By Joe Berk
Jesse Watters is an anchorman on Fox News, and one of the five panelists on the Fox News show, The Five. We recently had an opportunity to listen to him speak at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. I’m a bit behind on my blogging, I guess. We’ve been to the Nixon Library a number of times and I keep meaning to write about it, but I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I will, but not in this blog. This blog is focused on Mr. Watters.
I’m a bit conflicted about this post because here on ExNotes we try to steer way away from anything political. It’s not that I’m not political, nor is it that I don’t have opinions. We just realize that if we start taking positions we’ll insult half our audience no matter which side we take. That’s what America has become. It might be left versus right, Republican versus Democrat, CNN versus Fox, Trump versus Biden, or any of the hundreds of other topics that have the nation polarized. Hence our editorial position is we don’t take a position. No politics. Jesse Watters works for Fox News, so there’s a risk half of you might interpret this as a right wing, Republican, Trump-biased, Fox News kind of blog. If you think this is political or if I offend you, hey, mea culpa in advance. It isn’t my intent to do so.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I’ll share with you that we have friends in high places at the Nixon Library. That’s a good thing, because the Jess Watters event was sold out weeks ago. It was 50 bucks a pop, and not only did they quickly fill the 700-seat main auditorium (modeled after the White House’s East Room), but the Library had to open a remote room to accommodate another 300 people. We stood in line for an hour waiting to get in. It was worth it. We had great seats.
On the air, Jesse Watters is an articulate, captivating news announcer and panelist. He started his work for Fox doing man in the street questions in a series called “Watters’ World,” in which he’d ask people questions about things in the news. Most of the time, the folks he asked had only cursory knowledge of the topic, or no knowledge at all. It didn’t stop them from attempting to answer, though, and their responses were entertaining. Jay Leno used to do something similar in a series he called “JayWalking.” Watters started his “Watters’ World” series while Bill O’Reilly hosted the Fox News 5:00 p.m. news hour, but O’Reilly lost his job during the Me, Too movement. I didn’t know about O’Reilly’s misygony and I thought he was the smartest guy on TV at the time, but he screwed up and he was gone. O’Reilly was replaced by a guy named Tucker Carlson, whom I couldn’t stand (not because of his politics; for reasons I can’t put my finger on I just didn’t like the guy). Carlson didn’t last long, and when he went, Watters became the main news dude. I like watching Watters do the news.
Watters has written at least two books now, and our tickets to this event included a copy of his latest, Get It Together. I haven’t read it yet. When I do, I’ll post a review here.
The format for the Watters event was unusual, at least it seemed so to me. Instead of having Watters speak for the usual 45 minutes or so, a woman whose name I can’t remember interviewed him. It was interesting conversation and I enjoyed it, even though it was different from the format I expected. My impression was that Watters seemed nervous speaking in front of a large group and that surprised me. He was articulate and I can’t put my finger on anything he said or did that made me feel he was nervous; it’s just my impression. Maybe I’m wrong.
If you haven’t seen the “Watters’ World” interviews, I found a couple on Youtube I’ll share with you here.
I mentioned that I thought the earlier Jay Leno “JayWalking” interviews were better, but you be the judge. Here are a couple of Youtubes for those, too.
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Yes, division in this country is rampant. Yoo-Hoo versus boring old chocolate milk is such a sensitive topic…..
Fred, let me remind you: No Yoo-Hoo politics!
Me-He for Yoo-Hoo !!
Exclaims a cartoon yogi Berra has he catches a fly ball while running up the outfield wall at yankee stadium .
I guess that ad ran only in the greater New York market.
Yes, I agree, keep politics out of it. Here in the USA we bond together- one for all and all for one. Work together so this country is as strong and free as our founding fathers intended, without tyrants, without dictators. Happy Fathers Day
Keeping politics out of it was originally Gresh’s idea. It was a good one.
All the best, Marcos.
I don’t even understand what the point of the post was. My takeaway after reading it:
You went to see Jesse Watters.
I was thinking the same thing as Salil. I appreciated your explanation beforehand about avoiding politics. I was figuring we’d hear more about the library. I ~do~ like knowing that the 700-seat main auditorium is modeled after the White House’s East Room.
Letting us know that you like watching Watters do what Fox, an admitted entertainment station, puts forth as news tells us a lot. Telling us that he started out by doing what was basically a comedy gag and rose to the top of a rather suspect pile due to the attrition of the other guys previously on the top of that suspect pile tells us plenty about Watters as well.
I think this is a political post because it’s unavoidable to cover it like you did without it being one.
My takeaway is that you went to see Jesse Watters in a cool library and you watch Fox News.
I think the only way to talk about a public figure who makes their living promoting a certain mindset about politics in our country without it being political is to report that they were killed in a car crash. Reporting something like that might not be political, just don’t read the comments.
Define politics bcz your post is as political as it can get. If the founding fathers weren’t political . Nobody is.
Politics is when the other guy holds a viewpoint different than yours. Insightful and intelligent conversation is when the other guy agrees with you.
Okay . Your blog. Your definition.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences…. You always make me feel like I’m there with you!
You bet, Carlos. Good to hear from you, as always. Happy Father’s Day.
Not being political , God Bless America !
Thanks, John.
Any country that has a Murdoch news source becomes unhappy. Fox News in in the business of selling discontent.
Joe you are full of baloney.
What’s your last name , Biden?
Nice try . You want discontent try watching CNN
along with its handful of anarchist viewers such as yourself .
Hack, I think I know the answer to the question I am about to ask, but which Joe are you referring to?
MAGA,
See how angry you are? That’s conditioning. A steady stream of BS has radicalized you and you freak out over nothing. Fox News has done irreparable damage to America . When a super smart guy like Berk gets sucked into the Fox misery vortex what hope do the rest of us have?
Well, me thinks you have been sniffing too many hairdos.
Except maybe the Pope , being he is bald. Lol!
(Or maybe CNN censored that film clip from the other day so maybe u missed it )
Plz be careful stepping down from the podium .
Joe BERK
It wasn’t a political spiel as you didn’t get into anything Watters might have gave his views on.
You went to see Watters . I get that .
A fine report.
Heck , every time you list a reloading thread I am surprised the facist anti gun Nanny’s don’t come after you.
So anything and everything can be construed as political by anyone so inclined .
The readers who frequent these pages should know you well enuff that exhaust notes is not politically agenda driven .
Plain Joe.
Certainly not you.
And Gresh only reads his own columns
So not him . Lol.