August 12, 2024

I don't watch the Sunday morning talk shows anymore — I used to watch them all! — but it's interesting to see who sits for these interviews.

Yesterday's lineups (via AP)(boldface added):

ABC’s “This Week” — Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

NBC's “Meet the Press” — Preempted by coverage of the Olympics.

CBS’ “Face the Nation" — Vance; Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Kan.; Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America; retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of U.S. Central Command.

CNN's “State of the Union” — Vance; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Fox News Sunday” — Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.

That's a lot of Vance, and there was no one from the Democratic side of the presidential campaign. For the Democrats, there were only 2 Senators (Klobuchar & Sanders), the Governor of Kansas, the Transportation Secretary, and a member of the House of Representatives. Why can't we hear from the Democratic campaign? They're still putting their ideas together and ironing out past inconsistencies? Are they in no shape to face serious questions? Or do they simply see that they're doing awfully well running on "joy" and not-Biden-not-Trumpness so there's no reason to change.

How did Vance do? Politico purports to sum it up, in "Vance makes his Sunday show sweep as Trump’s attack dog/The vice presidential nominee appeared on three Sunday shows in pre-recorded interviews from Cincinnati."

Vance said calling him and Trump weird was “fundamentally schoolyard bully stuff” and “projection.”...

“I think that unfortunately, Kamala Harris has run a campaign where every time she’s in front of voters, a teleprompter is in between. She doesn’t really talk to the media, like at all. She hasn’t answered, I think, a single tough question from a reporter....” Vance said on CBS Face the Nation....

Vance was asked about the former president’s attacks on Harris’ racial identity.... Vance said Trump was trying to point out that Harris is “a chameleon.”...

Vance accused Harris of flip-flopping on issues ranging from fracking to the border and said Trump was trying to paint Harris in his attacks as “a fundamentally fake person.” “She is different depending on who she is in front of,” Vance said.

But he was also accused of doing that himself when it came to Trump.... “It’s reasonable to change your mind,” Vance said.

Vance, who is a Marine veteran himself, continued to go after Walz over how the Democratic vice presidential nominee has talked about his military service.... “I’m not criticizing his service. I’m criticizing dishonesty — dishonesty spoken in favor and for the purpose of political benefit,” Vance said....

ADDED: What's notable is that for all those interviews, there isn't one sound bite that's useful to Democrats. 

73 comments:

Kate said...

They all booked Vance because the press is slavering to be the one who embarrasses him or rebukes him. This isn't about ideas or preparing the electorate. They're vying to be the mean girl who makes the class laugh at Vance.

Political Junkie said...

Fight Hillbilly fight.

Todd said...

Like Trump, Vance is going to the lion's den whereas Kneepads is not allowed to leave Biden's basement by whoever actually runs things in DC.

Still don't understand how coronating Kneepads while Biden is spending all of his time napping is protecting "our democracy". If Joe is not able to run things, where are the calls/discussions about 25th-ing him? No one has "voted" for Kneepads yet so why is she running for POTUS? LOL, we all know the answers to those questions, the (D)s project like IMAX and always accuse everyone else of doing what they are in the process of...

Shouting Thomas said...

I watched a few minutes of one of the Vance interviews. The interviewer was downright combative and insulting. Do MSM interviewers do the same to Democrat interviewees? I’m pretty certain they don’t.

Breezy said...

I thought Vance was fairly respectful in all interviews. He comes with facts, clarity of purpose, and pragmatism. His thoughtful demeanor offsets Trump’s directness. Both work in different ways to get their message out.

Dave Begley said...

Yesterday is why Vance was picked. The Fake News can’t touch him. Fight hillbilly, fight.

“ Or do they simply see that they're doing awfully well running on "joy" and not-Biden-not-Trumpness that there's no reason to change.” That’s the exact strategy and the Dems won’t change because their cheating schemes lined up in Madison, Milwaukee, Philly, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. The RNC ought to flood those towns with poll watchers. Do it like the opponents in Venezuela did.

And what does Shapiro get in exchange for cheating? The Dems screwed him, he should screw them back and set-up JD v. Josh in 2028.

rehajm said...

“Kamala Harris has run a campaign where every time she’s in front of voters, a teleprompter is in between” …that’s a good line, a riff on the ‘most dangerous place to stand’ theme…

Good on you for not watching the Sunday morning dreck.

Christopher B said...

Good point.

Trump does his own wet work. I think until Eisenhower-Nixon it wasn't uncommon for Presidental candidates to mix it up directly. HST was givin' 'em hell and even FDR wasn't above sticking a shiv in his opponents. Ike-Nixon, then JFK-LBJ, and Nixon-Agnew sort of set the pattern that's been followed since but here's no need for Vance to be an 'attack dog' in the same mold running with Trump.

I like Kate's comment, too.

gilbar said...

don't Worry! be Happy! (happy happy joy joy!)
Kamela has TOLD US, that she'll do a presser... once she's elected..

In the mean time, she's traveling the country, rereading the same exact speech off of the teleprompter; and, it's Working! EVERYONE can SEE that:
a) she's WAY better at reading a teleprompter than Biden
b) she can stand on her own 2 feet (i mean; LITERALLY, stand on her feet)
c) she doesn't kackle nearly as with from a prepared speech
d) there won't be a debate, at least not until the votes have been produced..

e) it's Not who votes that counts.. it's who COUNTS the votes

rehajm said...

“Are they in no shape to face serious questions” The Sunday propaganda shows are no place to find Democrats facing serious questions but to answer your question- no. They are in no shape to face serious questions…

Sally327 said...

I watched CNN with Dana Bash interviewing Senator Vance. She looked at him like he smelled bad. Vance, on the other hand, was respectful and stayed on point. He doesn't seem like someone who can be pushed around that easily, certainly not by the likes of Dana Bash.

James K said...

"... She hasn’t answered, I think, a single tough question from a reporter....”

Unfair, reporters don't ask Democrats tough questions, so how can she answer one?

tim in vermont said...

The tough decisions of war and peace, decisions regarding when to use diplomacy, and when to use the military, will not be made by these two, even if they win. So what's the point of grilling them on stuff that they know nothing about?

The people making these decisions control the network news, so that stone will remain unturned.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

"Politico purports" is nicely apt alliteration. But even their excerpts show Vance reacting to questions with reasonable responses, rather than "attacking" as one would expect from the headline. I like his repeated shaming of the interrogators for not being able to ask her the same questions.

henge2243 said...

I wouldn't expect Walz to appear. He wasn't brought in to be an attack dog. More likely, he's there to protect his little girl. I definitely get the 'dad' vibe from him but not the good one, more like the "all little girls do this and don't tell mommy" dad vibe.

John henry said...

For the Democrats, there were only 2 Senator (Klobuchar & Sanders)

When did Sanders become a Democrat?

When has Sanders ever been a Democrat? (except 2-3 months in 2016)

John Henry

Jersey Fled said...

Two words: Basement Campaign

Further, it’s not good for Democrats to show up on the Sunday morning talk shows because it makes both sides look bad. The Democrat candidate and the overpaid hack interviewer.

Jersey Fled said...

Hmmm…

A thought just hit me. Why not just make the teleprompter the VP candidate.

RAH said...

Vance did a very good job handling a hostile press. Like Kate said the MSM booked him to be the first to embarrass or expose him as an idiot. Vance did not get embarrassed or looked like an idiot . Considering that being on ABC or CNN is the only place Democrats and Independents may see him, it was good politics and allow that part of the electorate to see the GOP ticket.

Dixie said...

Althouse wonders: "Why can't we hear from the Democratic campaign?"

They know that most white American college-educated women are going to vote for her anyway. Kamala Harris might say something, then everybody would know how insanely stupid she is. Most don't realize that yet.

The Democrats have rigged our election results. They know how to steal elections using fake ballots and rigged voting machines. And they know that the American people will let them get away with stealing elections. So why should they campaign? That costs time, money and represents a risk.

Temujin said...

The media should be embarrassed to look at themselves in the mirror. Ann- you no longer watch the Sunday shows. I quit watching them years ago- shortly after Tim Russert went to his Next Place. I wonder just how many everyday Americans quit watching these shows. Or never did.

Most of America looks at our media with disdain. This is not an opinion of mine. It's borne out in poll after poll over years. That the media do not LOUDLY demand that the Kamala Harris campaign show up live, without pre-approved questions, to show who she are is unforgivable. The media may never recover it's once glorious hold on Americans. Indeed, they are considered, by many to be the enemy.

And I don't care if you're on the left or right, it should absolutely give you the creeps that the media and Democrats are trying to install a person into the White House without having to show herself. A person no one in their own party wanted near anything just a month ago.

Howard said...

Like you, no one who matters to the outcome watches these shows anymore. why should the harlot and the deserter go on Sunday morning talk shows if there's no benefit to them? The ultimate goal of the campaign is to win the election in November not to win the talk shows in August.

I understand, however, that this type of post provides several morsels of raw meat for your dedicated Trump acolytes to chew on and make themselves feel better as they watch Donald go down in flames.

Leland said...

JD Vance also met with the Press standing outside Kamala’s jet when she couldn’t take the time to meet with them. The word on the street is that Kamala has problems talking without a teleprompter or knowing and vetting the questions in advance.

Esteban said...

Democrats take hard questions from the press? Never.

Jamie said...

The ultimate goal of the campaign is to win the election in November not to win the talk shows in August.

But the ultimate goal of the process (as opposed to the campaign) is supposed to be the election of a competent Chief Executive who represents the US well on the world stage and keeps the best interests of the American people at the forefront. The Trump-Vance side is revealing itself to the voters so that we can decide. The Harris-Walz side is not, with the eager complicity of the media.

Why this doesn't bother our lefties (Howard is a unique case not in that he is bothered but in that he's a rather heterodox lefty), I don't know. Really, guys, are you SO certain that the media will always have YOUR best interests at heart, and that the likes of Kamala Harris will try to deliver on them, that you don't see the danger in an obviously opposite-of-independent press?

Jamie said...

You know, democracy dies in darkness and all that?

Maynard said...

I fully agree with your first two sentences, Howard.

Narayanan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
narciso said...

the Australian press, Sky New australia looks at it with a gimlet eye

Narayanan said...

court has ruled to release of spear and headdress to J6 Shaman
JD should wear next week shows and Trump should nerchandise after

Narayanan said...

also release remote access to write on it -

Narayanan said...

JD should stare them down with his eyelined and bat lashes

AMDG said...

I thought Vance did a great job. I disagree with him on some things but he comes across as thoughtful. Of the four people on the tickets he is the only one I could see myself casting a presidential ballot for.

Apparently Trump was livid with him about the interviews. He spent too much time going after the Harris/Walz weaknesses instead of focusing on the important things: comparative crowd sizes, Brian Kemp, and Joe Rogan.

AMDG said...

I thought Vance did a great job. I disagree with him on some things but he comes across as thoughtful. Of the four people on the tickets he is the only one I could see myself casting a presidential ballot for.

Apparently Trump was livid with him about the interviews. He spent too much time going after the Harris/Walz weaknesses instead of focusing on the important things: comparative crowd sizes, Brian Kemp, and Joe Rogan.

Gusty Winds said...

The liberal Sunday shows will softball every question if Harris or Walz ever shows up. It'll be a circle jerk. It must really be bad if they refuse to play ball on their home turf.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Sally327 said...

I watched CNN with Dana Bash interviewing Senator Vance. She looked at him like he smelled bad.

Dana Bash wasn't happy because she waded into the Tim Walz Stolen Valor mess only to find out that Vance has been right; her avuncular Midwestern Dad heartthrob is a skunk, and had to walk everything back.

Jersey Fled said...

I just watched the full CNN interview that Vance did with Dana Bash. Vance destroyed her and left her running babbling for the exits. And Bash put on full display both our media’s incompetence and their blatant electioneering for the Democrats. I counted at least a dozen instances where Bash outright lied. Will CNN fact check her?

I wonder which network will be brave enough to interview Vance again.

William said...

Walz has the tougher job of the two VP candidates. If he goes on those talk shows and comes across as thoughtful and articulate, most voters will wonder why someone like him isn't on top of the ticket. It is extremely difficult to be less articulate and thoughtful than Kamala. Biden could, but that was due to the dementia. It is almost impossible for an ordinary person to sound less eloquent that Kamala. Walz is doing the right thing: Stay in the background and beam happily when Kamala says something nasty about Trump.

Gusty Winds said...

Dave Begley
That’s the exact strategy and the Dems won’t change because their cheating schemes lined up in Madison, Milwaukee, Philly, Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

Pennsylvania already announced "don't expect results on election night." They only thing that makes sense it Democrats are betting on the absentee voter fraud.

MountainMan said...

Anyone who has read "Hillbilly Elegy" knows that his time in the Marines prepared Vance for this. Combined with his education as a lawyer at Yale it has given him the confidence and skills to go toe-to-toe with these reporters without fear and to come out on top. I suspect that is a primary reason he got the VP slot. From the book:

" When you work in public affairs, the most senior marines serve as liaisons with the press. The press is the holy grail of Marine Corps public affairs: the biggest audience and the highest stakes. Our media officer at Cherry Point was a captain who, for reasons I never understood, quickly fell out of favor with the base’s senior brass. Though he was a captain—eight pay grades higher than I was—because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no ready replacement when he got the ax. So my boss told me that for the next nine months (until my service ended) I would be the media relations officer for one of the largest military bases on the East Coast. By then I’d grown accustomed to the sometimes random nature of Marine Corps assignments. This was something else entirely. As a friend joked, I had a face for radio, and I wasn’t prepared for live TV interviews about happenings on base. The Marine Corps threw me to the wolves. I struggled a bit at first—allowing some photographers to take photos of a classified aircraft; speaking out of turn at a meeting with senior officers—and I got my ass chewed. My boss, Shawn Haney, explained what I needed to do to correct myself. We discussed how to build relationships with the press, how to stay on message, and how to manage my time. I got better, and when hundreds of thousands flocked to our base for a biannual air show, our media relations worked so well that I earned a commendation medal. The experience taught me a valuable lesson: that I could do it. I could work twenty-hour days when I had to. I could speak clearly and confidently with TV cameras shoved in my face. I could stand in a room with majors, colonels, and generals and hold my own. I could do a captain’s job even when I feared I couldn’t."

Gusty Winds said...

William
Walz has the tougher job of the two VP candidates. If he goes on those talk shows and comes across as thoughtful and articulate, most voters will wonder why someone like him isn't on top of the ticket.

The questions and answers with any Walz interview has to be carefully coordinated and rehearsed because the Stolen Valor story is very real. He has lied for years about seeing combat. Dancing around it on the Sunday shows is going to require ballet.

MountainMan said...

The One Big Thing From JD Vance's Sunday Show Tour"

Rusty said...

"ADDED: What's notable is that for all those interviews, there isn't one sound bite that's useful to Democrats. "
That's the thing about the truth. It's difficult to refute it.

Sebastian said...

Vance did well. For the GOP it's refreshing to have obviously the smartest person in the race.

Even by MSM standards, the interviewers' blatant hostility is striking. They're all team Dem, all the time now.

"Why can't we hear from the Democratic campaign?" We hear a lot. Harris is all over TV and YouTube. We hear what they want us to hear. "Reproductive rights" is the mantra. What else do you need to know?

Sebastian said...

"Why can't we hear from the Democratic campaign?"

Also in WaPo: "If she hopes to prevail, Ms. Harris needs to present her ideas . . . Without hearing Ms. Harris articulate her thought process"

Thesis: Harris has no "ideas" or "thought process." She is the puppet who represents Dem policy preferences and lust for power. That's the "idea." Along with making the election about Trump and abortion, it's good enough.

Michael K said...

The WaPoo is asking about her policies and absence of interviews. Getting late.

MadisonMan said...

As others have said, we can't hear from the Democratic Candidates because they're trying to emulate the success of Biden's Basement Campaign from 2020.

Yancey Ward said...

Right now the Democrats are believing their own bullshit apparently. If Harris and Walz continue to hide like this, it will start to show up in weakening support. The problem is that Harris is the incumbent candidate here but without the gravitas of being the actual President. If Harris were the actual President, then she could easily run this kind of campaign from the White House; and if she were not the Vice-President seeking to replace a member of her own party, it might plausibly work to run this kind of campaign.

People will want to hear from Harris in adversarial settings like interviews and press conferences- she can't hide from this and it is made even worse by the fact that Walz apparently is too afraid to face questions, too. This why Vance matters here.

wsw said...

Bash's "Let's move on [since you have defeated me, again]" is priceless. That depressed look on her face = 'mint'

Ice Nine said...

Yeah, that was ugly. Dana Bash is the very definition of RBF. She was beyond that though - manifestly pissed that he would, politely, not allow himself to be skewered by the likes of her.

Ice Nine said...

The very reason that he won't be invited back.

Drago said...

Yep. As one wag put it: "It was like the networks thought they were playing against a high school quarterback and Tom Brady showed up."

Drago said...


"Apparently Trump was livid with him about the interviews."

LOL

Sure tiger. Sure.

phantommut said...

Vance brought to the ticket a very sharp mind and the willingness to use it. Sempre Fi.

phantommut said...

When Doonesbury was funny this would have been done. It's brilliant.

Anthony said...

They know what's going on. The present AZ 'governor' also ran a basement campaign, refused to debate, etc. She knew the fix was in so why bother?

Wa St Blogger said...

And I don't care if you're on the left or right, it should absolutely give you the creeps that the media and Democrats are trying to install a person into the White House without having to show herself.

The problem with your thesis is in the assumption that each side simply represents differing views on complex issues. However, for the lest, the right represents an existential threat to America, the world and the the entire planet (not redundant.) Thus it is incumbent on every person and institution to to whatever it can to stop this threat. The lefty posters to this blog are not outliers. The courts, the media, the deep state, colleges, everything, are true believers in the cult of Democrat. To do anything that undermines the leadership of the party is a sacrilege that would result in excommunication at best and dystopia at worst.

RCOCEAN II said...

There's no Kamala because the Democrats understand that the less the USA sees of her, the better they'll do. Remember that biden did almost no campaigning or press conferences in late summer and fall of 2020. And when he did a press conference, they were carefully staged events with softball, pre-approved questions.

The MSM is doing Kamala's campaigning for her. Attacking Trump/vance 24/7 and writing puff pieces on how wonderful she it. Its like the DNC is controlling the entire MSM, except for a couple newspapers and Fox news. Having Kamala out there talking on her own just leads to trouble.

PM said...

Dana Bash did a great job hitting JD with some tough questions.
Look forward to her asking Kamala where she got that pencil skirt.

Lazarus said...

The media are the Democrats' attack dogs.

Why encourage Buttigieg's delusions? If you want to have him on your show, ask him about transportation. True, he knows nothing about transportation -- except that airports are romantic, trains are fun, and you get enough exercise bicycling the last half mile to work and can just be driven the rest of the way -- but why indulge the man's grandiosity and thirst for attention?

Mary Beth said...

Of course each party's goal is to win the election, but that doesn't mean voters should be happy with it. The goal for everyone should be to have an informed electorate. The lack of substance is disappointing but not surprising.

RCOCEAN II said...

Nobody cares about these absurd Sunday talk shows except for Political junkies most of whom are Leftwing. The amount of useful information you get out them is tiny. The "Journalists" heading them seem to think the show is about them, so we get "roundtables", a long lead in, and long rambling questions. And if the Guest is a Republican, its turned into a debate, complete with gotcha questions and cutting Guests off.

Not to mention, almost all the guests just spout talking points, you've heard 100 times. But some people find the shows entertaining.

Wa St Blogger said...

Not to mention, almost all the guests just spout talking points, you've heard 100 times. But some people find the shows entertaining.

In reading that it occurred to that there's a lot of that happening right here at Althouse. And I am guilty as anyone.

Inga said...

“ If Vance were witty and charming and capable of drawing audiences larger than a bowling team, Trump would start feeling envious.”
Amanda Marcotte

Mason G said...

"Not to mention, almost all the guests just spout talking points, you've heard 100 times."

Seems to me, it's not uncommon for a host to take a minute and a half on a speech disguised as a question and not even ten seconds into the response, he's already interrupting his guest when the guest's answer contradicts the host's speech/question.

Iman said...

“The Valor was Stolen. The Squalor is Genuine.”

Iman said...

If wishes were horses, Marcotte would be working blue in Tijuana.

JaimeRoberto said...

Surely we can expect hard hitting questions for Kamala like, "Madame Vice President, your opponent is evil. How do you cope with that?"

Howard said...

If wishes are horse turds, Iman is a shit head

Michael K said...

I think they want to get to the end of mail voting before anything is said about policies. Lock that up before revealing anything.

Michael K said...

The dullard chooses a has-been lefty blogger to quote.

Achilles said...

It is just shocking how dumb these people are.

Rusty said...

Iman
"If wishes were horses, Marcotte would be working blue in Tijuana."
Marcotte is lucky to alive after that industrial dildo accident. Farm equipment should never be used to power your self pleasuring instruments.