Sunday, February 04, 2007
Sunday Talk Show Scoreboard for February 4, 2007
Notes on the Shows (Feb. 4): NBC's Meet the Press hit a home run with it's hour-long interview with Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards. Meanwhile, CBS struck out by punting with an all-super Bowl tie-in show.
The Super Bowl network may be excused this week, but barely. There's already more worldwide coverage of the Super Bowl than there is on, say, Iraq. It was an easy call for CBS execs, but fans in the stands usually boo when a team punts, and this was a punt.
Edwards represented himself well on Sunday. Possibly the most important statement by the former Senator was, "They [Iran and Syria] will never participate in stabilizing Iraq as long as the United States is an occupying force."
Edwards clearly understands the intricacies of the Middle East and has a plan for US withdrawal. However, he isn't a sitting member of Congress, so he does not have to vote on or introduce any proposals. He presently enjoys the luxury of sitting back and criticizing all sides. Nevertheless, Edwards has consistently shown a willingness to extricate the US from Iraq and employ diplomacy, rather than force, to achieve positive resolution there.
It's anybody's guess why the networks continue to put Senator John McCain on the air. He adds nothing to the discussion except his repetitive "stay the course" and "we must win" messages. His grasp of the situation in the Middle East can be described as monolithic at best.
ABC managed to somewhat even the score with Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who fielded questions on the upcoming Senate non-binding resolution in opposition to the president's surge strategy. Hagel may have invoked some inside baseball when he said that 12 Republican Senators were on board with him and John Warner on the subject.
If there are indeed 12 Republicans who will vote with Warner and Hagel, the resolution will pass cloture (by 61-38) and be debated this week. Democrat Joe Lieberman is likely to align himself with the hard-liners and hospitalized Senator Tim Johnson will not be able to vote.
Hagel also left open the question of whether or not he'll run for president in '08, though he did respond by saying he was not an anti-war candidate, even though he sure looks like one.
February 4, 2007, Week 13
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12, 2006.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
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.
The Super Bowl network may be excused this week, but barely. There's already more worldwide coverage of the Super Bowl than there is on, say, Iraq. It was an easy call for CBS execs, but fans in the stands usually boo when a team punts, and this was a punt.
Edwards represented himself well on Sunday. Possibly the most important statement by the former Senator was, "They [Iran and Syria] will never participate in stabilizing Iraq as long as the United States is an occupying force."
Edwards clearly understands the intricacies of the Middle East and has a plan for US withdrawal. However, he isn't a sitting member of Congress, so he does not have to vote on or introduce any proposals. He presently enjoys the luxury of sitting back and criticizing all sides. Nevertheless, Edwards has consistently shown a willingness to extricate the US from Iraq and employ diplomacy, rather than force, to achieve positive resolution there.
It's anybody's guess why the networks continue to put Senator John McCain on the air. He adds nothing to the discussion except his repetitive "stay the course" and "we must win" messages. His grasp of the situation in the Middle East can be described as monolithic at best.
ABC managed to somewhat even the score with Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who fielded questions on the upcoming Senate non-binding resolution in opposition to the president's surge strategy. Hagel may have invoked some inside baseball when he said that 12 Republican Senators were on board with him and John Warner on the subject.
If there are indeed 12 Republicans who will vote with Warner and Hagel, the resolution will pass cloture (by 61-38) and be debated this week. Democrat Joe Lieberman is likely to align himself with the hard-liners and hospitalized Senator Tim Johnson will not be able to vote.
Hagel also left open the question of whether or not he'll run for president in '08, though he did respond by saying he was not an anti-war candidate, even though he sure looks like one.
February 4, 2007, Week 13
| Show | Guests | Score | WeeKTotal | Cum. Total* | Cum. %** |
| Meet the Press (NBC) | John Edwards (D) | 1 | 1-1 | 11-33 | 33.33 |
| Fox News Sunday (FOX) | Senators Jim Webb (D), Lindsey Graham (R) | 1 | 1-2 | 14-34 | 41.18 |
| This Week (ABC) | Senators John McCain (R) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) | 1 | 1-2 | 18-36 | 50.00 |
| Face the Nation (CBS) | NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; sportscasters' panel Phil Simms, Jim Nantz and Dan Marino | 0 | 0-1 | 10-25 | 40.00 |
| Total for week, all shows (13 weeks) | all guests | 3 | 3-6 | 53-128 | 41.41 |
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12, 2006.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
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.
Labels: Chuck Hagel, Iraq, John Edwards
