The give and take of representative democracy, the sense of the large if imperfect unity of a people, within which viewpoints have the possibility of growth, transformation and coalition, this is completely missing from this equation. The insulting, sarcastic, downright nasty example that this type of journalism sets is bad for America. We can forgive news shows that in the rush of deadlines might make a wrong call in a tight political race. That's one problem in American journalism, but it pales by comparison. This seems to be the American dilemma at the end of the 20th century.
Daily confrontation is required to compete for market share.
No one knows this better than Limbaugh. Positive, if firm and substantial dialogue, from which the best common opinions can surface and be gathered into action, this becomes a fantasy, a nice thought, but unattainable. Yet, there is no other way for human beings to sustain a positive, prosperous, and progressive country. The ultimate logical consequence of the other approach is a clear and hard division of America along ideological lines. Permission to anger and hate as a primary motivation in political discussion and practice is very dangerous.