I suspect that a major factor in NBC's decision to make this move was the fact that when the darling of left wing media, John Stewart, starts ripping on your network and the on air skirmishes between your hosts as an on air re-enactment of “Lord of the Flies” it is time to smell the coffee!
Z on TV: Jon Stewart makes makes TV news better -- again - Sun critic David Zurawik writes about the business, culture and craziness of television - baltimoresun.com
They did and IMO they did the right thing. Can't be one of Olberman's prouder moments and one which displayed his lack of journalistic integrity IMO.

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I would certainly be interested in learning what poll offered those results, and what sort of methodology it used. (One can only suppose the rhetorical flourish, "from mud that God sneezed into," is an undisguised sneer at the creation story, as recorded in Genesis; although I apparently missed the part about God's sneezing the Earth into existence.)

So what you are saying is that you would not claim to be the most intelligent of all Americans--some are "better than" you in this "natural hierarchy"--but "[m]any" (perhaps most?) are as "dumb as rocks."

Is that about right?

Some people might consider that a distinction without a difference.

But perhaps you can enlighten us on this matter: What countries do you consider to have true "elections," in contradistinction to the mere "races" the US has, according to your equation?

If you are referring to what passes for debates every fall in years divisible by four, I would agree that the usual format is more like a joint press conference, presenting competing views, than a debate in the normal sense of that word. For this, one may reasonably blame the candidates of both major parties and their handlers.

I consider myself pretty aware about most matters of a political nature; and especially as concerning the 2008 presidential election. But I have never yet heard of this (alleged) attempt by Sen. McCain to imply that his senate colleague is a sexual deviant and predator. Could you provide some supporting evidence, please?

(1) I have no desire for our president to be a technician. Do you?

(2) If I am reading your words correctly, you appear to equate Joe Sixpack with "your average bum." Is that what you really think of typical Americans? You consider us mere bums?

If so, it only reinforces my original charge of elitism.

pjohns.. I would ignore him.. Michael told me a while back he's an Aussie.

The way I see it.. If you aren't an American Citizen your opinions of America are null and void.

__________________
Pioneers are walking all around singing songs about Lenin and they should be shot for it.

Handlebars

"If you are looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror"- V

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
H. L. Mencken

come on you know you wanna play football..

Beagán agus a rá go maith.

Economic Left/Right: 3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.87

It was a poll by gallup. Its questions were designed to determine what group of people Americans fell into: creationist (subdivided further into YEC and OEC) or supporters of evolution. The poll was accurate to within + or - 3%. 45% of Americans responded that man did not evolve and magically appeared in the last 10,000 years, a statement that is only consistent with YEC, as based on a literal interpretation of the bible. From the Bible, "scholars" determined that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, and given that man was made shortly after the Earth...hopefully you see the problem.

The fact that they think humans appeared during the Mesolithic is bad enough.

As for the "sneezed" bit, that's not literally true. The Bible actually indicates that god breathed life into them. So maybe it was more like a cough. =D I just thought sneezed was more amusing.

I don't know about most. But at least 45% of them are dumb as rocks. There are plenty of people who are smarter than I. Pretty much everyone at MIT. If I were that smart, I'd be there too instead of Monmouth. Requires some exceptional intelligence.


Races are more like games. A good understanding of what American "elections" are like is best seen through the McCain campaign's own words. They recently said "this issue won't be about issues, but personalities." It's a popularity contest.

Race didn't really capture the intention. It's like they are running to the finishing line based on American Idol criteria. That's really how it always is here. It's not about issues, it's not about reason, it's not about actual arguments: it's all meaningless attacks on character and rhetorical ploys (they don't even pretend to be consistent. They will literally say one thing and then the next day, something else, to a different group.

I don't really thing most electoral systems are very good. I can't comment on them. I only know in depth the US one. Although, I would rather have a parliamentary system instead of the rigged 2 party popularity contest. You don't need to know other systems are better to know ours sucks ***. I could improve our system dramatically with a few short suggestions.

That is part of it, yes. Another part is that often, there are few real questions to begin with. It's fluff, as if they are trying to make the debate entertainment instead of educational. It's all part of the American trend toward infotainment in the news. Another problem is that candidates rarely seriously answer the questions. They give preplanned platform speeches in little segments, even if it has little to do with the question.

And no one calls them on it. Ever.

Quite frankly, we shouldn't even allow attack ads, nor should we allow televised debates. It should all be in writing to avoid many of the most successful visual-audio rhetorical devices. No real discussion takes place on TV. There isn't enough time for it. No one can seriously go into any depth on anything in 5 min blurbs.

It is the recent McCain add that attacks Senator Obama's support for elementary school sex education specifically designed to help kids prevent molestation. What they do is take a picture of Obama looking down with a smile and juxtapose it with him saying: "Obama wants to teach kids how to have sex."

It's a total lie combined with a creepy photo + showing kids how to have sex. I will see if I can find the actual ad on Youtube. Obama's plan had nothing to do with teaching kids to have sex, but teaching them to avoid child predators, who predate small children.

I think the government should be a technical soviet, not a government of lawyers, so yes, I do think we OUGHT to have many legislators AND an executive with such credentials. It would certainly help mitigate many problems if we based policy on sound science and had people who understood it making and executing the laws regarding it.

I am a Technocrat. Not a Democrat, not a socialist, not a communist, not a fascist. A Techncoracy is a government by science, professional technicians. I also think logicians should be part of the government to analyze the logical coherency of plans.

Joe Sixpack brings up the image of a drunkard trailer-park resident, not the average person. I think the average person is above the joe sixpack. That's what I thought you meant.

Aussie? Wtf? I am from New Jersey. So If I say you're swiss, does that make it true?

Even if I weren't American, that doesn't invalidate anything. The fact that Americans think that only American suggestions, opinions count exemplifies American insulation and arrogance. You should be ashamed for being so closed-minded. You could learn from other countries, and not suck so much.

uh, i'm a bona fide american, born and raised, and i say, right now, it's about as eff'ed up as it has been in its' entire history. guess my opinion wouldn't be "null and void". i don't know who you think you are, but you don't have any more say about it than i do, buckeroo, before you get all nationalistic on us. arrogant, too.

He needs to beat the jingo-drums. No one else but Americans matter! Haha.
And Americans get all upset when foreigners refer to them as insulated and unaware of anything outside of America. But it's true.

This is really an important observation. Many Americans argue over policies that have been successfully applied elsewhere...literally over whether or not it works. If they bothered to stop being insular and simply LOOKED ABROAD at it working, there wouldn't be a necessity to argue over it. These Americans always insist on doing it the hard way, reinventing the wheel because they ultimately are under the "American Exceptionalism" myth.

Finny exemplifies perfectly why that happens in American politics.

Oh, here is the video and a brief article on it:

McCain Sex-Ed Ad Launched; Obama Camp: "Perverse"

Your from NJ? So when Michael goes around telling other members in the forum that you are an Aussie, he made that up?

I see phrase from you like Americans. If you are American, and you are talking about Americans, we is the term used as you are one of them. You do not do this.

You stick with the phrase Americans as if you are too good for it.

well get that back to that in a second..



Ah.. and thus we clarify your position. You clearly lay out your disdain for Americans as ignorant folks, which clearly displays your Citizenship as that of not American.

That is your opinion..


Your opinion doesn't matter in situations dealing with the United States of America if you are not a citizen of it. It should be a common courtesy given to each nation not to have misinformed or those from ideological backgrounds like those of God Save the Queen mentality which perpetrates the idea that hierarchy should decide what's best for everyone. An Idea which is heavily spoke about in your opinion. See above.

The US Constitution gives the right of "Joe Sixpack" a right to vote. Thus, his opinion is valid in any argument dealing with America. Nowhere in the US Constitution does it give the right for foreigners (non-Citizens) the right to vote. Thus your opinion does not matter.

So how about you put the shrimp on the barbie.. and move on.

__________________
Pioneers are walking all around singing songs about Lenin and they should be shot for it.

Handlebars

"If you are looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror"- V

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
H. L. Mencken

come on you know you wanna play football..

Beagán agus a rá go maith.

Economic Left/Right: 3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.87

No, Sleuth.. if you are clearly entitle to your opinion and I probably share common opinions as you. But I will not take a slagging on America from a God Save the Queen prick.


Nowhere did I say your opinion doesn't matter. What I said was if you are not a US Citizen, your opinion on what or when America should do is null and void.

It was Technocratic_Utilitarian who said if you aren't "qualified" your opinion doesn't matter. Not I. I value all opinions and will listen. It's Technocratic_Utilitarian who wants your opinion not to matter.

__________________
Pioneers are walking all around singing songs about Lenin and they should be shot for it.

Handlebars

"If you are looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror"- V

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
H. L. Mencken

come on you know you wanna play football..

Beagán agus a rá go maith.

Economic Left/Right: 3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.87