yes!
Kind of remarkable how little things have changed since the age of monarchs ended. These “journalists” are pretty much identical to the courtiers prancing about Louis VIII’s throneroom telling him why he’s da man.
Yglesias had an idea, but the position is filled. Love it.
The lies have it! Again.
The height of hypocracy is when a person comes before Congress, with all its penchant for truthiness, and must pledge to tell the whole truth.
Why then is it not a law somewhere that each day that a Congressperson steps foot onto the floor of their House that they are not required to sign a similar oath?
They could be held accountable just as they hold those that testify before them are…
Boggles the mind to think of how much could be done if lies were left outside to the pundit shows.
Of course it’s impossible, but the money and time wasted now makes it at least a good question.
Go to David Gregory and then move on to Luke Russert.
I am actually offended on behalf of serious journalism students everywhere whenever I see Luke Russert frat-boy his way through a segment on MSNBC.
Where’s the real journalist. I find it astonishing that no one has asked any Republican Senator what is or how does one place a value on a persons life or what is the price of death. With many uninsured dying due to a lack of insurance or denial of their care by Insurance companies.
For the past couple days have been watching the health care summit videos on whitehouse.gov – watching some sections several times (just starting video 4). it’s quite amazing to see long exchanges between Barack and repub congresscritters w/o gasbag commentary or cutting. I’ve watched the exchange between Barack and Eric Cantor a few times (it’s in the beginning of video 3). Very powerful stuff. After Barack tells him enough with the props, the bill has many pages b/c health care is complicated, EC is stuck sitting there with a huge pile with the binders open all on top of each other listening to Barack frame the issue in terms of what kind of agreement they can come to over how hc should be regulated – that they’ve already agreed to some regulation. sometimes I ponder for a minute how incapable of running such a summit either Bush or Cheney, but also Clinton and others would be, b/c Barack listens closely to what the repubs say then brings it back to the question at hand.
Thank you for putting Clinton in that group of could nots.