I believe Suzanne Malvaux and the rest of them are, in fact, members of the right-wing fringe. This is why they get hired, what they are for, what they actually believe in. It is not a matter of being unaware that they don't represent the general public. They are paid, probably by the fringe, to act out those beliefs.

bguetti

I threw my TV set away 2 years ago. I can't imagine why anyone keeps watching TV at all. . My apartment building has FREE cable TV, even so, I stopped watching it. I actually tossed a new TV directly into the trash, and have never regretted it. Would it make any difference if those of us who feel (to put it mildly) disgruntled by the constant lies, rabid right-wing frenzies, and all the rest of it, just stopped watching? Does anyone know how many other people have? Why is this still an issue?

Barbara Guetti

Portland, Oregon

It's a perfectly placed colon ( : ) not a semi-colon ( ;)

In any case, it's admirable.

Barbara Guetti

I threw away my TV three years ago, thanks to Lou Dobbs--I took my TV set to the basement of my apartment building and threw it into a trash can. His deranged racist tirades against Hispanics were the tipping-point in my growing revulsion against the medium. Now I rely on the Internet. . . what will it take for me to pull the plug on that? If he's "average" we're in big trouble.

I am a regular reader of Paul Krugman, and learned long ago that reading David Brooks is a waste of time, or worse. Therefore I had no idea that this "food fight" was going on. Why do you assume that anyone but you, I guess, would be reading both of them? I can't imagine why you do.

Were your comments about ideal heroic journalists and wise newspapers figuring out what the "right" answer supposed to be, intended as an extra chapter in Gulliver's Travels? I find it impossible to read these arguments except as heavily ironic satire. Since when, especially recently, have "major" American newspapers ever performed the civic functions you describe? Do you think the Times should have asked Judith what's her name to sort out the debate?

I found your article utterly puzzling.

Barbara Guetti

Hillary should divorce Bill Clinton immediately after his pathetic appearance dissing Obama. I think If she did that, everyone would be immensely relieved and vote her into officel

Barbara Guetti

Portland Oregon

I agree with Samantha Power.

Somebody (either the Superclass maven or Salon) needs to learn how to spell "obselete."

Most Americans understand that if the Republicans get in office again we're all fucked.

Of course they'll use dirty tricks. That will just confirm what everybody already knows.

Joel Cline is an extremely silly man. He must be especially confused right now, like all the other ex-insiders or Press hanger-ones who are green with envy over Obama's abilties, which are so outstandingly superior to their own.

Joel Cline is an extremely silly man. He must be especially confused right now, like all the other ex-insiders or Press hanger-ons who are green with envy over Obama's abilties, which are so outstandingly superior to their own.

I think it's trivial, stupid and disrespectful of your Betters (Obama, anyway) to describe this argument as a "spat."

Get over it.

I don't think Senator Obama needs your help or that of your colleague, Sidney Blumenthal. You are both insignificant people with nothing to offer anyone.

I don't think Senator Obama needs your help or that of your colleague, Sidney Blumenthal. You are both insignificant people with nothing to offer anyone.

I am 71. I am white.I am female Nearly all of my friends answer to roughly the same description, although some of them are men -- usually men from 3-10 years older than the women. All of us are FOR OBAMA. All of us are White. Most of us are also members of the elite, if not elite=ists. That is we have PhDs and work very hard as teachers.

Hillary Clinton has botched a whole lot more than just the black vote. What if she is elected, and all, or even half, the people she denounces as elite-ists leave the country? Who will teach your children? Who will figure out what the fuck is going on?

Anyway, I don't think most Americans are as dumb as Hillary seems to think, except for George Bush. I don't think HIllary is very smart either, but that's more of a character issue than a brains or opportunity issue.

Why can't people reporting on politics seem to get the picture?

Luckily, I think The American Voter is better at doing that than most journalists.

Doesn't this jerk know that a "truism" means something that isn't true??? A truism is a remark that is offered as a truth but is nothing but a tired cliché that is run into the ground by ignorant people -- like Kristol.

People who are racist usually have trouble talking about it.

These people need deep therapy and consciousness- training. But I have an easier path to suggest for starters.

They need to read African-American writers. That way their eyes will start to open and they'll have the additional benefit of reading some of the best literature ever published in the United States.

After that, perhaps they'll have the courage to approach some actual black people.

I'm ready to bet that most of the people you're so concerned about have never done any of these very basic, and not at all difficult things. One can tell, because people who have usually don't have such a big problem talking about race.

Barbara Guetti