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Heather has already mentioned that MSNBC has given us chronic Sunday news show watchers something to celebrate with the premiere of "Up with Chris Hayes". Despite the oddly Disneyfied name and ridiculously early airtime (thank FSM for DVRs), Hayes has offered up a pretty auspicious debut.
One of the segments he offered on both Saturday and Sunday's show was an opportunity for his panel guests to come up with a question they hoped to see on the Sunday news shows. In addition to the expected (but much more compelling and tougher questions than are normally asked on the actual shows) questions to Mitch McConnell, Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney, NY Times' Rebecca Traister had one for the producers/bookers of the Sunday shows that has been my rallying cry lo these many years:
Where are the Democratic representatives to advocate for the President's plan?
TRAISTER: I want to know why Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are on the Sunday shows talking about the jobs plan and there are no Democrats on talking about the jobs plan. Why are we not hearing from Democrats? This is, you know, ten days after the [crosstalk]…
HAYES: You’re putting the system on trial….
TRAISTER: …Where are the Democrats? They need to do some trust falls, they need to do some team building exercises. All we’re hearing from Democrats on the jobs bill is from you know, Bob Casey and Mary Landrieu and people who are criticizing it. Why are we not seeing Sunday shows filled with people defending it?
Of course, the answer lies in those six corporations who own most of the media in this country and their agenda in shaping the national dialog. I do have high hopes for Chris Hayes' model, an astounding reversal of the usual demographics, with three strong, fact-based people from the left and one singular representative from the right. Perhaps we'll start seeing a little more reality coming over the airwaves.
