* The Tampa Bay Times has its challenges, and the signs are most manifest in an absence of familiar bylines and copy editors in a thinned out version of what it used to be. But there’s also news judgment. How many more stories–with multi-page jumps and accompanying photos–about wrestling will there be? Moreover, could we have a moratorium on prominent, space-devouring stories about Hulk Hogan and Bubba Klem Sponge?
* I understand the Dems not wanting to allow Fox News to host a 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate. But debates wouldn’t be moderated by de facto Trump adviser Sean Hannity, the obnoxious Laura Ingraham, the haughty-punk Tucker Carlson or the suck-ups from “Fox & Friends.” It would be Shepard Smith, Bret Baier or Chris Wallace, who haven’t made Faustian Fox deals. Besides, more than just hard-core Trumpsters, such as independents and some sane Republicans, also watch Fox.
That’s exposure that shouldn’t be passed up because Fox has its high-profile, right-wingnut personalities. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with aggressive-progressive Dems showing some guts. In effect, grow a pair and expose your unfiltered agenda to more eyeballs. Better that you define and contextualize economic inequity, serious national security threats, racism, protectionism and climate-change implications by talking over moderators to the America electorate that would be tuning in–in notably big numbers.