Over a century ago, Mark Twain said, “There is no native
criminal class except Congress.” In the age of instant Twitter
updates and perpetual and instantaneous Facebook newsfeeds,
television news shows seem so 2000. So when an exchange between a
host and a guest on one of those shows becomes a trending topic on
Twitter, well, worlds collide and, for a moment, a political debate
proves Twain right once more.
The debate that I reference, of course, wasn’t one—and that’s
what makes it interesting. As a recent guest on Sean Hannity’s show
on Fox News to discuss the sequester, DFL (Minnesota’s Democratic
Party) Representative Keith Ellison managed to enlighten the
audience by
telling Hannity he was the “worst excuse for a journalist I’ve
ever seen,” “a shill for the Republican Party,” and “immoral,”
among other gems.
Of course, since Hannity hardly has a reputation for being a
wallflower, one might think his questioning or argumentative
behavior caused Ellison’s strong response. A look at the tape and
transcript proves otherwise. To wit:
HANNITY: Why are you so angry? You’re so angry. Let me ask you a
question.
ELLISON: Why are you so angry?
HANNITY: I’m not angry I’m laughing at you because I think this
is actually comical.
ELLISON: I’m laughing at you!
HANNITY: Rah, rah, rah, I’ve got it, I know you’re a broken
record. Now, let me get you my question.
ELLISON: You’re a broken record.
HANNITY: Here’s my question. Is it immoral — is it immoral
—
ELLISON: You are immoral.
The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs
blog “Smart Politics”
observed: “While Sean Hannity is the most demonstrably
conservative ideologue on the FOX network, and is known for taking
off the gloves with some of his liberal guests, he has definitely
given Representative Ellison the floor to express his views when
appearing on his show.” Indeed, by their count, Ellison spoke more
than Hannity during his last two guest appearances, giving him
ample time to answer questions and make coherent points.
While not wildly politically active — none of his sponsored or
co-sponsored bills have made it into law — Ellison has a unique
platform: Elected to local office in 2002, he is now serving his
fourth term in Congress and, as a convert from Catholicism to
Islam, is the first Muslim to serve in Congress. He has appeared on
cable news channels dozens of times before. While the clip itself
has gotten a lot of attention from various media outlets, few
Democrats or liberal-leaning news organizations responded at all —
in praise or condemnation — to Ellison’s outbursts. Only DFL Chair
Ken Martin publicly
thanked Ellison “for standing up for working families
and defending the President’s record.” The nearly-absent response
by his own party seems irresponsible and lazy.
In a few minutes, Ellison (and even, one could argue, Hannity)
pulled off quite a trifecta: He disappointed his party, made a
mockery of his own political standing, and showcased how inane and
self-serving political debate has become. Sure, politicians have
been tangling via the media since the 1800s. But there are
significant issues paramount to our country’s safety, well-being
and future, at stake — one of those being the topics at hand. With
his six minutes on the air, instead of championing his party’s
beliefs and making the case for his party’s stance, Ellison chose
to muddle around in the muck of soundbite semantics. Rather than
passing on any information that might sway any independent viewers
or boost the political knowledge of fellow liberals, his ad hominem
attacks left him a laughing stock, a momentary distraction, and a
trending topic on Twitter that will disappear as quickly as it
appeared.
This is what’s wrong not with politics today, but with
politicians. Too many would rather inflate their egos on the
soundwaves of momentary fame than sacrifice a fundraising
opportunity to actually further an ideological debate or deepen any
knowledge of political logistics. It brings to mind something else
Twain said: “Suppose you were an idiot and and suppose you were a
member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
