Anybody else feeling like they can't watch TV anymore? It's so depressing, apparently Obama is a big

[jezebel]

fat failure, Health Care reform is going to fail, Sarah Palin is rising from the ashes truimphantly, and the country is having a love affair with Republicans and Republican ideas.
Or at least that's what cable tv and the nightly news tell me. All day. Every day. Over and over again....

Maybe it's just that horrible Chip Reid piece tonight and the opening to Rachel's show isnt helping, but it seems like every single issue is just going to fail and the President is in a lose/lose situation.

I honestly couldn't take cable tv last week with all Palin all the time, and this week is off to no better start. I think I need to just not watch any more news. Its a sorta pussy ostrich move but I'm doing it.

on EDIT: Apparenly my mind is so screwed up I can't even post in the right place. I meant to put this in General, not Presidential but I don't know how to move it. Sorry mods. :(

[valerief]

1. Honey, you gotta start watching TCM. Keeps you sane. nt

[CakeGrrl]

9. Seconded. I don't watch ANY cable news/political shows whatsoever

There are lots of options on basic cable if you want to watch TV.

I get my news online, or I come here to see what the hot topics du jour happen to be.

The only time I'll turn to a cable news channel is if they're specifically covering the President.

[valerief]

38. Well, I do some KO and Rachel and sometimes Ed and Dylan.

But sometimes they depress me, too.

[grantcart]

25. Yup and they have Grace Kelly on for the next 4 weeks !!

[valerief]

37. Oh, in my imaginary life, I'm Grace Kelly! (Only I don't die in my early fifties.) n/t

[butterfly77]

43. How did you know..

that is exactly where I go when I can't take the lies anymore..

[valerief]

52. Ah, to catch Bette Davis in The Great Lie or Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce.

Engaging films and no booms.

[frazzled]

50. Yup, and don't miss the last "Johnny Mercer" night on Wednesday

I can't bear watching the cable jibber-jabber shows any more, and TCM is definitely one of the places I go to escape. There aren't many other channels showing movies. Or movies I want to see.
Alas, there's so little on cable I sometimes go to my computer and stream a movie on Netflix. Or heaven forfend, read a book. I'm thinking of buying a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Anything to escape the endless navel-gazing, hand-wringing, fear-mongering, and nit-picking.

Why are there, like, 550 stations and most nights absolutely nothing to watch on television?
I'd cancel the whole thing if the satellite tv charge weren't already in our monthly condo assessment.

[valerief]

53. Yeah, saw it earlier. Didn't know about the Judy Garland-Mercer affair before.

Great songs!

[IndianaGreen]

2. make sure you watch Obama's speech to the nation about Afghanistan

The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama by the middle of next week, after Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break.

Military officials, congressional aides and European diplomats said they expect Obama to deliver a national address laying out the revamped strategy. Said Obama in a television interview last week: "At the end of this process, I'm going to be able to present to the American people in very clear terms what exactly is at stake, what we intend to do, how we're going to succeed, how much it's going to cost, how long it's going to take."

Congressional hearings would immediately follow that address, including testimony from McChrystal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_us_afghanistan;_ylt=AqWjOYIdVibm1hh9O3iSQ9us0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNoY2Y4c2Z0BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMTI0L3VzX3VzX2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMwRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDZnVsbG5ic3BzdG9y

[Telly Savalas]

3. Try turning the channel. I watch ESPN and this isn't a problem for me.

TV news features superficial reporting and mind-numbing punditry dispensed by people who don't know what they're talking about.

I can get a better picture of the world's events by watching Monday Night Football and reading news on the laptop during the ads than I can by watching CNN or MSNBC during that time.

[HopeOverFear]

4. I stay away from cable chatter

unless it's absolutely necessary, and right now it's not.

[Arkana]

5. I don't agree with the Palin part--most news folks (excluding the obvious, of course)

are treating her much like a 20-car pileup. It's horrible, yes, but you can't look away...

[Pirate Smile]

6. You're watching Rachel and Lawrence O'Donnell has been one of the most overwhelmingly

negative of all Democratic strategists regarding HCR. The Senators (Whitehouse and Brown) are much more upbeat then the outsiders.

Take a break. Get away from it for a while. Focus on something more positive.

Remember - Obama said at the beginning that this would be declared dead or over or a failure many, many times before it was actually done - and it will get done - and its been declared dead many times already (at least the PO and people are shocked it is still around).

Don't let the bastards get'cha down. ;)

[Clio the Leo]

24. I'm watching him now.......

... he's coming off like he's a bit jealous.

The REASON why the Clinton bill stalled was because, bless them both, it was "The Clinton Bill."

What makes Saturday's vote historic was that it was the first time the Senate put a bill on the floor for debate that THEY came up with. This is precisely why the President has had a more hands off approach (well, that and Article 1 of the Constitution.) ..... in order for a bill to pass, it has to be something that the Congress creates .... not something forced upon them by the Executive Branch.

Legislation is like water. It must seek its own level. Unfortuantely, that means that it may not be as progressive as we like. But given our majority, it means it will be a LOT more progressive than the Republicans want.

I generally like Lawrence ..... but Congress has already gone MUCH further with the bill than he said they would. Months ago on Countdown he was skeptical that we'd ever make it thus far.

Eating crow is never fun.

[Clio the Leo]

32. Like this.....

(at the 4:15 min mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67LhdzJNW4

Larry and KO discussing (in August) about how the bills produced by the House/Senate will probably NOT have a PO. O'Donnell thinks that the House will do what it did in '94, fear they cannot pass the bill and let the Senate go first where legislation will die.

O'Donnell thinks that the GOP will be able to destroy the PO and THEN will be able to destroy the individual mandate (unfortunately he cant see into the future and know that by November, half of the Democrats will have turned populist and will be declaring the individual mandate to be an oppressive dictated being reigned down upon our heads by the evil commie war-lord Obama.)

He then goes on to say that if the House had a vote on their bill today (which is August 18th) and it contained a PO, then the bill would not pass. Both he and Keith operate from the assumption that the Senate bill will NOT contain a PO.

(lol, this is fun!)

[eShirl]

7. Take a break from watching Newz.

seriously

[LovinLife]

8. And think, it hasn't even been a full yr yet of his presidency. I can't take the next 2 or 3yrs. nt

[Connie_Corleone]

10. I haven't watched any political shows today.

And I don't intend on watching any for the rest of the week. I might not watch again until final senate cloture vote to end debate next month.

[Rowdyboy]

11. TCM, History Channel and daytime reruns of crime shows get me through....

Cabel news will drive you crazy, especially in non-election years.

[Barack_America]

12. Take a break from the infotainment.

None of it is real "news". Not on Fox, CNN, or MSNBC, for that matter.

[Indepatriot]

16. Kill Your Television!

Unplugged the Idiot Box in 04, use it only for movies (Netflix Rocks) Get my news/clips online. BEST thing we ever did! Much more conversation,reading going on around here, A friend who babysat at her house noted that our 4 year-old didn't understand what a commercial was! Oh, and you save a bunch of $ as well! That's a win win win win win as far as I can tell!

[GrantDem]

13. I haven't watched any cable news for several months now.

Your assessment of what spews forth is pretty accurate.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Yep....I stopped watching entirely.....

I'm with HG Tv, and then a bit of Oprah.

I'll watch some KO and some Rachel later on rerun....
and some Stewart tonight, and I'm done.

Feels good actually; to be normal instead of obsessing at
every little thing that happens.

Since the TV powers that be have decided not to provide us with any
of the Prez's speeches that occur during the day, I'm through with them.
They must be crazy if they think I'm gonna watch them opine
day in, day out. They've got another thing comin'!

Edited to add; just got the reviews on whomever Lawrence O'Donnell is subbing for,
and I'm not going to watch him either. I can't take the propaganda anymore,
and so I won't.

[harun]

15. I can't watch any Corporate Media "news". Nor do I need to.

[otohara]

17. It's Nauseating Right Now - Unwatchable

for sure.
All this bashing, Billboard Boy - Sarah.

[Cha]

18. I haven't watched corporatemedia since November

2002 when I saw how they manipulated and manufactured the "news" to give it the repukes.

The mediawhores need to be held accountable..

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[femmocrat]

19. All of those cable talking head shows are depressing, IMO.

I watch some of KO and Rachel a couple of times a week, but can't take the ones with panels that say the same old crap over and over.

I got so sick of the "future of the republican party" discussions after the election that I decided yes, there is a huge world outside of cable "news" and swore off most of them. They are all a waste of air time.

[jefferson_dem]

20. Up until a few weeks ago, I was still plugged into the cable chatter...

I would even put on the bio-chem suit and monitor FauxNews / hate radio to see what the right wing fucks are up to. Not anymore. It's simply not worth the anxiety...following the depressing bullshit trivialities of the day when we finish right back where we started. Nowadays, if my teevee is on, i'm watching TCM, or Discovery, or FOOTBALL, or Mad Men reruns, or C-SPAN which I will never grow tired of.

[Cha]

29. I've been without for 7 years and

from reading about them on DU..they've only gotten much worse.

Thankfully we got Obama elected in spite of them.

Doesn't mediamatters monitor it so we don't have to?:)

[Clio the Leo]

21. Then go straight the source.....

http://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse

.... be sure to watch all of the little video snippits the admin. staff did on the Asia trip. Gibbs holding up the panda he bought for his son was priceless. Or Ben Rhodes talking about how he was going to try to find a Chinese restaurant IN China that was better than his favorite one in NYC.

I find the cable spin amusing. I know they are playing a game and, as long as you dont let them play you it's a hoot to watch their tricks.

Dont let it bother you.

[madamesilverspurs]

22. It can get depressing, can't it!

That's when I usually shift over to HGTV. No matter how rotten things are, it just cracks me up to watch people moaning about the wrong color of granite in the state-of-the-art kitchen that is bigger than my whole apartment; and the frustration that the pool is the wrong shape, adding insult to the injury of having to park one car outside because the garage is only made for three. Oh, the humanity!

And there's always the fun of watching the faces of the homeowners when the suprise decorating team redoes the dining room in shades of omigod and blendersplat.

If push comes to shove, the teevee goes off and I dig through my vinyl and dust off the turntable. Reality is a good thing, as long as I don't OD on it.

Hang in there!


---

[SheilaT]

23. I have been without a TV for a year and a half now,

and I'm probably better informed than ever.

I do watch Keith Olbermann on the internet, as well as several other shows I actually want to see. But I am completely cut off from such idiocy as when Michael Jackson died, I gather the networks all went to wall-to-wall coverage, as if he were actually someone important. I simply got the news he'd died, there were possibly drugs involved, and I didn't spend more than five minutes on the topic.

I read a lot. I listen to NPR a lot. I listen to music I like a lot. I crochet and embroider and talk with friends. Who needs a TV?

[treestar]

26. And then DU isn't much better

[politicasista]

28. Nope.

Me gave up on the media years ago.

Thank goodness for sports and music. :)

[GoCubsGo]

41. Ain't that the truth!!

It's getting to where I spend more time in The Lounge than elsewhere here. As for TV, about all I can handle these days is Keith. Off it goes the rest of the day.

[HipChick]

27. I gave up on media, ever since they were so sure Obama would not win due to the Bradley efffect

and we saw how well that worked out..

[carpe diem]

30. during the build up to the Iraq war,

I got so depressed, I couldn't watch anything but Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld reruns for months...I know now when it starts to get to me to just disconnect from ANY television news...now if I could just stay away from the political blogs and msg boards...

[Nedsdag]

31. The only cable news I watch is CNN International and BBC World News.

The other news channels aren't worth watching if you ask me.

TBTH, on line sites are depressing as well.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. I watch documentaries and dramas on PBS and Mhz Worldview

as well as the occasional Turner Classic Movie.

Otherise, it's DVDs all the way.

[Blue_In_AK]

34. I know how you feel.

It's hard to know the truth when so few media people disseminate non-opinionated news. There are probably all kinds of positive "changes" going on right now within the administration, but they're not controversial enough to make the evening news and the talk shows. The media makes money off of controversy, not "feel-good" positive stories.

Sometimes you just have to turn that stuff off and do something fun. I like to put some music on and cook - which is what I'm doing this week - or go out and take some pictures, if it's not too cold. There is plenty of beauty around if we look for it.



Ultimately all these affairs of state will mean very little. Civilizations come and go, extinctions happen, planets die, stars explode. All we can really do is try to live well and be grateful for the little space of time we're given.

I'm rambling tonight. Sorry. ... :)

[HopeOverFear]

35. OMG that picture is beautiful

did you take that?????

[Blue_In_AK]

47. Yes.

Thank you. This is in the Portage Valley south of Anchorage about a month or so ago. :)

[HopeOverFear]

49. That is beautiful. I mean that could be a postcard.

[LynzM]

40. Beautiful thoughts, Blue...

:D :hug:

[paulsby]

36. well...

top chef, the ultimate fighter, the penguins of madagascar, fringe, and high stakes poker aren't depressing.

i also really liked the new "the prisoner" mini-series.

otoh, i like watching cable news too.

[azmouse]

39. Sounds like DU.

[butterfly77]

42. I didn't see the piece but..

Chip Reid has been going after the President from day one Reid is one arrogant evil piece of shit!!Do you ever watch the scowl on Chip Reid's face at press conferences he is determined to bring the President down but, not if we can help it don't believe the lies.

There are many moles left over from the bush adm and in the attorney general's office and they are all over the tv and media spreading lies and making up shit..

[Jennicut]

44. Mentally, I have been taking a bit of a break from politics and not even

coming to DU as much lately. It can really depress you.

[LWolf]

45. I don't have any trouble watching tv.

Of course, I don't watch tv news or "commentary."

It's been 9 years since I did. I somehow manage to stay informed without soaking up everyone else's spin.

I watch a little tv. Usually when I'm too tired to do anything else, or when I want background noise for the book I'm reading. Movies, old reruns.

I don't need to boost the ratings on the rest of the crap.

[Parker CA]

46. Stopped watching news. Travel channel or music. Better for the brain. ;-)

[Naturyl]

48. Republican ideas?

They don't have ideas. They have prejudices, hatreds, bigoted knuckle-dragging traditions, and other assorted cognitive impairments.

Ideas require coherent thought, which does not occur between right-wing ears.

[WI_DEM]

51. I don't have to watch TV to know Obama is a failure--I visit DU

(for the record, I don't think he is a failure).

[polichick]

54. I've been watching all the Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes I missed...

Laughter helps.