Michele Bachmann Still Merely Truthy, Andrew Shirvell Even Worse Than We Thought, Keith Olbermann Talk, And Anderson Is Not Happy With AMC

Hello party people! Another week is upon us. I actually don't have much to say about the broadcast, so...you want some bullet points? Of course you do!

• The 360 kids kicked things off with keeping Michele Bachmann honest regarding some statements she made about the history of these here United States. You might find this hard to believe, but it turns out some of the stuff she said wasn't true. I know, right? So unlike her!

• Bachmann is going to give the "Tea Party response" to Tuesday's State of the Union Address (no, I don't think anyone asked her), and I have to admit, I'm a little excited. I didn't think anything would top Kenneth the Page's performance in the category of unintentional hilarity, but we just might have a contender!

• There was discussion with former Republican Congresswoman Susan Molinari, Paul Begala, and historian Professor Eddie Glaude Jr., which was totally not worth watching. But! Was anyone else amused at Molinari's passive aggressiveness when Anderson Cooper dared (DARED!) to ask her about something other than the exact topic she was told they'd be discussing?
  

• You know that creeper guy, Andrew Shirvell? Turns out he's a creepier creeper than anyone knew. Seriously dude, get some therapy (and maybe some medication).
  

• Discussion with Jeff Toobin and Chris Armstrong's attorney, Deborah Gordon:
  

• Today Jared Lee Loughner pled not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. Ted Rowlands reported, Sunnie Hostin discussed:
  

• The Keith Olbermann speculation is still going strong. Well, on CNN anyway. I have to roll my eyes at the hypocrisy when it comes to these media stories. They were all over the Jon Klein and Rick Sanchez firings, weren't they? Oh, wait...

• Colby Hall and Bill Carter discussed:
  

• Tonight's RidicuList dealt with the AMC show Mad Men, which Isha Sesay tells us she has never seen. Anderson notes that he should have asked her that question before she got the job because it might have been a deal breaker. I've actually never seen Mad Men either, Anderson. Am I not worthy of watching your show now? You and your impossibly high standards!

• Okay, so, our anchor is really not thrilled that the companies behind the show are squabbling and now he may have to wait to get his Mad Men fix. Why are you depriving the Silver Fox, AMC? I love that Anderson has basically finagled this segment into being a block of airtime specifically designated for ranting about what ticks him off. He's now Andy Rooney...with snark!
  

• Props for the SNL reference. I believe I've used the same on this here blog. Anyway, Anderson? It's going to be okay...even without Mad Men. (But anyone ever messes with Dexter, there will be blood on more than just the show.)

• The show wasn't bad. Not spectacular, but no real complaints.
  

School Board Member Attacks MLK, Sarah Palin Always The Victim, And Baby Doc Returns to Haiti

Hi everyone. I think I'm going to give myself some space to spread out and mostly forgo the bullet points tonight. They will no doubt be back shortly. Raise your hand if you're shocked that the broadcast didn't contain an Oprah/Piers Morgan segment. I know, right? Aw, is Anderson Cooper not an Oprah fanboy anymore? As for how the Piers dude did, I watched, and I will give him a resounding 'meh.' Trust me, this is way better than my reaction to Parker/Spitzer, which was to gawk in horror at my television before turning it off five minutes later, never to watch again.

But this here blog post is about the 360 kids. Tonight, in keeping with the holiday, they kicked us off with some Martin Luther King related news. Colorado school board member Brett Reese has been broadcasting attacks on King (via a small radio station) for the past two weeks. Some of what he says is true, but most? Not so much, and the information in fact comes from a white supremacist's website. Because those guys are always so accurate when it comes to information on African Americans.

After more explanation, Anderson tells us they had booked Reese on the show, but then decided they didn't want to give his nonsense the exposure. I'm torn on this whole segment. It sounds like they saw something controversial, immediately jumped into coverage mode, had second thoughts, and finally just split the difference between being sensational and responsible. So...yay? Good on them for re-evaluating, but should this have been covered at all? They said it was a small radio station and these smears are not new. I don't know. Anyway, below is the segment, which is followed by discussion with Bryan Wright, the principal of the Greeley West High School, and Professor Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of African-American studies at Princeton University.





Anderson also interviewed Stevie Wonder about King:



After six people lost their lives in Arizona, you know who the biggest victim was? Sarah Palin that's who! At least, that's the impression she's been giving lately. Anderson began the segment by reminding us that accusations of blame began to fly as soon as the shooting occurred. He played us examples of those on the left engaging in such behavior, which is a perfectly legitimate thing for him to do (and actually encouraged over vague statements). I would like to point out that according to this, Palin apparently immediately went into defense mode before all the fingers started pointing. Strange that a person would think to do that.

Honestly, I think there is a lot being missed here by conservatives, the media, and even liberals. Personally I feel there has been way too much focus on that map. If it were just the crosshairs, I would feel sorry for Palin. Even coupled with the tweet, it would be irresponsible, but not worthy of all this blame. Thing is, it's not just the crosshairs and the tweet (those are just symptoms); it's her entire political philosophy. Sarah Palin and her cohorts in the media don't just disagree with this president and this government, they consistently attempt to delegitimize them.

They want to take back America. Talk of tyranny runs rampant, gun culture is practically fetishized. When it comes to policy, there is no rational debate offered. Instead there are death panels, and proclamations of a government takeover. Lurking around every corner is the implication that something sinister is a-foot. Glenn Beck gets out his chalkboard and points the Tea Partiers to the latest conspiracy. He's not directly accusing, mind you, but he's just saying...with a wink and a nod.

Did Sarah Palin's crosshairs cause this shooting? No. There is absolutely no evidence of that. But this shit doesn't happen in a vacuum. She's mainstreamed a culture that breeds anti-government resentment. You don't even need to be a Palin follower or Fox News watcher to be affected by what's happening--we've all become immersed. And not only the stable are listening. Did Loughner get caught up in this monster Palin and her cohorts have brought to the forefront? I don't know. But it's absolutely despicable that she won't even consider changing her rhetoric.

The discussion with Cornell Belcher and Dana Loesch was ridiculous. Mostly they focused on Palin's use of 'blood libel,' which I don't even care that much about. Actually, I think it just shows how unoriginal she is, since it looks like she had to go running to the Wall Street Journal's opinion page to get her response.

Loesch did not disappoint, in that she proved herself a total hypocrite in less than five seconds. Ever since the shooting, she's been mocking the calls for a more toned-down rhetoric, yet the first thing she mentions is a death threat that occurred, according to her, "because of all of the things that are being said about conservatives and being said about Tea Partiers and Sarah Palin." And you know what? She's probably right. Yes, Dana, as some of us have been saying, words matter.

Pretty sad that Cornell had to actually ask Anderson to keep her honest. I guess when it comes to these segments, the rest of us have to do his job for him. At least he noted that Palin never ever backs off. I had to laugh at Dana's claim that upwards of a million private citizens were "absolutely persecuted without any evidence because of this tragedy." Persecuted? Really? And she says it on MLK day no less. Good lord. Oh, and here's that Media Curves study she mentioned. She is, of course, spinning like a top.



Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Haiti. John Zarrella reports:



Also, I wanted to share this great Haiti piece from 360 kids Vladimir Duthiers and Hannah Yi. They visited a camp for the deaf, reporting on the struggles of people who rarely if ever get coverage. It's a sad, yet fascinating watch.



Isha Sesay is now an official 360 kid! Remember when we had that petition to get her on the show? I'm totally taking partial credit. And that's not deluded thinking at all! No sir. Below is Anderson's SNL digital short cameo, which was tonight's "shot." Oh, that Pee Wee Herman...



Starbucks is on the RidicuList tonight due to the trenta, their new 31 ounce size. That's a lot of caffeine. I actually don't drink coffee, so my main takeaway from this is I really need to see the movie "Role Models," because Paul Rudd is adorable and that scene was hilarious. "Congratulations, you're stupid in three languages." Ha!



That's going to do it for me. The show was okay. They're killing me with these Loesch bookings.