The TV Mafia

In a post cleverly and correctly titled "Fucking Up Pays" I wrote:

But it seems like sports forecasters, weathermen, CEOs and financial "experts" pretty much can be wrong 100% of the time, and still not only keep their jobs, but make tons of money at them. This is a luxury the average working American does not have. I can probably leave Short Bus behind at the White Castle by himself 2 or 3 times before his parents decide "it might be time for a change." Hell, I'll prolly be fired for imagining it here.

And I didn't even mention the bizarre string of "political pundits" we have on tv 24/7 as I did HERE and HERE where I wrote about the curious policy wherein no matter how many times a "pundit" or "expert" comes on tv and is 100% wrong about whatever is coming out of his pie-hole, that person is repeatedly asked back, and at no time does it occur to anybody "maybe we should get someone who is at least occasionally right about something?" What does it take to fire these people? They're like Tim Riggins from Friday Nights Lights - no matter how many times they get caught getting shitfaced and driving police cars off cliffs or defiling 12 year-old girls, not only are they allowed to stay on the team, but continue to have cheerleaders shot into their bedrooms with a cannon. Dave Weigel sums it up nicely:

But that's sort of the point: There is no real downside, at least in Washington, for being wrong.

Once you're in you're in, and there's seems to be no way out. Incredible.