Obama is questioned – from the Left

This is a long video—11 minutes. However, I think it’s worth watching.

Overall, I think journalists should actually try to be fair and balanced, not advocates for a party or candidate. But if we do have to have political pundits and partisan talk show hosts—and it seems today’s cable industry is determined to give us those—it’s great to see someone with the charm, wit, and smarts of MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in a prominent time slot. After years of Hannity, O’Reilly, Beck, Scarborough, on and on and on, it’s really refreshing to see someone who’s not a white male conservative talking politics. (I know MSNBC also has Olbermann, whom I’m much less fond of, but who did break ground as a truly liberal perspective in the Center-Right world of cable news networks.)

And the discussion with Obama, on why he hasn’t been tougher on Republicans, is just terrific. It’s something that hasn’t been discussed much, how Obama’s restraint, discipline, and bipartisan message—his “slow and steady wins the race” strategy—has angered Dem. partisans at times but proven to be an effective and winning approach.

It’s a smart, wonkish, thoughtful discussion. No stereotypes, no gratuitous attacks, no clichés. Who told this guy he could compete in an American presidential election??