Alan Colmes

[MattNC]

I've noticed in some posts here that a lot of posters see Alan Colmes as a whipping boy for the right, and I'd like to know why that is. I watch 'Hannity & Colmes' a fair amount and listen to his radio show almost every night - I simply don't see him bending over for conservatives.

Simply saying he works for FAUX News won't fly with me.

[Catch22Dem]

1. Is he still on the show?

Fuck, I never see or hear him. Might as well just call it the Sean Hannity Show. (Most freepers do anyway.)

[eileen from OH]

2. well, the problem is. . .

he's too damn mild. On Faux News, smarts and logic don't work. You've got to be as big an asshole pit bull as they are.

I've sent this suggestion to several Dem/libs that I've seen on Faux. STOP GOING ON. O'Reilly turns off mikes. Hannity overshouts anyone. You cannot win against them on their own turf. Period. It is NOT a level playing field - they will ALWAYS win, because they own the show and will ALWAYS get the last word. Think about it. . .if there was no one to outshout, if there was no one to (hah) debate, if there were no liberals on there to mock. . .what would be left? Masturbatory television. No conflict. No adversaries. No drama. All of which equals borrrrrring. Which is the death of entertainment and the ONLY way to kill these shows.

Frankly, I get pissed at the stoopid liberals who are stoopid enough to put themselves in a lose-lose situation. They are NOT going to be allowed to "win", they are not going to be allowed to really answer, they are not going to be allowed, in any way, to score points against Hannity, O'Reilly, etc. Not as long as there are editors who won't let it happen anyway. Boycott the bastards and stop feeding them.

eileen

[Paragon]

3. FOX knows he's "mild"...

...why do you think he got the gig? Ugly sucker, too.

[roughsatori]

4. Welcome to DU Eileen

Now that song from the 80s CD commercial is bouncing in my head; "Come on Eileen," I think it was by Dexies Midnight Runners, or something like that. Welcome.

[AlinPA]

13. I agree with you 100%.

Why do they even put themselves in the position to be beaten up by Fox "News" people. If they didn't go on those shows (including the Sunday morning program on Fox) people would see them for what they really are, a propaganda organ of the rPIGS.

[mndemocrat_29]

5. Colmes is invisible

He just can't compete with Sean Hannity and would never be allowed to stay on this show with his terrible debating skills, except that Fox News wants to show Democrats as weak. Colmes can't hold a candle to James Carville, who could outdebate Sean Hannity in a nanosecond.

[MattNC]

8. are you serious?

First, I don't think his debating skills are weak.

And can't hold a candle to Carville? Carville is terrible. All he does is spew nonsense that I can't understand half the time.

[tameszu]

22. Carville...

...kicks some pretty major ass. Even when he is incomprehensible, he can beatdown--he's so good, he doesn't even need to articulate whole words to win. Seriously--Carville's good because he's quick and funny, has a down home kind of appeal that many libs don't, and can get independents to notice and listen to him.

Colmes is the opposite. He means well but isn't confident and concedes points when he doesn't have to--which is especially a problem when you're up against someone like Hannity. And too often, he sounds whiny rather than forceful when he does stand up for his POV. And it's no help that he really does look like a freakin' alien. The first time I saw H&C, it scared the crap out of me.

And as for good looking libs, we do have Katrina vanden Heuvel (editor of The Nation), whose mature but very Noxema attractiveness makes up for an entire carton of over-madeup GOP pundettes. We also had Ashleigh Banfield, who was really a moderate who occasionally did the unthinkable and interviewed actual Palestinians and Arabs, and therefore made her a tool of Hamas to the right...

More where they came from, I say!

[AntiCoup2K4]

23. Which makes Carville the perfect opponent for Hannity.

Since Sean spews nonsense all of the time.... Maybe between the nonsense cancelling each other out, they would eventually get around to some actual debate. It will never happen with Colmes.

This is why I miss the old Crossfire. Whatever you think of Pat Buchanan, at least he didn't try to take over the entire show, and some actual debating of the issues took place.

[kskiska]

6. Colmes is married

to Monica Crowley's sister, the right-wing blonde bimbette with the sneer.

[eileen from OH]

7. Ewwwww. . .

"Colmes is married to Monica Crowley's sister, the right-wing blonde bimbette with the sneer."

I always wonder why the only libs that can represent the left on cable news shows are really kinda creepy looking men. I saw Colmes in person and he has this really mutant-look about him. And, Gawd knows, while Carvelle can slice and dice with the best, he is one scary-looking mo-fo. The right has this seemingly endless stream of trash-talking blonde bimbettes (led by Ann Coulter, the ultimate succubitch.) Is there a breeding farm somewhere?

eileen

[dragonquest8]

10. Monica Crowley is so beautiful that nobody resists her charm

she is such a exceptional woman, a fantastic political commentator:bounce:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. You Can't Be Serious

I'll give her props cuz she's smart but she's an uncritical right wing shill.

And her looks are average at best.

[MattNC]

18. smart?

i don't think she's as smart as she should be for someone that holds a master's and a doctorate.

[Flubadubya]

24. And I don't think Colmes is as smart as he should be...

to be just about the ONLY representatives of the democratic party on Faux News. I admit I haven't watched that show in a long time, but when I did watch it Colmes came off as maybe 1 I.Q. point higher than Shrub himself, and no better language skills than the Chimp. His debating skills were just horrendous.

Unless he has gone to school somewhere and gotten a WHOLE lot more smarts, I just don't follow your argument about him at all. I have sat and watched him completely MISS some of the most appropriate retorts to the right wingers' fallacious arguments... just whoop! right over the old Colmes pate.

Another reason Faux has him on as representative the democratic party (or the left) is that he is 'not so easy on the eyes'. Unfortunately, that's a big point here. Just look at the comments about the female hosts. Greta van Sustern comes the closest to being "the dog" on Faux, but even she got some "facial adjustments" to try to come up to Faux's standards.

Nope, you'll never convince me that Colmes is anything other than a token liberal who is set up to be the biggest straw man in television history.

[Paladin]

14. Sorry, I Can't Place Her

There are so many right-wing blonde bimbettes with sneers on TV these days that I don't waste my time telling them apart.....

Additional Comments On Edit: I agree with those of you who believe that Colmes is a deliberately-picked wimp up against Hannity, but let's face it: the entire right-wing media movement is based on the same chickenshit formula. Consider Limbaugh. He's a long-time, skilled radio professional, with a crew of screeners who are trained to filter out all the articulate, forceful liberal callers, leaving El Rushbo to savage the nervous, tounge-tied, scatter-brained individuals. Every so often the formula breaks down and somebody gets through and really challenges Limbaugh, and he can't deal with it. He blows his stack. Now that's entertainment.....

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. She Was Nixon's Monica

She interned for Nixon during his wilderness days and Nixon took her on as a protege.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. You Must Have Been Listening

when that caller demolished the WMD argument.

Rush flipped his lid.

[The Night Owl]

25. Exactly!

Rush has a meltdown every time he has to debate a smart and informed Liberal that manages to get through.

Rush is a poor debater. Rush has had a lengthy career and yet he has never debated any well known public figures or media persons. There is a reason for this. He would be exposed as the fraud that he is if he were to take on a smart and informed opponent.

By the way, have you guys noticed how much Limbaugh talks to himself on his program recently? Almost every time I tune in to his show, he is asking and answering his own questions. Sometimes, he even uses a mock voice when asking himself questions. I think he sounds nuts.

[Joe the Revelator]

9. Alan is a joke

he couldn't win a debate on wheather or not his first name was "alan"

[JNelson6563]

12. an apolitical person's take

My husband, who is very disinterested in politics commented on H&C to me only a few days ago.

He'd been up late, flipping through the channels and cought a H&C replay. First he commented on Hannity and what an asshole he is. How he blathered on and the guest didn't get to speak. How the blather was so right wing there was not even a whiff of "balance" to it. Then he mentioned "the other guy--the one with the glasses". How he just let Hannity push him around and how he barely got a word out.

This from someone who does not know the players and is unfamiliar with Faux.

Julie

[GregW]

17. I think the term 'milquetoast' defines him best

Some definitions:

n: One who has a meek, timid, unassertive nature.
n: a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive (syn: sissy, pantywaist, pansy, milksop, Milquetoast)

[MattNC]

19. i can't help but disagree

Is he as loud and outspoken as Hannity or O'Reilly? No. Very few commentators (conservative or liberal) are. But to derail him as so many of you do, and say James Carville is a better liberal commentator, is just plain wrong. He does a good job of representing liberals -- especially on his radio show, which is probably in more major markets than any other liberal talk show by far.

[Redleg]

20. Colmes tries to be heard by being polite and rational...

...it just doesn't work on Faux when you have the likes of Hannity yelling and foaming at the mouth.

[HerbieHeadhunter]

21. He is limp wristed and overly apologetic....

which is why Fox has him on that show. His first reaction the one sided issues they present on that show is to apologize and basically make weak points about collateral issues. Rarely does he take an accusation from Hannity head on.

I don't think there is a more softball liberal on TV, radio, or print than him.