MSM Tensions Erupt

I could go on for at least another piece, maybe two, about all the nonsense surrounding Hillary Hype '08--from Fox News's immediate, persistent commentary after the speech that she didn't mean it, didn't do nearly enough, and the whole party is screwed, to CBS News bringing on a body language expert to testify to the same.

But let's just agree they're all nuts and move on, shall we?

The media news-du-jour here is that the tensions at MSNBC--both political and personal--erupted, leading to several on-air fights between the talent. While Fox News stays ruthlessly on message, as I wrote yesterday , MSNBC has been looking increasingly like The Real World. (What happens when overpaid media personalities stop being polite--and start getting real....)

First, when Joe Scarborough started talking up a perceived McCain surge in the polls, Keith Olbermann muttered that he should "get a shovel." Scarborough heard the comment, and went on a long, angry tear listing all the reasons McCain was in the race. When he finished, Chris Matthews asked snidely, "Are we done?"

Next, Scarborough again lost his temper with David Shuster. (Video here.) Scarborough was prattling derisively about Nouri al-Maliki's demand that the United States be out of Iraq by 2011, suggesting that Iraqis would kill al-Maliki immediately, and that he was happy to just have US forces out now, if they weren't welcome. David Shuster pointed out to Scarborough that "your party" has been ridiculing the idea of withdrawal for years--and Scarborough completely lost it. He savaged his own network ("Oh, I feel so comforted by the fact that you're an independent. I bet everyone at MSNBC has 'independent' on their voting cards. "Oh, we're down the middle now." Go ahead, David. No, no, go ahead. You're an independent, David. Go ahead. Talk about my party. Go ahead.") He also went after Shuster personally, accusing him of never watching the show, and even oversleeping for three different appearances.

Finally, last night, Chris Matthews was belaboring a point about women voters, while Keith Olbermann tried to cut him off, and then said something about "going off at the mouth," made the universal yak-yak sign with his hand, and accused Matthews of stealing an idea from Rachel Maddow. Matthews became visibly angry, and snapped, "You make that sound, Keith," Matthews said. "I can do the same to you. That's what I thought. And I said it." (Uncomfortable video here.)

Does this all sound completely irrelevant, absurd, and like a high school cafeteria? It is. But perhaps that's what happens when you put 15,000 journalists in one place with no real news to cover. First they invent storylines . Then they stop being polite, and start getting real. (Meanwhile, I recommend C-SPAN).

Elsewhere, John McCain is trying to insert himself into the coverage whenever possible. They have set up a war room, which one Republican accidentally but accurately described as the "Ministry of Truth".

They have been producing many incendiary ads, featuring for example Hillary Clinton saying bad things about Obama. The cable networks have been running these ads over and over again, free, during their coverage. Via Steve Benen we learn that. "According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which monitors political advertising across the country, only one of the three Clinton-themed ads has been broadcast so far--and that ad, featuring a Clinton delegate who now endorses McCain, is only airing in Toledo, Ohio."

So these are basically video press releases that the campaign has snookered the press into endlessly re-running. Their only news value would be if they were running, especially in battleground states--they are then part of the campaign. But they're not--the McCain campaign is just producing little segments for cable news viewers, which are lazily being run by networks with, again, too much time on their hands.

Much of what the campaign is producing is dishonest too - today's ad falsely claims that Obama referred to Iran as "tiny." Technically true, but he was comparing it to the old Soviet Union. Which, you know, was much larger than Iran.

Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic suggests this is a conundrum for the media: "If we want to point out how misleading they are, we air the ad. McCain's campaign wins the point. If refuse to point out how misleading they are, McCain's campaign escapes criticism."

Really? As Matt Yglesias points out , it's pretty clear how the media should treat these ads that they know to be dishonest. Use them to accurately create a pattern of dishonesty by John McCain's campaign. If Obama was putting out lies about McCain, how fast do you think the media would figure a way out of that "conundrum"? It's not like they have anything else to do here...

Comments (16)

1. But let's just agree they're all nuts and move on, shall we?

   posted by Eric Alterman on 08/27/2008 @ 11:30pm

   The easiest question I've ever seen!

   AGREED!!!

   Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:00am

2. and then i awoke....

   it had all been a bad, expensive dream.....

   Posted by frosty zoom at 08/28/2008 @ 12:03am

3. Posted by frosty zoom at 08/28/2008 @ 12:03am

   Where the hell have you been all week?

   Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:05am

4. Once Obama is elected I expect MSNBC's ratings to go off a cliff.

   Bush bashing will only go so far when MSNBC's party controls the house, senate, and executive branches of government.

   Olbermann might actually have to do something creative.

   He could replace his "so many days since mission accomplished" bit with something like "today's reason Obama is the greatest president ever"

   Posted by bleedingheart at 08/28/2008 @ 12:09am

5. Posted by frosty zoom at 08/28/2008 @ 12:03am

   Well, I see the Scarborough method doesn't work.

   Let's try the Olberman method.

   You're fallin down on the job! Where ya been?

   Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:12am

6. Eric, PBS has good coverage too -- available to all without/with cable.

   Posted by pactorj at 08/28/2008 @ 12:15am

7. Olberman method fails too.

   How about the Mathews method?

   Ya know, I could not ever show up too! Don't ever do it again!

   Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:17am

8. Mathews method sucks as well.

   Maybe the civilized human method.

   Hey FZ! Welcome back! Where ya been?

   Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:20am

9. Let alone listening to the pissing and moaning of the Grand Arch Duke of GOP Antediluvians Patrick J. Buchanan. His constant stream of a disgusting mix of fear and stupid, which drowns out the voices of people that might actually know a thing or two, proves that there are creatures who should never be unearthed from beneath their rocks.

   Posted by Tzimisce at 08/28/2008 @ 12:24am

10. Where the hell have you been all week?

    Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:05am

    on the shores of mighty lake huron....

    Posted by frosty zoom at 08/28/2008 @ 12:27am

11. on the shores of mighty lake huron....

    Posted by frosty zoom at 08/28/2008 @ 12:27am

    ah, enemy lake of the Mohicans.

    Sooooooooooo glad you're back!

    Posted by Benchrest at 08/28/2008 @ 12:31am

12. Gah and you guys call me immature? Grown men acting like kids. Wait till they start pinching each other.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/28/2008 @ 02:32am

13. I saw that on "The Daily show" and thought it was hilarious. Really funny as hell. Have they all kissed and made up yet?

    Posted by k330k at 08/28/2008 @ 11:42am

14. Regarding the food fight at MSNBC: the fact that the talking heads media (left and right) believe that they are the news is what's wrong with the media. Their attitude presumably reflects their belief, "If it plays in Peoria we're not interested." Here in Missouri, a major contender as a swing state in this election, we had to turn to C-Span to hear our Senator, Claire McCaskill, address the convention, while Olbermann was pontificating on MSNBC during her speech. Why would anyone want to listen to Claire McCaskill from Missouri? Senator McCaskill was one of the first declared Obama supporters, (drawing heat for not backing the woman candidate) and Missouri surprised many with an Obama win in the primaries. Perhaps some of the people at MSNBC have heard of Misssouri, also known as the bellwether state? The 'pundits' need to shut up and listen to people outside of their(white male) bubbles if we're ever going to change this country's direction.

    Posted by graymatters at 08/28/2008 @ 1:51pm

15. These talking heads can't get over the Tim Russert 3 day canonization that put all talking heads onto the fantasy plane of eternal fame. Their perches are so high now, the stardom so intoxicating, real convention coverage is too mundane...its alllll about THEM! All of the cable and news channels were extra busy avoiding the speakers at a Convention they were merely broadcasting FROM...not actually COVERING, just broadcasting from. It borders on criminal to obliterate the expected content of a convention, while old white talking heads visit loudly between themselves...delivering their "talking points" from their corporate sponsors...democracy be damned. Thank you very much....

    Posted by rylly at 08/28/2008 @ 3:01pm

16. Rachel Maddow has to teach these boys a lesson in maturity & professionalism.

    And if she can't, no one can. They're past all hope.

    Watch C-Span or PBS.

    Or YouTube & read print online.

    Posted by sloper at 08/28/2008 @ 3:28pm