In case you didn’t catch it, the writers of WaPo’s The Fix want you to know that they’re super savvy about the political process and they know better than you.
Now, I am prepared to accept this kind of thinking on some level. For instance, most of us would agree that a meteorologist knows more about the weather than we do. They have tools that we don’t have and they have a specialized degree which required them to learn all sorts of things about clouds and wind and moisture and currents. Thus if a meteorologist says hey, I’m pretty sure it’s going to rain today, we’re inclined to listen and take them seriously. But when political reporters say, trust us, we understand all this stuff better than you and here’s what’s happening… should you take them seriously?
She goes on to talk about how most people probably have the skills of political reporters, ie the ability to collect, analyze and disseminate information. Which is true. Mystifying journalism does no one, least of all journalists, any favors. But the meteorologist analogy is apt for another reason besides the skill-set comparison: You have to be right in your predictions.
Generally, I think the TV weather gits make too much money for what they do, but if they’re wrong all the time, eventually one would hope they’d be fired. If they tell the whole city everything’s gonna be fine for the game this weekend and then there’s a once-in-a-lifetime storm, people are going to be angry. Not listen to them anymore. Maybe they won’t be invited to parties where … decent meteorologists hang out? I dunno, but the equivalent anyway.
Yet the TV political gits are wrong all the time, and there are no consequences whatsoever.
A.
The Confederacy of Dunces protects its own.
The skill set that the teevee political reporters have developed consists of not saying um and not moving their shoulders when they talk. Neither of which has a deedle whap to do with analysis but is essential if you wish to keep your teevee bobblehead job.
Silly, I was under the assumption you had to be born in a political journalism family to be a REAL political journalist, especially ones who get to go on the TV.
Your credibility suffers when you resort to such namecalling. Labeling them “weather gits” and “political gits” does nothing to strengthen your point.
You shoulda gone with “weather fucktards” and “political fucktards.”
As for ThatGuy’s comment: What the hell would a dumbass like Luke Russert do if there weren’t “legacy admissions” in the teevee biz?! Think of it as a jobs program.
If you really want an accurate weather forecast, ask a pilot.
I sincerely doubt any meteorologist anywhere feels quite the sameincentive to get it right as a pilot does.
Meteorology is a science.
Political science is a social science.
Political punditry is a bullshit fountain.
Re: tv weathermen: depends. Sometimes you get an MBE, an honorary doctorate and the status of National Treasure. We British are funny that way 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fish
TV weathermen/weatherwomen don’t forecast anything. They get their forecasts from the national weather service. If you doubt that, watch 3 local channels, and remember what each weatherperson says will be the forecast. They will agree 100% of the time, and very often use exactly the same words in explaining it. The qualifications for being a newscaster include being s showboat, if female, being attractive, if male being a comedian, etc. Once they fill those qualifications, they are called “meteorologists”. I doubt that the average one could look at a cloud and tell you what it was, beyond “a cloud”.
Pilots also don’t forecast weather. They get their weather forecasts from the airport, where the real professionals get them from the national weather service. The national weather service just punches a few computer keys and the really, truly professional takes over – the computer.
How did I forget the political experts. They are the ones who are hard right Republicans, who have learned to write an English paragraph without requiring excessive help from an editor, and who can read and repeat the daily Republican talking points. “Democratic” political experts are Republicans who have too much intelligence to admire the Tee Party.
They get their forecasts from the national weather service.
Yet another government service that the ‘baggers and ‘nuts cannot wait to dissolve. And the rich? they can hire their own forecasters just for themselves.
Farmers, workers, citizens? Well, maybethis will help. Assuming you can afford to buy one in the future.
Sigh. What happened to our republic?
RP