Hate The Player, Not The APF

I found a nice critique of the current state of Punditry and Opinion Media from Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone. He makes some great points about the polarising nature of this partisan format. Its precisely why there is fertile ground for this wrestling federation to build on.
Ummmmm... isn't that at least one good thing that has come from all this hate?... right guys?

Hate The Player, Not The Game
BOB GARFIELD: Who's the victim in this ecosystem of hate versus hate?

MATT TAIBBI: Well, I think we all are, especially the people who are the audiences of these shows. You know, and I've seen this in families. You know, you have one uncle who listens to Rush and another uncle who listens to Air America, and they don't talk to each other any more. People who are neighbors – you know, they're far more likely to go turn on the O'Reilly show or listen to, you know, whatever, you know, radio show that appeals to him than they are to go next door and talk to the neighbor who they think might be of an opposite political orientation.

Listen and Read Matt Taibbi discussion on NPR's 'On The Media'

Aura: How pundits and politicians preserve their image (part 1 of 2)

One of the key components of wrestling is 'Aura'. A wrestler's value hinges on gaining and preserving Aura. Aura is earned through the caliber of competition the wrestler defeats. One quick way to earn aura is to purposely challenge and vanquish weaker opponents, known as "jobbers".

As wrestlers trade off each other's aura, you will rarely see a wrestler go undefeated. This is especially true once wrestlers of equal and higher caliber start facing off. When a wrestler must stage a loss, the trick is in managing that defeat in a way that allows the wrestler to preserve their aura. There are many ways of doing this:
1) A wrestler who is being soundly beaten can disqualify themselves i.e a teammate running in or use of an illegal foreign object. Whilst the wrestler has been humiliated they have at least robbed their opponent and the audience of an official victory. This disqualifying action will most likely get 'heel heat'.
2) If a wrestler has been officially defeated by their opponent. The vanquished wrestler can win favor with the crowd by congratulating their victorious opponent. They can do this by shaking hands after the match, raising their opponent's hands or graciously passing on their surrendered title belt. This gesture should get the wrestler a 'face pop'.

In punditry, Aura also plays a big part. The pundit must always seem to be in control and more knowledgeable than their audience. That is after all why we listen to them. Callers are quick to challenge pundits if they are being disingenuous or purposely misleading. Pundits can manage this by screening their calls and only allowing those who agree and reinforce their viewpoint. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are known for this. Pundits like Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved and Sam Seder support a format where they specifically invite callers of different viewpoints. Al Franken has a more novel approach, he doesn't accept callers. But sometimes callers will slip through the cracks.

Listen to Rush Limbaugh handle a contrarian caller, as recounted by Sam Seder

Sam Seder on Rush Limbaugh's handling of a contrarian caller
SAM SEDER: Alright I promise I'll get to your phone calls... but we're in the middle of a class right now. This is an intermediate class on 'How to be a right-wing talker'. Again to qualify for this class you have already had to have taken a large dose of hillbilly heroin to get to this to this juncture. We are talking about Rush Limbaugh... he has received a phone call from a Republican... nervous about the "Iran thing"... and Limbaugh doesn't know how to answer this so he's gonna have to buy a little time

Sometimes contrarian callers are allowed on the air for very different reasons. Call screeners may detect that a caller is weak on the issues, or in character (i.e timid, has a lisp). They become unwitting jobbers. It allows the pundit to slap down talking points through this surrogate, to represent the opposing view through a weak spokesperson. These callers often become favorite sparring partners for the pundit and gain cult status with the audience. Inevitably they become show regulars.
Listen to Sam Seder talk to a frequent conservative caller, Dewey.

Sam Seder speaks to conservative caller 'Dewey'
SAM SEDER: So you're suggesting our military is weak because they've been feminised in some way?
CALLER DEWEY: I think we're headed in that direction Sam
SEDER: Really Dewey and what gives you an indication of that?
DEWEY: Well when you see people like Dick Durban apologising on the floor of our congress, crying and wearing pink ties. I mean they're laughing in Tehran at that
SEDER: (giggling) Wait a second -- So you don't like the fact Dick Durban is wearing pink ties. You're saying we're losing to our enemies because Dick Durban is wearing a pink tie...

These unwitting jobbers can also be handled using the bully pulpit. As the pundit controls the microphones he can terminate debates prematurely and have the final word. Mark Levin is a master of this method, it allows him to feed his aura of power and advances his 'take no crap' persona to his supporters.

Listen Mark in action here, here and here. Find more at MarkLevinFan.

continued in Aura part 2

The road to punditry (Part 2 of 2)

>>Read The Road to Punditry (Part 1 of 2)

Well it looks like it holds true. Of the 10 conservative pundits in the APF, half have practiced law- Hugh Hewitt, Ann Coulter, Joe Scarborough, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham. Of the 9 liberal pundits, we have 7 Comedians- Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Marc Maron, Sam Seder, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. It would actually be 8, if we were to break kayfabe. As Stephen Colbert representing the Red team is also a comedian. Its actually quite ironic as one of the knocks against liberal talk radio is that its not entertaining enough, despite being populated by seasoned entertainers.

Overall only 3 of the current APF roster of 20 started their careers in punditry. Michelle Malkin, Tucker Carlson and APF's only independent, Bill O'reilly.

Looking at the collective history of pundits on both sides. The 'Rep' brand has far more experience than the 'Dem' brand with Conservative pundits averaging roughly 11 years each. Whilst liberal pundits average about 6 (I've included Colbert on the liberal side in this instance). This is no surprise as conservatives have dominated the talk format for decades, evidenced by their dominance in Talker's Magazine annual list of Heavy Hitters.

The 'Dem' brand placed 2 pundits in the Top 50, with Ed Schultz at #5 and Randi Rhodes at #13. The Red team on the other hand placed 4 pundits in the Top 50 with Rush Limbaugh taking the #1 spot. Followed by Sean Hannity(#2), Laura Ingraham(#7) and Mark Levin(#20).

That list is well and good. But the true Pundit Champion isn't going to be decided by a committee on a magazine. Its going to be judged by the people. Its going to be judged head to head, issue by issue. Through showdowns across the airwaves and face to face. Its going to be judged in the 'Political Arena'.
It's going to be judged..... IN THE APF!

Keep the suggestions coming

I've been getting a lot of supportive messages lately from APF fans, on the blog and the myspace community. The American Pundit Fighters really appreciate it. To those who sent emails and messages, expect a reply from the commisioner soon.

As requested, a lot of people are weighing in on the pundits they want to come in on the next wave. Right now Marc Maron is getting a lot of support,followed by Thom Hartman, Stephanie Miller and Don Imus. Remember if you want your favorite pundit immortalized in animation and written about in the APF blog get your votes in now. I also encourage people to go to the myspace/"view pictures" (you'll need to log in) to comment on the pundits you like or hate the most. Lets get a debate going.

Again thanks to the fans who have voted. I'm still undecided on the pundits i'll be adding. I especially encourage the conservative supporters to throw some suggestions this way. So far its a toss up between Michael Medved, Glenn Beck, John Gibson and Michael Savage. Again thank you so much

The road to punditry (Part 1 of 2)

In a previous post I stated that not all wrestlers began their careers in the ring. Prior to pursuing wrestling, they often came from the worlds of Football or College wrestling (Greco roman). Most of today's current pundits also didn't start their careers in journalism. Liberals tend to start their careers by way of comedy whereas conservatives often begin as lawyers.

I decided to make a list of the APF roster's prior biography to see if my anecdotal assertions held true.

For each APF member I will list 2 categories:
1) Duration as a pundit. First National TV or Radio appearance as an APF pundit.
2) Career before punditry

Tucker Carlson
1) Since 1996. Co hosted CNN's The Spin Room
2) Journalist

Ann Coulter
1) Since 1996. MSNBC as a legal correspondent.
2) Lawyer

Stephen Colbert
1) Since 2005. Headlining Daily Show spinoff, The Colbert Report
2) Actor and Comedian

Al Franken
1) Since 2004. Hosting Air America Radio's flagship show, The Al Franken Show (formerly The O'Franken Factor)
2) Writer and Comedian

Janeane Garofalo
1) Since 2003. TV spokesperson and activist for 'Win Without War'. An official working pundit since 2004, as co-host of Air America Radio's The Majority Report
2) Actor and Comedienne

Sean Hannity
1) Since 1987. Talk Radio host on KCSB-FM, a volunteer college station at UC Santa Barbara.
2) Construction and Bartending

Hugh Hewitt
1) Since 1990. Weekend talk radio host for KFI in Los Angeles.
2) Lawyer and Political appointee

Laura Ingraham
1) Since 1996. CBS commentator and host of Watch it on MSNBC
2) Lawyer and Presidential speechwriter

Mark Levin
1) Since 2002. Sunday evening talk Radio host on WABC. He was a frequent contributor on Rush Limbaugh's show many years prior.
2) Lawyer and adviser to Presidential members

Rush Limbaugh
1) Since 1984. As a radio talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento
2) Top 40 (music) Radio DJ and Promotions Director for a Major League Baseball team

Rachel Maddow
1) Since 2002. Radio talk show host at Massachusetts station WRNX, after winning a contest for a new on-air personality
2) Rhodes Scholar with a doctorate in politics from Oxford University

Bill Maher
1) Since 1993. Created and hosted Politically Incorrect for Comedy Central
2) Comedian, Actor and writer

Michelle Malkin
1) Since 2003. A Fox News contributor. Has been a national columnist for The Los Angeles Daily News since 1992.
2) Columnist

Keith Olbermann
1) Since 2003. Headlines his own political commentary show, Countdown on MSNBC.
2) Sportscaster on TV and Radio

Bill O'Reilly
1) Since 1980. Anchored his own program for WCBS-TV in New York. Moving to the national news scene reporting for CBS and ABC News.
2) Print and broadcast journalist

Randi Rhodes
1) Since the late 80s. Co hosted a radio program on Milwaukee's WQFM.
2) Former secretary, waitress, trucker and US Air Force aircraft mechanic

Joe Scarborough
1) Since 2003. Hosts his own Political opinion show Scarborough Country
2) Republican congressman then Lawyer

Ed Schultz
1) Since 2004. Ed debut his own show, The Ed Schultz Show. Ed has been providing his views since 1992, a regional talk show, News and Views
2) Sportscaster for 15 years

Sam Seder
1) Since 2004. Co-host along with Janeane Garofalo of Air America Radio's The Majority Report.
2) Comedian, Writer, Actor, TV and Film director, Producer

Jon Stewart
1) Since 1999. Took over hosting duties for Comedy Central's The Daily Show
2) Comedian, TV host and Actor

So let's tally it up.
Of 10 Conservative pundits we have:
- 4.5 Lawyers (Scarborough practiced law after serving as congressman),
- 2 Journalists,
- 4 Miscellaneous

Of 9 liberal pundits we have:
- 5 Comedians (4 of which are also Actors),
- 0 Journalists,
- 4 Miscellaneous

And the only APF independent, Bill O'Reilly. He's a journalist.

Go to The road to punditry (Part 1 of 2)

Don Imus Controversy: The Lumberjack Match

In sourcing the links for the Imus hullabaloo i was astonished by the wealth of commentary APF pundits provided on the issue. There are so many stories in the ether that its not often that pundits will unanimously focus on one issue. There are staple topics such as Terrorism, Global Warming and Iraq but rarely one that all pundits will sink their teeth into.

The primary reason is because issues by nature will tend to favor one ideology (or political party) over the other. If an issue is advantageous to one ideology (i.e an opposition scandal or screw up), certain pundits will tout it while others will be silent. There are a few reasons why a pundit may comment on an issue they would otherwise avoid. When an issue becomes too overwhelming that a pundit is forced to make comment, there are 3 usual courses of action.
1) Blame or discredit the messenger. No hard facts are necessary, just enough misdirection to confuse the issue
2) Spin. Direct people into how they should feel.
3) Provide greater context on the issue. Commercial media tends to use broad strokes whereas talk radio allows for nuance.

The attention given by the APF pundits to the Imus story is largely because his ordeal with public relations and his advertisers has direct relevance to their careers and working landscape. Despite the fact Imus was left leaning and a critic of the current administration, liberal pundits are pleased that Imus is leaving. Imus was perceived as the embodiment of the Establishment 'Boys club', Politicians and elite pundits who viewed politics as a way of furthering their own status rather than serving the people. Red Team pundits have vested interest in the story because they feel that they are next in the crosshairs. That their speech will be muted, taken down the same way Imus was.

In wrestling terms the lumberjack match sums it up best.


A lumberjack match is when two wrestlers fight in the ring whilst they are encircled on the outside by a handful of other wrestlers. The purpose of these outside wrestlers is to throw any of the 2 combatants back in the ring when they are ejected from it. Inflicting some cheap shots in the process. The wrestlers outside may be partial to a particular combatant, but this is secondary. There main aim is to keep the action in the middle going, whilst beating up or acting as enforcers for the two ring combatants.

Enjoy the first wrestling video ever on the APF blog. While you watch it, imagine the two in-ring wrestlers being Al Sharpton and Don Imus. Now imagine the wrestlers on the outside being the APF roster. (Video contains some brutal images)

imus, pundit, wrestling

IMUS! Pundit roundup on the Don Imus controversy

I was officially trying to get the record for being the last blogger to cover the Don Imus brouhaha. One reason it took so long was the fact that Imus isn't on the APF roster, though he is in consideration as a future member. I won't bother with the back story of the scandal as there is ample news out there- did nothing else happen in the news last week?
So instead I will have the APF roster participate in a lumberjack match with Don Imus.
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Watch Joe Scarborough host a panel on the hullabaloo

Listen to Sam Seder talking to blogger Atrios

Watch Al Franken talking to Larry King on CNN

Listen to Michelle Malkin talking with Laura Ingraham

Listen to Sean Hannity appearing on Laura Ingraham's show

Watch Jon Stewart on 'Gaffe Fest 07'

Listen to Mark Levin talk about the Don Imus firing

Watch and Discuss Michelle Malkin withstanding the heat whilst filling in for Bill O'Reilly. You'll also see Keith Olbermann defending Michelle, albeit in his own backhanded way.

Watch Bill O'Reilly riffing with Dennis Miller

Watch Laura Ingraham getting fed up with the controversy on Hannity and Colmes

Watch Stephen Colbert in his own Imus-like controversy

Watch Ann Coulter appearing on Neil Cavuto's show

Listen to Rush Limbaugh talk about black anchors

Watch Sam Seder appearing on Keith Olbermann's show

Discuss Tucker Carlson talking to sportswriter Jason Whitlock


Update:
Everyone's still talking about Imus. Ed Schultz goes on a TV blitz.

Watch Ed on Tucker's show
Watch Ed on Larry king live. Triple Threat Match with Al Sharpton and Howard Kurtz
Watch Ed return to Tucker's show