Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Election 08 Winners

After yesterday’s tirade about shoddy reporting of election results, I found out that ABC, the worst offender IMHO, was the big winner. So they won their battle on the backs of those of us who actually give a crap about the results and what they actually mean.

So, today I will talk about who I think won in this election season:

Comedy Central: The Daily Show had a renaissance during the election season. It recaptured its relevance and became creatively invigorated. And the Colbert Report became more than just aping Bill O’Reilly’s show. It entered a period of sublime genius, and I’m loving it. And Indecision 2008 got 3.1 million viewers–a huge increase over Indecision 2004.
Liberals: Yeah, the results Tuesday night were a huge political win for liberals/progressives. But, the larger victory came when MSNBC set itself apart as a liberal-focused news network, the bizarro version of Fox News. The contrast couldn’t have been more strong last night. The slow speech, dejected body posture, and sad faces of Fox were the exact opposite of the cheery demeanors of the MSNBC pundits. They looked as if they had appeared in that creepy Black Hole Sun video.
Well-written television. Tina Fey’s newfound fame as Sarah Palin led to high ratings for the premiere of 30 Rock, wich is one of the most clever and subtle shows on television. The aforementioned Comedy Central dream team has showed inspired writing, even in last night’s post-election episodes. And SNL has recaptured some of its old relevance and spark.

I’ve enjoyed the election season, and I’m glad that, at least in Oregon, it appears to be over, save for a few ballot measures that are still in question. What will we care about now?