Zero-sum games

Fox News and MSNBC inflict dueling political talk shows on America nightly. On the left, the lineup is Matthews, O’Donnell and Maddow, among others. On the right, the lineup is O’Reilly, Beck and Hannity, among others. But what’s really spooky is that, generically, the formulistic “content” of these shows can be accurately (and almost identically) described in a mere 54 words.

To wit:

“Good evening. Thanks for tuning in. Republicans and conservatives are so boorish, aren’t they? Let’s review the idiocy they spewed today. This Jon Stewart clip says it all. Aren’t you glad our side is righteous? Next up, how [insert crazy right-winger du jour] is ruining America. Back in a minute after this commercial break.”

“Good evening. Thanks for tuning in. Democrats and liberals are so snobbish, aren’t they? Let’s review the idiocy they spewed today. This Rush Limbaugh clip says it all. Aren’t you glad our side is righteous? Next up, how [insert crazy left-winger du jour] is ruining America. Back in a minute after this commercial break.”

Pray that the networks are going through a childish phase – you know, just for the sake of our democracy.