IBD is perhaps not commonly thought of as a major player in The Cable Game, but this editorial is a humdinger.
Yup, that's not a typo: Investor's Business Daily bluntly labels MSNBC, the cable network, as MSDNC--a stooge organ for the Democrats. As in? For example?
*You know, Keith Olbermann doing Howard Dean's dirty work by referring to the Iraq war and Scooter Libby commutation as "the greatest crime of this young century." Worse than 9-11? C'mon Keith, get back on your favorite pills.
*You know, Chris Matthews, ex-aide to Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill, throwing softballs at Democrats, hardballs at Republicans, and spitballs at Ann Coulter.
*You know, Joe Scarborough, capitalizing on his status as a Republican, bashing the GOP--as noted here at TCG.
*You know, the twitchy, itchy Dan Abrams, who has been taking over from Scarborough in the evenings, who never pretended to be a Republican, and who, in fact, has been quite open up his expressed desire to move MSDNC--oops, MSNBC--to the left. Mission accomplished, Dan!
One other good point from the IBD edit, about the Democrats posture:
Democratic presidential candidates get away with refusing to let Fox News sponsor a debate, while their Republican counterparts let MSNBC lead them like lambs to the slaughter courtesy of Matthews' loaded questions and sound bites and Olbermann's crazed tirades. A "Fairness Doctrine" manufacturing Olbermann and Matthews clones is the last thing America needs.
Howard Dean & Co. must be delighted to see that they have so successfully colonized a TV network--methinks maybe MSNBC could also be called "MSCBS"--but there's still the nagging issue of getting elected in a country full of red-states. That is, it's one thing for Olbermann to persuade NPR listeners to shift over from radio to TV, long enough to catch him calling for, say, Dick Cheney to be drawn-and-quartered. But the DNC--the real DNC--already had those voters. Where the Democrats need help is with the country as a whole. And that sort of help, MSDNC can't provide.
The Cable Gamer doesn't have much of a head for business, but she is going to subscribe to IBD now--it's not just for investors anymore!
