Dennis Miller is an idiot
By Michael J.W. Stickings
Not a dangerous idiot -- he's too irrelevant and pointless to be dangerous -- just a plain old idiot.
I saw him do a show in Boston, oh, 15 years ago or something -- was it that long ago that I was in college? -- and he was pretty funny. That was back during his Perot days. You know, when he was an independent-minded comedian-commentator, the fuck-all SNL anchor. But 9/11 and whatever other forces drive his mania turned him into a right-wing shill, and he's been unfunny ever since (failed MNF experiment included). Gone is the aggressive, unabashed, in-your-face libertarianism. Gone is the independence. It's now ranting and raving of a decidedly partisan nature -- and the ranters and ravers on the right love him for it.
Consider his verbal assault -- yes, an assault, for it was neither delightful comedy nor insightful commentary -- on Harry Reid, the senatorial leader of the despised Democrats. You can watch it here -- "Random Thoughts" on Fox News, as if that should come as any surprise -- and Steve Benen discusses it here. It's such a repugnant ad hominem attack, one that focuses not on ideas, let alone in a serious (or funny) way, but on the man himself: on his appearance, on his voice, his relevance (how does Reid not "matter"?).
Steve "found over 400 conservative blogs praising the attack, characterizing it as the most devastating take-down in political monologue history". Once again: as if that should come as any surprise. The right loves this sort of thing. When all else fails -- and hasn't it all failed? -- there is nothing left for them but to strike out at their opponents in just this sort of way, and worse. Miller gets his unfunny segment on an unfunny show -- a segment, thankfully, and no longer an embarrassing show of his own -- but he is one among many, and many who are far more relevant and influential than he. The right doesn't just love this sort of thing, it can't get enough of it. Hence Rush et al. Hence anything and everything on Fox News.
We have Stewart and Colbert, two brilliant satirists, they have Miller. Yeah, I'd say we win that one.
Not a dangerous idiot -- he's too irrelevant and pointless to be dangerous -- just a plain old idiot.I saw him do a show in Boston, oh, 15 years ago or something -- was it that long ago that I was in college? -- and he was pretty funny. That was back during his Perot days. You know, when he was an independent-minded comedian-commentator, the fuck-all SNL anchor. But 9/11 and whatever other forces drive his mania turned him into a right-wing shill, and he's been unfunny ever since (failed MNF experiment included). Gone is the aggressive, unabashed, in-your-face libertarianism. Gone is the independence. It's now ranting and raving of a decidedly partisan nature -- and the ranters and ravers on the right love him for it.
Consider his verbal assault -- yes, an assault, for it was neither delightful comedy nor insightful commentary -- on Harry Reid, the senatorial leader of the despised Democrats. You can watch it here -- "Random Thoughts" on Fox News, as if that should come as any surprise -- and Steve Benen discusses it here. It's such a repugnant ad hominem attack, one that focuses not on ideas, let alone in a serious (or funny) way, but on the man himself: on his appearance, on his voice, his relevance (how does Reid not "matter"?).
Steve "found over 400 conservative blogs praising the attack, characterizing it as the most devastating take-down in political monologue history". Once again: as if that should come as any surprise. The right loves this sort of thing. When all else fails -- and hasn't it all failed? -- there is nothing left for them but to strike out at their opponents in just this sort of way, and worse. Miller gets his unfunny segment on an unfunny show -- a segment, thankfully, and no longer an embarrassing show of his own -- but he is one among many, and many who are far more relevant and influential than he. The right doesn't just love this sort of thing, it can't get enough of it. Hence Rush et al. Hence anything and everything on Fox News.
We have Stewart and Colbert, two brilliant satirists, they have Miller. Yeah, I'd say we win that one.
Labels: comedy, conservatives, Fox News, Harry Reid
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
8:13 PM
10 Comments:
Miller is one of those people (such as former liberal activist Ron Silver) whose minds just snapped on 9/11 as did most of us. Only, we eventually snapped back and they never did. My line that I always use, just because I know it would appeal to his pop culture-reference based humor is this: Dennis Miller has turned into Howard Beale after Ned Beatty gives him the corporate cosmology speech in Network.
By
Edward Copeland, at 12:50 PM
"We have Stewart and Colbert, two brilliant satirists, they have Miller." Yeah, but Stewart has Miller as well (he did a phone call bit with him on The Daily Show just two nights ago), so it seems he's not entirely gone from the comedy cred scene.
By
Elayne, at 12:55 PM
Sure, and Miller was a guest on Stewart's show not too long ago. I can't explain this. They obviously go way back.
And that's a great analogy, Edward -- and from one of my favourite movies. I think you're absolutely right.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:26 PM
Actually Miller was veering to the right long before 9/11. He hated and verbally attacked the Clintons during the time of Monicagate, and spewed a misogynist anti-Hillary rant on his old HBO show when she was running for the senate in 2000.
By
LEL, at 4:42 PM
Millers' appearances on TDS have been some of the least funny bits I've seen on that show.
By
Anonymous, at 5:54 PM
Dennis Miller Jumped the Shark back in 2002 when he was mis-hired as a commentator on Monday Night Football. He seems almost pathetic in his Ann Coulter wanna-be attacks. It's like he tired of original and insightful ranting and has sold out to the easy targets and soft minds of the FOX audience. But that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.
By
cwilcox, at 11:20 PM
Dennis is just a young kid with a dream.
By
Anonymous, at 5:47 PM
Dennis Miller is an idiot. I just heard him say we need to get rid of the Space program and bring that money back down here. Let's see -- $17 billion dollars a year for all of the Space stuff, including satellite launches, earth and space science, aeronautics and the station and shuttle. I don't see how that's even a drop in the bucket compared to the $12 billion we're spending in Iraq and Afghanistan each MONTH. What a moron.
By
Anonymous, at 10:32 PM
Miller was only marginally funny at best. his comedy never made me laugh out loud. It seemed like he spent YEARS and way too much time RESEARCHING just to write ONE FUCKING JOKE!!! Which by the way is the LEAST amusing kind of comedy there is! The fact that he has become bill o'reily (and I didnt capitalize that on purpose) is just another nail in the coffin of that pile of shit miller calls a career. I spit on miller and his lack of talent!
By
Anonymous, at 12:08 AM
Amen, bros. He used to be funny, but now he's just fringe. It's kinda sad and pathetic...
By
Anonymous, at 11:46 PM
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