Alterman, Eric. Sound and Fury: The Washington Punditocracy and the Collapse of American Politics. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. 352 pages.

Counter-pundit Eric Alterman's thesis is that the pundits have taken over the debate on current issues in American democracy, with television defining the parameters of political discourse. It becomes less important to frame your arguments coherently, than to jockey for the well-turned soundbite, the indignant comment, or the timely video image.

He begins with Walter Lippman, the father of punditry, and then skips over to the Reagan and Bush years. A witty stylist, Alterman makes quick work of notables such as Martin Agronsky, Fred Barnes, Pat Buchanan, Rowland Evans, Jack Germond, Michael Kinsley, Morton Kondracke, Charles Krauthammer, Irving Kristol, Edward Luttwak, John McLaughlin, Robert Novak, Martin Peretz, Norman Podhoretz, William Safire, and George Will.

Curiously, Alterman claims that "the Carter presidency predated the explosion of pundit television," but acknowledges that Clinton was an early favorite of the Democratic punditocracy. It would seem that the phony two- party system and its controlled media are the real problem, not the pundits who get rich off of them. Were they to sing a tune that's slightly more Democratic, watch for Alterman to join in on the chorus.
ISBN 0-06-016874-9

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