What is it about senile old ‘journalists’, and I use the term journalist very loosely, who simply refuse to go quietly into the night? Why is it, that they seem to insist that anyone give a flying fart about what they may think? Which brings me to that doddering old dolt, Ted Koppel. You know, the guy whose head is too big for his body. Ted, earlier this week theorized that political gridlock in Washington should be seen as being all the fault of folks like Rush Limbaugh, Jon Leibowitz and any of those other who are referred to as being, ‘talk-show hosts.’ The basis of his little theory is, he says, the fact that legislators are essentially afraid of being criticized by these ‘talk-show hosts.’ Personally, I think Ted has slipped into the later stages of dementia.
Needless to say Ted’s comments brought a rather sharp rebuke on Tuesday from Rush on his afternoon radio show, although I have yet to hear how Leibowitz took the criticism. What Koppel said was, "You cannot, in a democracy, expect people to be able to reach across the aisles and make the accommodations for important issues if they are terrified that in so doing they're gonna expose themselves to the wrath of either the right or the left – either Jon Stewart's humor or Rush Limbaugh's sharp tongue." Koppel’s remarks were part of what was described as a discussion, entitled "The Twilight of Network News", at the Kalb Report Forum on Ethics and Excellence in Journalism at the George Washington University in Washington.
It was there that Koppel was interviewed by yet another journalistic fossil and over-the-hill broadcaster, Marvin Kalb, now a fellow at, where else but, George Washington University. Both of these faux journalists also claimed how the explosion in media outlets has stunted democracy because people fear being criticized by the media for expressing their opinions. Koppel, 72, hosted ABC’s "Nightline" from its beginning in 1980 to 2005. Kalb, coming in even older at 82, spent 30 years working for CBS and NBC. "Take it back to when you and I were young and when you and I began in this business …," Koppel began at one point, according to a transcript of the conversation on Limbaugh’s website. " … The good old days of journalism," Kalb interjected.
"When you and I were young, there were three networks. ‘Nightline,’ we had 70 percent of all the homes watching television at 11:30 at night," Koppel said before adding, "These days we are lucky to have 25 percent." Kalb then said, "If you eliminated MSNBC, Fox, and CNN, it would probably improve American democracy overnight." Adding, "I'm not saying that we can ever return to the good old days. That's gone. That's done." But Limbaugh on Tuesday attacked Koppel and Kalb’s remarks as monopolistic and restraining. And I agree! These egomaniacs very much enjoyed the monopoly that they had, and they were free to pump our heads full of whatever they wanted. People who trusted them to tell the truth, were lied to, repeatedly!
Limbaugh mocked these two clowns saying, "If you eliminated MSNBC, Fox, and CNN, it would probably improve American democracy overnight." Limbaugh charged, "You see, there is too much democracy out there. There are too many opinions. There are too many people saying too many things. And this guy, Limbaugh, is the root of it. This guy Limbaugh started all this." He went on, "There wouldn’t be an MSNBC if it weren't for Limbaugh. There wouldn't be a Fox. This is what these guys think. There wouldn't be any of this alternative media if it weren't for Limbaugh. All we'd have to deal with is CNN – and we'd still have 70 percent watching us." Limbaugh continued, "But when the competition kicked in, they couldn't hold their audience."
Limbaugh said, "So now they lament the good old days." And then asked, "But where is the gorgeous mosaic when it comes to thought?" And, "Where is the diversity? See, that's not what they want. They want diversity of surface characteristics, but they don't want diversity of actual thought." Going on to say, "They want one dominant way of thinking, and anything outside that dominant way has got to be taken out or dealt with or discredited somehow." You know, my grandparents were always big fans of that lying fraud Walter Cronkite, and we find out today that more often than not, the way it was, was not necessarily, "That's the way it is" as Cronkite was heard to say each night before ending his little broadcast.
So I think it safe to say that even back in the younger days of Koppel and Kalb, the nightly news was much more about spreading propaganda than it was to actually provide useful information to the American people. And in that respect things have only proceeded to get a lot worse. And back then, at least when compared to those involved in our modern-day state-controlled media, I think those in the 'news' media were a little less obvious about what it was that they were trying to do. And to see that you need look back no further than to the last two elections. These two old fossils may wish for a return to the old days, but I don't join them in doing so. And to blame Limbaugh, and even Leibowitz for that matter, is more than a little lame.
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