MSNBC at the DNC: all aboard for goofiness

Choo choo.

MSNBC’s headquarters for the Democratic National Convention can be found behind Union Station, which may explain why it looks disturbingly like part of Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. During the first Denver taping of The Daily Show during convention week, host Jon Stewart ridiculed the net for leaving its anchors open to the elements, and he’s got a point; I’m sure NBC has some of the best behind-the-scenes staffers in the business, but they apparently haven’t come up with a way to keep Chris Matthews’ hair plastered down. But the whole concept is ripe for ridicule, turning a newscast into the equivalent of an attraction at a cut-rate carnival. Of course, all would be forgiven if we’d been able to take it for a ride. — Michael Roberts