In reviewing the year 2007 in magazines, Washington Post writer Peter Carlson found the year was dull, boring, and in no way memorable. But he did find it amazing that magazines would do power-sniffing surveys and completely exclude President Bush from the power lists:
In 2007, GQ published "The 50 Most Powerful People in D.C." -- a list that actually included 56 powerful people in D.C. but did not include George W. Bush, the president of the United States. Time magazine published "The Time 100," a list of "the World's Most Influential People." It included Raul Castro, Michael J. Fox and Kate Moss but it also did not include President Bush. It also didn't include Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, whom Time later named its "Person of the Year."
Does any of that make any sense?
No, actually, it does not, especially when Bush clearly won in the major battles with congressional Democrats. Carlson then added that in general, tons of magazine paper were wasted on boring campaign journalism, although some stood out for snark:
Radar, which tries to be the world's snarkiest magazine and sometimes succeeds, published a fake photo showing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama naked while Mitt Romney looked on wearing his Mormon underwear....
But it took Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi, who tries to be the world's snarkiest magazine writer and frequently succeeds, to sum up the campaign thus far: "In the absurd black comedy of the American electoral process, our presidential candidates are mostly two-dimensional monsters, grotesque approximations of human beings born by some obscene asexual reproductive method in the demeaning celluloid muck of the campaign trail."
Come on, Matt, don't hold back. Tell us what you really think.
Carlson could have simply done the critic's version of I Know You Are, But What Am I? Taibbi's writings are two-dimensional grotesque approximations of journalism. Finally, Carlson mocked a letter-writer to the hard-left Nation magazine:
America's magazine readers did not just sit back and passively accept all the weird stuff foisted upon them by America's magazines. Sometimes they snorted with derision. Sometimes they threw the magazine across the room in disgust. Sometimes they fired off angry letters to the editor. Sometimes those letters were at least as goofy as the stuff they were protesting.
"How ironic and sad that in an article on 'The New Right-Wing Smear Machine,' as well as on your cover, you use the innocent, maligned bat to suggest creepy evil," a reader complained to liberal magazine the Nation. "I think you owe it to bats and to the balance of nature dependent on their voracious insectivorous behavior (at least for the species you depict) to issue an apology."
There you have it, folks -- the State of the Union, 2007: You can't even insult a bat without somebody firing off an irate letter. No wonder magazine editors preferred to sojourn in the nostalgic glow of 1957 or 1967 or 1977.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Good Grief!
December 26, 2007 - 00:01 ET by motherbeltTo the person who complained to The Nation: "you use the innocent, maligned bat to suggest creepy evil,"
Uh...maybe that's because bats have been a symbol of creepy evil for years? Bram Stoker was doing it in the 19th century...Have you called for a boycott of all the Dracula books and movies?
Get a grip, for crying out loud!!
Sheesh.
Perfect Liberal Sense
December 26, 2007 - 01:04 ET by Lame CherryAccording to liberals power means:
Being dictator flunky Fidel Castro's brother who has been sucking off that old communist tit for almost 50 years and never accomplished a thing.
Being Mike Fox, Canadian transplant, self appointed brain dissector of babies for stem cells being holocaust poster boy of death who stops taking his meds so he can shake and gain public sympathy.
Being dope Kate Moss who excells at not eating and looking half dead.
Being snotty typers paid big bucks for leftist magazines who see their entire world through their penis or vagina.
That all makes perfect liberal sense in they hate George Bush who they say is stupid, Christian, double stupid and inept....and they still could not defeat him in 8 years.........but did invest great immoral symbiotic joining with communists, leftist baby butcher actors and dope head models as their most powerful people.
Little wonder why they love filmster Al Gore so much.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Well, Tim, something tells
December 26, 2007 - 09:33 ET by motherbeltWell, Tim, something tells me President Bush isn't losing any sleep over being left off their lists. He's a man comfortable in his skin and, I suspect, couldn't care less. And let's face it, the liberal mags have been furious at him for quite some time, because of the fact that they can't seem to defeat him in anything. So this is their way of finally "sticking it to him."
"Nyah, nyah!! We're making a list, and you're not on it. So there!!"
It's all they've got.
}}---> To the Bat Cave
December 26, 2007 - 08:03 ET by Cool ArrowSpeaking of such, maybe they're still upset that Superman isn't walking as John Edwards suggested when he was running with John F'in Kerry.
And that Michael J. Fox guy? Of course he's more significant. He makes such wonderfully deceitful commercials right around election time.
I ♣ My Seal
I try not to look at Time
December 26, 2007 - 08:15 ET by USA4freedomI try not to look at Time ever but curiosity got the best ofme and I tried to look on line. They have it hard to do with out clicking on every person. I looked under Heroes and Pioneers and found a soldier. Wow, I was impressed! They started off the article with this line: person #55
There is a comforting ordinariness to Army Captain Timothy Gittins. Based at Fort Campbell, Ky., the 31-year-old Southern Baptist is devoted to his wife Shelley and their two sons T.J., 6, and Cole, 4. He drinks Bud Light and tries to find time to zoom around on his new Harley.
Some how I did not find out what any of the other top 100 drink or.. what they drive or, what their religion is!
They just cant help it, they have to give a back handed complement to man that PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE FOR US.
Then they post a line that he said:
At the same time, he has no problem with the wars' critics and appreciates those who oppose the conflicts but still support the men and women fighting in them.
My wife was right, all it does is make me mad. I think Ineed to reach for the duct tape before my head explodes.
SCREW YOU TIME. YOU POS..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
31-year-old Southern Baptist
December 28, 2007 - 10:27 ET by Dan The Man 231-year-old Southern Baptist is devoted to his wife Shelley and their two sons T.J., 6, and Cole, 4. He drinks Bud Light This was included to slight the SBC and their membership. As a rule drinking is frowned upon in the SBC membership as is dancing, smoking and a few other things. I think this was included to show the world that SBC membership are indeed sinners and hypocrites, and you know what we are but not in the light they meant it.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
News Magazines
December 26, 2007 - 08:37 ET by allanfWhen Life Magazine was founded there was a need for a "picture" magazine. Life's surviving sister, Time Magazine and its competitor Newsweek have lost their mission. They can no longer provide "news" to anyone.
They now focus on long, meandering thoughtless liberal commentary written by "reporter" English majors devoid of a sense of history and perspective. It is just commentary and silly commentary at that.
Declining readership will shut these charades down in a few more years ...
Denial, Denial, Denial
December 26, 2007 - 08:50 ET by PawpawNThey can print all they want, but the fact remains that the DIM House and Senate could not take away the PRES's power. He did alot in the year whereas (Con)gress, emphasis on the CON part, come out with their worst approval rating ever!! And you know it was worst as why would the press say the truth, they want them to look good!! Now we hear that sales down-but they failed to say the percentage increase-YES INCREASE- was down slightly, not that sales were down. It was still an INCREASE, but written as SALES DOWN as that fit the template! How many of us would like that % increase in pay! Would we consider that as DOWN! &, on another note, seems Sissy Matthews thinks DIMS excited about Obomb & Shill, but that Repubs can not make up their minds. Geez, no state has had anything yet & they already want the CONVENTION winners!! That's why they get so many stories WRONG, they try to write them before they OCCUR!! MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
IMOH
December 26, 2007 - 08:56 ET by OldSailor88Not being listed screams VICTORY! Their favorite no brain, Christian nitwit has been giving the Libs a constant ass whoopin' for 8 years. Not being mentioned at all means the little whiners don't want to admit defeat.
We Need To Face Reality
December 26, 2007 - 08:58 ET by BourbeauMagazines like Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report are dying - pure and simple. Readership and ad pages continue to decline - they are on the threshhold of oblivion. Who they think is the Person of the Year, or the top 50 Whatever Morons in DC or the World is of no relevance to anyone. One because they bring their lberal bias into it; two because they lack what one might consider thoughtful consideration of the real world players; and three because of all of their prior stupidity, they have lost all credibility, and hence, should be ignored. The liberal media hates George Bush and have gone to extraordinary lengths to undermine him and his administration. Granted, he has brought some of this on himself; but what has driven the MSM to the point of madness is his adamant refusal to curl up in the corner in the fetal position. He's taken the fight to them and their Congressional lackies, and has effectively shoved it up their butts. How's that for infuence?
Airbrushed out of existance
December 26, 2007 - 10:22 ET by ThisnThatThe MSM is doing their best to airbrush President Bush from history. They have spent the past 7 years trying to represent him as a cartoon character with no wit, no brains, no style -- just a backwoodsman who had the temerity to show up and pretend he won an election. So far, that hasn't worked -- evidenced by his overwhelming 2nd term election victory.
So now they are trying to portray him as irrevelant. The problem with that is that the Dim candidates are all running against him this election. During the last Dim debate, Biden was asked the first question, and he was accusing Bush of something within 4 seconds -- probably a record. The other problem is that Bush wins all the legislative battles. Congress is powerless to do anything against the President, in spite of all their huffing and puffing, and in spite of the MSM mis-characterization of President Bush's policies and goals.
I'm loving every minute of this.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Bush's Power/Did ya see this!
December 26, 2007 - 12:06 ET by PawpawNhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071226/COMMENTARY04/991383165/1012/COMMENTARY
Seems stories coming from everywhere!
"The 50 Most Powerful People in D.C."
December 27, 2007 - 22:04 ET by fastfoodAre all of these people in "D.C?" Was Even Putin in D.C. at the time?