Arianna appeared on MSNBC's "The Last Word" Monday night to discuss the Rally to Restore Sanity and the latest election trends with host Lawrence O'Donnell and polling guru Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight at The New York Times.
"I found it very moving, very powerful," Arianna said of Jon Stewart's closing remarks at Saturday's rally. "He actually called the media, in a very Jeffersonian way, the immune system of democracy ... and I think it's fantastic that, in some way as a result of that, Keith [Olbermann] tonight announced that he's suspending the Worst Person of the World segment, at least for the time being."
WATCH Part One:
And Part Two:
Wall Street Welcomes Republican Election Victories
With Republican Party candidates winning control of the US House of Representatives, some political observers expect gridlock in Washington. But as Peter Fedynsky reports, a legislative stalemate in Congress could be good for American business. http://www.newslook.com/videos/263317-wall-street-welcomes-republican-election-victories?autoplay=true
As an example, I found it confusing when Stewart offered this:
"And sure, at some point, there will be a selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder, and cuts in at the last minute. But that individual is rare, and he is scorned, and he is not hired as an analyst!"
I say confusing because it would seem that he referred to someone who speeds up and pushes his own agenda as a "selfish jerk" and yet, he recently called Obama "timid" for *not* using this exact tactic.
We already know what happens when we "hire" some "selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder, and cuts in at the last minute" as president. I voted for Obama because he *isn't* like that.
I hope Keith will continue to call people out. I'd also like to hope that Fox begins basing its reporting on facts. It will be interesting to see what happens.
So Olbermann pulls the Worst Persons bit. Does anyone actually think Fox is going to go next and begin using facts?
If anything should be cut on Olbermann it is his calling someone Stupid or Crazy. By such hyperbole, he undercuts his force. The Republican women (and men) who are senatorial candidates are not stupid; they might or might not be actually crazy (I am a psychotherapist and know that psychosis may be hidden in anyone -- even a progressve!), though they are indeed wrong, ignorant, immoral and likely have had childhood traumas unameliorated by trauma therapy.
Leaving off Worst Persons is perhaps too Christian by half. Jon Stewart performs a great and necessary service on his Show and withi this Rally. He frequently doesn't go far enough in speaking the truth.
Olbermann frequently speaks my thoughts in his rants -- and his accompanying emotion resonates with my own so much that I get that 1) I am not alone in my outrage and 2) my/our message has gotten out (to Obama or whoever).
-- False equivalency: In this Stewart does what NPR and CNN do: put on the 'other side' just a if both sides have equal merit. Too 'Christian' (I prefer the Christ who overturns the tables of the money-changers in the temple -- yay!).
Now if we can only get Rachell Maddow to stop behaving like the host of a children's television show and do a lot less giddy patronizing of her viewers' intelligence, we might have the basis of a smart, progressive media outlet that others might listen to and in the process perhaps learn something.
Stewart's the comic and has always been middle-of-the road politically. Most comics are. That's how they appear objective and maintain high ratings. I'd rather get my political comedy from Stewart and Colbert than the half-funny comic wanna-bees at MSNBC. Truth is, the strengths of both the Olbermann and Maddow shows are the reporters, researchers and producers who develop the stories and when these two personalities try to make themselves too much of the story, they pretty much get in the way of the real value of the shows - the strong, well argued progressive take on the news not normally covered by the otherwise weak media.
How about you enjoy FOX News and it's gloriously shallow broadcasting teams.
Gotta have respect for someone who changes their beliefs when confronted by additional information.
Thank you Lawrence O'Donnell, Nate Silver, and Arianna Huffington for your sanity.
http://www.truth-out.org/the-phantom-left64702
our democracy is being destroyed before our eyes by big money!!!!
Yes, Chris Hedges gets it, as usual. Here is one "pundit" (sorry, Chris!) who'll not be invited on "Meet the Press" any time soon (read: ever) -- and that is because he actually tells the truth.