Everyone knows wrestling is scripted which is why it is ridiculed by many. What most people don't know is that the wrestlers themselves help write their own lines. Whilst film actors are given scripts to read from and will defer to stuntmen for action scenes, wrestlers will often craft their own lines and obviously perform their own stunts. The ownership of their character allows their persona to be more authentic and appealing to the audience. That's not too discount their handlers and creative department who manage them also. Politicians are not so different, as can be seen in the Presidential debates.
In wrestling, characters develop catchphrases and signature lines to project there persona. They are short and snappy, designed to excite the crowd into wild cheers. Easy to remember and digest making them easy to sing along to and repeat. These lines are perfect for video packages hyping future feuds. Contrary to popular opinion wrestlers don't read off scripts. They largely improvise but are given a template as to what narrative needs to be conveyed to the viewer, it is up to the wrestlers to come up with and rehearse the zingers to achieve this. Some lines are zingers that are meant to damage a rival with a memorable quip. Other lines are purely clever to endear the audience with the candidate's charm and poise.
As we have seen in the Presidential debates the candidates go through a similar process. Chomping at the bit to execute there rehearsed lines often resorting to non sequiturs to get there. I've put in a sampler of some of the better lines from the debates with more to follow.
First I'll start things off with how the wrestlers get it done.
Chris Jericho and The Rock go at it each other face to face
A compilation of the best lines from the latest Republican debate
Mitt Romney serves up a line at latecomer Fred Thompson. Fred volleys with a witty comeback of his own
Democratic hopeful Joe Biden takes a shot at Republican Rudy Giuliani, poking fun at Rudy's catchphrase formula
Republicans Mike Huckabee takes on 'fringe' candidate Ron Paul. As the video shows, the author is already with me on the wrestling/fighting analogy
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Your APF commissioner is back
After an extended vacation traveling and being away from political media and all things punditry I have returned. It might take me a while to get back into the swing of things, so please bear with me.
In the meanwhile you can trawl through the archives or find any of my old art in the the resources tab. Also I encourage you to email me or comment below on your nominations for 2007 Pundit of the Year.
In the meanwhile you can trawl through the archives or find any of my old art in the the resources tab. Also I encourage you to email me or comment below on your nominations for 2007 Pundit of the Year.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Help promote the APF Pundit of the Year awards
Kindly help promote the APF by hosting our banners on your own site and blog. I will be away for a while, but when I return there will be new art and new postings galore. Take care.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Vote for pundit of the year!
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| Vote for APF's 'Pundit of the Year' |
Just letting you guys know that this blog won't be updated for over a week as i'll be taking a well deserved trip. With that, I'll be leaving with you a nomination form to vote for the top pundits of 2007.
The 4 award categories are:
1) Heel Pundit of the Year
A 'heel' is a person we love to hate. The 'best heel' award will go to the pundit who engenders the most passion from detractors. This pundit sets message boards and blogs aflame in debate with their divisiveness.
Read previous Heel posts here
2) Face Pundit of the Year
A face is a heroic figure, someone you look up to and root for to win. This person gets gushing praise in the blogosphere and the media. Their mere presence spikes up readership and ratings. They enjoy bi-partisan warmth and praise.
Read previous "Face" posts here
3) APF Fight Champion of the Year
The 'Fight Champion' belt goes to the pundit who is the most effective at opposing fellow pundits and other notable people of influence. For maximum points the Pundit should be challenging opponents who are more than capable of defending themselves. The award is not based on how many duels they win or lose, but rather the competitive fighting spirit in them.
4) Best Overall Pundit for 2007
This Pundit encompasses all aspect of the first 3 awards. They are popular, well-known and successful. They enjoy loyal support from their audience, but they are also so relevant and consequential that they can be subject to controversy and criticism. This pundit must also enjoy being on the offensive as well as being fully capable in defending themselves when under fire. They have great aura and charisma.
You can vote on your favorites by commenting below. Each nomination gets a point, with a heavier weighting given to those who provide compelling arguments in support of their nominated pundit. You can nominate any opinion maker you like, they don't need to be a member of the APF.
While you're at it you can vote for the APF itself, for the 'Blogger's Choice Awards'.
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| Vote for 'Punditfight.blogspot.com' |
See the roster of APF pundits
Monday, October 15, 2007
New art coming soon!
For the dozens and dozens of fans around the world... there will be some new artwork coming soon so get your emailing and forwarding fingers ready as i'll need your help to promote the APF's inaugural 'Pundit of the year' Awards.
Friday, October 12, 2007
APF updates courtesy of HotAir
Just a quick update on the last few posts I've made courtesy of conservative video blog, HotAir.
The charisma of Fred Thompson - View original post
HotAir links to a video surprisingly made by a "righty" that mocks the communication skills of Fred Thompson during his maiden debate.
Read the post and comments from the HotAir audience
Visit Kevin Tracy's website, the conservative who made the video. (btw he's a Mike Huckabee supporter)
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Republican NY City councilman James Oddo clears the air - View original post
Councilman James Oddo, who has become minor internet sensation with his outburst at some faux journalists sets the record straight on how the whole thing went down. James presents himself well and shows the dimensions to his character outside of the 'Noo Yawkah tough guy' persona. Not unlike when you see wrestlers interviewed out of character.
Read the post and comments on James Oddo at HotAir
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Top Heel Ann Coulter is at it again - View original post
Ann Coulter not surprisingly is causing a stir as she goes on her book tour. A few weeks ago I was actually considering increasing her 'Pop' rating because of her runner-up placing in a poll of the most popular conservatives. Obviously more content to play the villain, she infuriates the right as well in her latest outrageous attention grabber.
Read more on what she said from HotAir
Read more on the conservative reaction to Coulter
The charisma of Fred Thompson - View original post
HotAir links to a video surprisingly made by a "righty" that mocks the communication skills of Fred Thompson during his maiden debate.
Read the post and comments from the HotAir audience
Visit Kevin Tracy's website, the conservative who made the video. (btw he's a Mike Huckabee supporter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Republican NY City councilman James Oddo clears the air - View original post
Councilman James Oddo, who has become minor internet sensation with his outburst at some faux journalists sets the record straight on how the whole thing went down. James presents himself well and shows the dimensions to his character outside of the 'Noo Yawkah tough guy' persona. Not unlike when you see wrestlers interviewed out of character.
Read the post and comments on James Oddo at HotAir
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Heel Ann Coulter is at it again - View original post
Ann Coulter not surprisingly is causing a stir as she goes on her book tour. A few weeks ago I was actually considering increasing her 'Pop' rating because of her runner-up placing in a poll of the most popular conservatives. Obviously more content to play the villain, she infuriates the right as well in her latest outrageous attention grabber.
Read more on what she said from HotAir
Read more on the conservative reaction to Coulter
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Republican James Oddo lays the smack down
I don't quite know how this clip belongs on my wrestling analogy for politics. I just know it works somehow. In the vain of satirists like Ali G and the APF's own Stephen Colbert, a Norwegian performer Pia Haraldsen tried to do a work on New York City Councilman James Oddo with disastrous results.
One of the running themes in this blog is how much performance and fakery there is with politicians and pundits, how they work us into believing they are genuine. This episode flips the script, as it is the politician who calls 'bullsh*t' when he sees it. Done with charming authenticity and machismo that would make any wrestler proud.
Before you watch the video, just to underscore my point this is how it usually plays out:
The reporter calls the wrestler out for being fake, then pays the price for doing so. Here 20/20 reporter John Stossel feels the wrath of wrestler David "Dr D" Schultz after challenging his authenticity.
In this instance. This Norwegian reporter is the one being fake and the politician makes them pay the price.
Read the Washington Post article on satirical comedy
Read James Oddo's official bio
Update: Republican Congressman Michael Grimm had a recent expletive filled tirade on a legitimate news reporter. This was no joke
- When Politicans and Wrestlers threathen reporters: Rep. Michael Grimm and WWE Champion Randy Orton get mad
One of the running themes in this blog is how much performance and fakery there is with politicians and pundits, how they work us into believing they are genuine. This episode flips the script, as it is the politician who calls 'bullsh*t' when he sees it. Done with charming authenticity and machismo that would make any wrestler proud.
Before you watch the video, just to underscore my point this is how it usually plays out:
The reporter calls the wrestler out for being fake, then pays the price for doing so. Here 20/20 reporter John Stossel feels the wrath of wrestler David "Dr D" Schultz after challenging his authenticity.
VIDEO: David "Dr D" Schultz slaps John Stossel
In this instance. This Norwegian reporter is the one being fake and the politician makes them pay the price.
VIDEO: James Oddo "Get the f*ck out of my office!"
REPORTER: Isn't it against the constitution that Barack Obama run for Presidency considering the fact that he is not an American citizen?Read what conservatives thought on HotAir
JAMES ODDO: He is an American citizen. He's a United States Senator.
REPORTER: But I read somewhere that he's African American.
ODDO: African Americans are citizens of this Country
REPORTER: Alright that's good to know. Can you say a little bit more about the Democrats. Do you really think Hillary stands a chance after the embarrassing incident with the cigar
James Oddo is annoyed and leaves his seatODDO: Hey? Chris. What the f*ck do you have me in with these people. Throw these f*ckin people out of my office. Get the fuck out of here. Get the f*ck out of my office!
Read the Washington Post article on satirical comedy
Read James Oddo's official bio
Update: Republican Congressman Michael Grimm had a recent expletive filled tirade on a legitimate news reporter. This was no joke
- When Politicans and Wrestlers threathen reporters: Rep. Michael Grimm and WWE Champion Randy Orton get mad
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
The charisma of Fred Thompson
In wrestling parlance a 'push' is defined as:
A wrestler gets pushed because management realises a personality is being warmly accepted by the fans or has the potential to. That in turn will feed the demand and elevate that person to main event status. Its hard to quantify what gives a person 'star quality', but we know it when we see it. For the wrestler being pushed, all he needs to do is run with the ball once they're given it.
There are a few pitfalls for the pushed wrestler however. There is a marked difference between a wrestler who earns main event status and a personality annointed by management and just 'looks the part'. Some wrestlers become darlings of management first, then look to appeal to the fans later. They are physically imposing and are promising potential figureheads for the organization. Other wrestlers maybe be more physically modest, but their performance and charisma make them fan favourites. Regardless of how they got their push, their mission is one and the same. Show the fans they deserve to be a main eventer. If they don't deliver the audience will let it be known. Obviously for the wrestler who grew his popularity organically, it will be a good run while it lasted. For the artificially pushed wrestler, there will be resentment against the wrestler and management. Backlash from the fans who don't appreciate being forcefed into liking someone.
This takes us to conservative presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. Fred is currently enjoying main event status as the #2 Republican behind Rudy Giuliani, despite only recently (officially) declaring his bid for presidency. There is no doubt Fred is receiving a major push from conservatives who see similarities between Fred and another actor-turned-politican, the beloved Ronald Reagan.
Fred is at the point where he's just been given the ball and is now being asked to run with it. Fred will be making his first appearance on a Republican debate after tactically dodging the first half dozen. It is of great interest to many how Thompson performs in his maiden debate. Suspenseful for the conservative faithful who are looking for a new great leader and fascinating to the rest of the population who want to see what all the fuss is about.
In part 2 of this post, I will be discussing how effective Fred's campaign has been so far and the appraisal of it from his supporters. Perceptions will change dramatically after the close of this first debate, but either way the fact there is this much attention means Fred Thompson is a big draw. The question is- does he deserve it?
Visit the Official Fred Thompson website
Read the NY times articles, He Can Act, but Can He Debate? Untested Thompson Faces Rivals for First Time
Read from HotAir what conservatives hope to see in Fred in this debate
Read more Pre-fight coverage from Hotair
Watch and get full coverage on the GOP debate from CNBC
Get full 2008 election coverage from CNBC
Follow-up:
- Fred Thompson shows some fighting spirit
- Fred Thompson - is the honeymoon over?
(v) The act of a wrestler being promoted on television and through other means in order to give that wrestler popularity or recognition, usually through victories, interviews, and television features.
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| Fred Thompson to debate on CNBC |
There are a few pitfalls for the pushed wrestler however. There is a marked difference between a wrestler who earns main event status and a personality annointed by management and just 'looks the part'. Some wrestlers become darlings of management first, then look to appeal to the fans later. They are physically imposing and are promising potential figureheads for the organization. Other wrestlers maybe be more physically modest, but their performance and charisma make them fan favourites. Regardless of how they got their push, their mission is one and the same. Show the fans they deserve to be a main eventer. If they don't deliver the audience will let it be known. Obviously for the wrestler who grew his popularity organically, it will be a good run while it lasted. For the artificially pushed wrestler, there will be resentment against the wrestler and management. Backlash from the fans who don't appreciate being forcefed into liking someone.
This takes us to conservative presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. Fred is currently enjoying main event status as the #2 Republican behind Rudy Giuliani, despite only recently (officially) declaring his bid for presidency. There is no doubt Fred is receiving a major push from conservatives who see similarities between Fred and another actor-turned-politican, the beloved Ronald Reagan.
Fred is at the point where he's just been given the ball and is now being asked to run with it. Fred will be making his first appearance on a Republican debate after tactically dodging the first half dozen. It is of great interest to many how Thompson performs in his maiden debate. Suspenseful for the conservative faithful who are looking for a new great leader and fascinating to the rest of the population who want to see what all the fuss is about.
In part 2 of this post, I will be discussing how effective Fred's campaign has been so far and the appraisal of it from his supporters. Perceptions will change dramatically after the close of this first debate, but either way the fact there is this much attention means Fred Thompson is a big draw. The question is- does he deserve it?
VIDEO: A sign of things to come, Fred Thompson in a 1994 radio debate
Visit the Official Fred Thompson website
Read the NY times articles, He Can Act, but Can He Debate? Untested Thompson Faces Rivals for First Time
Read from HotAir what conservatives hope to see in Fred in this debate
Read more Pre-fight coverage from Hotair
Watch and get full coverage on the GOP debate from CNBC
Get full 2008 election coverage from CNBC
Follow-up:
- Fred Thompson shows some fighting spirit
- Fred Thompson - is the honeymoon over?
Monday, October 8, 2007
Welcome Michael Savage and Marc Maron
Its been months since we introduced 4 new pundits to the APF. Finally I'm proud to reveal the ratings of former Air America talker, Marc Maron and influential conservative talker, Michael Savage.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Ann Coulter, Democrats and Republicans have their say
Ann Coulter has a new book, If Democrats had any brains, they'd be republicans. As with every book Ann has, there will be a firestorm of controversy and divided opinion that will follow her as she makes TV appearances and interviews. One such interview appeared on the New York Observer, Tea with Miss Coulter by George Gurley. This was followed by some 1500 comments.
As fans of the APF will know, Ann is the top heel in the business. The number one person people love to hate, she has orchestrated it that way. The APF has rated her with a perfect 10 on the Heel meter. She achieved this score for the very reason her interviews garner such enthusiastic revulsion and praise.
I had always intended for the APF to reference pundit lovers and haters by way of forum/myspace/youtube commenters. But never as frequent as I would have liked.
Today I will excerpting some of those 1500 comments. As I trawled through them I picked out the best quotes that I felt were instructive to what Ann Coulter brings to politics according to the people. I tried to choose comments that didn't focus to much on ideological differences but rather personal differences with Ann's approach to political discourse. Comments with tangential political observations are kept to a minimum but I've preserved all posts to their original length and context.
Here they are: Enjoy!
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Matthew (Texas) (not verified) says:
I am constantly amazed at how in European democracies their governments can transition between Socialist parties, Green parties, Christian Democrat parties, Conservative parties without thinking that it will end their democracy. Yet here in America we have two parties that are amazingly similar and yet when you listen to the far left or the far right you'd think that if there is a party transition in government we might as well pack up and move to Canada because American democracy will die. It just goes to show that the political discourse in this country in exceedingly low and with people like Ann Coulter and Al Frankin [sic] we aren't going to get anywhere.
Superman (not verified) says:
Ann Coulter is the Jenny Mccarthy of conservatism-puts on the black cocktail dress and starts saying outrageous stuff. I at least have respect for Laura Ingraham who measures here statements...........and her appearance! Ann is not the face of conservatism the Republicans want to have. She comes off angry and not thoughtful-there are other more thoughtful conservative commentators that I enjoy.....Like Chris Matthews said to Ann Coulter, "I like looking at you, I'm not listening to you." With each attention seeking statement she makes, more people treat her the same way...........
jef (not verified) says:
The default on mortgage rates is to a point the fault of the current administration and Congress. If the industry wasn't so heavily de-regulated this might not have happened. Don't tell me that Congress passed the laws and the Presidential administration is not at fault here, how many other laws and bills have they vetoed? I don't understand how someone that doesn't consider the war to be priority #1 is not a real patriotic American. The dollar is going to plummet and in the next 20 - 30 years the way things are going we will no longer be a Super Power. Everything is set for this to happen, if you look at history this is exactly what happened to the British pound. The Asian markets are going to take over primarily China and Japan. If you can't see this you are lying to yourself or you have no idea what is going on. So it's great that we are fighting this war on terror to save Democracy and our country but what kind of a country are we saving here? When the standard of living drops so far and the gap between the rich and the poor is so wide will this really be an America we have grown up in and are proud of?
What people like Ann Coulter do what they do and there are plenty on the Left I know this it just helps to separate us as a country further and take our minds off what the real problems are. I am not a Democrat or a Republican I don't believe either one of these parties have the interest of the American people in mind. At this point I am hoping the secession groups make some ground. The Federal Government is letting us all down in the way the country is being managed.
JRI (not verified) says:
What's most annoying to me about Ms. Coulter is that every now and then I agree with her--but she invariably states her positions in such an ignorant and malicious manner that she harms her cause whenever she happens to be right.
Islaneagle (not verified) says:
A. Coulter is a spot on woman. Everything a modern woman should be smart, honest, independent thinker(good-looking to boot!). Anyone that can be proud to be a "Demoncat" today is totally retarded in all areas of growth.
Not your Mom (not verified) says:
Wow. Some retards can actually read. That's the only justification I can see for people believing this blonde scarecrow's load of crap. I didn't think there were that many stupid people that had access to the Internet, but I was wrong. Wow. Some Idiots will believe anything as long as you throw in the "Democrats are wrong" phrase.
October 03, 2007 2:22 PM
doowopguy (not verified) says:
I thought her last book, Godless, was a great read. (the only one of her's that I read) I enjoy immensely whenever she appears on the O'Reilly show on Fox. She is able to make O'Reilly look like a fool simply by using body language and facial expressions. (since O'Reilly never gives anyone a chance to speak) And O'Reilly is so into himself he doesn't even notice. I love it. Ann seems to me to be just a very nice person with strong views (of which I agree with) and a propensity to share them with anyone, anywhere, and anytime unlike most of today's emasculated males. Someone has to stand up for whats right. Thank you Ann, for speaking for us.
USMC (not verified) says:
I am an ex-Marine and I am sick of you cowardly liberals.
We are at war with Muslim terrorists. Youliberal/ porgressives either don't get it or you are COWARDS ON THE WAR WITH TERRORISM.
God help us. There are just too many of you living in the United States.
Why don't you liberal/progressive morons move to France or Canada? After all, down deep you really hate America.
You can't deal with Ann Coulter because she keeps hitting you over the head again, again and again. She is great entertainment and really make me laugh at you clowns.
Liberals/progressives are the most ill and/or uninformed people on this earth when it comes to patriotism and other areas that have made this country great you don't have clue.
Diet Soda drinker (not verified) says:
There is something about Ann's books that is decidedly ignorant. She is a little out there, and not in the way that Neitzche was a little out there. NO one is going to be looking to here books for anything two years from now. Politics is big business and if you are talking about Clinton or any Republican you are talking about someone who stifles their imagination to maintain their position in the country club of politics. I guess if they are interested in being a politician they probably lacked an imagination from the beginning. Mark Twain would have nothing to do with Ann Coulter or Hillary Clinton. That is sacriledge, he was a man with an enormous imagination.
Be real.
Booger picker. (not verified) says:
To call Ann Coulter intelligent! What disservice you do to yourself and truly intelligent women. She is full of rhetoric, and she is good at that. Show some independent thought yourself. She might be right about some things, but that doesn't make her intelligent. Go buy two houses you nob.
moderation says:
ugh. Ann Coulter - she's an illusionist, full of empty distraction. If she actually had a political point or contributed to the political discourse, she would have a j-o-b serving her country rather than pandering slurs to those who can't think for themselves. Her book is witty, yet factless regurgitation confirming only that she uses maybe 3 of the 12 elements of higher thinking. Ann blames everyone who doesn't identify themselves as a republican for every wrong in America. Again she blames Democratic leadership for terrorism, but conveniently says nothing about "blowback" (and honey, it has nothing to do with monica lewinsky).. all the years pre-Carter, pre-Clinton when our government funded both Saddam Hussein as part of the Baath Party to overthrow Ayattolah Khomeini during his presence in Iraq because of his anti-western positions, and Bin Laden in Afghanistan during the cold war to battle the Russians. Ann doesn't want to talk about 'facts', she just wants to call people names and say enough "controversial" things like 'revoke a woman's right to vote' to get herself invited on a television talk show. You think Ann's so wonderful & so intelligent? What's so wonderful or intelligent about being so dismissive and ignorantly judgmental?
The worst part is she occupies discourse in order to keep everyone responding to nonsense, instead of wondering about important things like revealing the real reason this country went to war in Iraq (government war contracts), why is the president veto-ing legislation for children he vowed "not to leave behind", why every tax payer is responsible for lining pockets of the President and Vice-President's "friends" who lost so much money as the financial backers of many, many, many of the President's failed businesses, why are we worried about spreading 'democracy' when so many American families are in poverty, why is the American dollar's strength so weak? Obfuscation - keep people's minds elsewhere and they will thank you when you "enron" them out of their freedoms, money, input, and world relevance.
You don't have to support the "right" or the "left" - just be an INFORMED person and make this world better by ignoring the Ann Coulter's of the world.
Mouse (not verified) says:
I've always thought that Coulter is putting on an act.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read and add your comment on the New York Observer article
Visit the New York Observer website
Read more or buy Ann Coulter's latest book
Go to Ann's official website
As fans of the APF will know, Ann is the top heel in the business. The number one person people love to hate, she has orchestrated it that way. The APF has rated her with a perfect 10 on the Heel meter. She achieved this score for the very reason her interviews garner such enthusiastic revulsion and praise. I had always intended for the APF to reference pundit lovers and haters by way of forum/myspace/youtube commenters. But never as frequent as I would have liked.
Today I will excerpting some of those 1500 comments. As I trawled through them I picked out the best quotes that I felt were instructive to what Ann Coulter brings to politics according to the people. I tried to choose comments that didn't focus to much on ideological differences but rather personal differences with Ann's approach to political discourse. Comments with tangential political observations are kept to a minimum but I've preserved all posts to their original length and context.
Here they are: Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew (Texas) (not verified) says:
I am constantly amazed at how in European democracies their governments can transition between Socialist parties, Green parties, Christian Democrat parties, Conservative parties without thinking that it will end their democracy. Yet here in America we have two parties that are amazingly similar and yet when you listen to the far left or the far right you'd think that if there is a party transition in government we might as well pack up and move to Canada because American democracy will die. It just goes to show that the political discourse in this country in exceedingly low and with people like Ann Coulter and Al Frankin [sic] we aren't going to get anywhere.
Superman (not verified) says:
Ann Coulter is the Jenny Mccarthy of conservatism-puts on the black cocktail dress and starts saying outrageous stuff. I at least have respect for Laura Ingraham who measures here statements...........and her appearance! Ann is not the face of conservatism the Republicans want to have. She comes off angry and not thoughtful-there are other more thoughtful conservative commentators that I enjoy.....Like Chris Matthews said to Ann Coulter, "I like looking at you, I'm not listening to you." With each attention seeking statement she makes, more people treat her the same way...........
jef (not verified) says:
The default on mortgage rates is to a point the fault of the current administration and Congress. If the industry wasn't so heavily de-regulated this might not have happened. Don't tell me that Congress passed the laws and the Presidential administration is not at fault here, how many other laws and bills have they vetoed? I don't understand how someone that doesn't consider the war to be priority #1 is not a real patriotic American. The dollar is going to plummet and in the next 20 - 30 years the way things are going we will no longer be a Super Power. Everything is set for this to happen, if you look at history this is exactly what happened to the British pound. The Asian markets are going to take over primarily China and Japan. If you can't see this you are lying to yourself or you have no idea what is going on. So it's great that we are fighting this war on terror to save Democracy and our country but what kind of a country are we saving here? When the standard of living drops so far and the gap between the rich and the poor is so wide will this really be an America we have grown up in and are proud of?
What people like Ann Coulter do what they do and there are plenty on the Left I know this it just helps to separate us as a country further and take our minds off what the real problems are. I am not a Democrat or a Republican I don't believe either one of these parties have the interest of the American people in mind. At this point I am hoping the secession groups make some ground. The Federal Government is letting us all down in the way the country is being managed.
JRI (not verified) says:
What's most annoying to me about Ms. Coulter is that every now and then I agree with her--but she invariably states her positions in such an ignorant and malicious manner that she harms her cause whenever she happens to be right.
Islaneagle (not verified) says:
A. Coulter is a spot on woman. Everything a modern woman should be smart, honest, independent thinker(good-looking to boot!). Anyone that can be proud to be a "Demoncat" today is totally retarded in all areas of growth.
Not your Mom (not verified) says:
Wow. Some retards can actually read. That's the only justification I can see for people believing this blonde scarecrow's load of crap. I didn't think there were that many stupid people that had access to the Internet, but I was wrong. Wow. Some Idiots will believe anything as long as you throw in the "Democrats are wrong" phrase.
October 03, 2007 2:22 PM
doowopguy (not verified) says:
I thought her last book, Godless, was a great read. (the only one of her's that I read) I enjoy immensely whenever she appears on the O'Reilly show on Fox. She is able to make O'Reilly look like a fool simply by using body language and facial expressions. (since O'Reilly never gives anyone a chance to speak) And O'Reilly is so into himself he doesn't even notice. I love it. Ann seems to me to be just a very nice person with strong views (of which I agree with) and a propensity to share them with anyone, anywhere, and anytime unlike most of today's emasculated males. Someone has to stand up for whats right. Thank you Ann, for speaking for us.
USMC (not verified) says:
I am an ex-Marine and I am sick of you cowardly liberals.
We are at war with Muslim terrorists. Youliberal/ porgressives either don't get it or you are COWARDS ON THE WAR WITH TERRORISM.
God help us. There are just too many of you living in the United States.
Why don't you liberal/progressive morons move to France or Canada? After all, down deep you really hate America.
You can't deal with Ann Coulter because she keeps hitting you over the head again, again and again. She is great entertainment and really make me laugh at you clowns.
Liberals/progressives are the most ill and/or uninformed people on this earth when it comes to patriotism and other areas that have made this country great you don't have clue.
Diet Soda drinker (not verified) says:
There is something about Ann's books that is decidedly ignorant. She is a little out there, and not in the way that Neitzche was a little out there. NO one is going to be looking to here books for anything two years from now. Politics is big business and if you are talking about Clinton or any Republican you are talking about someone who stifles their imagination to maintain their position in the country club of politics. I guess if they are interested in being a politician they probably lacked an imagination from the beginning. Mark Twain would have nothing to do with Ann Coulter or Hillary Clinton. That is sacriledge, he was a man with an enormous imagination.
Be real.
Booger picker. (not verified) says:
To call Ann Coulter intelligent! What disservice you do to yourself and truly intelligent women. She is full of rhetoric, and she is good at that. Show some independent thought yourself. She might be right about some things, but that doesn't make her intelligent. Go buy two houses you nob.
moderation says:
ugh. Ann Coulter - she's an illusionist, full of empty distraction. If she actually had a political point or contributed to the political discourse, she would have a j-o-b serving her country rather than pandering slurs to those who can't think for themselves. Her book is witty, yet factless regurgitation confirming only that she uses maybe 3 of the 12 elements of higher thinking. Ann blames everyone who doesn't identify themselves as a republican for every wrong in America. Again she blames Democratic leadership for terrorism, but conveniently says nothing about "blowback" (and honey, it has nothing to do with monica lewinsky).. all the years pre-Carter, pre-Clinton when our government funded both Saddam Hussein as part of the Baath Party to overthrow Ayattolah Khomeini during his presence in Iraq because of his anti-western positions, and Bin Laden in Afghanistan during the cold war to battle the Russians. Ann doesn't want to talk about 'facts', she just wants to call people names and say enough "controversial" things like 'revoke a woman's right to vote' to get herself invited on a television talk show. You think Ann's so wonderful & so intelligent? What's so wonderful or intelligent about being so dismissive and ignorantly judgmental?
The worst part is she occupies discourse in order to keep everyone responding to nonsense, instead of wondering about important things like revealing the real reason this country went to war in Iraq (government war contracts), why is the president veto-ing legislation for children he vowed "not to leave behind", why every tax payer is responsible for lining pockets of the President and Vice-President's "friends" who lost so much money as the financial backers of many, many, many of the President's failed businesses, why are we worried about spreading 'democracy' when so many American families are in poverty, why is the American dollar's strength so weak? Obfuscation - keep people's minds elsewhere and they will thank you when you "enron" them out of their freedoms, money, input, and world relevance.
You don't have to support the "right" or the "left" - just be an INFORMED person and make this world better by ignoring the Ann Coulter's of the world.
Mouse (not verified) says:
I've always thought that Coulter is putting on an act.
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Read and add your comment on the New York Observer article
Visit the New York Observer website
Read more or buy Ann Coulter's latest book
Go to Ann's official website
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Chris Matthews, John Stewart and American Pundit Fighting
There was an interesting duel last night between Jon Stewart and MSNBC talk show host Chris Matthews. Chris appeared on the Daily Show to promote his new book, 'Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success'. Instead what Chris got was a public dressing down where the host destroyed the entire conceit of his book.
If you're interested in seeing more interviews with pundits that didn't run so smoothly. Click to view my post on 'Shoot Fights'.
What's troubling is, I fundamentally agree with Chris Matthews' premise that to succeed you need to put on a show. Heck this whole blog is about that very notion. Presentation does matter, to achieve success there is a certain amount of schmoozing and butt kissing that needs to be done. How overtly its done can mean the difference between charm and artifice. I think where Matthews went wrong is that he doesn't have the gravitas and charisma to deliver his message credibly. He comes off like a greasy car salesman selling a book on 'integrity', Stewart wasn't buying it. Matthews has the appearance of a devious politician who doesn't realise he's not fooling anybody. It's quite ironic really.
This reminds of a similar episode involving Air America talker Rachel Maddow. Rachel does a regular video feature called The Campaign Asylum where she focuses on particular topics, in this instance presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. Rachel makes a compelling argument that Fred Thompson is an empty suit with little to offer but charisma. If YouTube replies are anything to go by, she wasn't convincing enough. For her message to be effective Rachel has to be able to convince Thompson-type supporters who are enamored by charisma. Ironically the only way she can break that spell is to at least be as captivating as Fred for people to take her seriously.
To be fair Rachel faces an uphill battle with her medium. 'Talking straight to camera' has an awkward aesthetic. The most successful of these are usually solemn and humble, like a presidential address or a fireside chat. The excitable delivery Rachel employs without the benefit of another person to bounce off appears 'smarmy' (to quote a YouTube commenter). In fact the only other time you see this aesthetic is with amateur myspace/YouTube users ranting from their bedrooms. Presenting with a buffer rather than direct to camera brings a feeling of earnestness and humility, even when delivering the material the same way.
Tell me what you think? Do you agree?
Just to make the circle complete.
How do you think Fred Thompson comes off looking in this?
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Get involved in the APF community
American Pundit Fighting was always designed to be a community supported, community driven enterprise. Its why I integrated a myspace companion site, in the hope of getting pundit fans involved and demanding more attention be paid to their favorite pundit. Just like wrestling, the fans would dictate who got pushed to center stage.
I encourage supporters on myspace to comment on each of the pundits to gauge how people felt about each of them. The pundits who were garnering passionate reactions would be the ones i'd devote posts to. To be frank, I never effectively managed this. My posts in the past have largely been governed by the access I had to a pundit's media archives. Pundits I regularly feature include Hugh Hewitt, Sam Seder and Mark Levin who have comprehensive audio freely available. Michelle Malkin, Comedy Central and Fox News pundits also have video archives readily available. I've expressed dissatisfaction in the past for Rush Limbaugh no longer making his media freely accessible.
I had always planned to get Pundit lovers and haters to contribute by feeding me some post suggestions or even guest posting themselves. I am after all just one person who can't possibly keep up to date with every single pundit. I am glad to announce that I will be featuring my first guest poster, ChaseBlogger. He is a comedy enthusiast who pops for Stephen Colbert but gives major heat to Ann Coulter. I hope to enlist more contributors in the near future.
In case you're wondering. The most popular pundits on the myspace forum were Hannity, Colbert and Ann Coulter with 4 comments each. Ann Coulter was seen both as a face "ms. coulter you are my idol. 'nuff said. go ahead and cry, bleeding heart libs." and a heel "At some point, someone should really bust a cap into this Nazi Bimbo."
Read the APF Opinion Forum on myspace
View the media resources of all your APF pundits
Visit our first feature posters' website, ChaseBlogger
I encourage supporters on myspace to comment on each of the pundits to gauge how people felt about each of them. The pundits who were garnering passionate reactions would be the ones i'd devote posts to. To be frank, I never effectively managed this. My posts in the past have largely been governed by the access I had to a pundit's media archives. Pundits I regularly feature include Hugh Hewitt, Sam Seder and Mark Levin who have comprehensive audio freely available. Michelle Malkin, Comedy Central and Fox News pundits also have video archives readily available. I've expressed dissatisfaction in the past for Rush Limbaugh no longer making his media freely accessible.
I had always planned to get Pundit lovers and haters to contribute by feeding me some post suggestions or even guest posting themselves. I am after all just one person who can't possibly keep up to date with every single pundit. I am glad to announce that I will be featuring my first guest poster, ChaseBlogger. He is a comedy enthusiast who pops for Stephen Colbert but gives major heat to Ann Coulter. I hope to enlist more contributors in the near future.
In case you're wondering. The most popular pundits on the myspace forum were Hannity, Colbert and Ann Coulter with 4 comments each. Ann Coulter was seen both as a face "ms. coulter you are my idol. 'nuff said. go ahead and cry, bleeding heart libs." and a heel "At some point, someone should really bust a cap into this Nazi Bimbo."
Read the APF Opinion Forum on myspace
View the media resources of all your APF pundits
Visit our first feature posters' website, ChaseBlogger
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Most popular Right Wingers
Regular readers will be familiar with the wrestling-style ratings system I've assigned for every APF Pundit. For those unfamiliar here is a quick recap: (regular readers can skip this part)
Pop - The favorability and popularity of the pundit
Heat - How despised and marginalised the pundit is
Persona or Orientation - Is the pundit a 'face' or a 'heel'? A 'face' is a hero, someone the people idolise. A heel is someone people love to hate. The pundit can shape how people respond to them, by being antagonistic to critics etc...
Because of the divisiveness in politics today its highly likely that a pundit will polarise opinion. They may be loved by their ideological peers and demonised by their opponents. This is where charm factors in.
Read more in previous posts:
See the full list of Pundit Ratings on the myspace page
A case study with Conservative talker Dean Barnett
Read up on the terminology, in our Glossary page
I bring all this up because the Right Wing News website has released their annual list of 'Favorite People on the Right' (2007). It is a list compiled though a survey of bloggers ranking the most admired conservatives. Not surprisingly pundits featured heavily, with the top three spots being occupied by APF members.
Funnily enough 2 of those in said top three are classified as "heels". This leads us to one of two conclusions. 1) The APF has been wrong in that designation or 2) Conservative bloggers are impressed not only by how these Right Wing champions represent their ideals but more importantly how effectively they infuriate the left.
Below is a snapshot of this year's list. I've highlighted the pundits in bold:
Read Right Wing News' full 2007 list.
Read the list of Favorite People On The Right (2005 Edition)
Read the list of Favorite People On The Right (2006 Edition)Visit the RightWingNews (Conservative News and Views) website
Pop - The favorability and popularity of the pundit
Heat - How despised and marginalised the pundit is
Persona or Orientation - Is the pundit a 'face' or a 'heel'? A 'face' is a hero, someone the people idolise. A heel is someone people love to hate. The pundit can shape how people respond to them, by being antagonistic to critics etc...
Because of the divisiveness in politics today its highly likely that a pundit will polarise opinion. They may be loved by their ideological peers and demonised by their opponents. This is where charm factors in.
Read more in previous posts:
See the full list of Pundit Ratings on the myspace page
A case study with Conservative talker Dean Barnett
Read up on the terminology, in our Glossary page
I bring all this up because the Right Wing News website has released their annual list of 'Favorite People on the Right' (2007). It is a list compiled though a survey of bloggers ranking the most admired conservatives. Not surprisingly pundits featured heavily, with the top three spots being occupied by APF members.
Funnily enough 2 of those in said top three are classified as "heels". This leads us to one of two conclusions. 1) The APF has been wrong in that designation or 2) Conservative bloggers are impressed not only by how these Right Wing champions represent their ideals but more importantly how effectively they infuriate the left.
Below is a snapshot of this year's list. I've highlighted the pundits in bold:
Right-Of-Center Bloggers Select Their Favorite People On The Right (2007)It's clear how influential pundits are in our political discourse as evidenced by this list. I see two notable omissions however, highly rated commentators Michael Savage and Sean Hannity. It might be worth investigating why conservatives felt they didn't make the cut for 2007.
Honorable Mentions: Larry Elder – 4, Mary Katherine Ham – 4, Brit Hume – 4, Bill O’Reilly – 4, Jeff Sessions – 4, Robert Spencer – 4, John Stossel – 4, Walter Williams – 4
21) Tom Tancredo – 5
21) Condi Rice – 5
21) Charles Krauthammer – 5
21) Hugh Hewitt – 5
21) John Bolton – 5
20) Sean Hannity – 6
20) Jim DeMint – 6
16) Judge Antonin Scalia – 7
16) Jonah Goldberg – 7
16) Tom Coburn – 7
16) Glenn Beck – 7
13) Glenn Reynolds -- 8
13) Duncan Hunter – 8
13) Neal Boortz – 8
10) Victor David Hanson – 9
10) Laura Ingraham – 9
10) Dick Cheney – 9
9) Rudy Giuliani – 10
8) George W. Bush – 11
6) Fred Thompson – 13
6) Thomas Sowell – 13
5) Newt Gingrich – 14
4) Mark Steyn – 17,
2) Michelle Malkin – 19
2) Ann Coulter – 19
1) Rush Limbaugh – 28
Read Right Wing News' full 2007 list.
Read the list of Favorite People On The Right (2005 Edition)
Read the list of Favorite People On The Right (2006 Edition)Visit the RightWingNews (Conservative News and Views) website
Janeane Garofalo - NOW with tattoos!
How remiss of me, all this time APF Janeane has been without ink. For all Garofalo fans this oversight has now been corrected. I've actually made a few other tweaks as well, to really accentuate her Riot grrrl aesthetic. I hope you guys like it.
I'm still not entirely sold on the name for her Special Move ("Peaches"). I'm sure there's a flowery word or phrase that Janeane is known for that would suit better. Email me or drop a comment if you have any suggestions.
I'm still not entirely sold on the name for her Special Move ("Peaches"). I'm sure there's a flowery word or phrase that Janeane is known for that would suit better. Email me or drop a comment if you have any suggestions.
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