How can anyone watch Hannity and the rest of them? [View All]

Except for occasional clips on Olbermann or the Daily Show, I have never watched him, nor Orally. But since the Jesse Ventura clip was prominent on DU Home Page, I watched it and could barely contain my disgust. Why do all of them scream? The other day, when talking about Obama's visit to Notre Dame, I happened to watch Pat Buchanan on MSNBC and he was screaming. After the event, when one program - don't remember which - had a pro-choice and an anti-choice guests, the anti was screaming, too, that there can never be a compromise.

And now Hannity. And it was similar when several weeks ago we got together with a former co-worker who blamed Barney Frank, and it escalated to yes, he did, no he did not. How can they talk about Obama's deficit while it was 8 years when they were in power, 12 in Congress that brought us the financial meltdown in the first place?

What was amazing that Hannity praised Reagan. Reagan who left the White House with a deficit which was larger than all previous ones combined! A deficit that was increased by Bush and that Clinton turned into a surplus. And, of course - not that they would care - Reagan who was so intent on erasing anything good that he even removed the solar panels that Carter installed. Reagan who ushered the era of anti-intellectualism, who cut all research grants to academia, except for "star war." Reagan, who turned the Republican party from a "live and let live" to a narrow minded, zealot, backward one. I sometimes wonder whether today's party would even welcome Reagan, or Nixon.

And, someday, I hope that someone will write a book about what really brought down the Soviet Union. The Republicans like to credit Reagan, but I've heard that it was the Chernobyl explosion that drove the economy in a deep recession.