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Yesterday, I watched host Kristin Welker get absolutely steamrolled by Rep. Elise Stefanik on “Meet the Press” in what was certainly one of the most embarrassing interviews I’ve ever seen on a Sunday talk show.
In a long segment replete with unrelenting pro-Trump propaganda, Stefanik refused to commit to certifying the 2024 election results, implied President Biden is attempting to get Trump removed the ballot (there is zero evidence of this), claimed the federal government is being “weaponized” against conservatives (again, no evidence of this), and referred to the terrorists involved in the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol as “hostages,” among other asinine and deeply irresponsible statements.
Stefanik, the Chair of the Republican House Conference, appeared to be auditioning to be Donald Trump’s running mate, since the former president, at this point, seems to be a lock for the GOP’s presidential nomination.
It was a particularly shameless and self-serving performance, even for Stefanik, who has become a punchline in D.C. circles over the past six years for the way she has transparently sold her soul for power.
Welker, meanwhile, sat there and weakly pushed back against the tirade, almost seeming apologetic at times when attempting to correct the Congresswoman. At several points, Welker appeared to attempt interjecting during long-winding vomits of disinformation by Stefanik, only to stay silent and let it continue.
It was all the more frustrating given that Welker, just over a week ago, on New Year’s Eve, offered a closing statement of commitment for what the show hoped to accomplish in the new year, which included this:
“…to build upon the great tradition of this show, which is about accountability and earning your trust. Meet the Press has always been a place for diverse voices and challenging conversations. It is essential to our democracy and who we are as a country.”
Again, that was the previous week. Just seven days prior.
When Welker was first announced as the replacement for Chuck Todd, I was quite optimistic. I felt Todd had long been an abysmal steward of “Meet the Press” and completely unsuited for what this moment in history requires of a proactive and honest political media. I felt Welker would be a substantial improvement.
Welker had demonstrated a talent for obliquely cutting through bullshit in a manner that might make the interviewee feel less attacked. This was on display during her first show at the helm, when she scored a few points for integrity while interviewing Donald Trump, in itself a widely-criticized booking decision.
The decision to book Trump, of course, immediately proved to be a net negative, but I had hope that she was playing the long game: mollifying some on the right by signaling that she would be a fair interviewer even to the most nasty interviewee.
At various moments since then, I have found her approach somewhat effective, perhaps getting into a more confident mode of challenging obvious nonsense with clarity and common sense.
Yesterday’s interview has blown that notion apart. “Meet the Press” now seems to mostly exist for the benefit of politicians and journalists who are seeking to build their personal brands. It’s a great place for a rightwing extremist to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of viewers who don’t know any better.
Because the Sunday shows—Meet the Press (NBC), Face the Nation (CBS), State of the Union (CNN), and Fox News Sunday—so often shape the week’s agenda on the Hill and its surrounding discourse, a lot of folks in politics will continue to watch them to stay ahead of the conversation, myself included.
But if you don’t work in politics, there’s little benefit to be found here. These shows are really no longer about serving the public so much as they’re mostly geared toward being a live-action LinkedIn for those participating.
That’s a tragedy. We really could use someone like Tim Russert right now.
Because there’s no way in hell he would have let Stefanik force-feed him that bullshit.
Meet the Propaganda