Tom Ashbrook (NPR) Jeffrey Sachs says Get out of Iraq

[arendt]

I usually can't stand Ashbrook. He is a shill for the
right, while pretending he's an impartial, Libertarian-
leaning Bill Moyers.

Tonight, he has Jeffrey Sachs (the guy who administered
economic "shock therapy" to the former Soviet Union) as
a guest. Sachs is ripping everything about Iraq: big money
for Haliburton and Bechtel; says its another Viet Nam;
says its all about the oil; says if we take the targets out of
the shooting gallery and hand over to the UN, the violence
will go down.

Show is over now. I was listening in the car, so I couldn't
alert DU. I also missed the first ten minutes because I
hate Ashbrook and tend to look for something else.

arendt

[wuushew]

1. Your are too hard on Tom Ashbrook

the Connection is one of the best shows on NPR especially with regular guest Jack Beatty


I only caught the last half of tonight's show.

[arendt]

2. Ashbrook is "On Point"; Dick Gordon is "Connection"

They are both Libertarians, but at least Gordon is honest.

Ashbrook constantly pushes the party line with insinuations
and worst-case scenarios that are decidedly one-sided.

I got sick of being pissed off by Ashbrook's constant spin
and his selection of guests. Then, when he gets someone
decent on, like Arianna Huffington, he is all over them.
Arianna nailed his butt, tho. She said "Tom, what are you
so afraid of?" in answer to his constant badgering of her
economic position (not only is she a trained economist,
but her positions are fairly libertarian).

Jack Beatty is the Mark Shields of the show, a polite,
ineffective liberal. Ashbrook runs the show.

You really should re-evaluate. Take a critical listen to
the show. Keep a count of how many times Ashbrook
spins, interrupts, and generally sets an unwarranted tone.

arendt

[wuushew]

3. Fair enough...

You will agree that the biggest NPR whore off all time was Juan Willams.


With the NPR talk shows, a rude manner is sometimes needed to conform to the time limits of the shows.

[arendt]

4. Thanks for being so open

Its certainly true that all talk show formats are rude.
Witness the ur-political farce, The McLaughlin Report,
where his tag line was "Let's get outta this!" or some
other such incitement.

I had given up on NPR long before Juan Williams showed
up. (Was he Dick Gordon's replacement?) Now I only use
NPR to get the BBC or to listen to music.

arendt