Give me a talk show!

I really should have my own talk show. Radio or TV, I don’t care which!

I first mentioned the following possibility on December 10, 2003:

The real New Hampshire winner is a former New York mayor

Politically speaking, a Bush-Giuliani ticket would solve a lot of problems…Assume John Kerry and John Edwards make up the Democratic ticket, playing on the same populist themes that are serving them well in the current campaign. Set up against Bush-Cheney, the election becomes a war for turnout of the bases, with many in the political middle written off. Put Giuliani in the mix and the story is very different. The son of Italian immigrants, his political capital from Sept. 11, 2001, remains substantial. Overnight, liberal antipathy for him melted when he became a national hero and he remains a figure of unquestioned authority for Americans of every political stripe.Giuliani would give Kerry a strong run even for the unionized firefighters who’ve been an unsung factor in Kerry’s Iowa and New Hampshire victories.

As Cheney’s did four years ago, Giuliani’s aura would compensate for many of Bush’s perceived vulnerabilities and defects. Most of all — Cheney is a loyal-enough Republican soldier to recognize this, too — he gives President Bush someone to hand the mantle to in 2008.

from the Seattle Times

Speaking of talk shows, I’m really starting to get hooked on them. The TV ones, at least. Dan Abrams has grown on me. I rarely agree with him and he can be a real schmuck at times but I do like how he approaches his show – not too shrill, not too smarmy, but very opinionated. Chris Matthews, on the other hand, gets tiring real fast with his in-your-face style, constantly interrupting anyone he doesn’t agree with. I still don’t forgive him for badgering Kucinich a while back (to the point DK refuses to appear on his show) while fawning over Dean at every opportunity. He has Darrell Hammond on Friday, though, so it should be interesting. The FOX “News” shows are entertaining because of their oh-so-obvious slant to the right. Brit Hume is a total prick, the kind of guy you’d rather punch in the face than have a conversation with, and Greta Van Susteren needs to sue her plastic surgeon.

Imagine me on one of those shows? I’d totally eat it up. Especially when I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about – as is often the case on these shows – I can play devil’s advocate and talk out of my ass with the best of them. That’s actually how I became a Knicks fan for a little while in the early 90s, while I was in the Army, because I couldn’t stand Michael Jordan (and still can’t) and hated how everyone was jocking him. Talking smack has always been one of my favorite pasttimes and I always root for the underdog so John Starks naturally became my favorite player because he was one of the few that didn’t kowtow to Jordan. Say what you will about his 2-18 playoff debacle but the Knicks wouldn’t have even been in that game if not for his performance up to that point.

Glad to see Starks is now a head coach in the USBL for the Westchester Wildfire. He’s one of those hard-playing guys that will probably make a great coach. I want him to be my first guest when I get my show.

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.