I;m a liberal, but I do sample Fox News to see what’s going on.
Hannity, I can’t take, because his arguments have zero intellectual honesty and the second or third time he uses hands to make a point, I’m out.
Megyn Kelly – I had hopes for her when she got her own prime-time show, because the fact that Roger Ailes has the hots for her, meant she had some latitude in straying from the “official line,” but she’s been a disappointment. As a guest on O’Reilly’s show, she used to give decent, legal rebuttals to O’Reilly’s over-the-top solutions to the country’s social woes.
Bill O’Reilly actually does try to be “fair-and-balanced,” but I think he lacks the intellect, or at least self-awareness, to follow through. At times, on his show, he debates with guests, where he takes the right-wing side, or left-wing side, and he usually gets trounced, but thinks he’s won. I don’t mind his temper that much, because at least he’s being honest. I remain surprised at how “dumb” he is, since he’s attended the Kennedy School and his historical books (Killing Lincoln, Kennedy etc) are decent if not must-reads.
Charles Krauthammer is the only must-see on Fox News. He’s a regular panelist on the 6:00 pm show, and although he’s a right-winger and hell-bent on discrediting Obama, there is no deceit woven into his positions. 5 years ago, when asked to rate Obama’s first 100 days in office, he replied, “I wish I could say his Presidency is a 100% failure, but I can’t say that just yet.” I like that a commentator announces his personal bias up-front. I think he’s smart, and his logic is consistent (even if I disagree) and his commentary is delivered with wit and erudition.
I wish Shep was smarter, because he’s one of the few that doesn’t seem to be controlled by the Ailes - “Party line.” His outrage at the delayed assistance in the wake of Katrina was honest and Bush critical, as was his response to the disastrous Iraqi recovery. But I really don’t think he knows what he’s talking about… just a guy with honest emotional responses.