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The
Tao of Sunday By
Ben Domenech, NRO |
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"Infidelity
is always unacceptable, but particularly when
 egardless of
what you think of Gary Condit's proclivities, Trent Lott's weekend
call for the California congressman's resignation is a perfect example
of one of the GOP's nagging deficiencies: the Republican party, for
all intents and purposes, completely fails to understand the Sunday
morning shows.
Given the opportunity to weigh in, Lott, unable to resist, voiced his opinion on Condit in a clumsy, ham-handed fashion. What he said was true, to be sure — but the Sunday shows are not about truth. Condit's political career is over, whether Lott says so or not; and a Senate minority leader calling for a House Democrat's resignation only goes to support the publicly held myth that all scandal is ultimately a partisan battle, not a moral one. Lott has forgotten the old maxim: Never interrupt your enemy while he's in the process of destroying himself. You'd think that party leaders like Lott would know better by now, but they don't. Republicans — and more particularly, conservatives — who frequent the Sunday shows consistently send the wrong message, from both a political and an ideological standpoint. They either hem and haw, engaging in the kind of blatant waffling that begs for a Tim Russert-trademarked verbal ICBM, or, like Lott this past weekend, they shoot themselves in the foot by violating the cardinal rules of the Sunday-show arena. Most Republicans also fail to differentiate between the Sunday shows — many act the same way on Meet the Press as they do on Fox News Sunday or This Week, an enormous genre faux pas. In relative rank of the Sunday shows, Meet the Press is still the overall best: Russert's interviews are consistently tough, and the guest list is always solid. While Fox News Sunday is in many ways a better show, but their roster of talking heads is always less-star studded than the rest (John McCain's only been there twice this year, after all). Face the Nation, while in desperate need of a host who is among the ranks of the living, still has a good guest list and the ever lovable Jerry Springer-esque end of show morality message. CNN's Late Edition is increasingly just an excuse for Wolf Blitzer and Chuck Hagel to trade shouts, and ABC's This Week With Sam and Cokie wins all the awards for "Least Interesting Show with the Best Possible Guest Lineup," "We Lost Beaucoup Ratings So We Fired Bill Kristol," and the bonus "Best Weekly Imitation of a Dead Ferret" for Sam Donaldson's toupee. But regardless of the interview format, Republicans sound off with the same style and word choices — it's only a few exceptions (like McCain) who can send an effective message, adapting their tone to the nuance of the nasty, brutish, and/or short interview formats of each show without missing a beat. As if that weren't enough, the GOP consistently chooses to place their weakest spokesmen in the public eye on Sunday morning. They fail to respect the shows' institutional power: With just short of 10 million people tuning in every week (on average), and many more reading about what happened (the quotes, the second guessing) in their newspaper the next day or listening to the second guessing on C-SPAN and the cable networks, no political party can afford to let their message to the public be determined by the slip-ups of knock-kneed talking heads. While the Democrats have centrally distributed talking points and consistently organized appearances — you can count the number of times Blue Dogs have appeared this year on one hand — the GOP's public face on Sunday morning is rarely a conservative one. Even when it is, the conservatives who appear are usually part of the GOP leadership, restricted by the need to send the big-tent message of their party, unable to express their own ideological beliefs. Regardless of their personal conservatism, members of leadership tend to arrive on the set with their foot already shoved past their tonsils. According to Roll Call, the Republicans with the most Sunday-morning appearances in 2001 are Senators John McCain (big surprise), Arlen Specter (who has a little more than half as many as McCain), Trent Lott, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Hagel, and Orrin Hatch. While many of the best conservative spokesmen are in the House, representatives who aren't in leadership almost always return to their home districts on the weekends, leaving Sunday morning up to moderate senators like those listed above — you know there's a problem when Orrin Hatch is the best hope for a conservative voice. And is there any wonder that many Americans have mixed feelings toward the Republican party and conservatism in general when the House member with the most Sunday appearances this year is Connecticut's own Chris Shays? This is only the public representation of the problem, though. The deeper issue that Republicans and conservatives must address in order to have any hope of successfully using the Sunday morning forum to its full potential is to gain an understanding of The Rules — drawn from the teachings of Sun-Tzu, forged through the inexorable rites of transcendency, the source of all being, non-being, and change. The Rules are all that Republicans need to understand the Sunday morning conflict. They are listed below, in no particular order — all are equally important. In case you've been wondering since the first paragraph, The Honorable Mr. Lott was guilty of breaking Rule No. 5.
The
Tao of Sunday The Sunday shows act as a great democratizing force; on the networks, all voices are equally matched. Pundits, senators, congressmen — even presidents and administration heads are placed at the same level. This is why it is important to be skilled at the shows' particular brands of debate — a congressman may have little or no sway over what a Senate committee chairman does during the course of the week, but on Sunday, an "able general" from the tiniest district can still thwart the most pompous of senators — if he is willing to fight.
Rule No. 2 This one is rather self-explanatory; do not wait to have a position challenged, but anticipate the attack, and strike the first blow. Regardless of what happens afterward, viewers and newspapers focus on the throwing of the gauntlet.
Rule No. 3 Building verbal traps to snare clumsy rivals is a trademark tactic of any good Sunday-morning politician. Knowing when to allow an enemy the perception of an upper hand in an conflict, so as to coax out embarrassing comments or the half-baked logic of a sloppy argument, is extremely useful, a dangerous weapon when used properly.
Rule No. 4 The best Sunday show actors are those who know the other side's talking points as well as they know their own — Sen. Don Nickles can be especially good at this, but Rep. J. C. Watts could at times use a little more research. Rule No. 4 allows for the sturdiest possible position, one with heightened awareness of all the logical moves available to the adversary, as well as a deep knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of each argument.
Rule No. 5 Here is McCain's strength and Lott's failing writ large. The most formidable opponent in the Sunday arena is one who balances subtly and skillfully, without raised voice or caustic language, who knocks the legs out from under the other side's arguments without lifting a finger. This Rule requires refined study and experience, but with a soupcon of verve. Mastering it often takes a lifetime. The Rules, of course, are meaningless without avid followers, something that Republicans could definitely use. Unless conservative backbenchers step up and start forcing real debate with liberal ideology, the Sunday shows will continue to be a forum for Democratic steam-rolling and moderate bunk. There are potential warriors out there — Rep. Chris Cox and Senators George Allen, John Ensign, Jim Inhofe, and Jeff Sessions all possess the power within them to take on the Democratic A-Team — Senators Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, and John Edwards. If conservatives don't make the decision to step up to the plate, the debate will always end up between Arlen Specter and Tom Daschle — and in that situation, everyone loses. |
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