Friday, December 18, 2009

Being a Pundit, Newscaster and Analyst XI

In my effort to always give credit where credit is due, I recently included a great quote by Dylan Ratigan about children. I have to admit that I had to really think twice before including him in a quote. While I appreciate many of his words, his style often overwhelms the substance and this can be a major turn off. Here is a great example:



I have written here often about the behavior of newcasters, pundits and analysts. Ratigan did not disappoint in his outright disrespect of congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. His behavior was descipicable. Many times it seems like these guys, liberals and conservatives, are trying to catch Limbaugh in ratings. Ratigan behaved like a bully towards a respectable member of congress, not to mention that she was a guest on his show. How rude!

10 comments:

JOHN O'LEARY said...

Wow. I just sent a note to NBC. This seriously impairs the MSNBC and the NBC brand. Got to get this joker off the air. I don't think he's emotionally qualified for the job.

Anonymous said...

Debbie Wasserman Schultz knows nothing. Robert Lowry will be taking her place for Florida’s US Congressional District 20 in 2010.

I am not crazy about the way he handled it, but DWZero continues to make facial contortions and sputter in betwixt his rantings and her own ramblings…Will be so glad to see Robert Lowry in her seat in the 112th Congress.

www.LowryForCongress.com

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is finished. Be gone, Debbie, be gone!

zorro said...

I saw that - Ratigan is a jerk.
His quote about children is BS.
He said it because of the response it would elicit.

JOHN O'LEARY said...

Oh - Robert Lowry, the Republican candidate who recently fired a gun at Debbie Schulz's intitials on a firing range? THAT Robert Lowry is going to unseat DWS? Debbie is — and deserves to be — the heavy favorite to win re-election. Wanna bet some serious cash on the outcome of that election, DeeDee? DWS is one of the smartest Reps to ever come out of Florida and if she survives her cancer she'll be in Congress a LONG time — if she doesn't run for senator.

Here's an AP account of what happened:

"South Florida Republicans held a weekly meeting at a gun range, shooting at targets including cut-outs of a Muslim holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

The GOP candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz fired at a full-body silhouette with “DWS” written next to its head..

Robert Lowry, who’s vying for Wasserman Schultz’s seat, initially described his target as a joke. Minutes later, he called it a mistake.

Others refused to apologized [sic] for the Southeast Broward Republican Club event, featuring assault rifles and handguns. A conservative activist said they should stand up for their beliefs in the heavily Democratic county."

I guess that's the conservative Republican way (at least in 2009) of standing up for one's beliefs.

Judith Ellis said...

John - Sending a note is a great idea. I will do the same. My brother saw the interview live and called to see if I had caught it. He was outright appalled. Having found it on youtube, I was angered by his outright disrespect. Wasserman is usually logical and well-mannered, even if she doesn’t agree with your opinion. Here, she was not even allowed to giver hers. I was floored by Ratigan’s responses. I have seen his show a few times, but watched him more when he was a regular on “Morning Joe.” (I have long since stop watching this show after Dr. Brzezinski called Joe "stunningly superficial." This perfectly crystallized Joe’s image for me. As far as Ratigan goes, I have never seen him in this form. The amazing thing about this "interview" is that Wasserman-Schultz was not even allowed to express herself. It just felt abusive. Unbelievable!

Judith Ellis said...

Uh, Mr. Deedunn 2009, I don't know much about the election in Florida, but if Lowry is the same man that had DWS as a shooting target, he would never get my vote. He shows a lack of respect and wisdom. He's not the kind of leader I would vote for.

Judith Ellis said...

Zorro - Ratigan's behavior was definitely jerk-like to say the least. I really can't speak definitively to motive with regards his comment about children. But I obviously had my doubts because I had to think twice before using the quote.

Judith Ellis said...

Thank you so very much for that, John. I knew that I vaguely remembered this man's name in relation to Wasserman-Schultz. Sadly, the Republican Party is just as have described it. But what I don't understand is why they foster such behavior. A few months back I saw a family of six and the youngest was 5 years old. As a family they take weekly trips to the shooting range. The father says it empowers them. The kids were giddy with excitement for their weekly trip. (A young kid had recently just been shot dead at the very same range.) Firing a weapon for them was as normal and exciting as eating or riding a rollercoaster.

Judith Ellis said...

Oops! Just popped over to your myspace page, Dee, and realize that you're a female. Do pass through again even if we do not agree on all matters. Personally, I'm cool with that.

Corrie Howe said...

I can't watch these any more. It makes me mad, they don't have guests on to hear other opinions, they have guests on to be able to abuse them or use them to launch into their own views.

I'd rather they not have guests than to talk over them or cut them off entirely