Rob Watches Cable TV News!

Hello everyone!

Well, on a whim I decided to tune in to MSNBC tonight and watch The Rachel Maddow Show, mainly because I was tired of reading for school (which by the way started up again yesterday), but also because I was tired of surfing online. I usually avoid watching TV except for a few shows and lately the occasional debate, such as this Thursday's VP debate (which I'm very much looking forward to for the same reasons a person slows down to catch a look at a car accident while driving past). But I thought I'd give the old small screen another shot since we're actually paying for the damned cable TV, and after skipping the 70 or so other channels that had crap on, I settled on Maddow's new show, which immediately followed Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

I've got to admit, I've never been a huge fan of Olbermann. I think when he's trying to be funny, his delivery stinks--to the point that he often comes across as a piss-poor Jon Stewart wannabe. And when he's trying to be serious, well, he just comes across as some sports reporter (which he is) who takes himself way too seriously and thinks he's the next Ed Murrow. But I can put up with him occasionally when nothing else is on. A couple months ago, I did catch part of a broadcast in which Rachel Maddow was subbing for him, and it was immensely better.

Back when Eugene used to have an Air America affiliate, they would play the Young Turks show instead of Maddow's morning show (but they would play it tape delayed from 9 pm to midnight--some local host came on in the morning I think; who knows--I wasn't even awake). But I would also occasionally go to the Air America website, and they would list The Rachel Maddow Show in the morning slot on the national feed. So other than the mention of her being an Air America host (after catching the atrocious Lionel Show online and AA's firing of Mike Malloy--the best host they had IMO--her being an Air America host left a bit to be desired in my mind) as well as her occasionally filling in for Olbermann, I didn't know much about her.

But after tonight, Maddow won some serious points with me. Seriously, it was like she formatted her program based on previous knowledge that I would be watching:



On a (relatively) mainstream cable TV news network, I had the pleasure of watching an openly lesbian host interview my hero and first pick of the 2008 Presidential candidates, Dennis Kucinich, and I got to see and hear the two of them frequently mention my local representative, Congressman Peter DeFazio (although apparently those who know him in DC call him "Pete"). Regardless, I admittedly didn't understand half of what Kucinich said in the interview, but if he's saying it, that's good enough for me, by gum! And if this show is any indication, it's a winner! At least until it jumps the shark, but that's another story.

DeFazio has been all over the news lately, such as this photo (he's the bald guy right out in front, not the creepy guy trying to cop a feel from the Hawaiian lady):



These are strange times, indeed! What's next, a retrospective miniseries on ABC about Sacco and Vanzetti?

Rob

Douchebags!

Hello everyone!

I'm at home right now trying to finish my last paper of the summer term, and I have C-SPAN on in the background which is airing the Democratic National Convention. The convention has been interesting, that's for sure. Today Obama finally officially got the official nomination officially. For sure this time. Super serial! I guess people can now stop saying he's the presumptuous, er, I mean presumptive nominee.

Jeff Merkley, they guy who beat my guy Steve Novick in the Oregon US Senatorial primaries, gave an inspirational five minute speech. It inspired me to want to take a nap. They cut to a crowd shot of his supporters and it looked like the crowd I'd expect to see show up for Saturday night bingo.

Congressman Robert Wexler, who supposedly has been pushing for impeachment against Bush and Cheney, didn't mention the word "impeachment" once during his speech, but instead talked almost exclusively about Israel. Maybe he just wants to impeach Ehud Olmert instead.

Despite all these different people stepping up to the podium to speak, everyone keeps talking about how we "need to get off foreign oil." Screw that. We need to get off oil, period. But I guess that won't make the petroleum lobbyists happy, would it?

What a bunch of douchebags.

Why can't they all be more like Dennis Kucinich?



Wake up America!

Rob

Election Season

Hello everyone!

Lately, I've been busy sprucing up Rob Dow's World somewhat. If you look to your right, you'll see a whole new set of links, unless you're reading this on myspace or somewhere else, in which case you should click here. Anyway, these links are great links to great sites with great things posted by great people, so click on them often (no, I'm not getting paid for this) and enjoy. Then come back and read the rest of this posting. Go ahead, I'll wait for you!

Now that you're back, let's get on with this post! The 2008 presidential election season sure is heating up! Unfortunately, my favorite candidate, Dennis Kucinich, dropped out, er... was forced out of the race due to a complete absence of corporate media coverage on his campaign and due to him being kept out of the Democratic Party debates, despite the fact that he won the same number of delegates in the Iowa caucuses as Rudy Giuliani (0) and more votes than Fred Thompson in New Hampshire (3914 vs. 2,905), both of whom have been allowed in all the Republican debates. But I guess that's what happens to those who speak the truth.

Now I don't know who I'm going to endorse. I like a lot of what John Edwards is saying. The mainstream media is ignoring him, too, which makes me like him even more. I could probably vote for Barack Obama without feeling like a dirty, dirty whore. But I'm not sure about all this talk about reaching out and working with the Republicans. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been trying that for a year and it's gotten them nowhere. I'm not interested in compromising with people who claim to be moral and then ignore poor people, who trash our environment and economy in the name of private corporate profit, who underfund our infrastructure and educational system while overfunding our military, and who believe the earth was created 5,000-6,000 years ago and that we should teach that in public school science classes.

I wouldn't be caught dead voting for Hillary Clinton or any of the other Republicans. I'd most likely go third party.

Anyway, the candidates are really beginning to pull out all the stops. For instance, take a look at this ad:



If that weren't enough, some of the candidates think they're comedians:



But once the two main candidates are chosen, then we'll have to sit through the conventions:



Just think, only 279 more days to go!

Rob