A debate on gun control quickly becomes heated
Media
The Hagel Nomination
Andrew Sullivan discovers that Bill Kristol once favored the “anti-Israel” appeaser as George W. Bush’s vice president. Gak!
Hagel Nomination Outcry
Conservative groups took to the media even before former Republican Sen. Hagel was officially nominated for Defense Secretary.
Election Watch: Karl Rove Vs. the Arithmetic
It was, as Bill Clinton told us at the Democratic convention, about the arithmetic. And last night, the arithmetic won.
PolitiFact, Harry Reid’s Pants, and the Limits of Fact-Checking
Fact: I do not know whether Mitt Romney paid federal income taxes, when, or how much, in any year before 2010, for which he publicly released his tax returns. Fact: You probably do not either, unless you are among the small army of spreadsheet-slinging professionals it must take to shepherd his wealth, or—possibly—if you are Mitt …
Hey, Aaron Sorkin: Your Lame Show Got the BP Spill Backward
Like a knight with my banners now bravely unfurled, I hurl down my gauntlet to thee, Aaron Sorkin, and your preposterous, sanctimonious, Man of La Mancha–quoting HBO drama Newsroom. And I basically agree with the show’s basic …
Why There Aren’t Supermarket Scanner Moments Anymore
Everybody knows the story. Another sad impostor in the long line of presidential candidates who try to emulate the Normals, George H.W. Bush walked into a grocery store one day in 1992 and blew his Joe Sixpack cover story by marveling at the futuristic wonder that was the store’s decade-old bar code scanning technology. Everybody knows …
Let Us Now Praise Ed Gillespie, Super Surrogate
UPDATED with a response from Ed Gillespie
There needs to be an Academy Awards for Televised Political News, a Golden Babbler Bobble-Head statuette that could be awarded on a special joint airing of Morning Joe, Meet the Press …
‘Fair and Balanced’ Stretched to Its Limit
Updated, 6:10 PM
If you’ve spent any amount of time watching Fox News, and did not arrive at the network already wedded to its view of the world, you know that “Fair and Balanced” is not actually an aspiration or ethos, but rather an inside joke meant to melt the faces of incredulous liberals. Yes, there is a divide between Fox’s …
WSJ vs. NYT on Murdoch
Compare and contrast these two headlines on octogenarian NewsCorp chief Rupert Murdoch’s testimony yesterday in front of panel investigating press ethics at his and other British papers:
Murdoch, Center Stage, Plays Powerless Broker
vs.
Murdoch Bats Away ‘Myths’
Mitt vs. the Media: Why Romney Is Wrong About Campaign Coverage in the Digital Age
Even if they can get a little preachy, I’m not one easily bothered by politicians critiquing the media. We write about them all the time–sometimes preachily–and as the principles in a whole bunch of news stories, their perspectives are worth something. But just as when pundits mouth off about politics, it would help press-critic …
On Today Show, Palin Joins the Lamestream Media
Before she was a guest host on this morning’s Today show – 45 minutes before – Sarah Palin was a guest, joining Matt Lauer on the morning of three Republican primaries, to offer “her take on the race.” Toward the end of …
The Gaffe Cycle Dominates the 2012 Campaign
In the 2012 campaign for president, the news cycle has been replaced by the gaffe cycle.
Back in the day, and even four years ago, certain signature events all but guaranteed a full 24-hours of political press coverage. Win a …