This is a dumpster fire
It is rare indeed when I choose to single out a particular television pundit in my writing. But this particular article is essential — very much so. I have been hooked on politics for many, many years. I eat it, and I breathe it. It, along with writing, is my passion.
One of my favorite political shows WAS Meet the Press. Ah — how wonderful Tim Russert was. In my humble opinion, Russert was one of the greatest interviewers ever. Russert could destroy a lying politician in a nanosecond, but he did not do so with anger.
He did it with a smile as gentle as a summer breeze, with softly rebuking words. He did it because he was a great interviewer, and uncovering lies and falsehoods from dishonest politicians was HIS passion.
Since the tragic passing of Russert, Meet the Press never really rebounded. We’ve had a bevy of hosts, but none have shone in the way Russert did — not by a long shot. This brings me to Kristen Welker.
Bill Palmer recently wrote about her and her lack of pushback in interviews with Republican politicians. I agree. I do not HATE Welker. But it is obvious she is not the right person to be hosting Meet The Press.
From the beginning, I had my doubts about Welker. This is because, for her first show, she chose ratings over truth, by choosing Donald Trump as her first interview. . Russert would NEVER have done that.
She didn’t push back. She treated Trump as if he were normal. It shows how much the show has changed. It shows that the old magic of Meet The Press has been replaced with ratings-driven narratives and pundits that do not seem to have it in them to push back.
Welker’s interview with Trump could not have been worse. Likewise, her interview this week with Elise Stefanik was an embarrassment — to Welker. In my opinion, she is even worse than Chuck Todd. I do think a protest is in order, a boycott if you will.
The only way to get Meet the Press back to its glory days is by not watching and turning it off. Letting the network know that Welker ain’t no Tim Russert. Boycotts work. The lower her ratings go, the more chance she will be replaced.
Meet the Press was once one of the greatest — the best — the purest –political shows on television. It was too good to give up on now, and we need a quality host. Until we get one, this show must be boycotted because now the formerly magical show has turned into” Meet the Hypocrisy.”
