On Sunday June 19th, I watched Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace on Fox News channel and Meet the Press, hosted by Chuck Todd on NBC. Guests on Fox News included Loretta Lynch, Jeff Sessions, Juan Williams, Amy Walters, George Will, and Brit Hume. Pundits and other guests with Chuck Todd were Paul Ryan, Mark Halperin, Gwen Ifill, Jose Diaz-Balart, Katy Tur, and Loretta Lynch. Both shows had healthy discussions and interviews which covered very similar topics.
On Fox News Sunday, attorney general Loretta Lynch discusses the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen's, wife and her connections to Omar. She suggests how America should manage gun control, and says they are investigating the wife's relationship to the shooting. Lynch spoke as though it was less of a terrorism attack than a hate crime when in reality, it was both. Next, key adviser for Trump Jeff Sessions says that toxic ISIS ideology is what caused the shooting, not the access of guns. Trump says he thinks anyone on the no-fly list, should not be allowed to purchase a firearm, and I agree. Any questionable connections with terrorism or danger should prohibit someone from buying a weapon. Juan Williams, Amy Walters, George Will, Brit Hume, and Chris Wallace discuss ISIS's impact in social media and the growing threat. Amy Walters mentions how both parties cannot come to a common ground. Republicans say Orlando was a terrorism issue, and Democrats say it is a gun control issue, when it is both. Now onto the political race, the table discusses the candidates' stance in the race. Walters states that Trump can exploit Hillary and the Obama administration for their lack of controlling ISIS, but Trump fails to take those opportunities and uses insults and lets his mouth get the best of him. Hume says that Trump is missing chances to change his view to voters, since many voters are losing faith in him. George Will mentions that Trumps confuses the hype of the crowds at rallies with the attitude of the general voters, which gives him a false idea of what the voters think.
This week on Meet the Press, Chuck Todd started the show with an interview with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. They discussed Trump's appearance in the media. Todd asks how Ryan feels about Trump "implying that Obama has a connection with ISIS." Ryan shoots back to say that is not what Trump meant by his statement, but Todd continues to press Ryan on why he trusts Trump. Ryan stands his ground and fully answers questions while keeping his cool. I believe that Todd is biased in his interviews and as a host by the way he forces his opinion against the Republican party into his deliverance of the news. Later in the show, Todd and his discussion team, Mark Halperin, Gwen Ifill, Jose Diaz-Balart, and Katy Turr, gather to talk about the "Dump Trump" organization. Ifill says that no one is strong enough to be appointed to win against Trump in the Republican party. The group agrees that no one will believe the movement is organic, because it is the delegates who want Trump gone, not the Republican voters. Tur mentions the fact that Trump is "backtracking" and is "sputtering" which hurts his support systems in the race. Since Sunday, Trump has fired the head of his campaign, so hopefully he will begin to be more specific about his plans and control his mouth.
In conclusion, both shows I watched, Fox News Sunday and Meet the Press, had very informative information and included several interesting views on terrorism, gun control, and the presidential race. The guests had many points that made me think differently about current issues in America. I look forward to see how politics progresses in the next week.
This is a very good overview of the shows, but I'd like to see more of your analysis. For example, you write that George Will mentions that Trumps confuses the hype of the crowds at rallies with the attitude of the general voters, which gives him a false idea of what the voters think. What are your thoughts on this? Why does Will say this. Hint ... he's NOT a fan of Trump!
ReplyDeleteYour eval of the shows is correct. Fox News leans more to the right and NBC more to the left. Your analysis of Todd is accurate, but I'd say the other side is equally forceful in their questions.
BTW, the no fly list is a bit complicated. There are sitting U.S. Congressmen on that list as well as previous U.S. Senators, and two current CNN reporters. The list has to be re-evaluated before any legitimate legislation can be passed. Public policy is tricky :) We'll dive in to this later in the year. Good post!!!