Please stay on topic. Please don't be asses.
Lou "El Gringo Blingo" Dobbs is like news counterprogrammed reruns of sitcoms no one can believe were ever on -- that somewhere in a pre-remote control time people meant to tune in and stay with it.
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Jack Cafferty is like Mystery Science Theatre 3000, only instead of cracking wise over bad movies he cracks wise over idiotic spin.
News shows are ripping off popular TV devices at an alarming rate. Tucker Carlson's producers admit to stealing their ticker from PTI and Around the Horn. Hardball has more snarking banner summaries than ever. And Jack Cafferty is a beautiful hybrid of MST3000 and Point/Counterpoint from early SNL.
Wolf is Jane Curtin. Wolf/Jane spouts some tepid conventional wisdom and Jack counters by calling the CW and it's spinners the equivalent of an ignorant slut. Or he just laughs in the face of the riduculous of it all. "Tom DeLay? Hasn't he been indicted yet?", pretty much sums it up.
I like Jack and think he should get more play but I think he needs to riff off the traditional news format to be most effective.
So if ultimately the vote is swayed by the media, and the media is a whore to whatever they think the consumers want to hear, then doesn't that set up a kind of new democracy where you vote with your dollars and your attention span?
Seems to be "flash" advertizing. Effective in the short term, but loses potency over time.
Cantankerousness has been on the decline for as long as I've been alive. Who's left: Andy Rooney and Cafferty?
It's a postwar-generational thing, and for a reason. When you've spent most of the seminal part of your life in a comfortable, fairly egalitarian society where everyone's needs are being met, it's funny to laugh at, and along with, the cranky types who will never be happy. Their humor provides your social outlet for griping.
On the other hand, if you've grown up powerless in an increasingly precarious, increasingly unequal society, cantankerous isn't as funny anymore, because you're pissed off too.
Thus in modern America, what becomes funny is a knowing sort of despair that recognizes a shared plight -- often wrongly termed "snark," but more related to the stoic humor typical of Eastern Europeans from ex-communist countries.
He actually does host a business show on the weekends, don't remember the name though
I liked it when Jack wondered out loud if Rove was losing weight so he wouldn't have to special order his orange jump suit for the perp walk.
CNN should have a contest for Jack's catch phrase/Wolf smack down. "...Blitzer, you Neocon tool!"
After Jack smacked Wolf around, figuratively, of course, Wolf could reply, a la Emily Latella; “Never mind.”
Better yet, dump Wolfie and pair Cafferty with Louis Black; Ratings thru the roof!
News as entertainment? I guess SNL was really ahead of it’s time.
There has been some talk about him getting his own show.
http://www.mediabistro.com/
tvnew..._file_32399.asp
http://www.mediabistro.com/
tvnew...etime_32359.asp
I'd know I'd watch. As it is now, I DVR the Situation and fast forward through Wolf just to get to Cafferty.
"Quit trying to suck up to me, Wolf"
Cafferty said that in response to yet another obsequious comment by Wolf on the idiotic "Situation Room."
Cafferty is definately riding the right er, correct) wave and more power to him.
Its almost like watching snippets from "Network"
Cafferty is the Anti-O'Reilly...
Sweet Lou was on fire tonight. It was the all Dubai Ports World extraviganza with a shot of "outsourcing American national security", thown in for extra sass. I personally flung a window open and screamed the "Mad as Hell" bit from Network.
I think what makes Jack's segments work so well is Wolf. Jack is a great newscaster but he needs that clueless status quo douche as a springboard to realy sell the thing and make it sing.
I do think Cafferty is that dad who didn't stray too far from the way his dad raised him while working a blue collar union job that pulled the family up into the middle class...that's sorta metaphorical...I have no idea what sort of job his dad had.
He has gone from supporting Bush with the idea that, hopefully, they know what they're doing and that they aren't lying their asses off to "cut the hypocritical b.s. cause I ain't buying it no more."
what to do to get rid of or at least neuter the nutcases in the non-reality-based wing of the republican party is the issue those dads want to see addressed.
every dad should read Baghdad Burning's report of the birthday party for her family --and her earlier blog about how everyone in Iraq knew about the American torture...it was just the Americans that were kept ignorant...and then ask themselves if they'd want these same jerks in power if their daughter was the one living without electricity or water and wondering who's on the side of ppl who want peace in their country...and no burkas for computer literate, educated females.
Thanks, but if I want to watch crazy old guys, I'd prefer to take it via entertainment rather than news. Denny Crain is an excellent fictional character. O'Reilly, Dobbs, and even Cafferty are, apparently real ... and that just scares me. I am not partial to any of their simnering-aneurysm styles. Though I wouldn't mind at all if someone brought back Tom Snyder. Now that was one crazy guy worth watching.
Digby, you nailed it: GOP and Bush worship is so 2004. May I add, the falling apart of the Bush administration is the new black.
If what Olberman said the other night is accurate, the median age of FOX's viewers is 68.7 so CNN would actually be siphoning off the "Grandad who is always mad" audience.
Though I wouldn't mind at all if someone brought back Tom Snyder.
His glory days were before my time but I watched a bunch of archives recently -- he was really something. Amazing to see guests being interviewed as if they walked into the local pub, rather than hard-pimping some product in the alloted 5 mins or apparently being eulogized in the third person after being dragged out of obscurity for some 'newsworthy' blip.
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Wow! Olbermann just ripped (repeat, ripped) CNN's Nancy Grace as the WORST. She's, apparently for years, lied about her fiance's death, to plump her conservative, anti-crime, hate-defense-lawyers credentials.
The poor man was killed by a mildly retarded former co-worker, with no rap sheet, who confessed and has never appealed his sentence. She's been lying about every detail--feeding off the dead man's death like the worst carrion eater.
Olbermann rules.
Nancy Grace was just using truthiness to further her career.
Theo, I think you're onto something there . . . .
Write to CNN and ask. I have.
The more they hear from us, the more likely they are to give it a chance. If they think their ratings will improve, they will go for it.
Why not give Cafferty his own show? Well, gosh, people would accuse them of liberal bias then! Can't have that. Plus, his liberal news show would would be the reason Iraq failed! It's so hard to be CNN.
“Can someone tell my why Jack Cafferty doesn't have his own show on CNN?”
You’re damn right I can, because the guy makes entirely too much fricken sense.
Good sense was lost almost six years ago in the ruble of the twin towers, the day that fear declared a moratorium on honest and open discussions
i think olbermann and cafferty
would make a great team...
nightly news perhaps
certainly better than brian williams
what network has the lowest ratings for news? they oughtta hire caff and olbermann...toss out the ass kissing of repugs and give us real news
You guys are on fire!
FauxReal:
Lou Dobbs picked crops in the field as a kid. Cafferty strikes me the same way - I'd love to dump Wolf in the 7 and follow up with a Cafferty File after Dobbs.
It doesn't surprise me Fox's ratings are tanking. They provided comfort food to people who bought Bush's propaganda.
As more and more of the public becomes aware of the lies they were fed, to watch Fox is to have one's nose rubbed in the bullshit.
Mental self-defense comes into play.
I just wish he'd call wolf by his real name, Leslie.
That FOX's ratings are finally collapsing is a welcome development but surely predictable. This administration has been like a match. It has burned hot and now consumed itself. A network so foolish as to attach itself to a cult of personality propaganda has in effect decided to fall apart when said personality either leaves or implodes.
It will be lovely to see how FOX tries to respond. Short of having Bart Simpson or Malcolm host the news, it won't help. The stench of lies on FOX is so powerful now. The "Civil War in Iraq: Made up by the Media" banner line tells it all.
Smug doesn't where well when you ain't popular.
Read this post. It's amazing.
http://www.hairyfishnuts.com/
arc...0_desperate.htm
"In the Money" is weekend filler.
Jack always reads mails to Wolf of his fans begging for a show. They can't have ignored them.
And how many frickin' hours a day can Wolf be on?
Cafferty DOES have his own show already, I thought: It's called "In the Money" and runs every Sat. and Sun. afternoon on CNN.
Caution is in order regarding Jack, however. Cafferty is no more friendly to the Democrats. If you like Lou Dobbs, you'll love Cafferty--but be prepared for discomfort if you become a "true believer" like so many do, thinking either Dobbs or Cafferty are "progressive" thinkers.
Personally, I like both of them--but I don't fall into any trap of thinking Dobbs or Cafferty are anything but conservative.
Boycott Cabloid TV. Save yourself some money and lots of time. The tiny amount worth watching isn't worth it. Cable is sort of like having a sewer piped directly into your living room.
Dobbs and Cafferty represent an important constituency: the 'mad as hell' old Republican.
I can't stand Dobbs' latent racism -- has he talked about the illegal Irish immigrants working bars in New England? -- and Cafferty was much more of a reactionary on American Moron with Soledad and Bill, but having lifelong GOPpers saying 'you know, these fuckers are incompetent' speaks directly to people who aren't Bush Cultists.
That's why I think the Dems should consider the NDP's 'Lend Us Your Vote, Just This Once' strategy, to appeal to the Caffertys. You may not like us, but it's the only way you're going to save your own party.
It will be lovely to see how FOX tries to respond.
Fox News will flip, and it will flip like the announcers in 1984 saying that Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Murdoch is not stupid; the Sun flipped from Major to Blair in 1997, because he wanted to back a winning horse.
But the Dems need to have a winning horse to back.
Cafferty and Olbermann with a show together? That idea struck me as really odd upthread but it's growing on me. Handled correctly it could be pure dynamite.
Cafferty actually leans to the right just as Olbermann leans to the left. (Jack might be a bit more entrenched in an ideology - but he's never been a completely petrified wingnut.) Cafferty is the crumudgeon and Olbermann is more youthful snark. Keith is literary and Jack just cuts to the bone. They're both smart as hell. And, most importantly, they both have well functioning bullshit detectors.
It has the makings of a fascinating news and opinion show.
It could be especially good when they don't agree on something. Now there might be an arguement actually worth listening to.
I was thinking last night of a perfect news show. It would be called "Just One Hour" and would be a roundtable led by alternating hosts Molly Ivins, Aaron Brown, Jon Steward, Olbermann, and yes maybe Cafferty. A panel of knowledgeable people, not pundits or thinktank hacks, maybe scientists, informed citizens, clergy, academic experts. Even, to be questioned, one D and one R from congress. Limit topics to two or three per show for in depth questions and discussion. No shoutfests. Groundrule, if anybody's spinning call 'em out.
Wierd dream, huh?
I feel bad for anyone who subscribes to cable television. There is nothing on it worth watching, and it costs 60 dollars a month. Talk about an expensive addiction. Turn it off folks, you won't miss it.
Tennessean | 03.02.06 - 10:58 am |
I said the same think on C&L the other day. Applaud Lou and Jack for being on target about the issues but make no mistakes about their real alliegences. They are clearly just spouting off on their own issues that they care about (Lou is an isolationist and rails constantly about immigrants so of course he's going to hate the ports deal).
Can you imagine what happened then? I was called a thug and a republican and told to do very nasty things. Man what ever happened to discourse?
Jack is a grumpy old curmudgeon who hates being lied to and treated like an idiot. He's like all of us in that fact. But this doesn't make him the new poster child for the Left. And we can't adopt him as such or he'll rebel. Let's just applaud him for being him instead of trying to force him into our box.
FOX took the lead in ratings after 9/11, and now it's falling with Bush.
Cafferty doesn't have his own show because his content isn't pleasing to the Republican contributors who own his network. Nevermind that he's popular, all that "free market" shit is just talk.
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Speaking of Lou Dobbs having an aneurysm: I saw him last night on Wolf's show lined up against Bob Barr on the Dubai Ports deal. It was priceless. Whatever you think about Bob's politics, and whatever you think about the ports deal, well... let's just say that Bob's a lot smarter than Lou. And it really showed. He made Lou look like a moron, and even more entertainingly, had him almost literally frothing at the mouth. Absolutely priceless.
Sean
Agree. The last ratings showed that O'Reilly got over 1.6 million viewers but Keith Olberman barely got 300,000 during their time slot. Clearly, Cafferty could get many more viewers that Olberman's 300,000.
I'd TIVO him.
Hell, I might even buy a TIVO so I could TIVO him.
Plus it would be cool just to have someone ranting at chimpy everyday.
"I was thinking last night of a perfect news show."
Wierd dream, huh?
Sharpened Screwdriver of Peace | 03.02.06 - 12:27 pm |
yeah...sigh. Its sad that we have to fantasize about get fair and accurate news. I do it myself.
pseudonymous in ny said Fox News will flip, and it will flip like the announcers in 1984 saying that Oceania is at war with Eastasia.
word.
I have often thought Lou Dobbs was kind of a pain in the ass. Although I watch him almost every day because I appreciate the intelligent level of the show.
Lately he's become my hero!! Kick-ass LOU!!!
I vote for Cafferty having his own show too. Then I wouldn't have to watch rightwing wolf to see him. And why they only show him a few minutes of the day in a stupid tv screen when he is the best person on CNN besides Lou Dobbs tells you how unliberal the media is.
Its a long time coming. Cafferty has been carrying that assclown Blitzer for awhile now.
While I catch "In the Money" when I can (when the kids aren't watching their shows), I really feel that Jack already has his own show: Situation Room. Wolf is just a long warm act for Jack's appearance.
OK, "Lou 'I'm having an aneuryism' Dobbs" made me laugh out loud, which is something, considering the news of the last couple of days.
A favorite Cafferty moment, from September 2005:
Wolf: Well, Jack, we've heard Tom DeLay say that there is no pork to cut in that bill. You've heard that...
Cafferty: Has he been indicted yet?
Yeah, Jack has been good lately, but I think he needs a straight man to play off of. Wolf is never controversial and always protects this administration and then Jack comes in and just cuts through all the bull. It is the best part of the show. The pundits on there are the worst, Torrie Clark and Bill Bennett.
Samela - I sure miss Tom Snyder too.
Charlie Rose took over the late nite spot.
Anyway On Cafferty and Dobbs - As a about as left as they go Liberal I don't always agree with the two, especially Dobbs, however I think the base of their positions is one of actually caring what happens and not using their positions for false propaganda. Yes they don't go easy on Dems. And why should they?
The Dems are just as corrupt and corporate funded as the Repubs. Differant wing same corporate jet.
That is one reason I am now an Independent. The other reason I am not a Democrat - I am a Liberal.
A Cafferty show? HELL YES!
Peace
When Jon Stewart is the nearest thing to a legitmate liberal news anchor on cable, I really appreciate the few minutes of reality from Olbermann, Dobbs and Cafferty. I wait for Jack's comments then switch off CNN. they might appreciate these guys more after November when rightwing tv will go down the tubes too.
It doesn't matter how these guys vote, they are realistic and outspoken about crooks and liars.
Probably for the same reason they took Aaron Brown off the air; he makes sense, he researches, he appeals to people over the age of 34, his demographic is not what they want and he might take away from "All Wolf-All the Time".
I lived in NYC all through the 80's, and even though I was a maniac punk rocker who hated ALL of the politicians, I LOVED Jack and used to watch him whenever I watched the news in NYC. He was, I believe, the Anchorman on the WNEW 5:00 news broadcast, all through the Kotch Administration in NYC....You wanna talk about some rants?!! He used to totally go off on the crime and corruption that was woven into the fabric of NYC at the time. It was a great time to be in NYC.
I don't think his appeal is restricted to any damn geriatric demographic, the fact that he DOES call "Bullshit" on BS no matter what side of the aisle it comes from is exactly what I like about him. I can say from experiance though that the power in his delivery loses a lot of effect when you hear it all of the time. He DOES work better with someone to "Riff" off of than he does solo.
I do think he should get one of the 19 hours a day that Wolfy has though. I hate fucking Blitzer.
Irishamerican
Cafferty is a rock star! Wouldn't it be great if a cable news network gave us a clear alternative to FOX? The time is ripe for Cafferty to have his own show, people are hungry for the truth.
Jack fucking rules. His own show....RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT!!!
Thus in modern America, what becomes funny is a knowing sort of despair that recognizes a shared plight -- often wrongly termed "snark," but more related to the stoic humor typical of Eastern Europeans from ex-communist countries.
theo | 03.01.06 - 5:44 pm | #
***
Emphasis mine...that's the most intelligent thing i have heard in a long time. It is also what made Faernheight 9/11 great. When it is all layed out for you it stops being funny and makes you sadder than mad that it is true and you can't do a thing about it.
Jack is the Cats Pajamas!He is exactly what all people fear....and that is the TRUTH !!!!
CNN should step up and showcase Jack..
If they don't....well....
THEY DON"T KNOW JACK...S*@#T
Jack Cafferty is the best thing on day time TV, enough said. CNN get the methane out of your lungs, give Cafferty a show, and let him run the damn thing.
I agree totally.
Like Bush, Fox is shrinking down to its psycho right-wing base.
With MSRNC heading straight for the center-right (Fox News lite) audience, the opportunity is on the center-left.
Can you imagine a lineup of Dobbs, Cafferty, Olbermann and maybe Aaron Brown, with Stewart or Colbert as the late night entertainment?
Cafferty is a breath of fresh air these days, and I, for one, would tune-in to JC over most any of the talkies, -- esp, those neo-minded idjits...and I told Jack that.
If Wolfie was smart, he would do what Andy Griffith did with Don Knotts, when it became obvious that Andy was a better as a straight man to "Barney" than the reverse. That turned the show into a all-time hit foe the ages!!
Go get em Cafferty!
vote, yes, Jack should have a show, the CNN version of the Daily Show, tell it like it is, point out the truth as known, and let the audience divine the meaning.
and don't bash Lou Dobbs, he isn't as lame as one might think. Give him a break, at least he is kicking, and there are very few left that will even fight back, right?
I think they should get rid of Wolfie and give Cafferty his job.
While they're at it, team Cafferty up with the beautious new female (Zane? I'm going blank on her name but Jack is totally anamoured of her.
This way we get to see the tough old geezer get all mushy and flustered once in a while. When most guys do this it's disgusting but Jack is a disarmingly innocent flirt.
If I was starting a network i would have cafferty and olbermann in prime time.
Olbermann YES! Cafferty NO! Olbermann can be trusted, but Cafferty cannot. In December, I had a back and forth e-mail communication with Jack, that lasted for almost a day. I learned during that time that Jack is quite "slimey," and that he says the things he does to make an impact, but that he is really quite a conservative (an "Archie Bunker" type). He calls himself an "equal opportunity offender," but when it comes down to it, he spouts the Right-Wing "spin" without listening to the other side. He is just "acting" right now. I hate to disillusion all of you here, but it is better to know now, than later!
Dobbs has committed a few mortal sins the biggest of which is his embrace of the Minutemen at the Mexican border. Niewert has the gory details. You can look it up.
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/
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