Watching two entertaining American based video interviews recently I was struck by an interesting little attitudinal shift, maybe it was just because the guests pushed back harder, but the two hosts, Tucker Carlson and Bill O’Reilly, clearly in the neo con pro war camp and major Bush sock puppets over the life of that administration, appear to be backpeddling, or maybe they are simply attempting to rewrite their own personal history vis a vis Bush and the war in Iraq.
Young fogey and Readers Digest intellectual Tucker Carlson.
CARLSON: He’s come out for affirmative action. He said in his speech the other night that he thinks that povertyÄîor racism causes poverty. These are all liberal ideas. He is behaving like Lyndon Johnson. When at some point are liberals going to say, this guy is not a conservative, after all, he is talking like us?
MAHER: I don’t think he has ever been a conservative. I don’t know why you guys ever were so strong for him to begin with. He’s obviously…
CARLSON: You guys, I never was.
MAHER: … not up toÄîYou never liked George Bush?
CARLSON: Yes, I always liked him, still like him now personally, I think he is a totally charming guy, but I never, ever thought, day one, 1999, that he was conservative. I never felt that.
Fascist blowhard and falafel lover Bill O’Reilly.
O’REILLY: Alright. That’s why we have the Congress. If they want to take action, they can take action. Now I’m gonna say somethin’ then I’ll give you the last word. The Iraq War is not something I embrace.
DONAHUE: makes surprised sound.
O’REILLY: It absolutely could be a tactical error.
Hilarious. Tucker Carlson now believes George Bush is a liberal, and Bill O’Reilly says he did not embrace the war in Iraq? Don’t these guys listen to themselves?
Well, I guess it’s consistent with the faith based community thing at any rate!
Meanwhile, here in the reality based community, it was indeed good to hear Bush acknowledge that African-American poverty had historical causes and needed remedying through affirmative action.
Ha!
I watched the O’Reilly-Donahue stoush video today and it was rather amusing to see Bill come against someone who, as Phil says, he can’t intimidate into spluttering and silence (and as someone who spends all day listened to talkback radio hosts, its especially satisfying to see a case where their bullying tactics don’t work). But it was also pretty depressing to see the obvious level of theatre which O’Reilly operates on, those media imperatives are gonna trump any actual analysis or discussion anytime.
And there’s obviously some level of personal and/or professional respect/friendship between the two otherwise O’Reilly woulda cut him off quick smart. And as a media pro he knew to stay “on message” and just keep repeating the same, stark point about casualties versus cost. Well, one thwack at Halliburton but small, potent target otherwise.
Going back to his days as governor of Texas, Bush was noted for his advanced attitude and openness to minorities. His administration was already ahead of Clinton on this even before the Iraq War.
Bush not a conservative? That’s why I always liked him. Like me and other Old Left types, he believes in smashing tyranny. The new conservative left believes in sustaining totalitarianism – at home and abroad.
I’ve noticed this has become a kind of talking point at the Wall Street Journal, Andrew Sullivan’s blog etc. Spending federal money to help hurricane victims and rebuilding violates the precepts of their tinfoil economic rationalism. It’s sad to see the left pile on a target of opportunity. I thought they believed in the nobility of Rooseveltianism.
There is nothing more idiotic to me than the GOP’s supply-siders and trickle-down mystics. Bush earns points from me for not being one of them.
It’s the T word, C.L. – often associated with a certain card game.
as Phil says,
I mean Phil Donahue, not Gomes.
Thanks Mark.
The mass media is a reflection of its audience. Bush is unpopular with the American public. The talking heads and mediologues are changing their position to match their audience. If they dont provide an echo-chamber, their audience will find a new place to have their world-view and opinions re-affirmed.
On non-discretionary spending Bush outspends LBJ.
He spends twice as much as clinton did.
if you look at the record of ‘Republicans’ they are big spenders and deficit lovers.
how much more left can you get?
For anyone particularly partisan, left and right are defined in terms of where they see themselves, and whether they regard people as enemies of allies, who then either sit in your camp or the other one.