MSNBC's Inaugural Gloating

“Of course, an Inauguration is an historic event, the triumph of the peaceful transfer of power…”
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This gave me the mental image of what a violent transfer of power would look like. Go ahead, try and not laugh at the image of Obama and Biden kung-fu’ing down Bush and Cheney on the stage.
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On a more serious note, I totally understand and appreciate the fact that this inauguration ranks very highly in historic significance.
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Even though I didn’t vote for him and disagree with most of his politics, it doesn’t change the fact that on January 20th, Barack Obama becomes my president. I don’t expect to watch any coverage of it, but if MSNBC wants to parade around their champion, let them do it, and let the viewers choose to watch them or someone else.

Well Jim, what makes you think MSNBC is a news organization. It’s an infotainment organization.

Mr. Griffin, YOU SIR, are shredding my constitution!
(or at least making me a bit ill.)

“…one day Americans will ask: where were you when Barack Obama became President?”

VA Clinic

[...] or reporting? Time.com’s James Poniewozik has MSNBC in his crosshairs for not only pairing Olbermann and Matthews together for the inauguration but also the marketing [...]

Sounds like Mr. Poniewozik is bitter about not being invited to the ball. If you don’t care for someone as intelligent, intellectual, or gutsy as Olbermann, tune in somewhere else. You sir should get a clue.

Um, I know we’re all post-racial and everything, but Mr. Poniewozik, you do realize that the President-Elect is black, right? And, moreover, that there’s been no African-American to ascend to the presidency in this nation’s history? So…I dunno…maybe that makes this just a tad bit historic than GWB’s inauguration in 2001.

“It passive-aggressively defies you to disagree with it, as it asserts that this guy who hasn’t even been sworn in yet will undeniably be an inspirational, nay, an historic figure. Even if you didn’t vote for him, you have to admit that Jan. 20 will be a truly amazing day. Right? You have to admit it, right? Well, admit it!”
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I definitely see what you’re saying, but there IS something extremely important and noteworthy about the inaugeration (sp?) of our first (half-)black president. There is also something extremely important and noteworthy (and yes, inspirational) about a landslide presidential victory after the nation (voters, anyway) had been split right down the middle for years and years. The whole country has been focused on the political process for months and months on end, and the presidential race has been dominating the media for an excessive amount of time. This is the payoff. Its a big deal. Plus, they’re predicting a record crowd turnout – it looks to be a HUGE EXCITING EVENT. It is a huge moment in history, and should be a major media event.
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I don’t care who covers it and how. If MSNBC is excited, then let ‘em be excited. I am. I’m assuming that most folks who watch MSNBC regularly are excited too. I’m sure that part of my complacency is the mentality that my guy finally won, therefore everyone else can suck it for one darn day. And, after I have my day of inaugeral goodness i’ll go back to being critical and cynical about the MSM and government, and watchful of overstepping and hypocrisy on Obama’s part.
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I don’t really agree that Olberman/Matthews/whoever shouldn’t get to cover this event. I could see limiting their coverage of the campaigns, because they have a responsibility to present reliable, unbiased coverage to potential voters, and those guys were arguably considered partisan figures. But the election is over – they’re a news organization that covers and comments on political stuff, and it doesn’t make sense (to me) to ban the heavy hitters of the network from covering a major event like this. I also imagine that many networks will be covering the event, so folks have a choice of what to watch. Not that the existence of other choices excuses bias in media coverage, but I’m not gonna judge anyone for being affected by The Excitement Factor about this inaugeration. Which I still don’t know how to spell. . . If MSNBC fails to hold Obama accountable for things that happen once he’s actually in office, then there’s a major problem and I’ll fuss at them when that time comes.

The part of me that sat through all those journalism classes in college completely agrees with what you’re saying – objectivity should be the goal of the conveyance of information, and Olbermann, etc., can have their say after the fact.
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However…the part of me that campaigned for Obama is gloating right along with MSNBC…

What I don’t understand is why, if we’ve achieved a “post-racial” society, why Barack Obama is suddenly so historic.
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The problem from my point of view is that it will turn into a celebration of the man, rather than an opportunity to look at how issues of race (and gender, and sexual preference, etc) have changed over the last 50 years. Barack Obama is a symbol of progress, but we mustn’t confuse what Obama’s presidency symbolizes with the actual Obama presidency — and that is precisely what the media is going to do.

I’ll be watching for the mad rush to the portapotties. And because it’s historic and all. I don’t have a problem with Olbermann et al swooning for Obama on inauguration day. In fact, inauguration day is probably the most appropriate time for swooning, thrills going up the leg, and tears.

@Molly (& Shara, etc.):

For me, it’s not even about objectivity per se. I think a journalist can be opinionated yet fair. I don’t begrudge Matthews, Olbermann et al. their opinions. And I agree personally that the inauguration is a stunning, on some level still unbelievable occasion.
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My problem is with MSNBC having one standard for covering the election and another for the Inauguration–which is the culmination of the same election. And with rationalizing it through the sort of high-handed claim that this event utterly transcends politics. It doesn’t, even if elements of it do. [Update: If Jan. 20 is historic for the swearing-in of an African American Prez, e.g., so was Nov. 4, for the election of said man, the speech at Grant park, etc.--it was, nonetheless, still political as well.]
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Here at time.com, for instance, I think I’m going to be liveblogging the inauguration with Michael Grunwald and Karen Tumulty. We also liveblogged Election night and the debates. I’m a big Obamahead myself, all of us in one way or another express opinions in our election liveblogging–but it’s not like we’re saying there’s one standard of coverage for the election and another separate one here, because it’s such a wonderful day that everyone else should be able to get past the fact that my guy won. If I was a biased commenter then, I’m one now; and vice versa.

@plukasiak: “Barack Obama is a symbol of progress, but we mustn’t confuse what Obama’s presidency symbolizes with the actual Obama presidency — and that is precisely what the media is going to do.”
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This is a big concern of mine as well. I wound up seriously supporting Obama during the campaign, and I’m cautiously optimistic about his administration, but once he gets in office he stops being Obama the Historic Country-Uniting Race-Transcending Candidate and starts being Obama the President Who Promised Us An Awful Lot, and if MSNBC drops the ball on holding him accountable for his policy decisions then I really will start thinking of them along the same lines as FOX News (I currently don’t, but here’s their test coming up).
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@James – Yeah, I really don’t have much of an argument against any of your actual points. . . But I just don’t consider the campaign and the inauguration (there! I got it!) to be necessarily the same thing. One involved informing public opinion on issues pertaining to an election (meaning that they could have a sway on voters and potentially alter the course of the political process), the other is coverage of a transition of power (meaning that any agenda any of them might be unable to contain isn’t going to actually effect the event they’re covering). But I definitely see your points.

I appreciate the consideration for non-Obama voters James. I happy that so many people are excited about our new president. I wish them all the best and hope that they’re right about the President-elect. What is annoying to me is when people assume I’m excited. Even with Obama winning by a wide margin, 47.1 percent of voters, over 60 million people, did not prefer Obama. It’s great to be excited and to share that excitement with your friends, but please, the “guaranteed greatness” talk is inappropriate for mixed company. I think MSNBC just assumes that no one who disagrees with them will watch on inauguration day.

I’m excited for inauguration day, even as a McCain supporter, because it is the first time I will see the swearing in of a new president with the understanding of what it means to witness the peaceful transfer of control of the most powerful office in the world. I was just starting high school when Bush 43 was inaugurated and did not really comprehend what it meant. And the words are beautiful in how they so simply capture all I ask for in my president:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”
Article II, Section 1

[...] MSNBC’s Inaugural Gloating Remember during the campaign, when MSNBC decided to pull Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from anchoring its coverage [...] [...]

I, for one, am ecstatic about Obama’s Inauguration. I am also looking forward to having my television on MSNBC, ALL DAY next Tuesday!!! Those of us that watch MSNBC, do LOVE Keith Obermann and Chris Matthews. If you don’t, watch that other channel. Oh boy!!!! No bias there AT ALL????? Yea right!

[...] TV writer and blogger James Poniewozik raised eyebrows when he reported that although he voted for Barack Obama, MSNBC’s gleeful [...]

ccaatt is too dumb to spell cat.

Great article. I agree with it for the most part. Yes I did vote for obama and yes 1/20/09 will be teh awesomeness!

Of course this inauguration is the most important in US history, since it marks an event that can never be repeated. The first African American person to be elected president of the United States. It is both a witness to our backwardness in terms of how long it has taken us to live up to our own constitution, and a testament to the perseverance of those who have been overlooked until now in a country that should have come of age long ago.

Of course there should be jubilation and it should be on the part of everyone who believes in what this country stands for. It is a unique experience to live through this event in time. We are examining both sides of the coin that elected Obama, while witnessing the dispasasionate refusal of some to support the jubilation of a people finally inaugurating someone who represents our professed ideals; equality, justice, freedom, brotherhood, compassion and other just as noble intentions that had over time been relegated to the scrap heap of history.

[...] blacks. He saved this newest revelation for the right network, too: Here’s Obama supporter James Poniewozik, writing at Time about MSNBC’s absurdly breathless Obamapalooza ads. On one of its [...]

[...] kill blacks. He saved this newest revelation for the right network, too: Here’s Obama supporter James Poniewozik, writing at Time about MSNBC’s absurdly breathless Obamapalooza ads. On one of its incessantly [...]

*shrug*

I like the MSNBC team a lot. Inauguration wouldn’t feel right without them.

I stumbled across your blog after firing off an email to anyone I could find at NBC and MSNBC about the horrible coverage of the inauguration. I was feeling pretty good about the day, and I didn’t vote for Obama. But when Bush boarded the helicopter to head for home, MSNBC’s coverage was nothing short of juvenile. I don’t know why I expected anything more from that group. And they wonder why people watch FOX.

[...] supporter complaining of obsequiousness in the media, as James Poniewozik did in Time Magazine, or when you have two bit actors in Hollywood, pledging their allegiance to the new administration, you have to begin to wonder. What has Barack Obama done to deserve this dedicated allegiance? Well, [...]

[...] Many of us are already sick of the liberal activist/media gloating; celebrations they demanded we tone down when George W. Bush was victorious. If anything is going to rile up the right, it is the gloating. [...]