'Young Turks' Announces Candidacy for MSNBC Slot

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 02:32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGEo-r0JK0Q   Posted on YouTube: January 23, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 23, 2009 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 6203

 

[Divine Discontent]

1. I was waiting for that to happen. I was surprised no one suggested him in the LBN story.

he's good! I still prefer something a little more slowed down and investigative with a calm feel to it, but I won't be upset if it's him.

[ihavenobias]

59. By the way, here is a link if anyone wants to DIGG the announcement

http://digg.com/political_opinion/TYT_Announces_Candidacy_For_MSNBC_Slot?OTC-em-sh2

[movonne]

2. It sounds good too me....I love him...

[ihavenobias]

3. If they want to round out a progressive evening, I really think TYT gives a unique perspective

I don't see anyone being bored by the third hour of MSNBC primetime even if they watch the first two hours (of Olbermann and Maddow).

I should mention that Cenk has been a guest on Countdown before (possibly twice but I can only remember the time Keith invited him on because he loved Cenk's idea of labeling Fox News as "opinion media", an idea that was later embraced at the Netroots convention).

Also, Maddow was a guest on Cenk's show when he hosted Meet The Bloggers. They had an interesting discussion on Afghanistan. And before you buy into some of the negative comments that are surely coming (people have different tastes so it's to be expected), make sure you watch these clips of Cenk on CNN Headline News and THEN tell me he wouldn't be incredibly entertaining on TV:

1.

2.

PS---Cenk *already* gets awesome guests. Naomi Klein, Naomi Wolf, Ted Kennedy, David Sirota and too many others to name. Like him or not, that says something.

[ejbr]

14. Tom

I'm surprised to see you on board with this. :+

[tavalon]

67. Ha!

I almost missed the clown nose! I was going to say, of course he's on board, he obviously knows him personally and he posts all of his you tube stuff here, which BTW, I like. It saves me a click or two on my daily routine.

[ihavenobias]

87. Well, you know I was on the fence but ultimately I decided I'd go with it

;)

[tavalon]

66. You aren't going to get any down comments from me

I'm waiting to find out what I can do to help. I adore Cenk and he has a different style from both Olbetmann and Maddow, and yet very complementary.

[Poll_Blind]

4. Ok, so what can I do to help get 'em on MSNBC?

PB

[ihavenobias]

5. I may have an answer by tomorrow.

If not by Monday at the latest.

[Window]

17. That would be great Tom. I am so praying Cenk is selected to fill that time slot.

:kick:

[tavalon]

68. I'm there! Ido just about anything. Behind you guys 200%

[NYC_SKP]

6. Well, well, I'd love to see that!

I look forward to updates on this possiblity!

Recommended.

[beac]

7. He gets my vote! Go Cenk! n/t

[Wetzelbill]

8. I don't know, not much of a TYT fan. I prefer Huckabee's show

lol

[CLANG]

49. You forgot the sarcasm smiley

I knew by the lol that you were probably kidding. Huckabee is an ass, Cenk is fisrt class!

[Wetzelbill]

75. I refuse to use the sarcasm smiley

Usually only authoritarian Republicans can't understand irony, so it weeds out trolls. It's why Republicans suck at satire.

[ihavenobias]

76. I knew there was a reason I liked you.

:)

[Wetzelbill]

86. you're just saying that for the kicks and recs

:)

[knixphan]

9. It's all about the Cenk!

Yes, please!

This would spin Billo out of orbit...

[tavalon]

70. That alone would be worth it, I mean isn't Cenk, like,

almost a raghead (used for emphasis of billos stupidity, not because I find the term raghead acceptable)? I mean he's from somewhere over in the Middle East right, ya know, he's an Iraqi or even Iranian, it's just so hard to tell them apart! :eyes:

Yes, indeedy, it would cause Billo's head to explode. That alone would make it worth it. But, Cenk, has huge talent, style and is just a damn good guy, as well. It would be a double plus win.

[ihavenobias]

92. Is that Cyclops? n/t

[cliffordu]

10. HEY~!!! MSNBC!!! DO IT NOW!!!!

[Solly Mack]

11. K&R

[IndependentDem]

12. the best part is that they screwed up right after this

I just hope they still do TYT since I don't have cable.

[tavalon]

71. Who? How?

[ejbr]

13. How bad do I want this?

[lazyriver]

16. Quite possibly the greatest cartoon ever penned.

[AlbertCat]

39. Nah....not as good as "Why Dinosaurs Went Extinct"

[ejbr]

55. This one?

[Frisbee]

15. K&R n/t

[pleah]

18. OK, I'm in!

K&R

[New Earth]

19. so weird, I was just thinking about this the other day

watching a TYT video here, thinking how great the show would be on regular TV...I hope they get it!

[nugzie]

20. yesyesyes

oh hai :hi:

me too, I love Cenk!!!

[New Earth]

23. oh haiz

hope he gets it!

[theFrankFactor]

21. PLEASE MAKE IT SO!

[peacetalksforall]

22. He's clever, centered, upbeat, funny, and on top of the issues. I vote for him.

[matthewf]

24. k&r!

[mirrera]

25. Love Cenk!!!!!

I just worry he will lose the ability to be irreverent. It is so refreshing to have a host say someone is an asshole when they are in fact an asshole. It makes it easier for young people to relate to the news. That is why the Daily Show is so popular, because they keep it real. STILL, he deserves it.

[lonestarnot]

26. Hell yeah! Hell yeah!

K & R

[crikkett]

27. I don't care for TYT but I wish them success

[ihavenobias]

30. Thank you.

That's a very thoughtful response.

:)

I don't care for Ed Schultz, but like you I wish him success because I realize that his target audience (huntin'/fishin'/Nascarin'/blue collar folk, etc.) is critical for the Democratic party/Progressive movement. So I'm glad he's another voice in the mix, even I don't especially care to listen to that voice.

[tavalon]

72. Yeah, it took me a few videos before I got him and quite a few more

before he became indispensable to me.

[ihavenobias]

73. Good point. Honestly, even *I* didn't fall head over heels for TYT the first few times I heard them.

I was an avid Thom Hartmann listener at the time, and initially I thought TYT was a little *too* loose, probably because Thom was/is so NOT loose and insanely information packed.

But obviously I love the show now and can't go without out. The thing I like about Cenk is that he makes politics fun. Not in an overly cartoonish way (not naming any names but I think some talk show hosts are overly cartoonish), but in the perfect way to make topics more interesting and accessible to the masses while still being very hard hitting.

[quantass]

28. Link...

Found this on TYT regarding writing in to MSNBC:

http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2009/1/22/104744/588/Diary/MSNBC-Looking-for-new-prime-time-slot-HINT

[ihavenobias]

31. The funny thing is

That's where I say I think the current show is too raw and uncensored, and that they'd be a better fit on Showtime or HBO.

I *do* still think that, but there's no opening on Showtime or HBO!

[Kajsa]

29. This would be great! Cenk on MSNBC!

Oh, hell yes!!

Please let me know what I can do to help get this
done.

YES WE CAN!

:)

Thanks, Hissyspit.

:hi:

[OhioChick]

32. That would be nice!

:)

[Locrian]

33. man I LOVE these guys!

Cenk has some great guests, insights, and is ALWAYS entertaining. Almost too much - I spend too much time watching the TYT video feed at night!

[thesquanderer]

34. How 'bout Stehpanie Miller?

I could go for TYT there, but I'd really like to see Stephanie Miller get a show somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that execs didn't go for her because, after Maddow, that would be two women in a row. Yes, I do believe that kind of sexism still exists.

[ihavenobias]

35. I think the execs would be more likely to diss a "brown guy" named Cenk Uygur

Sadly racism and xenophobia still exist, *especially* after 9/11 and the 'War On Terror'. So from that perspective alone, having a Turkish American with a strange name hosting a show is progress IMO (all else being equal of course).

:)

Stephanie could be interesting, but I'm not sure the constant fart jokes and goofy sound effects would translate on TV, so they'd have to change the format.

;)

[Enthusiast]

61. Cenk Uygur? Sounds foreign

:sarcasm: :rofl:

[tavalon]

74. Nope, they want to look hip in the post Obama age

Execs are for the most part mindless and stupid, not mean, just really, really dumb. The trend is multiracial and acting all international. And Execs love trends because they think the public blindly follows trends (they do, actually) so having a guy who is from Turkey with a weird name but no discernable accent is perfect! Trendy and yet, not over the top. They are more likely to give him hell because he carries an extra pound or two than that he's "exotic". See that's the framing. Cenk is Exotic in This New Obama World!

[Phoonzang]

50. No, I like Steph where she is. I don't think she would feel

all that comfy in that kind of position. You can see how well her jokes go over on TV sometimes. I like her morning show. It cheers me up during my workday drudgery.

[FatDave]

36. How the hell can I fit another hour of television in every night?

I've already got 3 hours a night with Countdown, Rachel, and TDS/Colbert. And Demetri Martin has a show starting on 2/11. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness Mythbusters is stalled.

[Zodiak]

58. It's nice that we have shows, now

Back in 2002 when they pulled off all of the even remotely liberal hosts we went into the wilderness for a while.

BTW....I'm all for Cenk getting a show. Funny thing is....up until today I had no idea how to pronounce his name properly. LOL.

[mt13]

37. YES WE CAN....

MSNBC: hear the call: we want THE YOUNG TURKS in the 10pm time slot!!!

go Cenk!!!!

[nyc 4 Biden]

38. If they get it, does this mean I can stop giving TYT $10 a month for my soldier dues?

Wow, please let this happen.

[navarth]

40. Oh HELLS YEAH

It would be a drag if Cenk had to clean up his language; I've always enjoyed his use of colorful invective.

BUT: Just imagine if Cenk had a show that made enough money where he could bring Ben back!!

How fucking awesome would that be??

Yeah I'm down with it. Hell yeah. K & R

[monmouth]

41. Again, this old lady says go with the cute guy (Cenk). Haven't been wrong yet!.....n/t

[Cha]

42. Wouldn't that

be fine!:bounce:

[BattyDem]

43. This is awesome news!

I hope they get the spot. What can we do to help?

[proud progressive]

44. about freakin time! i have never understood why cenk was not tapped long ago!

i think he should get shuster's spot, regardless. cenk FAR more politically attuned than most

[20score]

45. Great idea. K&R

[Ticonderoga]

46. I like this guy

I think Cenk would bring a lot to the table for MSNBC.

[file83]

52. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

And...I agree with you 100%. :thumbsup:

[jennied]

47. Oh HELLS yeahhhhhh - Let's get this done Cenk!! :D Yes we CAN!!!!

[bdamomma]

48. I hear right wing heads exploding

don't you? too bad.

[Jack Rabbit]

51. Dissenting

Since I don't want MSNBC to turn into a FoxNews of the left (one FoxNews is one too many), I would prefer to see the 10 o'clock time slot go to a sober conservative (not a rabid right wing moron like O'Reilly or Hannity) in order to provide some thoughtful balance to Keith and Rachel.

We don't have all the answers, and we could use the occasional reality check.

[ihavenobias]

53. Here's your dissent Rabbit

provided to you by (drumroll) Cenk!

1.

2.

3.

Also, as you know he's a former Republican who voted against Clinton twice. That counts for something, and he's great at understanding the other side. He's actually more moderate in many ways than the current MSNBC lineup, so while I appreciate your point, I don't agree with it.

If we were talking about Randi Rhodes or Thom Hartmann here (or whatever) I think you'd have a much better argument (but we're not).

[Jack Rabbit]

63. The criticisms from your examples are all from the port side

I think it is good that Cenk brings them up, but it is easy to imagine such things being brought up elsewhere, including by KO or Rachel. Regardless of where Cenk has been in the past, he's coming from the same place we are now. If he didn't say he used to be a Republican, no one would ever guess.

I'm talking about somebody who will get us out of our comfort zone the way Buckley used to get me out of mine. What I have in mind is some one who will criticize Obama for raising business taxes, and will use an argument more in tune to the present time and what we have learned in the last 28 years rather than just repeat the tired old voodoo spells of the witchdoctor Reagan.

Cenk can't get me out of my comfort zone because he and I agree too often. Limbaugh and Coulter can't do it because they're just too ridiculous.

I'm thinking of somebody like Shepard Smith, who isn't afraid to tell FoxNews viewers that their right wing world view is wee bit too simplistic, or, to take another personality who's too good for FoxNews, Chris Wallace, who at least knows what real journalistic standards are.

There is another flaw in the argument that we can allow Rupert Murdoch's enterprise to provide the critique of Obama from the conservative point of view: that is that we cannot trust FoxNews to be fair or balanced. It's part of the unofficial right wing (distinct from conservative) propaganda arm of the GOP. What passes for journalism at FoxNews advances the cause of informing the public like the tactics of Karl Rove advance the cause of enlightened political debate.

MSNBC, on the other hand, does impose journalistic standards on their journalists. Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow may have an anti-Bush agenda, but they will never let that get in the way of reporting facts. The same can be said for Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! One who watches Fox for any length of time comes to believe that, to people like Hannity, O'Reilly or Brit Hume, facts are inconvenient things that get in the way of preaching the gospel according to Dick Cheney. While Fox is a public nuisance, MSNBC performs a public service.

The public can best be served with a wide array of opinion. What MSNBC did that made it valuable to the American public in the last decade was not to provide a specifically liberal or progressive point of view on the air, but to provide a point of view that challenged the official dogma of the Bush Regime. That dogma turned out to have been a crock of steer manure. Somebody had to say it, and that somebody turned out to be Keith Olbermann.

Let a thousand flowers bloom. And, unlike Mao Zedong, let's not be afraid to smell each one of them.

[ihavenobias]

64. True, I generally agree with him

But he's also become far more progressive in reponse to the radical Bush Admin, and I think he'll move more to the center on some issues as the Obama Admin moves forward.

You've probably never heard him discuss Bush Sr. or free trade before...

:)

[avaistheone1]

54. Go for it Cenk!

It would be great to see your passion and intelligence on MSNBC.

Then I would love to see you debate Hannity on tv and hand his behind to him.

[Ian David]

56. They have gotten so much better since they were no longer a part of Air America.

OF COURSE!

I like that show.

It's not my favorite, but I like it.

[Azlady]

57. Cool! I'd love it! Let us know what we need to do! n/t

[glinda]

60. Excellent idea! I think he has a wonderful personality that would

offer a strong possibility for younger people to really come into the fold. :yourock: :applause: :yourock: :applause: :yourock: :applause:

[The Wielding Truth]

62. He's a hard worker and really on message.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

65. I had the pleasure of interviewing Cenk a few years ago for the newspaper

when our local AAR affiliate picked up the show. chatted with him a few months later at the National Media Reform Conference, too.

He's a great guy. Very down to earth, generous and helpful. Also just as quick with the details and zingers off the air as he is on.
He'd be an amazing asset to MSNBC.

[Swede Atlanta]

69. Yes.....

I vote for this.. Cenk is awesome and would be a great counter-balance to Keith and Rachel. His style is different.

[bagimin]

77. The gentleman from Florida

is on board.

[lenegal]

78. Cenk, would love to see you on MSNBC.

Let us know what we need to do to make this a reality.

[AsahinaKimi]

79. what???

And not Red State update???...

I am joking, of course he would be wonderful!!!!!!!

[Kazak]

80. Just hope they wouldn't have to tame it down...

:shrug:

[ChromeFoundry]

81. Sounds good to me! n/t

[BabbaTam]

82. Cenk rules

Now there's a guy that I would like to have a beer with!
:toast:
Of courrrrrrrrrrrrrrse he'd be great!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My girlfriend (who was not interested in politics before Obama) would say every night, "Are there any videos of that chink guy?"

[ihavenobias]

95. Yes.

He IS a great guy to have a beer with.

:)

[fortyfeetunder]

83. Let's make it so--

what can we do?

[democrat0986]

84. man, i've been waiting for this. i hope he gets it. good luck cenk

[Tiggeroshii]

85. Yes. we. can.

[fascisthunter]

88. sorry I'm late to the show

but kick

[Agent William]

89. Wow, this is great.

Perfect fit for the time slot. If MSNBC does pick him up, I hope they pick up the staff, title and format too.

BTW, K&R

[sfpcjock]

90. Hey could not be worse than David Gregory :-D

Friday he was saying Obama "lost his cool" with the bouncer from Politico. I watched it. It was complete BS, David. Which is it: David, Gregory... Gregory, David? :rofl:

[yellerpup]

91. Kicking for Cenk.

He'd be brilliant on MSNBC. Let this pony run!

[midnight]

93. While I'm all in favor of this show getting a larger audience.

t

[ihavenobias]

94. Did your thoughts get cut off accidentally?

It sounds like you meant to say "While I'm all in favor of this show getting a larger audience..."

1)-...there are others hosts I'd rather see on tv.

2)-...I'm not sure it would translate well to tv.

3)-...there are already enough progressives on MSNBC.

4)-...I'd rather they stay on the radio/internet so that Cenk can continue to speak the uncensored truth.

[kingpin8399]

96. yezzzir, i vote for TYT, they are my favorite

how do we help?