Who is the Worst Pundit of the Decade?

[cthulu2016]

Last edited Mon Apr 16, 2012, 01:36 PM - Edit history (3)

Atrios (Duncan Black) has been doing a countdown of the worst wanktacular pundits, commentators, chattering heads and all-around wankers. Being a wanker isn't about being RW, but rather being RW in the name of centrism, "seriousness" and "common sense" without even knowing that everything you say is debunked RW gibberish.

The king (or queen) wanker will be announced tomorrow. See if you can guess who it will be.

Here are the honorees thus far:

Wanker of the decade ? ? ?
1st runner up Fred Hiatt
2nd runner up Andrew Sullivan
3rd runner up Joe Klein
4th runner up Mark Halperin
5th runner up William Saletan
6th runner up Jonah Goldberg
7th runner up Diane Sawyer
8th runner up Richard Cohen
9th runner up Megan McArdle

http://eschatonblog.com/

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2012/04/no-wanker-today_12.html

(I am leaning toward the departed David Broder because he was the definition of Wankerism. Krugman and others refer to the embrace of utterly wrong RW myths in the name of centrism "High Broderism&quot

[asjr]

1. George Will

[cthulu2016]

10. I can certainly see that

[Daniel537]

2. Better question.

Is there any actual good pundit?

[RockaFowler]

3. Diane Sawyer isn't a Pundit

Why is she on this list??

It may as well have David Gregory then. The latest Crossroads commercial is using Gregory's Meet the Press interview where he goes after David Plouffe (for no reason whatsoever)

[cthulu2016]

5. Atrios just calls them wankers

Pundit is my word choice for the headline, given the limited space.

Blizter, Gregory and such are eligible.

(The "wanker of the day" today, not part of the countdown, is Chris Wallace.)

[RockaFowler]

14. Got it!!

[Demonaut]

4. no Pat Buchanan?

[DCKit]

20. My first thought, too.

But with the likes of Krauthammer, Brooks, Coulter... OMG, the list just goes on, and on, and on, and on....

It's not the individuals so much as the culture.

Additionally, I've heard so many of them refer to themselves as "pundints" over the past couple of years, I'm wondering if it isn't' code for "one who reads their talking points from RNC faxes during interviews" and not our traditional definition of "pundit".

[A-Schwarzenegger]

6. Mr. Toes.

[Fumesucker]

7. David Brooks..

Three words.. Applebee's salad bar..

http://crooksandliars.com/2008/06/03/memo-to-david-brooks-applebees-doesnt-have-a-salad-bar

[cthulu2016]

8. a good possibility

[Rex]

9. Billy O'

Worst pundit since Robert Novakula.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Tom Friedman will take 1 of the 2 remaining spots, surely

For the other, it depends on whether he's judging more on "attempts to look reasonable, while in reality being a wanker" (which clearly he isn't always, since Goldberg never tries to look like anything other than right wing), which might point to, say, David Brooks, or "just is a complete, 100% wanker", in which case some wingnuts such as Bill Kristol could be in with a shout. It looks like he's not bothering with blowhards like O'Reilly, Limbaugh or Hannity anyway, or one would have appeared already, surely.

[Junkdrawer]

23. About to post "Thomas Friedman"

Caused more real damage than anyone I can think of offhand.

[Junkdrawer]

34. ^^^ WE WON ^^^^

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2012/04/one-true-wanker-of-decade.html

[lpbk2713]

12. Mrs Greenspan

What a dip.

[MrScorpio]

13. William Kristol

I can't stand that slimy bastard

[deacon]

15. Bill O

[Fumesucker]

16. Oh hell, I forgot about David "both sides do it" Broder.. n/t

[Dirty Socialist]

17. Wrongo

The lack of Fux News pundits disqualifies this list. Garbage.

[Fumesucker]

18. I disagree..

The very worst pundits are the stealth conservatives that have a surface gloss of neutrality but invariably manage to spout right wing talking points in an oh-so-reasonable manner.

David Broder was very possibly the most accomplished of these weasels.

[cthulu2016]

19. The criterion isn't most right-wing

The (unstated) criterion is more like most respected and self-congratulatorily "reasonable" while spouting gibberish.

It's a difference.

In terms of the most horrible individual statements, Limabugh, Coulter, Malkin, Hannity, etc. would win.

But in terms of insidiousness and being symptomatic of a diseased culture, the David Broders and Joe Kleins and Wolf Blizters are much more dangerous.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. One more to add to the shortlist: Judith Miller

Her fall from 'grace' may disqualify her, however. She didn't get away with it for the full decade.

[gratuitous]

24. She occurred to me

And while The Queen of All Fucking Iraq has been silenced for a few years, during her active wanking tenure over the last decade, she managed to almost single-handedly help stampede public opinion in favor of invading Iraq. Her wankery convinced many an otherwise canny person to come down in favor of invasion, helping to waste so much money and so many lives, as well as give us the spectacle of a high White House official engaging in treason to help the lies along. An admirable record, indeed, for such a foreshortened resume.

[mfcorey1]

22. Ann coulter hands down. nt

[LeftishBrit]

25. Rush Limbaugh? Or Pat Buchanan?

In the UK, I think it would be Melanie Phillips. But then there's Ed West, and Richard Littlejohn, and Peter Hitchens, and James Delingpole, and Cristina Odone, and Simon Heffer, and....

[Enrique]

26. David Broder

may the wanker rest in peace.

[cthulu2016]

32. In a wanking class by himself

[longship]

27. Kristol and Will, in that order

Surprised that nobody mentioned Mr. Bowtie, Tucker, but maybe he doesn't deserve to be even on the list.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. No-one got the 1st runner-up - Fred Hiatt

As editorial page editor of the Washington Post, Fred Hiatt has presided over what is perhaps the world greatest gaggle of wankers. Fred's a true wanker connoissuer, a collector of fine wankers. Whenever a new wanker appears on the market, Fred is there, ready to outbid all rivals at the auction. His ever expanding menagerie of wankers forms the Rogue's Gallery of DC, perpetually frustrating the poor inadqequate scribes at DC comics. Is there a supervillain more inspired than Charles Krauthammer? Move aside, Darkseid. The people who populate his crayon scribble page could easily fill a Wanker of the Decade list all on their own, though we should not forget that Fred manages to produce some quality wanks on his own or through the disembodied, though sadly not disemvowelled, voice of The Editors.

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2012/04/wanker-of-decade-1st-runner-up.html

And, since those published in the WP include some of the other nominees (Broder, Kristol, Novak, Will), and with this comment - "this award is for wanking, not pure wingerism" - I feel Friedman is a shoe-in for the uncoveted top spot.

[cthulu2016]

31. Thanks. Added to OP

[gauguin57]

29. While I disagree completely with George Will, I think he's a good GOP pundit ...

... because he backs up his approach with WHERE he got his information. And he's relatively calm and reasonable. Unlike 99.99999 percent of Fox reporters and right-wing radio stooges ... Who scream and shake a piece of paper in front of the microphone and claim to have ironclad facts courtesy of a fax from the Official Certified Right Wing Conservatory of Head Up Their Butts.

George Will and I disagree on just about everything, but I'd like to see other conservative pundits present their arguments in the same reasonable manner. At least we could have a discussion, then, and not always be yelling at each other on the basis of lies and more lies.

Just my humble opinion.

[taught_me_patience]

30. Kristol

He's completely wrong on almost every issue.

David Gregory is really bad too. It's obvious he has a hard on for Mittens.

[geek tragedy]

33. Peggy Noonan, Glenn Reynolds, Assrocket, Pat Buchanan

Alan Dershowitz, Andrew Breitbart, Matt Drudge--so many names . . .

[Initech]

35. If you want my honest opinion it's Neil Cavuto.

Of all the commentators on Fux Propaganda - he is easily the most unbearable. He's the reason the über-rich continue to get away with their shit. No matter what the issue - he takes the corporate / CEO side and whatever the people who actually do the work do is bad. His line of thinking is why we're stuck with the most horrible governors in American history like Jan Brewer, Scott Walker, and Chris Christie. Fuck him and everyone who thinks like him.