IF IT’S SUNDAY…. Just yesterday, Dick Cheney explained his belief that it’s time for some of the older establishment Republican voices to exit the stage. “I think periodically we have to go through one these sessions. It helps clear away some of the underbrush,” the former vice president said, adding, “Some of the older folks who’ve been around a long time — like yours truly — need to move on and make room for that young talent that’s coming along.”
Keep that in mind when looking over the guest list for the Sunday morning shows for this weekend. Sam Stein noted:
2008 presidential nominee, Senator John McCain will be on ABC’s “This Week.” Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be on “Fox News Sunday.” And former Vice President Dick Cheney will be on “Face the Nation” on CBS. (“Face the Nation” confirmed that Cheney would be getting the full half hour.)
The Obama White House and DNC must be salivating at the slate. The latter two officials have been actively elevated by Democrats as the face of the GOP.
That’s probably true. The more Cheney and Gingrich are the face of the Republican Party, the happier Democratic leaders are. Sometimes I wonder whether the DNC actually works the phones, urging producers to have these two on. McCain is hardly any better.
Indeed, that all of this is happening in the midst of an alleged “rebranding” effort is almost comical. Eric Cantor is trying to emphasize fresh faces, and Cheney concedes it’s time to “clear away some of the underbrush,” but there’s the Sunday line-up, featuring a disgraced former House Speaker who left Congress 11 years ago, the 72-year-old defeated Republican presidential nominee, and a wildly unpopular former vice president who his own party wants to see go away.
I’d add, however, that these shows’ producers really ought to expand their rolodexes a bit. During the Clinton years, Republican guests dominated. During the Bush years, Republican guests dominated. And a few months into Obama’s presidency, we have a Sunday morning featuring Cheney, Gingrich, and McCain — and no current or former Democratic elected officials.
