Good article. I don't know most of the people on your list, but I tend to agree with the grades you gave to the ones I do*. But more importantly, how do you have any brain cells left after watching enough cable opinion TV to have such deep insight into all these people? Thanks for doing that so I don't have to.
*Except that I would probably rank Kornacki a bit lower. He seems like a nice guy who's good with numbers, but he sometimes comes off a bit scatterbrained, such that I can't tell when he ISN'T being scatterbrained. Not a good quality for a 'pundit'.
Well, I usually have news on in my house by default so its always on really. Most stories are indeed "news" but its in the early evening and nighttime programming where you usually see them weave in the opinions and panels. You tend to see the same ones over and over (they're usually under contract with the network) so its easy to develop preferences for ones that give you something substantive and those that just take up space and blather. I did flip around a lot more the past two weeks leading up to the debate and don't even get me going on the brain cells killed watching Fox programming. Atrocious. I hadn't watched it in years and seeing how far to the bottom they've gone was painful; people who willingly watch it are just self-flagellating in their own sadism.
As for Kornacki, I can see where you are coming from. When he says things, what he is saying is almost always worthwhile, particularly election nights, but yeah, he just seems so overwhelmed and all over the place. He'd be so much better if he were 1) calmer and 2) had someone else to help tag team the vast amounts of information being thrown his way. I get the criticism. It's fair.
Back when Chris Matthews had a regular program, Kornacki subbed for him at times. Once he settled in, he did a very good job at it, which surprised me a bit. Election night coverage is rarely as routine is that, though, so I empathize with him.
Molly Jong Fast (B-) Typical uber liberal pundit but is responsible for one of the funniest series of appearances when she was sent to cover CPAC. Bumps it up a whole grade, we can all use more humor.
Good article. I don't know most of the people on your list, but I tend to agree with the grades you gave to the ones I do*. But more importantly, how do you have any brain cells left after watching enough cable opinion TV to have such deep insight into all these people? Thanks for doing that so I don't have to.
*Except that I would probably rank Kornacki a bit lower. He seems like a nice guy who's good with numbers, but he sometimes comes off a bit scatterbrained, such that I can't tell when he ISN'T being scatterbrained. Not a good quality for a 'pundit'.
Well, I usually have news on in my house by default so its always on really. Most stories are indeed "news" but its in the early evening and nighttime programming where you usually see them weave in the opinions and panels. You tend to see the same ones over and over (they're usually under contract with the network) so its easy to develop preferences for ones that give you something substantive and those that just take up space and blather. I did flip around a lot more the past two weeks leading up to the debate and don't even get me going on the brain cells killed watching Fox programming. Atrocious. I hadn't watched it in years and seeing how far to the bottom they've gone was painful; people who willingly watch it are just self-flagellating in their own sadism.
As for Kornacki, I can see where you are coming from. When he says things, what he is saying is almost always worthwhile, particularly election nights, but yeah, he just seems so overwhelmed and all over the place. He'd be so much better if he were 1) calmer and 2) had someone else to help tag team the vast amounts of information being thrown his way. I get the criticism. It's fair.
Back when Chris Matthews had a regular program, Kornacki subbed for him at times. Once he settled in, he did a very good job at it, which surprised me a bit. Election night coverage is rarely as routine is that, though, so I empathize with him.
Someone messaged me about someone I missed,
Molly Jong Fast (B-) Typical uber liberal pundit but is responsible for one of the funniest series of appearances when she was sent to cover CPAC. Bumps it up a whole grade, we can all use more humor.