Is Elisabeth Hasselbeck Too Dumb to Be on The View?

Is Elisabeth Hasselbeck too dumb to be on The View? This is the question I've gotta ask myself -- and have many times -- and what do I come up with?

I have to admit that I'd been out of the country and don't watch reality television anyway, so I'd missed the Survivor show on which Ms. Hasselbeck was a contestant. Thank God. It would not have made me feel any better about her replacing dynamic Lisa Ling on this television show I used to love, to discover Ms. Hasselbeck became a celebrity because she ate worms. And as the American dream works these days -- for example, Paris Hilton -- she became a bigger celebrity because she was a celebrity. The blondes even look alike. Do they have similar views? Oddly enough, with Ms. Hilton's past antics, it would be odd to think of her as having a higher IQ than anyone, but Ms. Hasselbeck graduated from college and had a job before she reached the heights of stardom by grubbing for survival and voting people off her island.

So Barbara Walters plucked her out of her new career of doing things like judging Miss Teen USA to sit with the ladies who had lots to say and spout off her deadly and dull conservative views. As my husband says, it makes for spirited conversation on the show -- and skyrocketed the ratings with Ms. Hasselbeck's discussions with Rosie O'Donnell.

But if The View is truly like women friends getting together to chat, discuss, dish -- whatever you want to call it -- Ms. Hasselbeck wouldn't be included, because that group of women wouldn't be friends.

In this vigorous political season, has Ms. Hasselbeck gone too far? With her latest announcement that she'll be campaigning with and for Sarah Palin -- and that is an honor -- does this, unfortunately, demonstrate the lack of her own curiosity and intellectual dynamism. Has it become something her colleagues on The View and the rest of us can no longer ignore?

Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum will be together this weekend, blonde and brunette, no doubt wearing tight dresses. I only hope they'll also wear matching outfits to ratchet up the ratings with the Sarah Palin look.

Before you call me sexist for writing about two women who happen to be of my own sex, I'd like to point out that I've often written of the idiocy of George W. Bush and others in his administration, though they had no sex appeal. And I will say I've liked W. a little better since he's been dancing on TV.

So has Elisabeth Hasselbeck finally revealed too much? Is she too dumb to be on "The View?"

Beth Arnold lives and works in Paris. To see her recent interview with Bernard-Henri Lévy on Salon.com, go here. To see more of her work, go to www.betharnold.com.

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Comments

[Obama 4 President]

Poor little baby Elisabeth, if you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!! That's Common sense, oh...wait a minute....that's one thing Elisabeth doesn't have.

[lilinance]

The View breeds DUMB. Before I get bashed for anything I am going to say, let's clarify that I fully support Obama.

I hate The View. I hate those loud cackling hens trying to one up and talk over each other. Cannot stand the show, they all annoy the hell out of me and the constant shouting matches do nothing to further the cause of proving that intelligent woman can have a conversation about something other than child birth, children or men.

Elisabeth may be out of her element but she does deserve points for standing up for what she believes and not jumping on the celebrity democratic bandwagon just to be a part of the 'it' crowd. And damn...I have to give her points just for taking it daily as those women gang up on her, each shouting their point over the other.

Nonsense. Hey...and I like Whoopie too...just can't deal with the combined efforts of those ladies from The View (or The Spew..as I prefer to call it.)

[CauseGuessWhat]

Elizabeth is the talking head for trailer trash -- there I said it and I'm not taking it back. During yesterday's View as a segment ended the gals, commenting on a recap of the Lauer/Palin/kitchen interview -- just as the cameras cut away Elizabeth piped out these jewels "I was trying to catch that recipe", "She was stuffing cheese into hot dogs".
C'mon now people. I am NOT a food snob by any stretch -- well, maybe a little but ...c'mon.
Hot dogs stuffed with cheese....??? What the..? I can't figure out which scenario is more horrifying.. that Elizabeth still buys and eats "hot dogs", is married to a man that still eats "hot dogs", is a parent who would feed a hot dog to a child, would consider a recipe that involved "stuffing cheese" into a hot dog ... (ok -- how and WHY the $!@$ would anyone in their right mind stuff cheese into a hot dog anyway, hmmmm?) and might, just MIGHT feed it to her husband, child, and very special guests. I should dispense with the thought of a wine paring, shouldn't I, or might that depend as always on the cheese? To clarify: she didn't say smoked moose sausage, or call it "wurst" of any kind, or say chicken, beef, or turkey frankfurters -- she said "hot dogs". Should I care? Should you care? Ok. You know what.... 'cause guess what? I'm just gonna pull a Palin just say --- "Ewwwwwwwwww.."

[cehamo]

She reminds me of a tattletale in kindergarten.

[noelalumit]

She's telegenic and is paid to be a conservative thinker. Is she an intellectual conservative thinker? No. Frankly, she's a bad example of conservative thought. You had Rosie, Joy, and Whoopi rip her apart. Then again Rosie, Joy and Whoopi probably came from a liberal background that promoted women to think more complexly.

Republicans need to start encouraging more women in their party to become more astute. Or else they'll be left with the dull and dim-witted Elizabeth Hasselbecks and Sarah Palins as their best example. Oy!

[mwestorca]

She's not dumb, but she's also not thoughtful. She's rude, interrupting all the time, and she's boring. The other members of the panel are delightful. I find Elizabeth very irritating and wish you'd get rid or her.

[FEDEX]

I agreed, Barbara get rid of her.

[ewesbo]

EH is clearly not dumb, but her opinions are not diverse enough to be on a television program that centers around diverse talk. Her thoughts are predictable. Her arguments are always the same. I think people would take her views more seriously, if she saw the other side from time to time. Is it possible for a young woman, a mother and professional to be that right-wing? I hope her thoughts are not her own. That would certainly be scary.

[jjjuice]

yes

[Chart65]

The show is nothing more than a group of chicks sitting around sharing opinions. That's right-opinions. It is not a policy think tank. Elizabeth is not an intellectual but neither is Joy. Why don't you people ever pick on her? She makes blunt statements gets huge applause and that's that. She is not held under the same standard. C'mon Beth. Are you implying and liberals can't be friends with conservatives? What idiot will turn down a friendship because of party affiliation. If you people have no tolerance for different beliefs then we may as well be Nazi's.

[hotwire]

Why don't you guys grow up. Elizabeth has a right to say and do what she wants. Sounds like you want to deny her that right. If she want's to campaign with Palin so be it, I mean Opra was out with Obama for awhile and I don't remember hearing any complaints. As far as the VIEW goes it would be very boring if they all thought the same, the program needs her, she keeps it interesting. Besides it's all about the ratings. Get over it.

[AZTrueBlue]

I would place Hasselbeck in the same hemisphere as Oprah. Not that big a fan of either, but I can surely tell the difference!

[Lurker50]

Guess you didn't get the boycott Oprah email. Oprah got plenty complaints especially from the FFRW

[ebanks84]

YES! She doesn't have a mind of her own yet!

[Kerra52]

How many of you are so sick of Barbara's coddling of EH? Before she tries to make a point or dispute something EH has said, she always adds the "I am so proud of you, you're wonderful, we love you here, we want you here..."

And on today's show Barbara said that even during commercial breaks she coddles EH! So much Joy had to say "hey what about me?" So Barbara had to compliment Joy and then try with Whoopi as well.

Man it is getting so bad. What a little baby EH must be behind the scenes that she needs to hear that so much!

[yoli647]

I started watching the View about two months ago, and cringe everytime EH spoke, but kept on watching, but when I saw Barbara coddling Elisabeth today, I decided to stop watching. Sorry Joy and Whoopie, but I have to read about the View in the media. I cannot look at EH anymore. Come on, Barbara wake up, and take that bimbo off the show!!

[lwilkerson50]

You know something? If you listen to Elisabeth, Hannity, Oreilly, do you ever notice that by them constantly drilling in Obama's character, they never talk about mccain's issues. Which means that if they never say what mccain is going to do, doesn't that presenta a big problem altogether?
One blog says she has blinders. I always look at she and others as robots. Why won't they talk about his issues if he is suppose to be so great?

[lwilkerson50]

You know something ... if you listen to Elisabeth, Hannity, Oreilly .... do ever notice that by them constantly drilling in Obama's character ... they never talk about the issues .... which means that if they never say what mccain is going to do .... doesn't that presenta a big problem altogether.
One blog says she has blinders ... I always look at those people as robots .... why won't they talk about his issues if he is suppose to be so great?

[ZalaK]

It's not that she's not bright enough - it's the way Elisabeth now approaches her arguments. It makes sense that the show has someone who counters the discussion....when there's SOME tension the dialogue is much more interesting to watch, instead of everyone feeling the same way about the same issues (Fox). Having differing opinions but putting them forward objectively and respectively seems to have disappeared - especially during the political commentary. The comments by each woman could be brilliant - but are often lost when everyone talks over one another. Elisabeth's input before the heat of the campaign seemed less predictable, where now it's as though she's reading from the same old script. Even if it's spirited, the present content doesn't provide alternate perspectives - simply Republican talking points overly repeated.

[akaJohnQ]

Elisabeth is a very pretty young woman who wears blinders when it comes to politics. You cannot be considered politically intelligent when you get all of your political views directly from FOX news. Contrary to what Elisabeth believes, FOX is not "fair and balanced." FOX does not report and let you decide. Elisabeth takes her William Ayers rants directly from FOX. If she would read newspapers and watch unbiased TV news broadcasts, she would have a better understanding of the American political scene. I don't think that Elisabeth is stupid; she is just ignorant and naive.

[gammygal]

Not stupid, ignorant. I like that!

[bfraser55]

EH had been told by Whoopie or Joy she needed to start watching someone besides Hannity because all she ever did was parrot them. She only watches FOX and gets on my nerves. I wish they would get rid of her.

[jkzelk]

I'm not so sure that she is dumb. The problem lies in her blind loyalty to the republican party. I am convinced that she is on the RNC's payroll and they fax her talking points every morning. I don't object to having a conservative voice on the panel, but make it someone who can talk objectively about what is going on in the party.
One of Eilsabeth's problems and a problem many tunnel visioned GOPers have (some of my own relatives fall into this category) is that they get all their news from Fox News. I have family that, just a couple months ago, were surprised by and had never heard about Pres. Bush's use of signing statements and the question of whether they were unconstitutional. These are people that religiously watch FNC. Fox has simply not reported on things like this. You can't be well informed when you get your info from a cheerleader for the GOP.