In case you missed it this morning, be sure to catch the video replay of the round table discussion on today’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos.(We’ll update with the video here as soon as they post it.) ABC jumps on the same broken bandwagon as MSNBC and several other outlets and, for reasons which escape most viewers, allows loudmouthed “pundit” Liz Cheney on the show. The results, as they have been on virtually every one of her appearances, are predictable. Liz is given virtually unlimited time to spout her talking points, but as soon as the host calls on one of the other guests who are not ready to simply repeat whatever she said, Ms. Cheney lets them get – on average – about eleven words out of their mouth before jumping in with her usual battle cry of, “No… No… No, wait!” and shouting them down.
The ABC round table is generally one of the most enjoyable ones every weekend and I’m a regular viewer. They balance the panel with two conservative voices, usually including the excellent George Will, and two liberal voices which frequently include Gwen Ifill from PBS. They have spirited discussions and you always get a selection of diverse opinions to consider. Unfortunately, Stephanopoulos demonstrated no more ability than his sadly outmatched predecessors to reign in Loudmouth Liz, and the panel quickly broke down into a replica of a bad Jerry Springer taping, absent only the flying metal folding chairs.
The real question here actually has very little to do with Liz. Ever since her father Darth defeated Emperor Palaptine and took over complete control of the Sith Lords, she has ridden his coat tails and her famous last name into every door which could be booted in. The puzzling point is why these media outlets continue to let her come on and disrupt the proceedings. And, further, there is constant buzz about Liz running for some sort of high level elected office. What would this woman do in an actual debate where there are time limits on each speaker and both must be allowed to complete their answers? If for no other reason than protecting her health, I’d have to advise against it. In any debate that ran longer than three questions, I do believe the woman’s head could literally explode right at the podium.