25 replies to this topic

[mikemedeiros]

I can appreciate Rev. Al's passion and he's not afraid to have guests on with oppossing views but one thing that drives me crazy is is inability to read a Teleprompter. He is absolutely horrendous. Can't he at least read the script before coming on the air and ask how to pronounce certain words that he's not familair with ? Or names he should be ablr to pronounce. Tonight he was reading "Koch" as in the Koch brothers and he said "coach" about 3 times. Can't someone in the booth whisper in his ear the right way to pronounce it so he can at least correct himself midsentence ?

[shelly54]

The "Koch" thing drove me crazy too...and I don't think this is the first time he's done it. He is much better speaking off the cuff (and taking on the Tea Partiers) than he is reading the teleprompter but you'd think since he's had the show this long he'd at least have improved some.

I also appreciate his passion but things like the Koch mispronunciation just diminish his credibility a bit.

Edited by shelly54, Sep 27, 2011 @ 7:10 PM.

[Patsy Stoned]

I refuse to watch MSNBC as long as they have that race baiting poverty pimp on the air. Doesn't anyone remember Tawanna Brawley, Steven Pagones or "White Interlopers"???? NBC is truly scrapng the bottom ofthe filth on my boots by giving this POS a show.

Edited by Patsy Stoned, Dec 28, 2011 @ 1:28 PM.

[olvidado]

I like the show, and if he pisses folks off, I like it even more!

[mikemedeiros]

I like the show, and if he pisses folks off, I like it even more!

Yes. He may not be polished but I have no problem with that. He has gotten better since day one. His public profile issues were over 20 years ago. No statute of limitations ?

[olvidado]

Yes. He may not be polished but I have no problem with that. He has gotten better since day one. His public profile issues were over 20 years ago. No statute of limitations ?

Good question. We won't really know unless one of his guests ever calls him on that, and that would probably be edited out.

[Patsy Stoned]

I like the show, and if he pisses folks off, I like it even more!

I'm curious-were you living in NYC or the immediate vicinity during the Tawanna Brawley debacle?

[olvidado]

No. At that time, I was 17 years old, living in Venice Beach, CA. I do not condone what Brawley, Sharpton or anybody else did regarding that whole deal, and I think Rev.Sharpton shouldn't even have been involved; beyond that, I was not there, therefore, I have no opiñon other than what I have just said. That has NOTHING to do with my enjoyment of Politics Nation. To put it simply, I have a strong dislike for Republicans, Tea Partiers, Neo-Conservatives, far-right-wing talk show hosts and religious fundamentalists, and others who follow the same path and trot out the same bullshit. I find the hoisting of the aforementioned on their own petards on Politics Nation to be very enjoyable entertainment, and as I stated in my previous post, if that pisses off other people, I enjoy it even more. I would expect other folks' mileage to vary on this topic.

[mikemedeiros]

that would probably be edited out.

It's a live show.

[Ohwell]

I like Rev. Al's show but he really, really does need to work on his delivery and pronunciation. And the "uh uh uhs" have just got to stop. Surely there's somebody on staff who can work with him.

Frankly, if MSNBC wanted more diversity and wanted a black male anchor, they should have gone with Jonathan Capehart. Everybody and their brother is getting their own show on MSNBC now, and it's time for him to get his.

I like the show, and if he pisses folks off, I like it even more!

My comments above notwithstanding, this is where I think Rev. Al does shine: Pissing folks (wingnuts) off. I do think the "uh uh uhs" give the wingnuts the mistaken notion that Rev. Al is dumb, and when he engages them, they quickly come to realize that he isn't. That's the part I enjoy the most.

Edited by Ohwell, Jan 8, 2012 @ 4:16 PM.

[olvidado]

It's a live show.

I didn't know that. I'm in San Francisco, 3 hours earlier in time zones.

[mumbles]

I don't watch Sharpton because of his role in the Brawley incident, that had real consequences (a slander lawsuit that he lost but refused to pay the judgment; a suicide by one of the persons wrongly accused, among other things), or for his incitement of violence that led to a shooting and burning down of a store in Harlem because the store owner was white.

Also, there is the suspicion that he got this slot as a quid pro quo for supporting the Comcast merger: link

But even if the "statute of limitations" had run, I wouldn't watch because I find him incoherent and unqualified to have a daily talk show.

BUT - in fairness to Al, MSNBC frequently has Mike Barnicle on as a Morning Joe and Hardball panelist. He is a known plagiarist. In my opinion, it is far worse to have a plagiarist on a news show than someone like Sharpton. Sharpton may have (IMO) a crummy past, but Barnicle lost his privilege to work in news when he started making it up.

[sereion]

I do not condone what Brawley, Sharpton or anybody else did regarding that whole deal, and I think Rev.Sharpton shouldn't even have been involved; beyond that, I was not there, therefore, I have no opiñon other than what I have just said. That has NOTHING to do with my enjoyment of Politics Nation.

Very well said; I haven't watched his show, but I listen to his radio program quite often and enjoy it. I like how he pulls no punches and calls his guests/callers out when necessary. I was also a teenager when the Brawely incident occured, and intially disliked him because of it, but I've grown to like and respect him over the years.

I'd take him over Jesse Jackson anyday.

Edited by sereion, Jan 9, 2012 @ 8:44 AM.

[Ohwell]

Somebody needs to put Al out of his misery. The occasional times I watch his show now, I can see that he hasn't improved all that much. I wanted him to get better because I was kind of pulling for him, but no such luck. Still with the uh uh uhs. Still fucking up people's names. Plus, he looks really bad in the face, like he's sick or something. I don't know how much time he has left on his contract but it definitely should not be renewed.

[shabbieshok]

Yeah, I'm with you Ohwell. His strained voice and choppy manner of speaking still bug me so much that I find it difficult to listen to him. He has some good guests that make a lot of interesting points but too often he talks over them and doesn't let them finish their comment or follow up on what someone else has said and just cuts them off which I find very irritating no matter who does it. He makes a good guest himself but a lousy host.

[SamX]

I don't like the show and I don't like the path MSNBC has taken in its evening shows. Other than Hardball, it is non-stop gotcha partisan soundbites, but Hardball is all campaign process now. I have yet to see an episode where Sharpton advanced an argument--he just bashes other people IMO who he disagrees with (same for RM). Nobody ever sits down and talks about the issues underlying anybody's position in any meaningful way on cable news commentary shows, MSNBC or otherwise. Sharpton, in particular, seems more and more like a SNL parody of himself.

[Ohwell]

He makes a good guest himself but a lousy host.

That pretty much sums it up. I'd like to see him return to just being a guest.

I think part of the reason he cuts people off is that he's poor with time management, he takes it too close to commercial breaks, and he cuts them off. Sometimes you can see the frustration on the guests' faces when he does that. Plus, he takes FOREVER to set up the questions, and you look at the guests who look like they're frustrated waiting for him to finish so that they can respond.

[posgirl]

I do not necessarily disagree with him (that is if I can stand to listen to him mumble and be inarticulate), but I just cannot stand listening to him talk, he just comes across as incoherent. I also do not like how he seems to somehow insert himself into situations that he has nothing to do with. Too much of a fame whore. I really do not understand how he got this show.

Edited by posgirl, Aug 8, 2012 @ 6:30 PM.

[Myndela]

The interview with the mother of that poor teenage girl that was shot and killed in Chicago had me and the missus bawling. That woman had a lot more composure than I would in that situation.

I am actually liking Reverend Al's show, and have for quite awhile now. His persona these days throws me, because he used to drive me up the wall. My opinion on him has totally changed.

[Patsy Stoned]

My opinion on him has totally changed.

My opinion of him will NEVER change--he's a piece of shit.

[starchild215]

The show has grown on me. As a New Yorker I've known about Sharpton since he was a pre teen preacher. As for how Sharpton speaks I minored in Speech Pathology back in the day and he speaks like someone who may have a speech impediment. Melissa Harris Perry also has one. For some reason I never heard Melissa's until recently but Sharpton's is really pronounced.

[Ohwell]

Al's speech impediment (if that's what it is) is interesting to me because I notice that he does the hesitant speaking and the "uh uh uhs" when he's hosting his show, but he doesn't seem to do it when he's a guest on on someone else's show. Maybe it's his nerves when he's hosting his own show. In any event, he should be professional enough to get help and go to a speech therapist, because there are times that he sounds so bad that it's embarrassing to listen to him and I just change the channel.

And Melissa Harris Perry, cute and intelligent as she is, should do the same thing. Get help from a speech therapist for that damn lisp of hers.

[HyeChaps]

They've been showing lots of footage of Mayor Ed Koch from back in the day. The Rev sure was bloated then.

[starchild215]

They've been showing lots of footage of Mayor Ed Koch from back in the day. The Rev sure was bloated then.

Yes he was. I believe he's become either a vegetarian or a vegan. Not sure. The weight loss is so drastic at first I thought he was ill.

And yeah both Al and Melissa need speech therapy.

[LivenLetLive]

I believe he's become either a vegetarian or a vegan

I have always assumed gastric bypass.

[marleyfan]

but I just cannot stand listening to him talk

His voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. And yeah, he lost so much weight I thought he was ill.