With all the discussions about Fox, MSNBC, other networks that people watch, I haven't heard much about what people think about C-SPAN. Do people find it informative, boring, slanted?

Just curious.

Watching Congressional sessions and committees is maybe the most boring thing a person could do. My 84 year old father watches this schit nonstop.

I used to like it when they'd have the liberal phone line call in. There were some real nuts. It was great comedy.

Maybe they still do that.

(03-21-2015 08:56 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  I used to like it when they'd have the liberal phone line call in. There were some real nuts. It was great comedy.

Maybe they still do that.

They still do that, with one phone line for Republicans and one for Democrats. I usually turn the channel off then because I can't stand it. Dumb questions and half the time they ramble on, can't get to the point, and are completely unintelligible.

But sometimes they interview some interesting people. And senate hearings can be interesting sometimes. Some of it is boring, I'd agree. But I also find some of it more informative than most of what passes for "news" nowadays.

Watching Paint Dry>CSPAN

(03-20-2015 06:14 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  With all the discussions about Fox, MSNBC, other networks that people watch, I haven't heard much about what people think about C-SPAN. Do people find it informative, boring, slanted?

Just curious.

Depends on which part you're referring to, NIU.

I enjoy watching the sessions on the floor, I'm not so much a fan of the morning "talk" portion of the show (the Bookreaders, or whatever it's called?).

The lectures/public speaking sessions can get boring as hell though, particularly if it's a topic I don't know much about, because they're usually talking to people already in the field in question, so they're automatically talking over my level of knowledge.

I don't think too many people have enough time in the day to watch it.

(03-23-2015 09:15 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't think too many people have enough time in the day to watch it.

Except for people like Fo's dad - I'm guessing at 84 he has plenty of time for watching it. Hope I make it to 84 years old and have plenty of time for C-SPAN!!

(03-23-2015 09:18 AM)Crebman Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 09:15 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't think too many people have enough time in the day to watch it.

Except for people like Fo's dad - I'm guessing at 84 he has plenty of time for watching it. Hope I make it to 84 years old and have plenty of time for C-SPAN!!

Why? When You can look at the Beautiful ladies on Fox, Or watch Velocity channel for great Car programs .

(03-23-2015 08:52 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(03-20-2015 06:14 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  With all the discussions about Fox, MSNBC, other networks that people watch, I haven't heard much about what people think about C-SPAN. Do people find it informative, boring, slanted?

Just curious.

Depends on which part you're referring to, NIU.

I enjoy watching the sessions on the floor, I'm not so much a fan of the morning "talk" portion of the show (the Bookreaders, or whatever it's called?).

The lectures/public speaking sessions can get boring as hell though, particularly if it's a topic I don't know much about, because they're usually talking to people already in the field in question, so they're automatically talking over my level of knowledge.

I only catch it in the evenings usually so I have no clue what they show in the mornings. I've found some of it interesting, some boring (so I turn it off) whereas regular news shows I just can't take anymore - an entire hour of almost complete fluff or propaganda. I have watched some of the lectures on books, if it's a topic that interested me. It's a channel I check out now that the BBC news isn't on anymore in the early evening after I get home from work. I'm surprised more politically minded people don't watch it, at least certain parts of it.

Though recently there was a presentation going on somewhere and the media wasn't allowed. So they had a camera set up in the lobby watching persons of interest walk by on their way to it. Now THAT was riveting.

CSPAN is boring, but my mom made me watch it--along with Parliament when we were up there--along with her students. It teaches a good lesson on procedure (something this country has forgotten about) and rhetoric.

(03-24-2015 09:15 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  CSPAN is boring, but my mom made me watch it--along with Parliament when we were up there--along with her students. It teaches a good lesson on procedure (something this country has forgotten about) and rhetoric.

Thank Your Mom for Me if She is Still around. Teaching Kids Life events is a lost lesson among today's Youth. And Thanks to those still practicing and Teaching those important lessons.

(03-24-2015 09:15 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  CSPAN is boring, but my mom made me watch it--along with Parliament when we were up there--along with her students. It teaches a good lesson on procedure (something this country has forgotten about) and rhetoric.

come on the parliamentary showings were some of the best, cause you couldn't hear a word the speaker at any given time was saying cause everyone was shouting him down.

Didn't some guy call in and go into the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" song while he was talking? Not sure if that was CSPAN or not.

I don't watch much tv but I do watch CSPAN

(03-24-2015 11:44 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(03-24-2015 09:15 AM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  CSPAN is boring, but my mom made me watch it--along with Parliament when we were up there--along with her students. It teaches a good lesson on procedure (something this country has forgotten about) and rhetoric.

come on the parliamentary showings were some of the best, cause you couldn't hear a word the speaker at any given time was saying cause everyone was shouting him down.

That's only a small portion of parliament. 30 minutes to an hour. The rest is hearing the Speaker call upon The Honourable _________ to propose an amendment to some small legislation.

Although I don't watch it much anymore, the Sunday night "Prime Ministers Questions" was a real hoot. The British PM has a weekly session with the House of Commons where MPs can ask the PM anything, and do. Then they all cheer or jeer depending upon their party.

Here's an examplePM's Questions

C-SPAN is boring .... and probably intentionally so by Congress. There is so much time between votes. Debate sessions are controlled by the most establishment of the establishment leadership. It is like listening to dozens of people say the same talking points over and over at each other. It sucks ... but it sucks purely as a reflection of the prevailing culture in the beltway of anti-transparency, gross incompetence, special interest shilling, focus group crafted messaging, soulless automatons.

I don't usually watch the votes, those ARE boring. And the presentations by congressmen in front of 3 or 4 other congressmen from the same party. But some of the interviews are interesting. They'll have somebody like Assad or something, somebody with a different point of view, and you actually get to hear what they say, without being interrupted or shouted down by the interviewer. The other day they were talking about aid to Africa with people like Ben Affleck and Bill Gates sitting on the same panel. It helped that Jennifer Garner was visible behind him.