Was it OK for Gergen to call Blagojevich "the idiot"?
Tuesday night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, analyst David Gergen called Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich "the idiot."
Here's the quote: "I have a hard time pronouncing his name. I just call him the idiot," Gergen said.
Out of a veritable blizzard of words said on cable and network TV about the arrest of Blagojevich on corruption charges, that is the one bite that has stayed with me. I have been thinking about it all day and wondering if it was OK for Gergen to say it.
No matter how vile Blagojevich might seem from the indictments and the FBI transcripts, is this kind of name calling appropriate? Does it somehow go beyond civil discourse? Or, am I being too sensitive?
I think part of my problem is that Gergen, a former presidential adviser, always seems so measured, understated and careful in his choice of words. Also, Anderson Cooper 360 is the model of civil discourse for cable TV compared to his competition at 10 p.m. on MSNBC (Keith Olbermann) and Fox (Greta Van Susteren).
Here is what one the commenters at Z on TV, Paul Kellogg, wrote today: "... However, as an example of something I'd rather not see or hear is David Gergen (usually pretty good) - on AC 360 last night - saying that he can't pronounce Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's name and that he calls him the Idiot( Laughter all around). Too lighthearted for this kind of story."
What do you think?
Comments
I can see no harn in complimenting
the governor.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 10, 2008 8:09 PM
Yes Zurawik you certainly are being too sensitive. This idiot governor comes from a long line of like minded idiot politicians from Chicago who have gone to prison. That is part of our problem, political correctness has gotten in the way of letting someone know what a horses patoot they really are.
Posted by: reader | December 10, 2008 8:51 PM
I can think of many worse things to call Blagojevich, things I would have no problem saying in a public setting either. Then again I'm not a left-wing liberal, so that probably explains why you and other's think it might be inappropriate
Posted by: Steve | December 10, 2008 8:59 PM
Not very civil, perhaps, but a propos given what has come out about the tapes. If it walks like a duck ...
Posted by: Dahlink | December 10, 2008 10:13 PM
You should't be watching that garbage anyway.
Posted by: Lesmon | December 11, 2008 3:06 PM
Gergen has become the worst kind of commentator: someone who is used as a tool of liberals because his pretensions of moderation is used as a shield. He went over to the darks side of suck up a long time ago.
Posted by: L the K | December 12, 2008 9:20 AM
Well, you have to admit, what the Illinois governor did was idiotic, so I'm defending Gergen's statements on this one.
Posted by: Melmac | December 12, 2008 8:35 PM
Here is the thing Z, for the first time news personalities all have the same opinion to a greater or lesser extent of this man, and Gergen civilly put his thoughts out there. My opinion is Gergen has some other names that he call Blagojevich when he is not on the air. Also it is not an issue of presuming guilt because there are a lot of things that the governor has done already that he is guilty of that makes him an idiot so why is there any harm in it.
Posted by: Jbask @goucher | December 14, 2008 10:46 PM
A man whose name can easily be slurred into Gerkhin should be more careful.
Posted by: Cheap Jim | December 23, 2008 9:01 AM
GERGEN is the IDIOT!!!!!
Posted by: Don Mack | August 8, 2009 1:29 AM
Maybe ignoramus would be better than idiot and still be almost as powerful without being insensitive.
Posted by: Sherry Tellitocci | August 8, 2009 11:29 AM
Thought I would expound on the ignoramus thought above. I don't think it is a nice word and probably should not be used anymore than "Idiot", but I felt like you could be a genius and still be ignorant, not that Blagojevich is a genius. "Idiot " could be a put down to a whole group of people and that would be wrong. Does not make ignoramus a good word to use, but it came to mind.
Posted by: Sherry T. | August 9, 2009 11:51 AM