-By Warner Todd Huston
It’s funny how lefties always consider themselves the more “logical,” the more civilized,” and more “adult” side of the argument. Why, they just want to have an adult debate to explain how correct their ideas are, right? Well, they might unless they work for MSNBC, apparently. Especially if they’re Ed Schultz. Ed Schultz, you see, doesn’t want a debate at all. In fact he refuses to even talk to the other side. We don’t have to surmise this to be true, either. He said so.
Just prior to Christmas, Schultz told his radio audience that he doesn’t have “righties” on his TV show because he’s “sick of ’em.”
You do not see Republican senators on The Ed Show on MSNBC. I don’t want ‘em! I don’t want ‘em and I’m getting sick of righties on my show anyway. I’m getting sick, I mean, we might have 2011, there might not be any freakin’ righties. I’m sick of ‘em!
Not long afterward he expanded on that theme in a way that might seem to be muddying the waters.
Of course, I don’t put right-wing people on that are of any significance… ’cause they won’t come on the program. And I don’t want to talk to ‘em anyway.
Wait, does he not put them on because he’s “sick of ’em” or is it because they don’t want to even bother with him in the first place?
As Mediaite’s Matt Schneider notes, there might be some logic in Schultz’ seemingly contradictory statements.
Maybe Schultz is sick of the “freakin’ righties” precisely because they won’t come on his show. And given how Schultz refers to some conservatives with schoolyard taunts (like cold-hearted fat slob or psycho-talkers), it’s a wonder why conservatives would not want to be a guest in Schultz’s house after demonstrations of such hospitality?
Schultz’ blustery attempt at face-saving is rather sad, isn’t it?
I’d suggest, though, there is a further reason folks right of center tend to avoid Schultz’ circus. With such stellar far lefties as Florida Representative Alan Grayson, New York Representative Anthony Weiner, and socialist Senator Bernie Sanders among others as constant reoccurring guests, what serious conservative, or Republican — or even moderate for that matter — would ever consider Schultz’ show as a platform for serious debate?
When invited to the circus, people understand that they are going to be entertained by clowns. They don’t expect Shakespeare, after all. Clearly when right of center guests want to go on TV to have a fruitful, serious discussion, the Ed Schultz extravaganza is the last place they’d consider.
Aside from the less than serious left-wingers he relies on for fodder for his show, as Schneider notes there is also the constant juvenile name calling that Schultz indulges. How “fat slob” or constant claims that his enemies are “racists” adds to civilized debate… well that’s anyone’s guess. Schultz probably ranks second to no one in name-calling. And the absurdly, over-the-top outrageously, outrageous, outrage that is the staple of Schultz’ style tends to also make of him a bit of a clown. He couldn’t be worse unless he was Keith Olbermann.
All in all, it certainly seems to explain why no serious right of center guests appear on the Ed Schultz show, doesn’t it?
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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