Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What a Delicious Moment

We don't watch MSNBC very often, so I missed today's on-air exchange between anchor Contessa Brewer and Alabama Republican Congressman Mo Brooks. During a discussion about raising the debt ceiling, Ms. Brewer pointedly asked Congressman Brooks if he has a degree in economics.

Based on the response she, got it's pretty obvious that the MSNBC anchor never reviewed Brooks' biography. His response? "Why yes, I do." If Ms. Brewer had done a little bit of homework, she'd discover that Mo Brooks graduated from Duke in only three years, with a double major in political science and economics, earning highest honors in that latter subject. He later earned his law degree at the University of Alabama.

Here's the actual exchange, via Real Clear Politics. Heh, heh, heh.

Of course, no one ever accused Contessa Brewer of being the sharpest tool in the media shed. For the record, she has a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse, which has one of the better programs in that particular area.

But as a J-school grad myself, I know the curriculum is (ahem) less challenging than engineering, the hard sciences or economics. So, the typical journalism graduate has vast holes in their education that must be filled through additional reading and study.

Unfortunately, most journalism school products believe that courses in "communications theory" and "investigative reporting" leaves them well-prepared to explain such complex topics as the U.S. economy. So, they're quite content to share their ignorance with the masses. That's why Contessa Brewer was trying to "educate" Congressman Brooks just before asking about his education. In her learned opinion, the country will fall into a "depression" if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

Gee, Ms. Brewer, a lot of people would say we're already in a depression, and the prospect of adding another few trillion to the national debt won't exactly help our economy.

But such points are clearly lost on TV hosts like Contessa Brewer, whom Don Imus once famously described as a fat a--. Substitute the word "dumb" for "fat" and you've got a much more accurate description.

5 comments:

F said...

With a name like Contessa I'd say she's been handicapped throughout her life. Being stupid only adds to the burden.

AF_Geek said...

I'll grant you that Contessa Brewer has no credibility on this subject. She certainly shouldn't attempt to "educate" someone like Congressman Brooks.

But in all fairness, I bet that Tim Geithner also knows a few things about economics. I'd wager that the 235 economists (including five Nobel Laureates) who wrote congress about the debt ceiling know a little bit, too.

I claim no expertise myself... but it's not like everyone with an economics degree is lining up behind Congressman Brooks.

Joe mama said...

Poor Cuntessa. If she didn't have a choochie-cooch she'd be pretty much useless.

TOF said...

I believe I recall you once mentioning that you had been a journalist somewhere before your military service.

After I retired from the USAF I taught a university finance course for about ten years. It was cross-listed so I got non-business majors in the course as well as the usual array of would-be accountants, marketer, financiers, and actuaries. Over time I noticed a few trends in student performance: the engineering and actuarial majors always clustered at the top of the grade range, while the education majors and journalism majors clustered near the bottom of the range. just above the education majors and journalism majors lay the psychology majors; everyone else were distributed toward the middle and upper middle of the grade range.

I wonder if some researcher might be willing to do a study on that observation.

MarkD said...

But she graduated from Syracuse, like that other beacon of brilliance, Joe Biden. He's smarter than we are, he said so.