If a radio or TV talking head chooses to be a pundit or commentator who carries water for the GOP, fine; live with yourself. Not to overstate it, but it becomes a danger to our democracy when it’s couched in such reasonable sounding terms, and on NPR, that people trust her, because what they will come away with is wrong information and, worse, a dampened enthusiasm about Democratic politics. If you’re a progressive and you listen to Mara Liasson routinely, you will be discouraged -- routinely; also, misled, but slyly. And some Democrats who listen to her tripe will stay home and Republicans get what they want. She helps in that effort.
For twenty plus years I have listened to Liasson’s reports, and I have never, not even once, not even a little bit, believed she was fair or honest in reporting of a progressive representative. Not surprisingly, she didn’t find much fault with George Bush or Mitt Romney, if you'll notice, which makes sense. But she’s a special, troubling kind of disingenuous because she does appear and sound reasonable and objective, in a stylish, professional manner while actually being far from it, with no agenda beyond presenting the GOP in the most flattering light possible -- which has become a more difficult job in the last six years. She sounds reasonable to some listeners. Voter turnout is already low, so her influence becomes that much more significant for progressives.
Because NPR is so widely popular and respected, Liasson could, by herself, dampen enthusiasm and tamp down the vote for progressive candidates and do it in a way that people won’t notice. They’ll just be like: Ah, it probably doesn't matter anyway. Voting doesn't help; they're all sons of bitches.
I have been fed up with her sly insults and slanted coverage for many years, but Sunday’s broadcast -- about nothing terribly important: the correspondents' dinner and Benghazi! hearings -- while not any worse than any other, was the last straw for me. She cannot give Obama credit for anything -- not for healthcare, not for jobs, not for foreign policy, not for nothing. So I will vow to turn her off from now on because there is no point in wasting my time listening to her. I have learned time and time again, and finally now accept, that I will not get what I need from her, which is insightful, objective information, even after all these years of waiting. LOL And since she'll never say anything fair or positive about a progressive representative, she can piss right off and take NPR with her. The fact that she is NPR’s “THE national political reporter” is disappointing to me. I have come to expect more.
I mean, Mara, opinion is fine; just don’t pretend you’re fair and balanced when you’re just an attractive shill for the GOP.
This letter is a long time coming.
PS: I love, adore, and appreciate Garrison Keillor and many others on NPR, locally and nationally, so I'll be listening, but not to her.
May 5, 2014
2 comments:
On the rare occasion that I ever watch Fox News (more out of morbid curiosity than anything) I have noticed that the Democratic pundits on their panels are always right-leaning democrats. Fair and balanced? HA!
You're right, hardly fair and balanced. That's why is never watch Fixed News. There's no point. I know some say I want to know what the other side thinks, but the other side usually has no real reason, and I understand hatred and resentment, so I believe I know all I need to know about them; namely, they must be defeated.
I just heard my roommate's radio and Mara Liasson was on there "reporting" how confident republicans are this year -- after all they've done to alienate everyone, we're supposed to believe they're confident. She is not a reporter. She is a liar with a microphone.
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