It's pledge week at NPR, wherein we are endlessly exhorted to give them money for their "unique reporting." As if to underline just how "mainstream" NPR has become their lead political story is an interview with Juan "Fox News" Williams on how Obama is in trouble because of the horrendous (unstated Bush) deficits. Well, I say, screw them. If they are going to serve up the same stale pap that we get from the rest of the mainstream media, why do they deserve our support?
I have previously written that we should have a Cokie Roberts award for stupidest punditry. Cokie is dragged out every Monday, after doing her TV stint with George "global warming is a myth" Will and George Stephanopolous wherein they chew on the beltway fat. As I observed then and continue to hold, Cokie has not only moved to the right, she has completely lost touch.
Back in 2006, she and George Will rued the Ned Lamont victory over Lieberman as a "disaster" for the Democratic Senate races both in 2006 and 2008. Their reasoning was that a take-over by the netroots left would destroy the party's viability to the mainstream...Perhaps her choicest piece of idiocy was her comment on how Obama was endangering his support by taking a vacation in Hawaii...She never acknowledged that Obama had wiped out Hillary in the primaries until the latter formally threw in the towel. She consistently criticized Obama as too far left and has consistently derided the netroots for their left-wing views.
And now we have Juan Williams who is transmogrifying before our very eyes from a somewhat perceptive observer to witless hack. It's bad enough that the guy mostly mouths the mainstream memes, but do we have to put up with an asshole who shills for Fox News? Seriously, this is beyond the pale. So to you, progressive friends, who keep NPR on the air, I say, send a message. Screw 'em and let them see who will take our place in keeping Public Radio going.
UPDATE: To those who bemoan that we will lose NPR and have no voice, it's worth noting that alternatives exist, like Democracy Now, Real News and, of course, the blogs. As for corporate media, MSNBC is doing a better job at putting forth progressive voices than NPR.