MSNBC is spending a lot of time discussing how the "incendiary rhetoric" surrounding healthcare reform "distracts" from the substance of the debate.
Since when did cable news give a rip about discussing the policy substance of anything?
Throughout most of the day, MSNBC in particular is notorious for treating serious issues like a football halftime show. They have hosted and elevated gun-toting wingnuts on their air. And they continue to feature the work of Pat Buchanan -- one of the masterminds of the Southern Strategy who has engaged in incendiary rhetoric while discussing Justice Sotomayor while having recently authored a column defending Nazi Germany.
For better or worse, there's always going to be a certain level of over-the-top speech in politics. But for a cable news network to tsk-tsk anyone for using hyperbolic language seems a little ridiculous, no? Especially from a network that routinely promotes debate "smackdowns."
Adding... My usual disclaimer here. I hasten to exclude certain MSNBC evening shows from this indictment.
Also... Here's an excellent clip of Rep. Grayson on CNN, further illustrating this point:
Castellanos insults Grayson by claiming that he's being irresponsible. Castellanos! The author of the Jesse Helms White Hands commercial is lecturing anyone about responsibility? And CNN pays this guy to be a regular analyst.
We need more Graysons in the Democratic Party. Politicians with some balls who will seize the initiative and play offense.
UPDATE: Castellanos' actual online bio defines him as the "father of the attack ad." Responsible discourse!