Cable News News

CNN executives would like to forget, as everyone else has, the existence of CNN+.  Ironically, CNN is now airing some of the flotsam and jetsam from that ill-fated streaming service.

CNN is airing Fareed Zakaria's interviews with famous people - Billy Joel and Francis Ford Coppola, to be precise - this Saturday, after they were originally aired on CNN+.  It's apparent that the Cable News Network is trying to salvage the debacle of its streaming channel by airing what was either aired or about to air on it on CNN itself. Whether these special programs will continue to be produced remains unknown, but in the meantime, let's see if they air Jake Tapper's CNN+ book reviews or Eva Longoria's "Searching For Mexico." (Heck, Eva Longoria is so hot, she could do a documentary series called "Searching for Kyrgyzstan" and I'd watch it!)   

Meanwhile, here's something I just found out that happened three months ago - Chris Jansing took over the 1 PM Eastern slot at MSNBC from Chuckles the Clown (also known as Chuck Todd) back in May.  I was unaware of that because I've pared my cable-news viewing down to John King's CNN program at 12 PM Eastern and Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC program at 10 PM Eastern.  (King and O'Donnell are both Boston boys!) This is still welcome news, because I love Chris Jansing and, as you can gather, I can't stand Chuckles the Clown.  Chuckles now hosts his "Meet The Press Daily" show on NBC News Now, NBC's free news-streaming service.  But if you watch Chuckles on NBC News Now, you'll agree that the service is way overpriced.

But the big news at MSNBC is . . . Alex Wagner has her own show again! 😃  It's on Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 PM Eastern, filling the void left by Rachel Maddow when she went weekly.  Starting tonight.

Chuckles Is Banished

While Joy Reid's star is rising - as it turns out, as I noted in an appendage to my earlier comments on the subject, she's not giving up her weekend show to concentrate more on her weekday show - Chuck Todd's is falling.

Todd got himself in hot water with many NBC viewers when , as the moderator of "Meet The Press," when Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro was on the program and he claimed that Trump's power to issue executive orders to provide economic stimulus over the heard pf Congress was divinely ordained.  (What is he, a Mormon?)  Todd let Navarro's invocation of the Almighty go unchallenged.

Chuckles the Clown is still, alas, the moderator of "Meet The Press," where he continues to be an embarrassment. (Yet this past Sunday, he tried to grill Pete Buttigieg by suggesting that the Democrats offered no clear policy proposals or and agenda at the Democratic convention, though anyone with half a brain - that is, someone other thn Todd - should have been able to figure out the Democrats' agenda by listening to speakers like, well, Biden himself.)  However, in obvious self-absolution, MSNBC has moved Todd's sister cable program "Meet The Press Daily"  from 5 PM Eastern to 1 PM Eastern, when fewer people are watching cable news, and it's expanded Nicolle Wallace's 4 PM Eastern program, "Deadline: White House," to two hours.  I couldn't be more pleased, because while I obviously do not like Chuckles the Clown, Nicolle Wallace is quickly becoming my favorite ex-Republican White House aide.  She knows her stuff.  Chuckles obviously does not.  More power to her.

And I'm also glad to see Hallie Jackson back at 10 AM Eastern.    

You So Can't Do That

Before Paul Ryan's Medicare fiasco and Kathy Hochul's House special election victory in upstate New York (and certainly before former New York congressman Anthony Weiner's scandal), Democratic congressman Steve Israel, also of New York, expressed confidence to MSNBC's Chuck Todd that, as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he could orchestrate winning the 25 (now 24, thanks to Hochul) seats necessary to win back control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans in 2012. Todd was unpersuaded. "Not too many people think you can do that," he told Israel.

I wanted Todd to explain why he believed not too many people thought Israel could pull off what he proposed to do, though Todd never did explain why. I know why I don't think the Democrats can retake the House in 2012 - because of redistricting and reapportioning. But I wanted to know if Todd reached the same conclusion as I did for the same reasons.

Anyway, with Hochul in and Weiner gone, the Democrats think they can pick up where they left off and focus once again on Republican efforts to get rid of Medicare and other popular Great Society programs. I don't think they can do that. Republicans have succeeded in making deficit and debt reduction the largest priority in Washington by tying it to job creation; they've managed to convince enough people that cutting spending and the debt will generate more economic activity. Which is why they keep blocking job bills in Congress without paying a price for their intransigence - it's just more "government spending." By setting the perimeters of the debate, the Republicans have effectively neutered their opposition. Democrats may get a victory from preserving Medicare, but effectively sell an alternative agenda? Not too many people think they can do that.

In a country where only 22 percent of the voters identify themselves as "liberal" and where half the voters considers the debt an important issue, it's actually kind of pathetic to see progressive Democrats fantasize of coming out strong with their own agendas and policy proposals. Keep a Democratic majority in the Senate as well as regain the House in 2012? Not too many people think they can do that. Amend the health care law with a public insurance option in 2013? Not too many people think they can do that. Promote a green economy? Not too many people think they can do that. Pass a sweeping infrastructure bill? Not too many people think they can do that. Get people to even care about infrastructure? Not too many people think they can do that. Repeal the Bush tax cuts? Absolutely no one thinks they can do that.

I'd like to offer words of hope and optimism to my progressive friends. But not too many people think they I can do that.

Story Updates

A few updates on stories I've commented on of late:

Dylan Ratigan may have lost his morning show on MSNBC, but he has a new show that begins at 4 PM Eastern today. Still no word on what's going to become of Dr. Nancy Snyderman, but David Shuster and Tamron Hall will still be on between 3 PM and 4 PM Eastern.

A new MSNBC show, "The Daily Rundown," began today at 9 AM Eastern. It's hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd. I can understand why they would have Savannah Guthrie, who's as cute as a button, host a show, but aren't people tried of seeing Chuck Todd and his goatee?

Saab may not be dead after all. General Motors is still interested in sell the Swedish car company to potential bidders, which include the Dutch firm Spyker, but the clock is ticking and they are already going ahead with phasing out Saab if there is no deal son. AlixPartners, a consulting firm, has already been hired by GM to oversee the dissolution. There's still a chance, Saabphiles, that your favorite brand will survive, but it doesn't look good.

I now return you to my regularly scheduled musings.