Gawker
Media flameout Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, subbed for Tina in last night's episode of chat-show "Topic A" on CNBC, the little network that didn't. Henry the Intern reports in harrowing detail what Tina (and, undoubtedly, you) missed.
1. Dean praised Jon Stewart for having a bias to tell the truth, saying humor creates a conversation that leads to change. "Ultimately," Stewart responded, "if we stop being funny, our show ceases to exist." Stewart said his viewers are media-savvy and know better than to depend on his comedy as a news source. Explained Stewart, "We find more funny in the space between the theater of what people are trying to present and the actuality of what they are presenting." Consequently, he is more disappointed in the media than in politicians. Dean was atwitter: "Thanks for having me on. I mean, thanks for being on."
2. Dean discussed racial stereotypes and race relations in the context of Bill Cosby's recent comments criticizing black America. PBS/NPR host Tavis Smiley said, "Black folk have this type of conversation all the time [in churches, in barbershops]. . . the aberration is that the white folk in the media picked up what [Cosby] said." Radio host Tom Leykis agreed: "Don't expect [a meaningful conversation] from the mainstream media. . . their job is to sell heat, not light." Smiley added, suburban white kids purchase 70% of rap music. Dean said he enjoys Wyclef Jean; all placed hope in the "hip-hop generation"
3. Activist Bev Harris showed Dean the flaws of e-voting. In short, the lack of paper trails and vulnerable Windows-based technology creates a "high-probability of a Florida-style meltdown in multiple states." California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley ducked questions about his state's voting methods.
4. Comedienne Margaret Cho rounded out the show. She is touring swing states —asking "What is so scary about gay marriage?!"— and hoping to get arrested at the Republican convention. "There is such a paranoia about people having free speech," she said. "Such a weird stranglehold in the liberal community. . . Politics go hand-in-hand in entertainment; you really have to have a political voice to be interesting."
5. No "Topic A" signatures: no Editor's Desk Roundtable, no hot picks, no closing quote.
6. Dean sighed: "This job is a lot harder than it looks."
Hope you enjoyed your vacation, Tina. We viewers suffered. Silver lining: at least we could turn to Maureen Dowd on C-SPAN's "Booknotes" during commercials.
