I took a brief snooze on the couch yesterday afternoon, and when I woke up, Little Luke Russert and Alex Wagner were congratulating the Republicans on how they'd gotten Joni Ernst from actually admitting what she stood for to the voters.

This was MSNBC, mind you. The "liberal" network.

Little Luke was practically chortling at how clever Republicans were for shutting down any discussion about Ernst's worrisome and extreme positions, instead repackaging her as a nice, normal, Iowa housewife.

As if it never even occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, it was his job to uncover those positions for voters.

Or let me put it this way: He was proud at doing his part in obfuscating important information for voters. For instance, that Joni Ernst wants to privatize Social Security.

I didn't think it was possible for me to get any more cynical about the media, but that cheerful little exchange took things to a whole new level.

It's not a fucking game, asshole!

Now, watch the above video. It's not the segment I saw, but it's illustrative, nonetheless: "Those in the know" told Little Luke that Joni Ernst will be a kingmaker! People in the know told him she was going to be a huge power in Iowa politics! Thank God those consultants came in and told her to watch what she says!

He's a regular Edward R. Murrow, that one.

I rarely watch cable news, except for hurricanes and major earthquakes. It's too easy to spot how they mold and manipulate the narrative -- that is, the times when they don't simply fabricate it completely.

This is one of those times when I wished I worked in a supermarket.

Unfortunately, it's our job here to keep an eye on these bastards. So I thought you'd want to know.