As much as I hate David Gregory, this would be awful:
After a bad couple of weeks clunkily extracting Ann Curry as co-host of its morning infotainment show, NBC News found itself dealing with another unpleasant personnel report this week: David Gregory is on his way out as host of the network’s Sunday Beltway show, “Meet the Press.”
This week, the iPad news service The Daily ran a report that Gregory was right behind Curry in the NBC News Tumbril.
The report about Gregory is not new — it surfaced a couple of months ago (at that time, Joe Scarborough was said to be his replacement). But stone-cold denials were issued by “Meet the Press” exec producer Betsy Fischer and NBC News President Steve Capus.
Valdivia
Since I have never watched his am show I can’t tell how awful he would be. I have to say I am biased because I hate Gregory with a passion.
DougJ
@Valdivia:
Gregory is, in fact, much dumber than Scarborough. But Scar is so blatantly pro-Romney.
Schlemizel
@Valdivia: Yup. As bad as Joe the intern killer is I can’t imagine he will be worse than dancin’ davie. It will be important to remind people again and again that Joe is a Republican with a real skeleton in his closet.
danielx
Dancin’ Dave to go? Say it ain’t so!
Valdivia
@DougJ:
yes that is definitely not good, why would they pick him, given his obvious bias (I know, they don’t see it as a bug or a problem)? I can’t even think who they could use instead.
@Schlemizel:
I’d forgotten about that.
Female on the Beach
Personally, I think Meet the Press and JoeScar deserve each other.
geg6
Soooo…NBC is going all in as the split personality network with the mother ship going FOXNews and the ship’s shuttle as the corral for the liberals.
As far as Dancing Dave goes, fuck him. I hate that fucker and I hope his career is over (but he’s a Villager, so that’s just a dream). At least Joey Scar has a few brain cells and is an out and proud GOPer. Dancing Dave thought he was being coy about his political affiliation. But sadly, the guy is too stupid to pull off coy.
zattarra
Even NBC can’t be dumb enough to think Morning Joe would be an improvement over David Gregory.
Raven
@zattarra: Really?
Odie Hugh Manatee
Gregory out for Scarborough? That’s like tossing out a pile of dog shit and replacing it with a truckload of bullshit. What was the problem, Ol’ Stretch wasn’t massaging Republican prostrates well enough so they needed to call in a pro?
Put Maddow in place and that show would actually have a chance of being relevant for once.
Valdivia
Maybe they will just give it already to Russert Jr.
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Maddow, that would be too good for words. How are you feeling?
Raven
@Odie Hugh Manatee: How you doin brah???
NotMax
*Yawn* Could not care less.
The rolodex of the Meet The Press booking staff seemingly has only about a dozen phone numbers in it.
UP with Chris Hayes at least strives to eschew sound bites, parroting of talking points and ‘inside the beltway’ cliquishness and instead broadcast actual informed discussion.
What a concept.
J.W. Hamner
Honestly, who cares? The only people who watch Sunday news shows know exactly who they are voting for. An explicitly right wing show added to the mix doesn’t hurt my feelings.
Female on the Beach
@Odie Hugh Manatee: One problem, most republicans are quite afeared of her. Note those who turn down her invitations to appear on the show.
And, indeed, by nature and by will, she does not have the required scrotum-stroking skills.
Female on the Beach
@Odie Hugh Manatee: I can’t believe there was a time when I would have Morning Ho on in the background while getting ready for work. I don’t know where my head was at the time. Now, I’d rather listen to a buzzsaw or fingernails across a chalkboard.
And I can’t stand his little sniggering posse of fan-boyz and all the lauding of Mark Halperin as some great, insightful journalist. I find the whole business to be quite sexist.
Brandon
I encourage the switch. Gregory is awful, but at least has the veneer of respectability as a ‘journalist’. Scarborough is a AM shock jock. If you wanted a formula to kill off that program, this would be the way to do it. And a hastened death of that tripe is something I can support. Its just the village talking to the village. A tv version of the WaPo op-ed page. Good riddance.
bemused
Joe? Bwahaha. He is such an egotistical blowhard jackass, does NBC really thinks he fits the villager “serious” Sunday program host slot?
I don’t care who they put on MTP because I never watch it unless I know Krugman, Maddow or some other rational person will be on. The plus side could be if it meant Joe would have to give up Morning Joe.
the Conster
Well if they want to compete for the 25 to 54 year olds against 75 year old Bob Schieffer, then they need to bring back Tom Brokaw to up the “hip” factor.
Narcissus
@the Conster: The broken hip factor
Triassic Sands
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Let’s see NBC has a choice — moronic shill for Right Wingers or intelligent, articulate woman who could raise the standards of Meet the Press beyond what they have ever been.
Welcome Aboard, Joe.
I think Maddow is one of the few thoughtful people on “talk TV,” but I’d be terrified that the weight of Meet the Press would be too much for her. To get that job (like it would ever be offered to her), Maddow would probably have to sign away her soul. I’d rather have the show continue to be an irrelevant pile of garbage than risk spoiling Maddow (even though the only time I see her is when a blog shows a clip).
Besides, just changing the host wouldn’t help much if they continued to have John McCain on twice a month and all the other “mainstream” losers they invite back again and again.
blahblah
Give it to Jon Stewart, this sounds stupid.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
i don’t know why people still give a shit about sunday morning talk shows. heck give it to the other bush twin, you know the “serious” one?
if i were a big time blogger like doug j, one who has obvious credentials having liike totally networked his ass off at netroots, i would suggest something like an alternative sunday morning podcast. pick one in advance, have the twitterers live tweet it, have all of communist east blogistan talk about it, you like some sort of hippie ass protest or some shit.
amk
Way to go nbc. Replace a closet rethug with a real rethug. Hallelujah fair & balanced shite.
Female on the Beach
Aren’t Romney and brood vacationing in Canada? Halperin, after commenting on the Martha’s Vineyard (which IS in America) thing, apparently still an issue, notes that the pics of Romney, enjoying himself in NOT-America, look “Kennedyesque.”
kay
@Triassic Sands:
It’s too bad, though, because she has a genuine gift, and it’s interviewing people. She’s very, very good.
Scarborough is a poor listener, and he’s slow, which should exclude him, if this
were about merit.
He is only listening to the first few words anyone says because he needs enough time to compose his response. His restating of what the person said is often wrong. That’s because he wasn’t listening, past 3 seconds in. He’s not quick enough to be effective at that job. What you’re
hearing is not a response to what the person said,
but Joe Scarborough’s thoughts on a general
subject. It’s a trick, an accommodation he uses to hide the fact that he simply doesn’t have this skill.
c u n d gulag
@Triassic Sands:
They would never, not ever, NEVER, EVAH!, give that show to Maddow!
She’d make the same-old, same-old, moronic Conservative guests think – and who wants that?
It’s Sunday, ferchristsake!
Ask the same old questions about how Democrats and Liberals suck.
I’ll give the same old Conservative talking points about how Democrats and Liberals suck.
And we can go play golf or have brunch.
And, she’ll start to invite more people who aren’t Conservatives!
And Heaven knows, we can’t have less than a 75-25 split – with 75% Conservatives, 24% DINO’s, and that stray really Liberal 1% who somehow or other get on the program, and are then never invited back.
And the somnambulent geezers watching would have a coronary if they saw either someone new say something new, or someone they’d seen a 100 times stray from the talking points they expect to hear.
And she’s a LIBERAL!
Their phone directories begin and end with “R!”
Who has the time to find out the numbers for Liberals?
And who wants to hear from them anyway?
PurpleGirl
@Female on the Beach: When Mitt was a child his family vacationed in Canada. The current family is in Wolfboro, New Hampshire.
tofubo
rest assured, nbc will do the wrong thing…
american exceptionalism: http://occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/border-patrol-detains-former-az-gov-hi, never apologise, never surrender
MattF
Another reason to not watch the Sunday follies. Just say ‘no’.
harlana
@PurpleGirl: Thanks for the correction
Oh well, he still looks “Kennedyesque”!!
blahblah
Has anyone thought about just letting David Gregory keep it, but add in CGI explosions when someone makes a point?
hildebrand
Yep, they need to hire Maddow for MTP. Right-winger’s heads would explode all across the nation, Bobo and Will would write column after column about the ‘fall of television news’, the entire Fox team would spontaneously combust, Limbaugh would have a stroke on air – good god, it would be the best theatre ever. And that is before Dr. Maddow had even appeared once.
Her first guest? Gotta be Cheney. Wouldn’t that be a riveting hour of tv? Somebody really, really needs to make this happen.
runt
Wouldn’t it actually be better to have an open and unambiguous Republican like Scarborough as host, rather than a pseudo-centrist closet Republican like Gregory? At least no one would be in any doubt about the nature of the show anymore. And you wouldn’t have to wonder why John McCain was on every week.
In fact, maybe they should just give McCain the job and cut out the middleman?
blahblah
Maybe a dancing Geritol mascot that can dunk?
Real-time Politifact updates and if you’re pants-on-fire lying they dump snakes on your lap?
I am just spitballing here.
Edit: Those old Muppets from the balcony could host
Culture of Truth
Oh god, Joe Scar would definitely be worse. I suspect this story is being floated by Scar’s agent. Are there no journalists available? Jake Tapper?
blahblah
Starbucks Presents: Meet the Press Sponsored by Starbucks
Maybe have a special thing where every Republican guest gets to slap Mika square in the face once over the course of the show.
Joe “Morning” Scarborough would end up hosting in a track suit.
I am starting to get excited by this now.
kansi
What was that name I kept hearing the other day? Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Ashleigh?
gnomedad
@blahblah:
Better still.
blahblah
Willie G would end up hosting the panel while Joe goes to take a shit.
It’s actually a widely known rumor around the Village that Joe can’t drop a deuce unless Halperin is there in the stall with him, staring at him with his dead eyes.
And that rumor was started by Mark Halperin.
WereBear
Why do they need a host at all?
Someone could poke each one with a pool cue from offstage and they could blurt out the latest talking point.
Think of the money they could save on salary.
NotMax
George Kennedy, maybe, if one squints real hard and the light isn’t too good.
JPL
Say it ain’t so!
gnomedad
@blahblah:
Put them in a MST3K-style remix watching MTP episodes. MTP3K.
blahblah
@gnomedad: Colbert can be Mike. That is an acceptable compromise.
I still like the meta-irony of Stewart taking over a panel show though.
beltane
Being that the only people who still watch MTP are the Media Matters folks, Atrios, and David Broder’s ghost I can’t get too worked up about this.
Since Joe Lieberman is retiring you’d think they’d give him the job. The guy encapsulates the putrid ethos of the Village better than anyone else.
natthedem
I don’t know if these rumors are true or not but I took some satisfaction in them after the flippant way David Gregory treated Ann Curry’s dismissal on last week’s MTP.
beltane
@gnomedad: I thought John Cole and DougJ. were the old Muppets sitting in the balcony. No way would NBC give them the spot.
Baud
Meet the New Press, Same as the Old Press.
blahblah
@beltane: Lieberman would be the sort of high-energy host that their target demo of 75 – 110 year old males would really respond to.
In 2003 off the coast of Australia a large collection of sharks gathered in heavily populated bay and threatened tourist populations. The Australian government played a Lieberman floor speech and all of the sharks fell asleep at once and died.
blahblah
@beltane: Lieberman would be the sort of high-energy host that their target demo of 75 – 110 year old males would really respond to.
In 2003 off the coast of Australia a large collection of sharks gathered in a popular bay and threatened some of the most heavily-populated tourism areas. The Australian government played a Lieberman floor speech and all of the sharks fell asleep at once and died.
Look it up.
Edit: Weird double-post, I am done.
kc
Who’s replacing him? Luke Russert? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha ….
waratah
@DougJ: He is cunning and two faced.
El Cid
Maybe they should give it to Andrew Breitbart, unless for some reason he’s not available.
NotMax
Near as I can determine from a very quick internet search, former Today star and NBC employee J. Fred Muggs is still alive.
Now, wouldn’t that be something?
kansi
What about Doris Kearnes Goodwin? Can’t get enough of those LBJ stories!
Sly
On the one hand, I really don’t care who hosts Meet the Press, as more people watch reruns of Law and Order than do all Sunday shows combined. These shows exist to reinforce both conventional Beltway wisdom and reassure the prejudices of their audiences, which skew heavily toward the older demographics. A person who watches Meet the Press to gain insight on current topics may not necessarily be stupid, but the information they are getting from these shows, such as it is, makes them at the very least functionally stupid.
On the other hand, David Gregory is probably the best you can possibly hope for to host this kind of show. Yes, he parrots conventional wisdom, has an absurd nostalgia for meaningless bipartisanship without knowing why he does, and he elevates trivialities to major controversies… but he does that because that is, in large part, what his audience wants. That is why Meet the Press exists. Someone like Scarborough would turn the show from mediocre triviality toward conservative kulturkampf, which is a much worse outcome.
@Female on the Beach:
In fairness to the Romneys, at least they didn’t go to some foreign place like Hawaii.
Female on the Beach
@kansi: Won’t happen but I love that idea!
Not Sure
@Valdivia: If Rachael Maddow got the MTP gig, the howling from the right would be audible from space. Do it!
Anya
Scarborough is a blowhard who’ll interject his personal experience into every single interview, but he won’t be worse than Dancing Dave.
@natthedem: What did he do?
El Cid
Maybe a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred journalist like Sarah Palin.
Not Sure
I would take this as a sign that NBC is betting on Mittens in November. You want a nice, friendly environment for him and his administration, after all.
General Stuck
Like suing your parents for skimping the trust fund.
SFAW
I think the biggest disappointment re: Fluffy leaving would be the effect it would have on The Bobblespeak Translations. It was always a challenge to find which one of the guests would say something like “Gee, I heard you were a moron” – kinda like a Where’s Waldo? for political junkies. (I was going to reference Al Hirschfeld, but you’re all too young or jaded.)
Although Lukie would doubtless provide his own unintentional hilarity, as would Joe Scar.
Maybe they can bring back Larry Spivak. Probably wouldn’t be any worse than Fluffy.
gnomedad
@beltane:
Hey, it’s the Internet Age. Set up a video podcast site, hold a fundraiser to hire some copyright lawyers, and we’re good to go. I’d kick in.
Culture of Truth
You may be right – I might stop watching it Joe Scar hosted. On the other hand, I successfully transferred from Russert to David Gregory, so bring it on, NBC
SFAW
As far as Mittens’s vacation: “Wolfeboro” sounds vaguely Brit, what with the “e” stuck in there. If Mittens were a REAL ‘Murican vacationing in a REAL ‘Murican town, it’d be spelled “Wolfboro”.
Although it was kinda cute seeing him being chuffeured (or is it “chauffeused”?) on a Jetski (so he doesn’t forget Poland, I guess) by his servant/wife.
Baud
@General Stuck:
The lawsuit doesn’t trouble me. AIG and the government are still treated as separate entities. What I don’t get is how they can file a tax suit for taxes paid 21 years ago. Isn’t there a statute of limitations? Weird.
SFAW
@Culture of Truth:
For which, please accept the thanks of a grateful nation. And ending it would cause untold harm to the Nation. So perhaps you can outsource/offshore them once in awhile if they give it to Chief Scar.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed that they don’t, though.
NotMax
@SFAW
British, yes. Named for Gen. James Wolfe, who defeated the French at the Battle of Quebec.
If you’re into history, Francis Parkman’s Montcalm and Wolfe, first published in 1884, remains a great read.
JetSki = waterborne vibrator.
General Stuck
@Baud:
Citizen_X
Quoted for wonderfulness.
blahblah
@beltane: You’re closer than you think, except instead of having some hippie’s hand up his ass DougJ has his head up there.
Baud
@General Stuck:
Interesting. Thanks!
General Stuck
Today in Wingnut
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/07/07/quote_of_the_day.html
The “War on Women” disagrees. Among other things.
Punchy
With so much politico fellatio (pellatio?) going on on that show, they oughta rename it Meat The Press.
WereBear
@Punchy: I always liked “Press the Meat.”
JPL
OT,OT
Is it possible to buy a roto tiller for under 150.00? I have a few small areas that need to be tilled but also live in an area with red clay. If I hire someone it would cost that much.
SFAW
@NotMax:
Battle of Quebec, eh? Another Canadian tie-in for Mittens! And if we extend it to the Plain(s) of Abraham, then we complete the circle of Mormons doing post-mortem conversions on Jews. This may be a bigger conspiracy than the Trilateral Commission, the Masons, and Pee Wee’s Fun House combined!
Sorry, forgot to take my meds this AM, was starting to channel wingnuts.
As far as the vibrator thing: I guess I can understand Ann wanting to ride one, but Mitt sharing the experience? That’s a little too weird for me.
Linda Featheringill
Pardon the interruption.
Memo to the heat:
You lost! I’m still here! La, la, la-ti-da. Pbffffft!
And today I get to stay home. So there!
Back to your regularly scheduled anti-Gregory screed.
NotMax
@JPL
Rental not an option?
MattF
Ah, the ideal replacement for Gregory: Zombie John Cameron Swayze:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cameron_Swayze
JPL
@NotMax: I probably could not handle a bigger one and wouldn’t be able to transport it home in my Honda. http://www.amazon.com/Troy-Bilt-TB154E-6-5-Amp-Electric-Cultivator/dp/B0018D6CVO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1341666389&sr=8-5&keywords=tillers
I was using an attachment for my ryobi weed eater which worked for awhile but the ryobi weed eater is a piece of junk…
I do like my troy bilt mower.
Raven
@JPL: You get what you pay for, NOTMAX is right, there are rental places in your area.
Linda Featheringill
@JPL:
Rototiller
http://www.amazon.com/Earthwise-TC70001-11-Inch-Electric-Cultivator/dp/B004H4X6Z6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341667032&sr=8-1&keywords=rototiller
Amazon. 120.00
Davis X. Machina
@NotMax: Amherst, MA and Amherst, Nova Scotia are both named after another British general of the era…
SFAW
@JPL: Craigslist may help, but a good rototiller, new, costs a lot more than $150. Even a “Mantis”, which is OK for small, shallow stuff, but not for heavy duty tilling, will set you back about $300, new.
Have you tried a tool rental place? The local Home Depot rents them for $65-$90 per day, depending on the size/power.
JPL
@Raven: There is a home depot that rents tillers that is not to far. Maybe I’ll check that out.
PeakVT
@JPL: If it’s hard soil make sure you get/rent a rear tine one. I rented a front tine tiller once and it was a miserable experience.
Raven
@JPL: That’s electric, I hope it has the power to do what you want. Is this previously tilled? You know how hard this clay is. One thing you might do is water the crap out of it before you till.
Raven
@PeakVT: Our honda four stroke front tine tiller does a really good job but it is soil that has been cultivated by the princess for 10 years.
SFAW
@Davis X. Machina:
Yeah, yeah, we all know about Lord Jeff.
And Worcester was named for Wodehouse’s character, and Boston was named for Ralph Boston and so on and so forth.
Enough with all the history snobbery.
rikyrah
I don’t care. they are idiots to think that Morning Murderer would be better than Gregory.
JPL
Thanks.
SFAW
@rikyrah:
They might actually do it in the hope that he’ll repeat past performance. Think of the ratings! Kinda like Network?
Villago Delenda Est
Meet The Press used to be Lawrence E. Spivak sitting beside the guest du jour while a panel of actual journalists lobbed questions (not softballs) at him from across the set. It was invariably a him back then, this was way before the time of Nancy SMASH.
Now it’s all fluffing of John McCain or one of the other Rethugs on the producers’ very limited Rolodex.
As others have noted, these programs have ceased to be anything but sinecures for Villagers. At least they’re fairly cheap to produce, which is probably why they hang on, the beancounters like them.
JPL
@Raven: It looks like a bunch of bricks since I tried to shovel the area.
Elizabelle
re Meet the Press: televising “public affairs programming” would seem to be a condition of using the public airwaves. Which the public allegedly owns.
NBC’s successive owners have corrupted the MTP format into a lapdog broadcast. Status quo, in service of its corporate owners. Villagers welcome!
MTP is so fetid I don’t care what happens with it.
Joe Scarborough is an appalling trial balloon. He’s more like sports programming for those on Team Republican.
Anyone who thinks he’d do a good job should check out his interview with Mann and Ornstein (authors of “It’s Worse than it looks” re congressional dysfunction and the Republicans’ outsize role in gridlocking government).
Too bad news broadcasting was tasked with being a profit center. It killed Today’s format and quality too. Infotainment and celebrity gossip.
Who cares what tumbrel rider ends up on MTP next?
PS: I think the cart is more properly spelled “tumbrel.” Whatever.
Cacti
@Female on the Beach:
Real America = anywhere that votes Republican. Fake America = everywhere else.
For Example:
Massachusetts, second oldest American colony and birthplace of the revolution = fake America
Oklahoma, admitted to the union in 1907 = real America
Omnes Omnibus
@Cacti: I have always preferred noting that Oklahoma was the basically last place we stole from the Native Americans.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@El Cid: I heard he was dead.
Elizabelle
@Villago Delenda Est:
cheap to produce and (I think) the networks are required to broadcast public affairs programming as a condition of receiving their broadcast license. (Is that still the case?)
You said it better than I did.
It’s sick, the level of corruption and institutional fail.
Something like the original Spivack format would be useful.
But it’s been destroyed too, in search of eyeballs and advertising profits.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): That means he doesn’t have anything else to do.
SFAW
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): Behave yourself! Behave yourself!
Poopyman
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): Evidently El Cid thinks, and I agree, that being dead is not a disqualifier for this gig.
@JPL: I was thinking Mantis too, and when I entered “Mantis tiller rental” in Google it autocompleted with “Home Depot”. So there ya go.
Never having used a Mantis, though, I don’t know how it would do in tough ground.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Valdivia: @Raven:
Thanks for askin’! Popping the pillz, monitoring the BP and waiting for the doc to get back to me on monday. Damned BP is being a bitch to keep under control. Lows of 160/120 and highs of 220/180, not exactly good. Still coughing up old brown blood laced with streaks of fresh red stuff, but nothing like the fresh stuff that looks like it dropped right out of my veins.
It’s strange… I feel fine but I know that I’m fucked up right now. I have to go in to the local clinic this afternoon for followup and more happyhappyjoyjoy pills.
They think the spiking BP caused the small mass in my right lung to bleed out so we are working to keep the BP down but for some reason they are only using anti-anxiety drugs.
More to follow later today. Thanks for asking though!! :)
Poopyman
@Omnes Omnibus: Weren’t those the same Native Americans that were kicked out of NC and Tenn by Old Hickory?
SFAW
@Omnes Omnibus:
Maybe the wingtards can use him on the show as a latter-day Ruy Diaz de Vivar. And it he holds back the Mussulman hordes, it’s a two-fer!
ETA: And if I weren’t such a shitforbrains, I would have glommed onto that it was El Cid that made the original comment.
Villago Delenda Est
BTW, I’m so not into television any more that I didn’t know about Ann Curry’s departure. What was the alleged reason for that? Probably poor ratings performance…because let’s face it, Ann Curry is no longer a hot chick, just an attractive woman. Which isn’t good enough. Her chops as a journalist are of course secondary to that Q rating.
I’ll bet ratings are suffering under Dancing Dave’s tenure. That’s why NBC trashed the original format and brought in Pumpkinhaid the fluffer in the first place.
Perhaps they’ll promote the ambulatory sack of shit that is Chuck Toad into the top spot, rather than call in the intern killer from the “liberal” MSNBC.
Villago Delenda Est
@Poopyman:
Yeah, but the thing is, the Sooners (those who couldn’t make it in Texas or Kansas) flooded the old Indian Territory in the 1890’s and changed the demographics.
WJS
The obvious question is, “what liberal media?”
And why doesn’t anyone investigate how his intern died? Or is the act of bringing that up merely shrill?
Ann Curry should have gotten that job. She is, actually, a journalist, and that’s rare.
SFAW
@WJS:
Oh, and Matt Lauer isn’t???
Omnes Omnibus
@SFAW: I will send you the bill for my new keyboard.
gnomedad
Testing. Two of my posts just vanished.
different-church-lady
Hey, at least with Scar they could drop the pretense of being non-partisan.
Villago Delenda Est
@gnomedad:
Obligatory FYWP missing from your post; I’m assuming that just vanished, too!
Omnes Omnibus
@Villago Delenda Est: What post?
Jay in Oregon
@General Stuck:
Like other evangelical Christians. My wife’s side of the family are conservative Christians, and at the family gatherings I’ve been to (weddings, major birthday parties, etc.) I hear a lot about how we live in the most “unchurched” state in the union.
SFAW
@Omnes Omnibus:
No problem. Send the invoice to my PayPal account, username “DougJ”, email gopatriots50_at_gmail.com.
Glad I could brighten up your otherwise dull day, though.
Omnes Omnibus
@SFAW: Thank you for your very helpful reply.
Poopyman
@different-church-lady:
And therein lies the rub, ’cause that would be uncivil, donchaknow.
Villago Delenda Est
@Jay in Oregon:
Something I am tremendously proud of as an Oregonian.
gelfling545
Just observing an unfamiliar sight – water falling from the sky. I think I just heard my garden heave a loud sigh. Why does even copious amounts of watering work as well as rain?
Villago Delenda Est
@General Stuck:
The quote is from:
Therefore validating my theory that Islam is not “really” a religion in this country.
The idiocy in Louisiana over school vouchers reinforces this.
There is only one “legitimate” religion, and that’s wingtard Protestant fundamentalism. Anything else Christian is suspsect, with LDS at the extreme end of that scale, and then it’s off the edge of the of the world. Well, except for Judaism…they get a pass due to Holocaust guilt. But they need to understand their place, of course.
BGinCHI
I’d be careful about writing Gregory’s obit too prematurely. He’s the kind of villager cat who has nine lives.
I’m guessing they’ll repurpose him for another show or he’ll go back to covering the WH.
Or he and chunky Bobo are about to elope and go on a fabulous gay cruise.
Poopyman
@gelfling545: Send it here to Maryland. At the moment ( a little after 10 AM) it’s 93 degrees with the dewpoint at 73 degrees, and no precip since the sprinkles that accompanied our derecho 8 days ago.
Can’t wait for when it warms up this afternoon.
maya
@Valdivia:
From way, way up there at #11. Yes. Yes.Yes.
The Everleigh Sisters consortium has already told NBC executives that Luke is all primed and ready to go. He can now do it without those messy premature ejacs soiling the MTP table.
PeakVT
@Raven: The area I tilled probably hadn’t been disturbed since the 1940s. And it was right on the edge of a flat area where it broke into a slope to the street. I got it done but was a struggle.
gnomedad
FYWP.
ETA:
I’ve been trying to point to this article. Apparently, mentioning the online education video site named after the guy Kirk yelled at in the second Trek movie sent me to the memory hole.
Southern Beale
Never Forget.
The conspiracy to commit legislative constipation ….
amk
@gnomedad: It’s cole’s vista moment actually.
Downpuppy
They should go to a 2-host format : Rachel Maddow & Bob Somerby.
Culture of Truth
Yeah I wouldn’t write Fluffy off just yet.
piratedan
@El Cid: Sarah still has to get out on the road to grift occasionally. I could see them throwing it to Bristol since her latest reality gig crashed and burned and is in lawsuit city. Really, the wingnut welfare gravy train is being perpetuated for the Next Generation.
gnomedad
@Villago Delenda Est:
FTFY.
HRA
@Poopyman:
Now I am getting a tad more scared about our family (21 members) vacation this year in MD close to Cambridge starting in the beginning of August.
Stopped watching MTP after a few times after Gregory. Stopped watching MJ when the idiot could not let go of the phrase beginning with “In 1990+ when we….” and have the guests either agree or keep mum about anything he said.
SRW1
Joe Scarborough was said to be his replacement.
So, Karl Rove was not available then.
Valdivia
@maya:
I have inspired ideas with insomnia I tell ya! :)
Felinious Wench
Since the Heat Blow Job thread earlier, I cannot read subsequent threads without getting my brain in knots and seeing something profane in every topic.
The tiller thread got me. “If it’s hard soil make sure you get/rent a rear tine one. I rented a front tine tiller once and it was a miserable experience.”
I need more coffee.
WaterGirl
@JPL: Do it yourself is great, but sometimes it makes sense to pay someone else to do it for you. That person would be likely to have a good tiller and it might not cost any more than the rental.
Linda Featheringill
By the way, June 2012 in the US was slightly less than 1 degree C warmer than “normal.”
http://reason.com/blog/2012/07/06/global-temperature-trend-update-june-201
[singing] “What a difference a degree makes . . “
Cain
@Villago Delenda Est:
another anti abortion initiative was defeated because the folks couldn’t get enough ballot signatures! aside from the fact that we have defeated every single one such that even the anti abortion groups won’t even spend any money here also makes me proud!
Kane
Taking Joe off of 15 hours per week on MSNBC and placing him on a one hour Sunday show nobody watches sounds like a good idea to me. And throwing Gregory under the bus in the process is pure gravy.
WereBear
@JPL: I suggest throwing down a bunch of vermiculite before tilling; this will aerate clay without creating the problems of say, sand.
Origuy
The problem with the Sunday shows is not that anyone watches them, but that they are mined for soundbites the rest of the week. I listen to news radio and you can be sure that Monday’s reports will lead off with something said on Sunday morning.
amk
@Kane: good point.
Tractarian
Yeah, this.
Replacing Gregory with Scarborough would be a good thing. It would make obvious what many of us have known for years – MTP is a show by Republicans, about Republicans, and for Republicans.
Tripod
IIRC FCC requirements for public affairs content are with the broadcast licensee i.e. the local station. The networks only own a handful of stations.
I assume the networks haven’t kicked this zombie programming to the curb and let the affiliates run with Eye on Springfield news fluff because Senator Cornpone likes to see his-self on the TeeVee.
Maude
@WereBear:
We have clay soil and they use gypsum to help. I know nothing about clay.
Ding dong
How about outsourcing it to that Pakistani guy. Fareed Zakaria? Also too he’s brown and musleem.
Seriously, if they go with an NBC person it should be Chuck Todd in whom there is active grey matter between the ears. I would like to see Dylan Rattigan but. Jack Welch. Would have a stroke.
hitchhiker
@Triassic Sands:
You can watch anything from MSNBC — including Rachel — on a live stream at this site:
http://blog.livenewschat.tv/rockinroosters/
We ditched our cable recently & I thought I was going to have to rely on her podcasts, but then discovered this. It’s much better than the tube, b/c they just play the hosts doing MSNBC commercials instead of real ads.
Also, too . . . Dave can go to work for Karl in the open now.
Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God
@kc:
Nah. Too much gravitas.
Mino
@JPL: Red clay is the WORST–you could use it to line a pond, it’s that water tight. When you till it up, use bark chips with whatever other organic stuff you stick in.
If I had that soil, I’d build 18″ beds and be done with it.
Mr Stagger Lee
@gnomedad: BRILLIANT!!!! I would watch it.
LosGatosCA
@Brandon:
Yes, a straight up Gingrich Republican running Meet the Press is much better than a closeted corporate Republican pretending to be evenhanded. It is actually an improvement in the sense that it could very well hasten the end of the show, which is the ultimate improvement.
Dancing Dave fluffing MC Rove is easily the most revolting visual on the intertubes.
The Intern Killer could add Meet the Press to his list of serial murders.
gnomedad
@Linda Featheringill:
Fortunately, the free market will fix everything:
Link from the article banner
LosGatosCA
@gnomedad:
Have Colbert host and Jon Stewart be the permanent guest, replacing John McCain. Then have Jon Stewart be the guest host when Colbert goes on vacation and have Lewis Black as the guest replacing Stewart when Stewart and Colbert are on vacation.
Have Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin on alternate weeks doing an Andy Rooney segment each week about the political highlight of the last 7 days.
Five or six times a year have Hank Kingsley/Jeffrey Tambor do a 5 minute Charles Kuralt-like video essay on key topics of the day – like the unintended consequences of smoking being banned in public places, or how male menopause affects the NRA recruiting drives.
All the entertainment and none of the stupid.
andy
Joe Fucking Scar? Really? He’s not even a fucking journalist!
Gustopher
Give it to John McCain, and rename it Meet The Angry Old Man.
SFAW
@Gustopher:
Well, yeah, but there’s only so many ways CoT can translate “Get offa my LAWN!” from/to Bobblespeak, so have a heart, willya?
gnomedad
Hey! (Hey!)
Hee! (Hee!)
Get offa my lawn!
Ash Can
BFD. Who watches that crap anyway?
Elizabelle
@LosGatosCA:
I like it.
The grey hairs can watch ABC and CBS.
And when the stars of Comedy Central have more credibility than your news operation ….
El Cid
@SFAW: Nobody expects Ruy Díaz de Vivar! El que en buen ora cinxo espada!
{Don’t tell any of the righties I hired Muslims for my army and created a multi-religious, mixed power mini-state, all under the principle of more for me!}
Jebediah
@SFAW:
Nina!
Triassic Sands
@kay:
I laughed at your description of Joe’s listening deficit. It reminds me of Juan Williams when he took over the NPR program Talk of the Nation (when Ray Suarez went to PBS). Juan’s guest would offer a detailed description of her or his point of view and Juan would invariably respond “So, what you’re saying is…blah, blah, blah.” And he was just as invariably completely wrong. It was hard to believe he had even heard what his guest said.
I’ve never watched much Scarborough — apart from a few clips here and there. However, those clips told me all I needed to know about him — he’s not worth watching or listening to. At all.