The C-SPAN man (Brian Lamb)

OC Register ^ | 11/7/03

[NormsRevenge]

The Orange County Forum brought Brian Lamb, president and CEO of C-SPAN (that's Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, if you ever wondered) as its speaker Wednesday, and we were reminded once again of what a remarkable service this network provides.

It was heartening to learn that some 28 million people watch C-SPAN at some time during the week, compared to 17 million who watch the fictionalized version of government presented on "West Wing."

[NormsRevenge]

By hiding behind the 1st Amendment, it provides a platform for the enemies of our country to attack our way of life and those who support the Constitution and believe in God and Liberty and FReedom for All.

[Theodore R.]

Lamb is an IN native. I think he worked for LBJ and then Nixon. He is supposed to be "neutral." Most people think he is "fair and balanced." I suspect that he may have a "liberal" or a "conservative" world view, but I cannot tell which it might be.

[ken5050]

What's happened is that the best live stuff is often on C-span 3.....the first two must carry every second of the Senate and House floors...the Senate spends most of its time in quorum calls, or booring speeches..and the House is just the Dems going bezerk about everything....so the committee hearings go to Cspan3...the Sen Judiciary is the best political theater going...there's more flexibility in the camera shots...the shots on the House and Senate floors are mandated, so that the audience can't see that there's no one in the building...in the committee rooms, the looks on Hatch's faces when leahy is speaking is priceless, and sometimes the mikes are live, and you hear some serious cussing..

[cars for sale]

we like it only because before,it didn't exist.
I've named it C-SPAN(ing for democrats)
as I believe 24/7 it rivals PBS.

[kellynla]

I don't get an opportunity to watch C-Spam as much as I used to but it does give the public an opportunity to examine politicians, authors and journalists "nakedly" and "unprotected" by "handlers"...that being said it is better to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

[myheroesareDeadandRegistered]

That Lamb guy on C-Span is hard to peg. I usually can spot a "liberal" streak in any talking head on TV no matter how much they try to mask it, but he is still a mystery to me.

He should go to Vegas and take up high stakes Poker.

[DoctorMichael]

The very fact that many CANNOT tell Brian's political orientation means he IS (or at least attempts to be) neutral.

[NormsRevenge]

I lean toward the "attempts to be" neutral myself. But that is my gut feeling only, Thanks.

[DoctorMichael]

".....lean toward the "attempts to be"......"

LOL. I know what you mean.

As a person who throughly enjoyed C-Spam during the late 80's (Newt's & Armey's late night speeches before the 1994 Republican takeover) and the 90's (with B-1 Bob Dornan's brilliant off-the-cuff harangues of Clinton) I was only trying to point out the obvious in people's Posts.

I'm still a devout BOOKNOTES viewer and Saturday and Sunday Morning watcher.

[what's up]

I like Brian Lamb...he's one of the journalists who does it right. His booknotes is a great show.

Does he remind anyone else of Ed Harris (who I used to like but now despise because of his anti-Bush comments)?

[SouthCarolinaKit]

I suspect that of the 17 million who view in DNC-Span weekly, 16.5 watch BOOKNOTES regularly. I, too, was a C-Span junkie in the pre-clinton days but Brian thought the phone lines should be Dem/Rep during his first campaign and since then, Morning Journal is nothing but seminar screechers on both lines. If you like CROSSFIRE, you'll love C-Span. I would love to know what the ratings are today compared to the late 80's. . . I suspect viewership is down by at least 50%. Once I watch Brian when he was surreptiously counting calls. In more than 30, every one
was a Bush hater. The Dems love it but I know of no conservative who watches it anymore.

[SouthCarolinaKit]

I suspect that of the 17 million who view in DNC-Span weekly, 16.5 watch BOOKNOTES regularly. I, too, was a C-Span junkie in the pre-clinton days but Brian thought the phone lines should be Dem/Rep during his first campaign and since then, Morning Journal is nothing but seminar screechers on both lines. If you like CROSSFIRE, you'll love C-Span. I would love to know what the ratings are today compared to the late 80's. . . I suspect viewership is down by at least 50%. Once I watch Brian when he was surreptiously counting calls. In more than 30, every one
was a Bush hater. The Dems love it but I know of no conservative who watches it anymore.

[jmaroneps37]

I used to watch every morning. Then it got too rediculous with the rat mindless callers. Then it occurred to me how hilarious the rat callers are and I started to switch back during when Fox and Friends goes to commercials.
I'm going to get Tivo so I can record the calls and play them with friends, They're THAT funny.
Rush is right, liberals do insane things when they are out of power. I especially love when rats from foriegn countries call to tell us how to live.

[NormsRevenge]

Doc - RE: Booknotes. A point for C-SPAM. I rarely watch it but have occasionally tuned in and seen some very interesting & enlightening discussions as authors are interviewed and information shared.

I can't remember the name of any off the top of my head but a Roman Empire historian/author was very entertaining.

The Roman Senate and today's U Senate have some definite parallels; back-stabbers, cutthroats and ne'er-do-wells still have a place they can hang their togas (and their constituents). ;-)

jmaroneps37 - Re: the Rat callers, LOL.. there are some doozies, indeed. :-)

[ForOurFuture]

By hiding behind the 1st Amendment, it provides a platform for the enemies of our country to attack our way of life and those who support the Constitution and believe in God and Liberty and FReedom for All.

Whatever. I enjoy C-SPAN. Watch it all the time. And I detect very little bias, if any. You should stop spending your time searching for goblins behind every tree. Sometimes there are none.

[maica]

I actually watched this morning and tried to call in. The moderator was reading comments about President Bush's masterful speech on democracy and the Middle East given yesterday, and I wanted to ask her why C-SPAM had not found time to run it at all during the night. {They ran something by Vicente Fox 3 times}

So I listened to the callers and there was just one semi-supporting President Bush in 45 minutes. If Brian Lamb, as CEO, were truly neutral, he would alter a couple of ground rules that would include - you have to pick ONE line to bash Bush on. The moderator is his employee after all.

One time I did get through to a human being at their office, and when I asked what their viewership numbers were, I was told that they "Have no way of tracking that." I replied that is odd because every cable system has instantaneous viewership numbers and you are sponsored by the cable industry. The person stuck to his story - no numbers possible.

So who is telling the truth? Brian Lamb or his staffer, or is lying just a natural defensive posture when they 'feel' the presence of a conservative?

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

Maybe it's just me and timing as most of the time , as I click thru the CSpan channels, I see a lot more demRats & and liberals/lefties getting airtime and making after hours floor speeches on the floor of the House, and an abundance of interviews with a lot of liberal guests and writers and such.

If you enjoy that fine. I guess the fairness doctrine is only as good as the folks running the channels is all I'm offering.

Oh, and regarding gremlins, nice low blow.

Are you a veteran, by the way?

Oh, one last thing. Do you enjoy the ANSWER events too?

[DoctorMichael]

LAST SUNDAY: November 2, 2003

Terrorism and Tyranny: Trampling Freedom, Justice, and Peace to Rid the World of Evil
by James Bovard

(This was a very interesting program and the author was an unreconstructed Libertarian and very entertaining, IMHO)

THIS WEEK: November 9, 2003

Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years
by Rich Lowry

Publisher's Blurb: Bill and Hillary Clinton don't want you to read this book. Bill has spent his days since the presidency aggressively defending his legacy, and Hillary plans to run for president on it, and now, unfortunately for them, Rich Lowry uses sound fact and shocking detail to dispel the myth of the Clinton legacy once and for all. Showing how a politician with grandiose ambitions became a cautious, poll-driven placeholder and how a president who yearned to confront a great international crisis cringed and still shrank from the threat of Islamic terrorism when it arrived, Lowry destroys Clinton's record as president and sparks an intense debate about the nature of his legacy.

Lowry reveals how: 1. Clinton didn't "grow" the economy; his economic record depends on lies 2. Clinton sold out US national security to campaign contributors 3. Clinton stood in the way of real welfare reform before being forced by Republicans to sign a reform bill 4. Attorney General Janet Reno was AWOL on domestic security 5. Clinton's scandals were very real and he deserved impeachment 6. Clinton made sexual liberation the only cause for which he took career-endangering risks 7. Clinton's unwillingness to use force abroad emboldened America's enemies 8. Clinton left the country vulnerable to September 11 terrorist attacks.

You won't know the truth about Clinton until you read this book.

(THIS should be a must-watch by FReepers)

THE WEEK AFTER: November 16, 2003

Dude, Where?s My Country?
by Michael Moore

(OH, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[DollyCali]

Did anyone on FR ever hear the saying that "He who pays the piper calls the tune."?

Who do you think pays for C-SPAN? It is the huge Cable TV companies. There are no commericals... TimeWarner, Adelphia, and the ohter Cable TV giants call the tune.

Who do you think it was that FORCED C-SPAN to go to the Democrat/Republican/Independent phone lines ... which now get dominated by the left.. It was the people who call the shots... the people who think Ted Turner and CNN are too conservative.

Anyone who thinks C-SPAN when it is not covering the House and Senate is not biased is nuts. Lamb told me 3 or 4 years ago.. that he could care less what the public thought of C-SPAN or even if it was fair. He said had to please a higher authority.. It turned out the higher authority were people who pay the bills. The people who fund C-SPAN also fund CNN. They are the people who think that Barbara Streisand was right about Reagan.

If you want to see the C-SPAN bias watch the call in shows. They will let a lefist rant... but will cut off aconservative making points every time.

The only difference there used to be between Ted Turners CNN and Brian Lamb's C-SPAN, was the same person signed the pay checks.

[ForOurFuture]

Maybe it's just me and timing as most of the time , as I click thru the CSpan channels, I see a lot more demRats & and liberals/lefties getting airtime and making after hours floor speeches on the floor of the House, and an abundance of interviews with a lot of liberal guests and writers and such.

Nah. Maybe the leftys just stand out and you take the conservatives for granted. I don't notice an imbalance. And yes, I love the ANSWER rallies. They crack me up like nothing else can. I spend the whole afternoon in a fit of laughter.