Stories by Leslie Savan

Leslie Savan is the author of Slam Dunks and No-Brainers: Language in Your Life, the Media, Business, Politics, and, Like, Whatever. subscribe to Leslie Savan's feed

What We Can Learn From Cable's Most Popular Show, "The Walking Dead"

Posted on: Apr 7, 2013, Source: The Nation

Whether you see "The Walking Dead" as an example of left-wing or right-wing ideology gone mad depends on who you think the undead are.

What Mitt Romney’s Body Language Is Trying to Tell Us

Posted on: Aug 5, 2012, Source: The Nation

Lots of people have talked about how Mitt Romney comes off like a robot.

Why the Era May Be Over for Blowhard Right-Wing Extremists

Posted on: Mar 5, 2012, Source: The Nation

The death of Andrew Breitbart and the impending doom of Rush Limbaugh's career may have prefigured something about the future of right-wing extremism.

The War on Halloween: A Mixed Message from Fox News and the Right

Posted on: Oct 30, 2011, Source: The Nation

Conservatives can't make up their mind: is Halloween Satanic or an all-American tradition being sabotaged by immigrants?

Obama Finally Displays Some Guts -- Let's Hope It Lasts

Posted on: Sep 12, 2011, Source: The Nation

Let's hope Obama's combative tone on the jobs bill does not dissipate and his principled policies melt into Republican-lite mush.

Has Roger Ailes Hacked Americans' Phones for Fox News?

Posted on: Jul 14, 2011, Source: The Nation

We know the shady dealings of Rupert Murdoch's UK papers, but what have the Fox News executives been up to on Murdoch's dime?

How Glenn Beck Threatens Fox News and the Conservative Agenda

Posted on: Apr 10, 2011, Source: The Nation

Glenn Beck's paranoid populism begins to look suspect when the angry populace is rising up against the GOP's corporate, union-busting agenda.

Should the Media Stop Talking About Sarah Palin?

Posted on: Jan 23, 2011, Source: The Nation

All of us would like for Sarah Palin to just go away. But if we just averted our eyes, we'd would not be dealing with political reality.

We've Got to Put a Stop to the Tea Party's 'Killing Words' That May Have Inspired Loughner's Killing Spree

Posted on: Jan 11, 2011, Source: The Nation

Giffords' Tea Party election opponent: "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."

Man-up and Mama Grizzley: Red State Buzzwords Dominated Our Political Talk in 2010

Posted on: Dec 31, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

When it comes to rhetoric that evokes strong imagery, rouses emotion, and can roll over inconvenient facts and memories, the Red State words tend to outshout the Blue ones.

Tasing Rick Sanchez: Jon Stewart's Jokes and CNN's Double Standards

Posted on: Oct 14, 2010, Source: The Nation

The cool kid bullied the uncool kids in the Stewart/Sanchez affair, while CNN, like a cowed principal, ran from the crossfire.

Why D.C. Is Scared of Stephen Colbert

Posted on: Sep 26, 2010, Source: The Nation

The Beltway flipped out over Stephen Colbert's appearance before Congress. No wonder -- he's not afraid to take on the establishment.

Could Christine O’Donnell Really Win?

Posted on: Sep 22, 2010, Source: The Nation

Why the media -- and probably more voters than we like to think -- find her bewitching.

Fox News and the Teabaggers' Absurd Whining About "Reverse-Racism" is a Ploy of Mass Distraction

Posted on: Jul 27, 2010, Source: The Nation

The real creeps are those in the media who excuse the role played by Breitbart, Fox News, and the Tea Party blogosphere in smearing Sherrod as a racist.

Are Fox Ratings Dropping As Tea Party Election Fails Stack Up?

Posted on: Jun 6, 2010, Source: The Nation

The Fox message appears to have been ringing less true to the general public just as the Tea Party has begun to fail at the ballot box.

Right Wing Red Meat in Cruel April

Posted on: Apr 13, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

CNN beefs up with the angry white man punditry, this time with RedState.com's Erick Erickson.

Will Fox News Destroy the Republican Party?

Posted on: Apr 4, 2010, Source: The Nation

Fox news realizes that the best way to defend right-wing victories is to keep American politics in a state of chaos, with tea parties and fresh social outrages at every turn.

Sarah Palin Flubs Fox Debut and Takes Grief from ... Bill O'Reilly

Posted on: Jan 14, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

Mix Palin's tendency to "go rogue" and burn bridges with her colleagues to her poor early performances on Fox, and the channel could have a disaster on its hands.

Lou Dobbs Tours Single-Payer Systems Abroad and Realizes, Holy Crap They're Good

Posted on: Aug 14, 2009, Source: The Nation

Has CNN's government-out-of-my-face bloviator actually had a change of heart when it comes to Obama's health plan?

Neocons Are Clueless About Iran

Posted on: Jun 21, 2009, Source: The Nation

The Iran protests have thrown Republican ideologues into such a tizzy of circular logic that they're stepping on their own propaganda.

A Tale of Two Speeches: Obama Uplifts, Cheney Uses Old Arsenal of Fear-Mongering

Posted on: May 22, 2009, Source: The Nation

While we're enthralled by Obama's elegance and reason, Cheney waits like a troll under a bridge, watching for the slightest misstep.

Anti-Mexican Media Hysteria Makes Life More Dangerous for Latinos in the U.S.

Posted on: May 12, 2009, Source: TheNation.com

Mexicans have recently been the prime target of the most rancid typecasting in the media -- can more racist violence be far behind?

GOP Has Hit the Dead-End of Politics: Who's Going to Buy Their Fear and Hysteria?

Posted on: May 4, 2009, Source: TheNation.com

What sort of psychological bent would lead people to want to be part of a dead-end political party like the GOP has become?

Media Tries to Sabotage Obamas With Pseudo Stories on Faux Gaffes But No One Buys It

Posted on: Apr 2, 2009, Source: The Nation

In search of a scandal, the media blows hot air about President Obama's overseas etiquette instead of actually covering the G-20 summit.

Obama Loosens Up on Leno

Posted on: Mar 20, 2009, Source: TheNation.com

The president handled his guest appearance on Leno with his usual charm. But we want to know more about why Geithner inspires his confidence.

Why the Corporate Media Ducked the Real Story of Those Flying Shoes

Posted on: Dec 21, 2008, Source: TheNation.com

Corporate media swerved faster from the meaning of the flying footwear than Bush did from the shoe itself.

Bush Ditches His Ranch for Ritzier Digs in Dallas

Posted on: Dec 12, 2008, Source: TheNation.com

From cowboy to cowed boy, W. crawls outta Crawford for yet another image re-do.

Bush: Regrets? Confessions? Bring 'Em On!

Posted on: Jun 4, 2006, Source: Boston Globe

Why have Bush's verbal misgivings received so much adulatory press attention -- when he's just rehashing the same tired pop phrases from 17 months ago?

Excerpt: Slam Dunks and No-Brainers

Posted on: Nov 10, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Pop language is the difference between 'old hat' and 'so five minutes ago.'

Billboard Bashing

Posted on: May 25, 2000, Source: AlterNet

Enormous billboards -- sometimes covering whole sides of buildings and their windows -- are going up all over the nation. Finally a group of ad jammers is doing something quite clever to stop it.