The other day when I wrote about MSNBC, I mentioned two shows that suck -- not because they're partisan, but because they just suck.
Well, yeah, the Martin Bashir show is unwatchable. For the first year of the show, it was somnambulant nothingness. Since then, it's become somnambulant and totally hackish. There's no insight, no scathingly salient points to be made, no news broken.
And this Charles Pierce post is exactly right on.
If MSNBC wants to do progressive chat shows, they need to find more hosts in the Maddow/Harris-Perry/O'Donnell/Klein style. Not hacks who recite prompter material that's written at roughly the level of high school newspaper op/ed pages -- with apologies to high school newspapers. Simply put: there are lots of people who can talk, but very few of them have extensive broadcast and writing experience. Too many pundits are too damn lazy to dig -- to do the hard reporting and research that ought to be a prerequisite for political shows.
By the way, if you listen to the podcast at all, you probably know what the other sucky MSNBC show is.