As is so often the case Glenn Greenwald manages to penetrate in thinking where others do not.

Here is his take on the Kramer v Stewart imbroglio and what it really means.

Excerpt (emphasis his):

That's the heart of the (completely justifiable) attack on Cramer and CNBC by Stewart. They would continuously put scheming CEOs on their shows, conduct completely uncritical "interviews" and allow them to spout wholesale falsehoods. And now that they're being called upon to explain why they did this, their excuse is: Well, we were lied to. What could we have done? And the obvious answer, which Stewart repeatedly expressed, is that people who claim to be "reporters" are obligated not only to provide a forum for powerful people to make claims, but also to then investigate those claims and then to inform the public if the claims are true. That's about as basic as it gets.

That is about as basic as it gets.

Why is it that only a comedian, in the media, seems to understand this.

Because the 'journalists' are corporate stooges.

Who was it that said, never expect understanding when a paycheck depends on failure to understand. Or something to that effect.

Just say to him, "Ok, Tucker, let's say you're right and Stewart is a partisan hack... Now lets discuss how that makes what he's been saying wrong?"

In the great tradition of Glen Beck and Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson is another right wing hatchet man with no formal education in anything.

Carlson, like Hannity and Beck, has no education beyond a high school diploma. He attended Trinity in Hartford and spent his time there repairing and restoring old cars and motorcycles.

I'd be interested in his opinion on auto repair and could care less what he thinks on any other topic aside from this.

Tucker Carlson - go complete your education in economics, political science, etc., then lecture the American people on how to conduct their affairs.

OH, that Tucker. Where's the bowtie?

he means speaking on behalf of the little guy to get the media to quit behaving like worthless hucksters such as Jim Cramer and Tucker Carlson.

What Jon Stewart (and people who think like him) needs to do is just sit down and let the grownups like David Gregory, John King, Wolf Blitzer, etc. ask the serious questions of people like Cramer... and then when Cramer does what everybody else in his position during this debacle has always done-- that is, lie, bullshit, evade, play them for complete idiots-- he should just nod his head and smile, look down at his hands, pause, and say 'Okay, fair enough... moving right along...'

I miss the bow tie - I used to LOVE watching it spin . . . .
*

That's what the bedwetting Reslugs do when they get beat up bad, Whine and cry.

Tucker is about one inch away from dropping off the face of the earth for good. A public feud with Stewart, who people actually watch, can only raise his profile.

Talk about projection and hackery! Tucker Carlson is a prickly ass, and offers one straw man attack against Stewart after another. Near the end, he winds up complaining that Stewart is popular, maybe because both his own shows got cancelled. What a shock – viewers decided that instead of more of the same old BS from Tucker, they preferred someone who called out the BS in Stewart.

I think my favorite bit from Carlson is still his insistence years back that if torture didn't work, the Bush administration wouldn't use it.

Kurtz, who's a conservative who I think believes he is actually fair, makes some decent points, but also parrots one of Tucker's straw men – that CNBC wasn't solely to blame for the financial crisis. Of course they weren't, and Stewart said so several times – but they were irresponsible to the public, and shilling BS to help big institutions and the rich at the expense of average citizens. That was Stewart's central thesis, and he proved it, but that's too uncivil for Kurtz to come out and endorse without one of his 'both sides have a point' suck-ups, while Tucker tries a ridiculous frontal assault that will only convince ignorant zealots and his fellow obnoxious hacks.

...what differentiates Stewart (and adds to his credibility) from true hacks like Limbaugh & Carlson is that he points out the foibles of both sides. Although painful to watch, he tweaks the noses of Dems & Rethugs alike; far-left wackos and wing-nut right-wingers. Carlson, O'Reilly, and Limbaugh only criticize Democrats, never finding any fault with Republicans.

problem. Kurtz always does this, he is a contextual manipulator. In this example, instead of forming the discussion around the crux of the Stewart/Cramer confrontation vis-a-vis the failure and/or complicity of the media, CNBC in destroying out economy. Instead Kurtz frames this as a discussion of Stewart's popularity and relevance. And as he always does, he plays the fence game, meaning he tries to give a nod to both sides, and so we learn nothing new.

So instead of looking into the how Stewart was able to successfully confront an actual engineer who rigged the system for Wall Street insiders, it's becomes about defending Stewart from Schmucker Carlson, and like Kurtz always does, were supposed to walk away feeling Stewart did some good things but he was off-base in attacking CNBC.

Howard Kurtz is not a "media critic", he is a media sythnesizer who neither informs, nor articulates, but simply tries to balance everything to make it look like the center is always best.

He's still smarting from Jon making fun of his bow-tie and calling him a 'partisan hack' on Crossfire years ago. How fun to watch that memorable clip again. Tucker is such a spoiled little twerp.

Stephanie Miller is spot-on. I really like her style.

Of all the people in the world to be calling someone a partisan hack! Tucker is still smarting where he sits down from the ass whipping Stewart gave him on Crossfire a few years ago. That is why he lost that show and eventually gave up his bow tie. I came out of my chair this morning when I heard him accuse Stewart of working for the Democratic Party. Projecting wingnut tactics on someone else who has whipped you with intelligence will not work.

I hope Jon Stewart rips Tucker "Jazz Hands" Carlson a new THIRD asshole (right next to the second one he gave him when he spanked Tucker for his Crossfire BS), just for the comment about Lenny Bruce.

Santelli WAS ripping the American homeowner, calling them losers because they got taken in by these financial scumbags. Carlson KNOWS this. We know this. Everyone's seen the damn clip of that pompous rich bastard slamming ordinary people on behalf of other rich, pompous asshats.

Once again, Tucker lies.

As for Kurtz, he's more stealthy than a dimwit like Tucker, but he's no less a Right Wing tool.

In addition to writing for the neo-con National Review, Kurtz' wife is Sheri Annis, the President of "Fourth Estate Strategies" a GOP campaign consulting firm, and was the Governator's 2002 spokesperson.

The only Liberal on there was the magnificent Stephanie Miller, outnumbered 3-to-1 by the "manly men" of the Wrong Wing.

And PS. isn't it interesting how all the kids of Republican icons are either flat-out Liberal, or infinitely more open-minded than their parents? Kids of Eisenhower? No longer Republicans. Ron Reagan Jr? Liberal commentator on Air America no less. Barry Goldwater's daughter? Liberal. His running mate's kid? Stephanie Miller, hot Liberal. Even McCain's daughter is more rational and open to new ideas than he is. This trend does not speak well for the Repuke Party

http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009...

He was such an easy mark. I almost felt guilty contradicting his every word.

No I didn't.

oh tucker...bless you for reminding us again how stupid conservative pundits are...

here's a form to contact the CNN show. Tell them no more political hacks with groundless attacks. CNN is essentially the same worthless entertainment channel that CNBC is now. Let's get the manchild off the air for good. he obviously didn't learn his lesson on how to research and argue from when Stewart eviscerated him on Crossfire. Nor did CNN

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?25

What Tucker Carlson seems to not know is that Jon Stewart is NOT a newsman. He's a comedian. He doesn't have to be fair or balanced. Comedy isn't funny when it's fair and balanced. By being partisan, Jon Stewart is SUCCESSFULLY DOING HIS JOB; a concept with which conservatives are unfamiliar.
I think the reason Tucker Carlson and his ilk confuse Stewart with a real newsperson is that there is more reality on the Daily Show than there is on any actual news program on television. They viscerally experience the presentation of truth and respond to is as though it were an actual news program.

I thought this little weasel Carlson was gone...somewhere...anywhere...but gone. His screechy little voice and mad ranting and raving are absolutely hysterical...in many ways. It's hard to believe that any tv program, much less the viewers, actually take this little twerp seriously. He has his own personal little right wing extremist agenda and he carries on like a Banshee when someone disagrees with his. He is good for a laugh sometimes,although you would like to drop a pail of slime on his head from above. GO AWAY TUCKER...JUST G O A W A Y!!!

He is still crying over the bitch slap Jon Stewart gave him...

So funny

I thought Stewart's point was that corporate media outlets like CNBC are serving the interests of the uber-wealthy Wall Street elite, rather than the general public. He was saying that guys like Cramer promote the myths that these corporate con-men *want people to think*, rather than what is actually true.

That clip of Cramer talking about manipulating stock during his days as a hedge fund manager wasn't just to show how crooked the system is-- it was a demonstration of how savvy Cramer is about the shady side of the market, as opposed to the doe-eyed innocence these people try to project. They *know* what's going on, but they also know their job is to *help it along*, not expose it.

Why is there still a wall between the two Wall Streets? Mr. Cramer, tear down that wall.

Stewart is a comedian, he doesn't have to follow journalistic ethics for his humor and thinks Jon unfairly blamed CNBC for the entire economic meltdown.(kurtz)

---what's this? do journalists fine each other; sit before their professional board? de-credential /decertify themselves? right, there's (criminal & civil liabilities for some actions like) libel/and failure to disclose sources ... consequences of egregious practice and/or political whimsy or treachery ... (but lately, are they practicing organized professional journalism?) btw, is cramer a journalist? is cnbc responsible for practicing journalism or preparing dubious info? are they complicent in a fix?

kurtz, the great minimizer of issues .... keeping the discourse narrow and village safe.

Tucker Carlson would know a "partisan hack" when he sees one, being one himself. The funny thing is Tucker coming off like Mr. Comedy and declaring Stewart is not going to be funny after this. When I want to know funny, I always think Tucker Carlson, but not in the way he thinks. Putz.

Is this? (pick one)
A/ A cry for attention.
B/ Sour grapes for the licking Stewart handed him.
C/ A way to get some folks out there to notice him and revive his wretched career as a right wing cheer leader.
D/ Just another Tucker Carlson wank.
E/ All of the above.

The guy is such a wanker. Does anybody care what he has to say about anything?

.

Excuse me?!?!?!

F_cker Carlson is the hack!

.

In Jon Stewart's interview with Crammer. Crammer was whining that he voted for Obama. Jon Stewart sharply retorted, this is NOT POLITICAL.

Jon was correct, it was ethical, moral and economic.

When Crammer admitted CEO's lied to him and he still got on his show and shilled for their investment. It had nothing to do with political compasses unless lying is a moral compass point of the right wing.

Does anyone view Rush or Hannity as a source of truth?

Who on earth even listens to a damn word that falls outta that cock holster he calls a mouth?
He's about as relevant as the GOP right now...not EVEN as relevant.

I always wondered how a young man could be such a reichwingnut extremist until I read that his father was the lead attorney in the Scooter Libby defemnse and that Tucker was one of the most outspoken critics of Patrick Fitz. I guess he was brainwashed growing up. That explains the attitude of privilege and obnoxious style of talking over the people he interviews. Tucker has been fired every place he has worked. Yesterday Howard introduced him as a contributor to the Daily Beast. Of all the things he could have accused Stewart of, being a partisan hack was his worst choice. I am sure that nobody would think Tucker was the pot calling the kettle black.

Always has been - Nothing is genuine disagreement, no such thing as simply holding people accountable, *everything* is partisan to Tucker Carlson.

Which is of course why some people like him - since everyone that disagrees with Tucker is partisan, there must not be any *good* reason that GOP policies are wrong or that people are angry about the real economy being ignored while the press sucked up to Wall Street and the GOP.

Therefore, since only partisan hacks disagree, they can keep doing what they're doing.

It's not Pot/Kettle. Tucker Carlson is in fact a partisan hack. Jon Stewart is in fact a pretty good comedian that takes on both sides.