Except for Laurence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow (both of which I DVR), I’ve largely stopped watching MSNBC. What did it for me was the day after the election, when I happened to have the TV on with the sound off, as I was working on something else.
I looked up to see a panel of MSNBC anchors (and guests) laughing as if they’d all just heard a hilarious joke. As democracy was circling the drain, likely never to be seen again in my lifetime, they all looked as if they were having the time of their lives. It was sickening, actually.
Now, I definitely caught them at a bad moment. After all, I could have hardly expected the panel to wear sackcloth and ashes as a dirge played in the background. But after all the times I had to keep my finger on the button to change the channel every time MSNBC mindlessly played a clip of Trump’s latest outrage, I finally reached a breaking point.
No more “bothsides-ism.” No more sitting through interviews with Republicans like Ohio governor Mike DeWine, who, while hand-wringing about Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants eating pets, still supported him.
No more Ari Melber interviews of right-wingers, giving them invaluable free airtime in his attempts to win the argument. (You can never win an argument with these people. Even if they lose, they still win by getting free airtime on a major cable news network.)
No more sanctimonious pleas by Mika Brzezinski for everybody to “just get along” as if we were all just teenagers horsing around in the back yard, instead of informed citizens who are freaked-out by watching American democracy slip away before our eyes.
Enough.
So unless MSNBC brings back Keith Olbermann (which is why I started watching them in the first place). I’ll continue to DVR Rachel and Lawrence, drop in on Nicole Wallace from time to time, check in on Rev Sharpton (whose arrival as a real statesman has been remarkable)… and that’s it.
Otherwise, I’m on FreeSpeech TV. Stephanie Miller from 9-12, Thom Hartmann from 12-3, and Randi Rhodes until I’ve had enough. (Go to our Resources page for a great set of options.)
So, as I’m listening to Stephanie Miller this morning, I find that I’m not alone! Stephanie is welcoming all the Morning Joe viewers for whom Joe and Mika’s visit to Mar y Lago to kiss Trump’s ring was simply a bridge too far.
(Look – I’m not an ideologue, and I think talking is better then not talking. And I’m glad they didn’t give Trump any free air time, which is one of my big beefs with the network.)
Anyway, as I said earlier, I was already out the door, but it’s nice to be part of the diaspora.
Besides, MSNBC as we know it may not be long for this world anyway. Prime time post-election ratings of MSNBC have dropped 53% and Comcast sold it just this morning, in a move that had long been expected.
One thing you can count on is that there will be major changes… if MSNBC survives at all. So if you wanted to buy your Morning Joe coffee mug, you’d better move fast.
Fortunately, we have other options. For now.
