Who Are Your Favorite/least Favorite Political Pundits?

[GregorMendel]

Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell


I absolutely love their spirited style of presentation that draws you in while also presenting the major points of a day's analysis. It feels like Im in a conversation with a good friend or, in O'Donnell's case, my parents or uncle.


I used to be a Keith Olbermann fanboy, with his Murrow-on-amphetamines style, but even I must admit he tends to jump into the deep end a bit too quickly.

[Socrates]

Both Marks are great. Steyn is by far the best fill-in host for Rush and America Alone is an amesome book. Levin is a great author, but his constant feuding with Savage on the radio is a little annoying.

 

I'm actually mostly familiar with Mark Steyn from his writings.  I don't listen to the radio all that often when Rush is on, but it seems like I always catch Steyn when it's the very end of the show.  I wish he'd post a schedule of when he's filling in for Rush.  The sequel to America Alone, After America: Get Ready for Armageddon (2011) is a modern classic, imo, better than America Alone.  I'd recommend that everyone read it.  Even if you disagree with what Steyn's saying, the book will make you laugh - and think.

 

Interestingly, I've never heard of the Levin-Savage feud.  I've never heard Mark even mention Michael Savage on his show (and I listen to the Great One more than any other talk radio host).

 

 

Sean Hannity. I hear him on the radio during my drive home every day. Absolutely nothing positive to take from his show. Constant negativity.

 

Haha - Sean Hannity's a total Pollyanna compared with Mark Levin.  I've always considered his radio persona "Mr. Nice Guy," in contrast to Levin's pit bull style.  I generally like Hannity, but he's not a favorite - a little bit too "mainstream" and soft for my hardcore reactionary tastes.

 

If you're a principled conservative, there's not a whole lot positive to say about today's politics.  If you want to hear positive, nice things about our current government and politicians, conservative talk radio ain't the place to listen.

[Socrates]

Colbert and Stewart. :|

 

Figured as much.

[Amppax]

Least Favorite: all of them.  

[Chestertonian]

I'm actually mostly familiar with Mark Steyn from his writings.  I don't listen to the radio all that often when Rush is on, but it seems like I always catch Steyn when it's the very end of the show.  I wish he'd post a schedule of when he's filling in for Rush.  The sequel to America Alone, After America: Get Ready for Armageddon (2011) is a modern classic, imo, better than America Alone.  I'd recommend that everyone read it.  Even if you disagree with what Steyn's saying, the book will make you laugh - and think.

 

His thesis in America Alone sounds tenable to me. You've read Liberty and Tyranny, right?

[Chestertonian]

Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell


I absolutely love their spirited style of presentation that draws you in while also presenting the major points of a day's analysis. It feels like Im in a conversation with a good friend or, in O'Donnell's case, my parents or uncle.


I used to be a Keith Olbermann fanboy, with his Murrow-on-amphetamines style, but even I must admit he tends to jump into the deep end a bit too quickly.

 

Where is Olbermann now? I know he was on Current, but if I remember correctly they got bought out by Al Jazeera.

[4588686]

Where is Olbermann now? I know he was on Current, but if I remember correctly they got bought out by Al Jazeera.

 

The same place the rest of his ilk--Sean Hannity, Ed Schultz, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin--belong.  Obscurity.

[Chestertonian]

The same place the rest of his ilk--Sean Hannity, Ed Schultz, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin--belong.  Obscurity.

 

They're not for everyone. You strike me as more of a Bill O'Reilly kinda guy.

[Era Might]

Haha - Sean Hannity's a total Pollyanna compared with Mark Levin.  I've always considered his radio persona "Mr. Nice Guy," in contrast to Levin's pit bull style.  I generally like Hannity, but he's not a favorite - a little bit too "mainstream" and soft for my hardcore reactionary tastes.

 

If you're a principled conservative, there's not a whole lot positive to say about today's politics.  If you want to hear positive, nice things about our current government and politicians, conservative talk radio ain't the place to listen.

 

There is nothing positive to say if you define politics as a party-focused culture war where the chief tactic is fearmongering.

 

There are places to listen to positive, critical, serious political discussion. Charlie Rose is one of my favorites. He has political commentators, but he does not limit "politics" to "what's going on in Washington." Politics, in the truest sense, encompasses all aspects of our civilization, from our technology to our art to our local communities.

 

Everytime I listen to Hannity I think of your old avatar: "Stop global whining." Conservative talk radio would be a good place to start.

 

I think conservative talk radio has less to do with "principled conservatism" and more to do with playing to the worst instincts of humanity. Sex sells, and so does fear.

[Era Might]

They're not for everyone. You strike me as more of a Bill O'Reilly kinda guy.

 

I used to kind of like O'Reilly haven't watched him in a long time. He has the same culture martyr thing going on. His show is very good at featuring racial stories and stirring up the herd.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Era Might

[Vincent Vega]

Hypnotoad.

[4588686]

 

I think conservative talk radio has less to do with "principled conservatism" and more to do with playing to the worst instincts of humanity. Sex sells, and so does fear.

 

 

Basically, yep.

[Socrates]

His thesis in America Alone sounds tenable to me. You've read Liberty and Tyranny, right?

 

Yes, I've read all the books mentioned, and they're all great stuff.  Have you read After America?  It's the post-Obama follow-up to America Alone, and is masterful.

[Socrates]

The same place the rest of his ilk--Sean Hannity, Ed Schultz, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin--belong.  Obscurity.

 

Yeah, never heard of any of those guys.

 

Which I guess is why libs just can't shut up beeshing about them.

[Socrates]

There is nothing positive to say if you define politics as a party-focused culture war where the chief tactic is fearmongering.

 

There are places to listen to positive, critical, serious political discussion. Charlie Rose is one of my favorites. He has political commentators, but he does not limit "politics" to "what's going on in Washington." Politics, in the truest sense, encompasses all aspects of our civilization, from our technology to our art to our local communities.

 

Everytime I listen to Hannity I think of your old avatar: "Stop global whining." Conservative talk radio would be a good place to start.

 

I think conservative talk radio has less to do with "principled conservatism" and more to do with playing to the worst instincts of humanity. Sex sells, and so does fear.

 

My knowledge of conservative principles is hardly restricted to talk radio guys.  I've read plenty of Russel Kirk and other intellectual founding fathers of the American conservative movement.  

 

 

Whatever you think about talk radio hosts, it's obvious that the actions and policies of our current political "leadership" (both Democrat and Republican) is a long way from limited, constitutional government, orany kind of conservative principle.

 

I'm pretty well disgusted with most of the Republicans in Washington (as re, incidentally, the two Marks I mentioned - one thing I like about them is how their not afraid to go after Republicans when they betray conservative principle),  The GOP can go to hell if it follows its current trajectory.  I'm a conservative, not a Republican partisan.

 

And I'm not clear exactly what makes you think politicians are  more to be trusted than political pundits who criticize them.