Farewell Rick Sanchez, it was just a matter of time

Goodbye Rick Sanchez. After years of making a complete ass out of yourself you went a little too far in your rant about all those people like Jon Stewart who run things and aren't an oppressed minority.

While it's certainly a shame that CNN dismissed Sanchez for what was one part imbecilic inaccuracy (Jon Stewart is a bigot) and one part unthinking Jew-baiting frustration (people like Jon Stewart run the media) the fact is that Sanchez does not belong on a news network...unless perhaps Johnny Knoxville has started a news network.

Rick Sanchez had a lot to say last week about Jon Stewart, the intellectual elites and his own father's history of doing manual labor for a living to make a better life for his family. That last part is extremely admirable, but what I think Sanchez's biggest offense through his time at CNN has been his extreme waste of potential. Sure, by his own admission he didn't grow up in a highly intellectual environment but he made it all the way to CNN, and even if it was a temporary gig to hold an audience between Campbell Brown's departure and the Spitzer/Parker tag team (think that costs extra?) he did have a nationwide 8pm time slot on CNN. But he squandered it.

Instead of using his ability to connect with his audience and educate himself and the people watching his show, he just kept up with the same buffoonery that made him the target of all sorts of people, from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, to President Obama during the White House Correspondents' Dinner. But really, the saddest part of all this, is that no matter how dumb or circus-animal-like Rick Sanchez appeared, he's not the worst person the air by far. Probably not even the worst person at CNN.

Funny, for a guy who covered social media and the information age's capacity for disseminating knowledge, it almost seems like he didn't realize anyone would hear his comments on Pete Dominick's radio show.

Lastly, here's an interesting column by someone who worked with Sanchez at CNN.

http://www.businessinsider.com/some-rick-sanchez-insights-from-a-former-cnn-producer-2010-10

Jon Stewart says what's funny

So now that Barack Obama has been inaugurated the pundits have begun their big fat lies. As if it wasn't bad enough that in the lead-up to the election the stupidest talking heads that flap their big dumb mouths were saying that Jon Stewart wouldn't want a democrat in the White House because he wouldn't be able to make fun of them. I think that he answered this exact line of questioning most eloquently back in 2004 when asked a similar question on the air and his response was (and I'm paraphrasing here) "yes, because I care so much more about my ratings than my country" (read that with a typical heaping dose of Stewart sarcasm.

There's really no excuse for this nonsense, especially a day after their Changefest '09 episode in which they lampooned President Obama's inauguration speech by comparing it to speeches given by the now former President, George W. Bush.

Hey pundits! He says what's funny and makes fun of the ridiculous side of politics and American pop culture. Have you not been watching? The Daily Show mercilessly attacked Obama all the way through the campaign just as they did McCain. Obviously with McCain's schizophrenic campaign and vice-presidential nominee Annie Oakley there may have been more jokes about them than Obama-Biden but the Daily Show, to their immense credit, have never pulled a joke for ideological reasons.

The idiot pundit that I saw tonight was a bald dude on Chris Matthews' Hardball. Don't know his name and I hope he's eating dog food and living on the street soon.

Will a democratic president mean no more political satire?

NO!  Absolutely, unequivically NO!  All these recent blogs and news articles about how it would be difficult for the late night comedians (Stewart, Colbert et al) to make fun of Democrats is stupid.  Think back to the 90s.  They made fun of Clinton all the time.  They currently make fun of Obama, Pelosi and Reid as well.  It's nothing more than stupid thoughtless conjecture and takes the place of real news.  Please stop this nonsense.  The reason the Daily Show succeeds and the "Half Hour News Hour" (Foxnews' attempt at late night comedy) flopped so stupendously is because the Daily Show makes fun of everyone and the HHNH only made jokes about Democrats.  They are skilled comedians and the day to day business of government is always going to contain the c-span clips that provide comedy.  Just in case your mom was doing crystal meth when she was pregnant with you and you were going to cast a vote based on how funny Jon Stewart would be for the next 4 years, don't worry, he will be hilarious regardless, but President McCain will make puppies cry.