Pols like Grayson would have hardly been noticed by the old media world. His remarks have earned only one mention on NBC’s “Nightly News” and another on “Meet the Press.” But on MSNBC, Grayson is now a regular primetime guest. It’s exposure politicians crave. And the old media ultimately cannot look away from the traffic accident. The New York Times eventually profiled Grayson as the “latest incarnation” of the political “wing nut.”
Polarization has, of course, become the dominant business model on cable news-a trend personified by Glenn Beck’s rapid rise on Fox News this year. But now Beck’s brand of commentary is increasingly prevalent among politicians.
Politicians are becoming cable news pundits. And the most popular politicians on cable news are the ones most likely to make news. With so much airtime to fill, at least the wing nut can offer the cheap thrill that dependably makes news. It’s like the actor who “accidently” loses a sex video in order to woo media coverage. Vulgarity is now news, in Hollywood and Washington. And in both towns, a degree of vulgarity usually pays off.
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