El Ojo del Lago

THUNDER ON THE RIGHT

By Paul Jackson

The scornful, caustic fellow insisted I name my favorite American political commentators. So, William F. Buckley being no longer with us, I named George F. Will and Charles Krauthammer as the top two. Add to this duo, Christopher Hitchens, British-born, but like Krauthammer, who is Canadian-born, a longtime resident of the USA. Hitchens, started out life as a Marxist and Trotskyite, but is now something completely different. All three are most knowledgeable and erudite commentators.

But as my arrogant antagonist  looked on, I named leftwing intellectual Michael Kinsley as my fourth favorite. Have never read a column by Kinsley which I could not only deeply absorb, and also eventually mostly agree with.

Next, Alan Colmes, not quite as intellectual as Kinsley, but who was an entertaining foil to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, but then went off to make a million dollars and more a year with the Fox radio network. The Hannity show lacks a certain value without Colmes, a very personable fellow, but he has a huge audience with his radio show.

Talking about being personable, although he’s not actually a political commentator, Congressman Dennis Kucinich is always worth an ear. Kucinich really is pretty far to the Left, but looking at his deprived background it’s easy to see why: One of seven children, his father a truck driver, with his family having to move an astonishing 21 times always looking for a cheaper home to rent. So, his philosophic stands are built on solid experience. I’d vote for him any time before I’d vote for Donald Trump.  Now to Fox News’—Billy O’Reilly’s and Sean Hannity’s—line-up of regular Liberal guests—Dick Schoen, Bob Beckel, and Pat Caddell.

You find it hard to believe Fox News welcomes Liberal viewpoints?  Well, I as discovered while holding the Editorship of a big city daily newspaper you can have a certain shade on your opinion pages or TV shows, but you then go for the widest possible audience you can get. So here are my three favorites Liberal-Left commentators on Fox News:

Dick Schoen - former top aide to Ed Koch, Bill Clinton, and who also worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign -  appears to be the deepest thinker of this trio. Bob Beckel -  worked for Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter -  is the most amiable, and has a frame larger than life, but can never admit his party has ever done anything wrong. Enjoyable, though, so long as you take what he says with a chuckle.

Pat Caddell - advisor to George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Gary Hart, and Joe Biden - tends to be the most caustic. Caddell  gives the impression that while he is still a dedicated Democrat, President Barack Obama is in the process of ruining the reputation of his party and taking it on a suicide mission that goes against all that true Democrats believe in. Perhaps it’s just sour grapes, or maybe he is, as I believe, right.

Whatever, all of these individuals are quite rational and put forward their arguments with some reason. A person can be Conservative, Liberal - even somewhat Socialist - but while one may disagree with them on some issues - if they have a solid foundation behind their stands - rather than knee jerk, shoot-from-the-hip, top-off-the-head rhetoric - they are surely worth a read, a listen, or a view.

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