INDIE ANDYY

smalltowngayblog:

chvnx:

mikehudack:

nickdouglas:

Rachel Maddow “owns” David Frum on MSNBC.

Except she didn’t. Why are so many people convinced that this was an epic takedown? Frum argues that Maddow has not fulfilled her duty as an MSNBC host to engage in open dialog with Republican figures like Paul Wolfowitz. She refutes his other main argument, that the sarcastic tone of Maddow’s show hurts political discourse, and he seems to concede. But she in turn concedes his argument that she could possibly be more open to discourse with the GOP.

But the salient argument here is whether Maddow’s sarcasm is equivalent to McCain supporters calling Obama things like “Terrorist!” at rallies. Unfortunately, while Maddow is ready to refute this, Frum is not actually arguing it. He never makes this claim, only points out that this is a reductionist trick to wiggle out of his real accusation that all parties involved in today’s political scene are in some way guilty of cheapening discourse. Maddow first tries to escalate the argument by pinning the cries of McCain’s supporters onto McCain; Frum deftly parries this by pointing out that candidates surrounded by a stadium of supporters cannot hear everything shouted by individuals in the crowd. The sound that a news camera picks up is not the sound that a candidate or an audience hears, as we learned during the Dean campaign.

Maddow could have countered: After McCain asked, “Who is Barack Obama?” an audience member shouted “Terrorist!” McCain grimaced and continued. So the candidate clearly ignored a chance to quell the violent speech (which he finally, half-heartedly tried days later).

But Maddow let the conversation wander, later returning to her false claim that Frum had equated her show with the shouts of “Terrorist!” Maddow used a Bill O’Reilly bullying tactic on a guest of her own show. I don’t understand how a rational observer could see anything impressive in her performance with Frum.

David Frum is a Zionofascist, warmongering criminal.

Him and his neo-conservative collective of extremist Jews have basically destroyed America. 9/11? Blame him and his friends. Iraq? Blame him and his friends. War on Terror? You guessed it, blame them. Anyone with eyes can see what’s going on in America (and the rest of the West, for that matter). After we see the outcome of Canada’s elections tonight, we will have a better idea of which direction North America is headed. Look out, everyone. It’s coming. It’s coming soon. The fact that I don’t even know what it is, is absolutely horrifying. Watch this video of George Galloway destroying this monster, David Frum…Fuck I hate Frum.

Agree on Frum re: his criminal status. His agenda for his appearance on Maddow’s show was clearly to publicly bully and intimidate her as he demonstrates right off the bat by eschewing her initial question. He actually does subtly equate her “tone” to the tone created by the hatred spewed at the McCain/Palin rallies. Listen to the first couple of comments out of his mouth. What else is he equating it to? And for Frum to even imply that intellect is lacking from Maddow’s analyses on a nightly basis makes me want to say something sarcastic. She’s a Rhodes scholar for fuck sake! From my perspective, I think Maddow handles him brilliantly. It’s not necessary for her to debate the point about whether or not McCain can hear the comments in the audience because her viewers already know the truth and so does Frum. The media has already told that story. He just ends up looking like an asshole.

“Frum argues that Maddow has not fulfilled her duty as an MSNBC host to engage in open dialog with Republican figures like Paul Wolfowitz.”

Well, seeing as how in that interview, and basically, DAILY, she makes it a point to mention that she constantly invites people from the McCain Campaign (yes, that does not equate to Paul Wolfowitz, or the the GOP at large, or conservatives in general) and they always decline, save once… and the fact that Frum was invited on (I DOUBT he asked to come on…) I think the argument that she doesn’t try to talk to the right is an empty one. As stated above, she is a fucking Rhodes Scholar. Oh, sorry, is that too elitist for you?

On the subject of McCain hearing supporters… he may not have heard the comments that moment, but it’s 2008… even if he, himself, is not glued to a computer like the rest of us, you’d better be damn sure people in his campaign are trolling around reading blogs like this and looking on YouTube for vidoes… as soon as the truth is made public, it is in HIS best interest — in courting non-partisan, independent, undecided voters to distance himself from it. None of the people who shout “TERRORIST” about Obama are going to then vote for Obama because McCain scolded them. I mean, seriously.

Maddow also comes from the world of liberal talk radio — which barely exists. Frum didn’t call out Hannity or O’Reilly or Limbaugh for being the Right’s equivalent to her and Olbermann. He doesn’t like her sarcasm. Well, you know what? Some of us can’t stomach the truth of this world, the truth of Sarah Palin, or the truth of hate in this world and country without it.

Rebuttal?