Two of the smartest opinion leaders in Washington, blogger and Repubican strategist Rich Galen and Donna Brazile, teamed up this afternoon on CNN's "Strategy Session," hosted by the vastly underutilized Joe Johns. Galen summed up "Current" with his usual Groucho Marx-like lovable grouchiness:
GALEN: Naomi Wolf will be doing the costuming. Alpha TV! It'll be terrific, I think. Don't you? Here, this has been going on for two years. Let me read you what Ad Age said two years ago, "this will be a combination of MTV and CNN." Do you think this is a good combination with CNN?
JOHNS: Well, now Donna, have you gotten any inside scoop on this thing though? I mean, is this beginning of yet another run for the White House perhaps?
BRAZILE: Well, you know, Al Gore said that he's a recovering politician. In fact, he's on step 9, I guess, of his 12-step program.
GALEN: Well, that's the apology step.
JOHNS: But it is true, though, isn't it, that Al Gore's sort of changing his old persona? He's sort of remaking himself, once again.
BRAZILE: No, I don't think so. I think this is an extension of what Al Gore tried to create years ago when he created the Internet.....
[LAUGHTER]
GALEN: It'll be dreadful and nobody will watch it, but that's OK.
Galen's right: Current will, essentially, get credit just for being a young, hip network, in the same way many (talentless) entertainment personalities get credit just for being young and hip. Current is basically the cable news equivalent of the young, dumb, well-pectoraled and enthusiastic competitors on "Fear Factor." They're all going for it, man! They might look really stupid, and do some really stupid stuff, but hey, we're all young and hip here, right? That counts for something! Hey, let's eat some rotten slugs/start Current--nobody's ever done that before!
