Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 12/8 - 12/9/07 (not the live thread)

Network and Cable News | December 7, 2007 | Network and Cable News Shows

[Phsstpok]

Show by Show Preview

Below are the topics and guests announced for these programs, starting with the Saturday shows.  My take on the "memes" that the shows are trying to push will come later after more research.  With each guest's name in those later posts will be a series of links that I found in a web search that helped me get a handle on who they are and what their likely positions will be when they are interviewed.  On the Saturday shows I'm posting my take on their memes based on their topics and VAST (and very cynical) knowledge of how they think (as if I don't think I can predict their thinking by now <g>)

I will post more on this thread regarding each show as I finish my research.

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Saturday Shows For December 8^th, 2007

The Beltway Boys (Mort Kondrake, Fred Barnes)

• Meme:
  • He did great (Fred) ... No he didn't (Mort)
  • The Hildabeast is DOOMED!!!!!  Well, maybe not (it's all about setting expectations so that she can be the new "comeback kid")
  • Bush doing something to help people in trouble ?  All of the "right people" know that he can't be allowed to get credit for it!  Marshall the negative rhetoric.  It's a moral imperative!
• Topics:
  • Mitt Romney tries to put questions about his Mormon faith to rest
  • Hillary Clinton sees her lead slipping in Iowa and New Hampshire
  • There's a plan to ease the mortgage mess, but not everyone's happy about it
• Beltway Boys contact information beltway@foxnews.com
• The program airs on FOX News Channel Saturdays at 6 and 11:30 p.m. ET

Tim Russert's Show On MSNBC (Tim Russert)

• Meme:
  • The only remaining (untarnished) Kennedy speaks - listen up, you morons (we must negate any benefit Romney will get from his speech)
  • The Today Show - those you should be listening to instead of Rush Limbaugh!
• Topics:
  • Caroline Kennedy will discuss
    • her new book, which is a compilation of Christmas stories from her childhood and traditions she now has with her children
    • a historical perspective on the holiday
    • Neil Diamond's recent announcement that she was the inspiration for the song "Sweet Caroline."
  • In addition, in a segment that originally aired last December, Today Show regular's talk about their holiday traditions
• Guests
  • Caroline Kennedy
    • Daughter of President John F. Kennedy
    • Author, A Family Christmas
  • Matt Lauer
  • Meredith Vieira
  • Ann Curry
  • Al Roker
  • Natalie Morales
• CNBC's Tim Russert Show airs Saturday at 7pm, 10pm & 1am ET

Fox News Watch (Eric Burns)

• Meme:
  • Romney actually said he believed in God!  He's so doomed!!!!!
  • OK, lefty anti Bush CIA/State types who hate Bush said Iran is not a problem (even though they really didn't) - So how do we spin this? (I smell Rathergate 2)
• Topics:
  • Mitt Romney's Religion: After "Faith in America" speech does GOP presidential wannabe have a prayer with the press?
  • Iran's Nukes: The media and the new intel report
  • Celebs strike back against media
• The program airs on FOX News Channel Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 2:30 a.m. ET
• Fox News Watch contact information Newswatch@foxnews.com

Journal Editorial Report (Paul Gigot) - FNC show page

• Meme:
  • Is Putin actually RASputin?  Enquiring minds want to know (I'm not really being 100% humorous here)
  • Who's got the goods on taxes and who's a phony poser? (I know who I think it is, but I'll be interested in their take)
• Topics:
  • Opinion Journal web page: Chess and Taxes
    • Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov explains why he's challenging Vladimir Putin, and how he fears for his life
    • Rating the GOP presidential candidates and their tax plans
  • Fox News Channel web page
    • Garry Kasparov is in the match of his life: The former world chess champion explains why he's taking on Vladimir Putin
    • Fred Thompson's 'flat tax' vs. Mike Huckabee's 'fair tax': Who's got the better idea?
• Guests
  • Garry Kasparov
    • Russian chess champion
    • Political candidate, Russian Parliament
• Journal Editorial Report (at Fox News) contact information - jer@foxnews.com
• The program is from The Wall Street Journal and airs on FNC Saturday at 11 p.m. and again Sunday at 6 a.m. ET

[Phsstpok]

Sunday Shows for December 9^th, 2007

In the order shown in my market

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NBC Meet The Press (Tim Russert)

• Meme:
  • To be posted later
• Topics:
  • "Meet the Candidates" series
    • Find out where Giuliani stands on the major issues facing the country
• Guests
  • Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Republican - New York
    • Former New York City Mayor | Bio (from NYC.GOV)
    • Republican presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
• Meet the Press mailbox (web page for comments)

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Fox News Sunday (Chris Wallace)

• Meme:
  • To be posted later
• Topics:
  • Two of the top tier Republican candidates.
    • Just three weeks away from the Iowa caucuses and the race for president is shifting dramatically.
    • Mike Huckabee has been enjoying a meteoric rise from the second tier to leader of the pack, according to one National poll
    • Will his limited resources take him beyond Iowa?
    • A tougher look at the former Arkansas governor's campaign and his readiness to deal with issues such as healthcare and Iran.
    • Senator John McCain started the race as frontrunner, but quickly fell back into the pack
    • Now he's regained some momentum in New Hampshire with a major endorsement
    • What can the Arizona senator do to convince the rest of America he's the man who should hold the highest office?
  • Fox News Sunday panel
    • The Democratic race
      • Will Oprah's endorsement give Obama the push he needs?
  • Fox News essay: Coming up on Fox News Sunday
• Guests
  • Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Republican - Arkansas
    • Republican presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
  • Senator John McCain, Republican - Arizona
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Republican presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
  • Fox News Sunday panel
    • Brit Hume
      • Washington managing editor of FOX News
    • Bill Kristol
      • The Weekly Standard
    • Mara Liasson
      • National Public Radio
    • Juan Williams
      • National Public Radio
• Fox News Sunday contact information - FNS@foxnews.com

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CBS Face The Nation (Bob Schieffer)

• Meme:
  • To be posted later, but I can already tell it's not good - can you say "Rathergate 2?"
• Topics:
  • CIA Investigation Tapes
  • Iran National Intelligence Estimate
• Guests
  • Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller, Democrat - West Virginia
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Chairman, Select Intelligence Committee
  • Senator Chuck Hagel, Republican (?) - Nebraska
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Select Intelligence Committee member
• Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

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ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos)

• Meme:
  • More to be posted later
  • One thing I can already say, ABC is desperate to save at least one of Hollywood's pro-Al Qaeda movies, which are all failing in a historic manner
• Topics:
  • Interview: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
    • His take on the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran
    • His campaign for the Democratic nomination
  • Interview: former Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.
    • His perspective on the week's news
  • Voices segment
    • A film that attempts to look at the consequences and human cost of the war in Iraq in a "non-partisan, non-polemic way" (yeah, right)
• Guests
  • Senator Joe Biden, Democrat - Deleware
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Democrat presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
    • Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
  • Newt Gingrich, Republican - Georgia
    • Former Speaker of the House
    • Web site, Newt.ORG | Bio
  • Roundtable
    • Sam Donaldson, D-ABC
    • Cokie Roberts, D-ABC
    • George Will, RINO-ABC
  • Voices segment
    • Actor John Cusack
• ABC This Week comment web page

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CNN Late Edition (Wolf Blitzer)

• Meme:
  • More To be posted later
  • You think things are better in Iraq?  Well just let us tell you about Pakistan!
  • Iran is not a threat and Bush is a moron for having suggested it was, but in case they nuke New York it is definitely his fault!
• Topics:
  • State of emergency in Pakistan
  • Key members of congress weigh in on Iran and the nuclear threat
• Guests
  • Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf
  • Members of congress not listed yet
• CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

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[Phsstpok]

Ping

The Weekend Talk Show Preview is up

Like last week I'm posting the raw show data (with minimal commentary... really) and will come back to each show tomorrow as I complete my research.

Happy holidays everyone!

[jmyrlefuller]

There is going to be SO much material for me to use in the Sunday thread.

Hagel and Rockefeller? Huckabee again? I am licking my chops...

[Morgan in Denver]

Agreed. I’m afraid Huckabee is too fiscally liberal to pass muster with the majority of the GOP base. So he’s more of a flash in the pan for right now, and showing that the base is still not happy with the choices available.

It’s interesting how the media dissects every possible position Republicans have as we decide whom to support while the topics for Democrats rests on Oprah and other celebrities who support them. It’s like a love fest versus serious analysis for the future of America.

[MNJohnnie]

So could See-BS be any more transparently partisan? The most politically corrupt, reckless demagogue partisan hack in the US Senate Rockefeller with the Rino’s Rino Hagel?

Wonder when the Democrats are finally going to wake up to the fact they are being owned by Bush?

The ONE issue the Democrats lose badly to Republicans in every poll is National Security. So what has been the major issue that is continually in the news?

National Security. From Iraq to Iran to the SC on Gitmo to phony hysteria about the CIA tapes. Week after week the Democrats demonstrate to more and more voters just why they are unfit to hold any measure of any political power at any level.

[MNJohnnie]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1936582/posts?page=1

Well isn’t this interesting. Seems Rocky has been lying about the destroyed tapes all ready. Looks like this PR stunt is all ready starting to bite this incompetent demagogue on the butt

[Amelia]

Bookmark

[maica]

Very true,
Tomorrow President Musharraf will be a guest on Wolf’s show, not General Musharref.

Do I recall any media commentary on Musharraf and President Bush having conversations about removing the uniform? No, because it would just be another item of news that shows President Bush favorably, it has to be ignored and consigned to the trashcan of unused information.

[pookie18]

The correct times for The Beltway Boys & FoxNews Watch are 2 PM & 2:30 PM Saturdays, respectively.

[Bahbah]

Today Show regular's talk about their holiday traditions

Yuk, another reason not to watch.

[MNJohnnie]

And now for today’s GOOD news.

Taliban Militants Mistakenly Blow Themselves Up

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936581/posts

[Bahbah]

LOL. Good news, indeed.

[jmyrlefuller]

[Phsstpok]

The correct times for The Beltway Boys & FoxNews Watch are 2 PM & 2:30 PM Saturdays, respectively.

Yeah, and Tim Russert's Saturday show is now only on once, at noon, ET.  I've been correcting that manually each week and hadn't updated my  template yet.  I just forgot yesterday.  I've now updated the template so that shouldn't happen again.  Sorry 'bout that. 

[Bahbah]

I wish the Beltway Boys could get their facts straight. They are constantly misstating things.

Mort just said that both Rocky and Harman have said they weren’t told about the CIA tapes and their potential destruction. As anyone paying attention knows, Harman alleges she sent a letter to the CIA telling them not to destroy the tapes, hard thing to do if you haven’t been told anything about them. And Rockefeller, having been caught with his pants down, had to backtrack on his statement.

[pookie18]

No problem...watching it now. I knew they weren't on from 6-7 anymore, but didn't know the new times. Seeing the times in your thread forced me to look up the new times...so I could watch them...& that's a good thing! ;-) Always enjoy your thread!

[jmyrlefuller]

I read this message on the MSNBC site:

“Based in Washington, D.C., “Tim Russert” is produced by NBC News and airs Saturdays at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on MSNBC. “Tim Russert” re-airs at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and 2 a.m. ET/11 p.m. PT on Saturdays and 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Sundays.”

[Phsstpok]

OK, starting to post the research and memes.  First up 

NBC Meet The Press (Tim Russert)

• Meme:
  • The fax went out from the DNC to reporters: use the DNC spin on every issue as fact and any Republican who disagrees is therefore a liar
  • Promote Huck, promote Huck, promote Huck, promote Huck, promote Huck, promote Huck, promote Huck, we can easily beat him.
  • Liberal reporters: "Rudy is a womanizer who was unfaithful to his wife... no one like that can be allowed to be president... er... oops..."
  • Liberal reporters: "OK, try this one, taxpayers paid for guarding his mistress.  Yeah, that's it, he misused government resources to further his sex life... no one like that can be allowed to be president... er... oops..."
• Topics:
  • "Meet the Candidates" series
    • Find out where Giuliani stands on the major issues facing the country
• Guests
  • Rudy Giuliani, Republican - New York
    • Former New York City Mayor | Bio (from NYC.GOV)
    • Republican presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
    • Michael Winship: Rudy’s numbers don’t add up (Galesburg.com - Dec 6, 2007)
    • Factcheck.org and ABC 7 in San Francisco re Giuliani and Romney (Huffington Post - Dec 7, 2007)
    • Fact Check: Republican Primaries (ABC News - Dec 7, 2007)
    • Rudolph Giuliani Ad Check: The Serial-Exaggerator Strikes Again (All American Patriots (DNC press release), Sweden - Dec 5, 2007)
    • Recalling Iranian Hostage Crisis, Giuliani Invokes Reagan as a Model (New York Times, United States - Dec 5, 2007)
    • HUCK'S HOT ON HEELS OF GIULIANI (New York Post, NY - Dec 8, 2007)
    • The Week That Was (New York Times - Dec 7, 2007)
    • Giuliani takes his pitch to Little Italy, manufacturers (Chicago Sun-Times - Dec 8, 2007)
    • Giuliani focuses on big states (ABC7Chicago.com - Dec 7, 2007)
    • Giuliani presents conundrum for Republicans (Nashua Telegraph, NH - Dec 8, 2007)
    • Taxpayers paid the bills while Giuliani strayed (Daily Cardinal -  Dec 6, 2007)
    • Thank You! Have a Good Night! (ABC News - Dec 8, 2007)
    • The more they want Giuliani, the less they want American mediation in Mideast (Ha'aretz, Israel - Dec 6, 2007)
    • Survey Says Youth Voters Favor Obama, Giuliani (CBS News, NY - Dec 6, 2007)
• Meet the Press mailbox (web page for comments)

[Phsstpok]

CBS Face The Nation (Bob Schieffer)

• Meme:
  • With two such stalwart supporters of Bush on the Tiffany Network, it will be all Bush praise all the time - yup, that's the ticket
  • Ol' Bob is happy at last... all "good," reliable guests - warm up the sound bite recorders
  • The intelligence community was completely wrong about WMD in Iraq and we should never believe them again... except this time
  • The CIA told the Dhimmicrats about the video... no they didn't... yes they did... OK, but they only said they were going to destroy it, not that they had.  It depends on what the meaning of "told" is.
  • Jay Rockefeller should break the law and his sworn oath and leak classified information that can be spun against Bush
  • Chuck Hagel may yet run for the White House... as a Democrat - sheesh!
• Topics:
  • CIA Investigation Tapes
  • Iran National Intelligence Estimate
• Guests
  • Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller, Democrat - West Virginia
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Chairman, Select Intelligence Committee
    • US Policy on Iran Under New Scrutiny after Weapons Report (PBS News Hour (transcript) - Dec 4, 2007)
    • Info from Iranian officers fed US change in nuke assessment (CNN - Dec 6, 2007)
    • Dems seeking answers about report on Iran (The Hill, DC - Dec 4, 2007)
    • Congress (Probably) Didn't Compel Release of Iran Intel Report (TPMElectionCentral.com, NY - Dec 3, 2007)
    • Rockefeller: Actually, I Just Found Out About the Destroyed Torture-Tapes Yesterday (TPMElectionCentral.com, NY - Dec 7, 2007)
    • What the Democrats Knew and When They Knew It (New York Times - Dec 7, 2007)
    • Friday Talking Points [Vol. 11] (Huffington Post, NY - Dec 7, 2007)
    • SCHIP battle not over yet; Rockefeller vows victory (Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV - Nov 14, 2007)
    • Indecency regulation: beyond broadcast? (First Amendment Center, TN - Dec 5, 2007)
  • Senator Chuck Hagel, RINO - Nebraska
    • Senate web site | Bio
    • Select Intelligence Committee member
    • Hagel Statement on National Intelligence Estimate On Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program (Southwest Nebraska News, NE - Dec 4, 2007)
    • Hagel: U.S. Should Pursue "Direct, Unconditional and Comprehensive Talks" With Iran (Huffington Post, NY - Dec 5, 2007)
    • Hagel Calls Giuliani, Clinton `Cowboys' for Comments on Iran (Bloomberg - Nov 9, 2007)
    • Three simple points about Iran/NIE (The Atlantic - Dec 4, 2007)
    • Clinton and the NIE (Atlantic Online - Dec 5, 2007)
    • Hagel: Bush White House: 'Arrogant, incompetent' (Baltimore Sun, United States - Dec 1, 2007)
    • Hagel on Bush & Cheney: "They Have Failed the Country" (Yahoo! News - Nov 29, 2007)
    • Hagel: Bush administration is 'incompetent (USA Today - Nov 29, 2007)
    • Together again: Bloomberg, Hagel dine in Manhattan (Newsday, NY - Nov 28, 2007)
    • Hagel Would Look at Dem White House Ticket (Action 3 News, NE - Nov 29, 2007)
    • Can We Stop Election Fraud? (Stanford Progressive, CA - Dec 6, 2007)
• Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

[johnny7]

Wonder if the pro-Hillary Dems are boycotting Russert...