Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sunday News Shows Scorecard
How well are the Sunday News Talk shows presenting the progressive/Democratic point-of-view?
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
This week, the co-chairmen of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) made the rounds to three of the four shows. Though the ISG was a non-partisan commission, the group's propositions were amounted to nothing more than talking points for an extended stay for our military in Iraq. The closest the study came to calling for withdrawal was a carefully-crafted statement saying that "most" of the American combat forces "could" be out of Iraq as early as early 2008.
Since the ISG is non-binding and reactive, there's little reason to believe that it has produced a progressive document. While some of the suggestions are laudatory, such as engaging Iran and Syria in diplomacy, the report offers little more than a laundry list of possible corrective measures for a situation that has grown increasingly violent and uncontrollable. Baker and Hamilton are no more progressive than Laurel and Hardy, and they are not even close to being as funny.
Week 5 - December 10
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
This week, the co-chairmen of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) made the rounds to three of the four shows. Though the ISG was a non-partisan commission, the group's propositions were amounted to nothing more than talking points for an extended stay for our military in Iraq. The closest the study came to calling for withdrawal was a carefully-crafted statement saying that "most" of the American combat forces "could" be out of Iraq as early as early 2008.
Since the ISG is non-binding and reactive, there's little reason to believe that it has produced a progressive document. While some of the suggestions are laudatory, such as engaging Iran and Syria in diplomacy, the report offers little more than a laundry list of possible corrective measures for a situation that has grown increasingly violent and uncontrollable. Baker and Hamilton are no more progressive than Laurel and Hardy, and they are not even close to being as funny.
Week 5 - December 10
| Show | Guests | Score | WeeKTotal | Cum. Total* | Cum. %** |
| Meet the Press (NBC) | James Baker, Lee Hamilton | 0 | 0-2 | 5-15 | 33.33 |
| Fox News Sunday (FOX) | James Baker, Lee Hamilton, Senator Chris Dodd (D) and Senator Sam Brownback (R) | 1 | 1-4 | 8-16 | 50.00 |
| This Week (ABC) | Tony Blair, Senators Joe Biden (D) and Gordon Smith (R) | 1 | 1-3 | 6-14 | 42.86 |
| Face the Nation (CBS) | James Baker, Lee Hamilton, Senators Carl Levin (D), Trent Lott (R) | 1 | 1-4 | 5-14 | 35.71 |
| Total for week, all shows (5 weeks) | all guests | 3 | 3-13 | 24-59 | 40.68 |
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
