I thought I'd make a topic to categorize the media personalities on TV into "definitely shill", "definitely not shill" and "unsure" for the democrats and republicans. "Definitely shill" = uncritical partisanship, "Definitely not shill" = critical partisanship, "unsure" = unsure!
Definitely Shill
Definitely Not Shill
Unsure
Please post you recommendations to add, or comments on the list thus far!
Chris Wallace is a definite shill for the Republicans. Not only that, but his cognitive abilities and comprehension of simple statements is glaring ("are you suggesting that using heroin and prostitution are exercises of liberty?"....Is this a serious question? Is this a serious question?).
I'll be honest, I put Wallace in the unsure bracket because I couldn't think of a republican leaning TV pundit who is in the "unsure" category.
Put Jon Stewart on the 'not a shill' list.
Done, but I don't think I can put Stewart in either Democrats or Republicans. I don't think he is particularly partisan.
In the court of the damned, only the jester gets to tell the truth.
Jay Leno isn't a shill either. Comedians can't afford to be.
Comedians can't afford to be.
Very good point. That's why Bill Maher ain't a comedian.
Uygar and Coulter, in all fairness, have been warming up to Ron Paul as of late. I would also add Stewart and Leno to the non-shill Democrat list, though I'm not a regular watcher of either, so perhaps what I've heard secondhand from fans has given me a false impression. Glenn Greenwald and Gabriel Kolko aren't so much Democrats but radical left wingers, but they definitely aren't shills either. Much as I hate to give them publicity, you might want to mention Neal Boortz and Larry Elder under the Republican shill category as well, and Dan Rather and Rachel Maddow for the Democrats.
What is "critical partisanship"?
Sorry, I meant good comedians.
The pundit is often critical of their side. For example, an uncritical columnist would be Paul Krugman, unfailing support for the Democrats.
You pressume you can only be a shill for the Democrats or the Republicans. But actually you can be a "critical partisan" and stil shill for the warfare-welfare state.
Au contraire, you presume that I presume. This thread is solely concerned with self-professed Democrats and Republicans. Of course you can still be a shill for anything and not be a Democrat or Republican, but this isn't what this thread is about.
Libre: What is "critical partisanship"? The pundit is often critical of their side. For example, an uncritical columnist would be Paul Krugman, unfailing support for the Democrats.
I don't quite see how simply sometimes being critical of a political party you essentially completely agree with makes you "definitely not" a salesman for that party. But Marko makes the larger point.
Either way it makes me cringe to see the names "Anderson Cooper" and "Jon Stewart" under a heading that says "Definitely Not Shill". In my view it discredits the whole project.
Anderson Cooper is a CIA asset.
"Jay Leno isn't a shill either. Comedians can't afford to be."
As Bill Hicks said, he was a shill for Doritos, NBC, and the whole attitude of dumbing America down for money and the elites.
He used to be a totally different comedian in the early eighties and late seventies; in fact, one of the top comedians. No more. Today is just total lowest common denominator stupidity.
As far as comedians go most of them (the ones who's name gets known outside of touring comedy clubs) generally have a left leaning attitude (with the exception of Dennis Miller who's simply a neo-con). People like Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, David Cross, and even Stephen Colbert (who's just the conservative spin off parody of Stewart) are more likely to sugar coat the truth with leftist (or even corporate) rhetoric in their act.
As far as big time stand up comedians go who'll touch on social/cultural topics Louis C.K. is the only [contemporary/living] one who really stands out to me. The greats like George Carlin and Bill Hicks generally had the anti-establishment stance (only time Hicks got "statist" was on his gun control bit).
I generally cringe when a comedian gets political now and actually tries to form a serious position on stage.
i would actually say that Glenn Beck and Cenk Uygur are not shills. GB's got a boner for Israel, only out of normalcy bias methinks, and Cenk is warming to Dr. Paul. I also would say that Neil Cavuto is not a shill. Chris Wallace... worst type of shill.
The Anarch is to the Anarchist what the Monarch is to the Monarchist. -Ernst Jünger