05.23.08
Why I Cannot Read Political Commentary Anymore
As I scanned the list of articles on RealPolitics.com this morning it occurred to me that I knew what each of the articles were going to say before I even opened them up. Why? Well, quite simply there appear to be few political commentators today who honestly assess a situation without some overt bias. They all seem to have become shills for Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals.
I suppose this is a good thing since I will save hours a day not reading stuff that would only serve to reinforce my existing views, or just get me all riled up. I will still read anything written by Christopher Hitchens, if just for the excellent prose or some turn-of-phrase I have never heard. Were Bill Buckley still alive I would definitely still be a reader.
How, though, can one be a fan of the pedestrian parroting of Republican and Democrat talking points offered by Charles Krauthammer, Peggy Noonan, Susan Estrich, or Katrina vanden Heuvel?
Maybe I am being unfair since I do not feel comfortable in either party, and I have a difficult time anymore understanding what it is like to be a “true believer”. However, is it too much to ask that these verbal doppelgangers of the political right and left occassionally veer off the straight and narrow to challenge their own worldview and maybe the people they speak for?
I do not expect things to change anytime soon, and I am very glad that I can now spend all those recovered hours doing the things that matter most like watching “Family Guy” or clipping my toenails.
