On June 29th, Dylan Ratigan, the former host of CNBC's Fast Money, will premiere his new show, The Meeting With Dylan Ratigan, to air Monday through Friday at 9am on MSNBC. The show will address a variety of topics spearheaded by Ratigan, its pugnacious fast-talking star, who as the video below will demonstrate, offers a frenzied two-hour beginning to his viewers' early day.
By adding Ratigan's two MSNBC hours to Morning Joe Scarborough's preceding three MSNBC hours gives viewers five consecutive rancorous hours to start off nearly every day. Really MSNBC, is this what an anxious nation needs? Two more bellicose hours to agitate a public already overwrought by financial worries, unemployment, local and global violence, health care woes, and more? Do you really need to heighten the disharmony of our national ideological divide?
It seems that all three corporate cable/satellite networks, MSNBC, CNN and Fox, believe Americans are better served through agitation than information. Indeed, the only true journalist working in the so-called cable "news" arena today is CNN's Fareed Zakaria, whose intellect, integrity and experience preclude him from the need for hyperbole and noise.
Honestly, MSNBC, you really blew it this time. Leave it to you to exacerbate the stress of the already overburdened.
But don't just take my word for it. See for yourselves how agitating and frequently illogical Ratigan is from this clip of yesterday's appearance on The Ed Show on MSNBC. Can you understand what Ratigan is saying through his double-talk and gesticulations? For me, all he offers is a migraine:
So what do you think? Does Ratigan pass your test for how you choose to spend your mornings? How about this line?:
"Not everybody in America is entitled to the most expensive health care for every single person."
Can you get more elitist than that? Interestingly, something tells me Mr. Ratigan believes he's entitled to the most expensive health care - but perhaps you and I are not.
What's behind MSNBC's corporate logic that this agitator is their guy for the morning? Don't we have enough anger in this country? Shouldn't we be looking for calm, reasoned, informative voices instead of Limbaugh-like rants? I've become more and more certain after this poor choice of programming that the people's airwaves are an ever growing danger, and that foolhardy complicit executives should be relieved of their jobs.
Some of you may deem me unfair for judging The Meeting before its premiere, but please understand that Ratigan's appearance on The Ed Show was to advertise his new show. This was MSNBC's public appeal for viewers. This was MSNBC's chosen commercial for Dylan Ratigan's show. So while I admit I am prejudging, I'm using the network's own marketing tool to judge.
Fortunately in my case, I'm not home at 9am Monday through Friday so I won't be dealing with Dylan. But for those of you who are, this choice of programming is completely up to you. Will you choose a morning rant on cable to stir your aggression, or perhaps community volunteering to add value to your day?
It's entirely up to you!
Now a little aside: Since posting the above youtube on Ratigan it has attracted several comments. Here's one by an unnamed source - perhaps a prelude of things to come. Can YOU figure out what it means?
next monday, RIDE TO THE SOUND OF THE GUNS, dylan, and make THE BASTARDS OF THE UNIVERSE, dred the name of DYLAN RATIGAN 4 EVER
Hmmm...I wonder...?