Donny Deutsch, we hardly knew ye

And there we have the reason for MSNBC’s dismal ratings. For most viewers interested in real, vigorous, entertaining debate about serious political issues built on sustained argument, there is no reason to watch much of the programming on MSNBC as there are few dissenting voices from the uber-left ideology ruling there. The hard left will watch for ratification of their views, but the daily exchanges are so lopsided and rigged, the censorship of the opposition so extreme, that most of the potential audience long ago left for Fox, where a lefty viewer will find a Mara Liasson, a Juan Williams or someone from the left side of the political spectrum and, crucially, they will be given a chance to make their points and they will be treated with respect. When Sean Hannity brings together his “Great American Panel” every night, to cite another example, there will always be at least one informed lefty who will be given ample opportunity to make his or her points. Bill O’Reilly revels in long and sharp exchanges with both left and right, and while he of course sets the tempo and the agenda, he never denies his guest the opportunity to make the key points in their case…

This is simply –objectively– not the case on most of MSNBC’s programming, and the minuscule audience that follows it presently will not grow and cannot ever hope to catch Fox as a result. There are still some journalists appearing on the network worth watching –Howard Fineman, Chris Cillizza, Jonathan Alter, and Chuck Todd to name a few who, no matter what their politics are, remain pros with good information to convey– but their numbers are dwindling and their personal brands are increasingly at risk simply because of their association with a one-dimensional hyper-partisan echo chamber that refuses to recognize much less debate with much of the American mainstream.