Mike Murphy's Talking Point Trash

There is a lot of history to be talked about during this Democratic Convention. Senator Clinton ran the most successful campaign for president a woman has ever run. Senator Obama became the first African American to be nominated by a major party for the office of president. Tomorrow night, my fellow statesmen (as in "New Jersey") Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen will do what I have wanted them to do my entire life and share a stage.

Ok to be fair, my entire life since April this year.

But the historic thing I'd like to talk about most is one that will certainly not be covered by anyone save perhaps my next door neighbors, who seemed slightly concerned at my sudden outburst. Last night, I actually cheered for Chris Matthews.

I have never been a Matthews fan, though to be fair it is not a personal issue. I have never been a cable fan, preferring to get my fake news from shows like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. And the convention has been no different. As my fellow bloggers have pointed out (in far wittier words than I could), "[t]he networks' convention coverage can be so mind-numbingly tedious that viewers are concocting their own strategies for staying awake". As Marty Kaplan said, "[i]t's my fault, I know, for watching the convention on a commercial cable channel, rather than on C-SPAN" but after President Clinton's speech I decided I needed some analysis, and put on MSNBC in the hopes that something "tragic" would have happened and only Rachel Maddow would be on my TV.

Imagine my surprise, then, as I poured myself a stiff drink to deal with the inanity leaking out of Pat Buchanan to suddenly be riveted by events on my screen. Harold Ford and Mike Murphy were talking with Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews about the fabulous speech, and Mike Murphy made the assertion that Senator and President Clinton were going to quietly vote for Senator McCain.

I rolled my eyes at the screen. Mike Murphy's voice has too-often filled my living room these past couple of days. Until Monday I had the vague sense that Mike Murphy had some kind of integrity, having advised Maverick McCain but not Sidekick McCain, but to my disappointment he just repeated ad nauseum the same talking points that every Republican "strategist" is emailed before going on a cable news show.

As he blathered on and on about how John McCain was a "different" kind of Republican so of course a "pragmatic" Democrat like Hillary Clinton would vote for him, I thought, "that's ad copy for a Republican campaign" when I realized that Chris Matthews had just said the exact same thing.

I stared, shocked that finally someone had called this so-called "strategist" on his toeing the party line, then cheered as though Jon and the Boss were performing together in my living room.

Comments

[rmd44]

Mariangela rox!!!!

Hillary would never vote for McCain. He called his wife a c****. She don't take that.

-roberta ;)

[KNadine]

Mariangela, I'm wondering why we have to hear from so many Republican "Strategists" during the Democratic Convention. Was there a such thing as a "Strategist" during the last election cycle? Are there going to be just as many Democratic Strategists on during the Republican Convention?? I certainly hope not. Hopefully the Democrats will be back on the camptign trail. I can't stand watching the cable networks because first of all, they are missing speeches and secondly, I don't need anyone to interpret the convention for me - I'm fully capable of doing that myself. C-SPAN doesn't insult my intelligence or senses.

[blaqntelligence]

That was exactly what Larry King did this whole week. Republicans would critique the night's events.
Last night he had a gaggle of repubs commenting on the events. I only watched several minutes before I had to change the channel.
They left me nauseated.
Fake Noise was no different. Greta Vanwhatever decided to go off on a tear about something anti-Obama.....Another channel change was necessary.
Do these people really believe what they say?
Or are they just paid a lot of money to say it?
Either way, considering how their credibility suffer, is it worth it?