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By Mark Kilmer Posted in Face the Nation | Late Edition | Meet the Press | Special Features | Talk Shows, | This Week — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Sunday, June 15, 2008 (Happy Fathers Day)

PREFACE:

Everyone had a tribute to the late Tim Russert. (The sentence looks strange.)

On FNS, a roundtable argued about how to decrease gas prices. Hutchison Dorgan wants to tax the oil companies and find new types of energy and to regulate speculators, as well as to drill in his home State of South Dakota, while Kay Bailey Hutchison wants to drill in ANWR and elsewhere. American Petroleum Institute CEO Red Cavaney offered that a promised increase in production by the Saudis, along with domestic production, will help to decrease prices. He also forecast that absent external factors, the price of gasoline should start to decrease as the summer proceeds.

Next on FNS, Karl Rove picked veeps for McCain and for Obama: Joe Biden and Mitt Romney.

On TW, John Edwards went in one ear and out the other. Fred Thompson was as charming as ever, but he said that he was "not interested" in being McCain's veep pick. However, he would not rule out what has not been offered, he said. (Russert would have taken that as a "definite maybe.")

On MTP, Tom Brokaw hosted a nice discussion of Tim Russert and his career, including plenty of clips.

First up on FTN was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Guest host Chip Reid wanted to talk about Jindal as GOP-Superstar and Jindal in the veepstakes, but the governor got the word out about what's happening in Louisiana.

Next on FTN, Newt Gingrich said plainly that Jindal would be McCain's best running mate selection.

FEMA director David Paulison was on LE to discuss the flooding in Iowa, but host Wolf Blitzer wanted to talk about Katrina. It turns out that CNN's Abby Boudreau had done an exposé on supplies which FEMA had hoarded for years, keeping them out of the hands of the needy Katrina victims. Paulison explained that the supplies were not all for Katrina victims and that Louisiana had turned down FEMA when they were offered. An indignant Blitzer demanded to know why Paulison hadn't explained that to Abby Boudreau before she made a fool out of herself.

Next up for Blitzer was House Republican Leader John Boehner who stressed that the Republican Party has to inform the American people of their solutions; do that, and they will do better than expected this November.

After this, Blitzer talked to his own congressman, DCCC boss Chris Van Hollen. The Congressman went through the Axelrod talking points and smiled as he said that the GOP "is very tight with BIG OIL."

Read on for the Show-by-Show review….

DORGAN, HUTCHISION, AND CAVANEY ON FNS. Host Chris Wallace of FOX News Sunday said: "As Tim would want, let's get to the big issue." That was energy prices, and Wallace did a roundtable with Dem Senator Byron Dorgan of South Dakota, Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and American Petroleum Institute CEO Red Cavaney.

Wallace asked Dorgan why the Dems block drilling in ANWR, and the Dem replied that John McCain opposes drilling in ANWR. Dorgan said that we need to discover new sorts of energy and that there are huge oil deposits under his home State of South Dakota and neighboring Montana which could be drilled instead.

Hutchison asserted that the Dems block any increase in production, while McCain has embraced all other forms of production besides ANWR. Wallace pointed out that McCain said he would leave it up to the States.

Dorgan argued that nothing about the price of gasoline is justified by supply and demand. He spoke of the need to regulate speculation. Hutchison countered that we need "transparency" in speculation; to end rampant speculation, she argued, we have to increase domestic production. She would consider an attempt to regulate speculation, she agreed, if there were cartels manipulating the price; if it be individuals playing the market, that is the market.

Cavaney said that the profit margins for oil companies are less than average of the Dow companies. He said that profits have to be high because they are competing with companies which are foreign governments. He added that regulating speculation alone could not solve the problem; rather, there must be a concomitant increase in domestic supply.

Wallace played a clip of Barack Obama saying that while prices have to increase to force people to use less gasoline, he would have increased the price more gradually. Dorgan countered that speculation increases prices by twenty- to thirty-percent over where supply and demand would set them.

Cavaney said that a Saudi increase in oil production, as the sheiks have suggested, would push down prices somewhat, but increased domestic production would do so also.

He said that barring intervention from external factors such as hurricanes, the price of gas should "taper downward" this summer.

KARL ROVE ON FNS. Next up for Wallace was Karl Rove to discuss the Presidential election. Rove posited that people know a lot of Obama and McCain, and the bump Obama received after securing the Dem nomination was from older, white women. This bump did not occur, he offered, until after Hillary's Saturday speech.

Rove offered four names for possible names for McCain's veep pick, carefully noting that these were types of possibilities, not those named per se. In Mitt Romney, McCain would have the defeated primary opponent; in Tim Pawlenty, he would get the conservative governor; in Charlie Crist, he would get the person who helped him win a State in the primaries; in Joe Lieberman, he'd get "someone from left field." Asked which one he'd pick if he were McCain, Rove stopped talking about types and spoke of the individual. Rove picked Romney for his business success and the story of how he saved the Olympics, though he admitted that Romney had a problem with saying things, like that he marched with Martin Luther King when he actually did not.

For the Obama, Rove offered the names of Joe Biden, Kat Sebelius, Jim Webb, and Chuck Hagel. Of that list, he'd select Joe Biden. So it's Mitt Romney and Joe Biden on Karl Rove's mind.

EDWARDS ON TW. George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC's This week, had John Edwards as his first guest. Edwards is beyond tedious at this point, seemingly spouting the points given him by Axelrod with the perfect smarm.

Edwards said that Barack Obama will lover taxes on people making less than $200,000/year; McCain, Edwards argued, would continue the Bush policies, "only more so." McCain's plan, he argued, contained no "common sense." McCain did not "pay for his tax cuts." McCain-Bush, he stressed, "value wealth over work," while Obama wants the government to reward hard work.

FRED ON TW. Fred Thompson was next for Steph, a welcome contrast with Edwards. Thompson suggested that there were "stark difference" between McCain and Obama, with none starker than the type of judges they'd appoint.

Steph asked Thompson about McCain continuing the failed Bush economic policies, and Fred countered that what hasn't worked has been the game of rich vs. poor, "soak the rich," which the Dems have been playing for decades. He said that when Obama allows the current tax structure to lapse, it would be the largest tax increase in history. (NOTE: Thompson did not refer to the "Bush tax cuts." In fact, he did not mention President Bush.)

Steph played a clip of McCain at a town hall meeting, listening to a suggestion that he select Fred Thompson as his running mate. Fred replied that it is an honor, but he's not interested in the job and it is presumptuous to turn it down when it has not been offered.

Russert would have taken this answer as a "maybe," a not-interested with an opening.

REMEMBERING RUSSERT ON MTP. Tom Brokaw led a discussion remembering Tim Russert. Brokaw, Mike Barnicle of MSNBC News, James Carville, MTP Executive Producer Betsy Fischer, Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gwenn Ifill of PBS, Mary Matalan, and former NBC News correspondent Maria Shriver sat in a curved row of chairs, not around Russert's table, and they traded stories and played old clips.

It was nice enough.

JINDAL ON FTN. Bob Schieffer was in Paris, and the nervous substitute was a fellow named Chip Reid, who evidently used to work for Tim Russert at NBC. Reid listed all the accolades being tossed at Governor Jindal and asked why he's the new GOP sweetheart; Jindal said that the compliments were nice. He immediately began talking about turning Louisiana around. He asked if Jindal would be McCain's veep. Jindal said that the speculation was flattering. He began talking about Louisiana.

Reid said that Jindal was being called "the Republican Obama." Jindal replied that Obama was an excellent orator, perhaps the best speaker since Ronald Reagan. Jindal added that the first women and the first African American shows what a great country this is, but that voters are motivated by the best candidate.

The guest host guy replied, "Well, in theory, but…" Jindal asked to give the American voters more credit; we're worried about other things, who is the most qualified.

Jindal was quoted as saying that the GOP had "lost its way," and was asked how it had "lost its way." Jindal said that the Republicans seemed to become enamored with Washington and power, stipulating earmarks specifically. He said that though he does not agree with McCain on every issue, McCain would best look out for America and what the country needs.

Does Jindal have doubts about the Theory of Evolution? (He favors teaching also Intelligent Design.) Jindal believes in a creator personally, and he wants kids taught everything, not only that which passes the test of political correctness.

NEWT GINGRICH ON FTN Newt would recommend Jindal as veep, saying that "he'd be far and away the best choice." Newt argued that Jindal is just as ready to be President as is Bobby Jindal, perhaps even more so. Gingrich said we should not ask if he's qualified; rather, we should ask what kind of President he would be.

What about McCain pushing Obama's inexperience? Newt argued that if the country doesn't pick Obama, it will be because of Ayers and Wright and his policy positions.

Newt argued that trade unions are stealing scholarships from 700,000 African American children, and McCain and Obama should have to address this.

Gingrich argued that the recent Supreme Court decision, Boumediene et al v. Bush -- the one allowing habeas corpus petitions for terrorists at Gitmo – is "worse than Dredd Scott." It will allow some "random, nutcase district judge" to allow terrorists to acquire nuclear weapons.

Newt thinks Obama probably has to pick someone other than Hillary as veep, as she "personifies Washington for the past sixteen years."

DAVID PAULISON ON LE FEMA director David Paulison was host Wolf Blitzer's first guest, on to talk about the flooding in Iowa. He said that the disaster response is a "true partnership" between Federal, State, and local, "which is something we didn't see in Katrina." Flooding is everywhere, but Paulison reports only a few hundred people in shelters.

This time, FEMA knew what to expect in terms of needs and was prepared to meet those needs.

Wolf asked Paulison about donated supplies for Katrina victims which FEMA had kept in a shed for two years. Paulison thought that CNN story "really missed the mark." Many of the supplies were purchased, not donated, and not all of it was designated for Katrina. Louisiana had refused.

Blitzer became angry, demanding to know why FEMA didn't explain this to Abby Boudreau and her CNN special investigations unit.

JOHN BOEHNER ON LE. Blitzer wanted to know of Congressional Republican Leader John Boehner just what he was going to do about rising gas prices. First, though, Boehner was asked about Russert. Boehner talked about their special relationship, how they both grew up Catholic and attended Jesuit school. "He was a tough, well-prepared interviewer."

Blitzer showed a poll which indicated that Americans surveyed think the Dems would do the best job with the economy and should run Congress. He predicted "great losses" for Republicans this year. Boehner admitted that it will be a challenge, but he indicated that they have to show the American people that they have solutions. If this happens, Boehner said, "we'll do better than expected."

Blitzer played a clip of Obama scaring people about McCain's taxes hurting the poor. Boehner talked about the Republican history of letting people keep more of their own money. "Washington doesn't have a revenue problem; Washington has a spending problem."

Blitzer accused the Republicans of almost doubling the national debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren and asked Congressman Boehner why Americans should trust the Republicans. Boehner cited the attacks and the wars but talked about the problem being Entitlements and the Entitlement Crisis. Blitzer ignored this and talked about gas prices, saying that the GOP wants to "start drilling." Blitzer played a clip of McCain saying that he won't drill in the Grand Canyon, the Everglades, or ANWR. Boehner argued that we can drill in ANWR without disturbing it. We need more domestic production, and to look at other types of energy, taking nuclear power seriously.

Okay, I'm a partisan, conservative Republican. I found myself applauding. Boehner was well-prepared and on point, and I'm not certain Blitzer knew what to say to counter this.

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN ON LE. Next up with his side of the story was DCCC boss Chris Van Hollen. Blitzer proclaimed that the Democrats might not only win the White House but might also increase their majorities in Congress. (Van Hollen is Blitzer's Congressman.)

Van Hollen argued that "we are drilling" and that there is land leased to the oil companies which they aren't using.

Blitzer played a clip of Roy Blunt saying that the Democrats see our national resources as an environmental hazard. Van Hollen repeated that the oil companies should drill on the land they have leased to them: "Use it or lose it." He further argued that John McCain doesn't want to drill in ANWR, and the GOP is "very tight" with BIG OIL.

Van Hollen said that the DCCC does not take money from BIG OIL, but Blitzer pointed out that they take money from lobbyists. Van Hollen said that the Dems legislated transparency.

Blitzer played a clip of John McCain "rail[ing] against Obama" on taxes. Van Hollen said that McCain is trying to scare people. If you are in the middle class, Barry offers a tax cut, Van Hollen argued; if you make over $250,000/year, you'll have your "Bush tax cut repealed."

Van Hollen argued that "the Republican leadership is in a bubble," that they don't feel people's pain.

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Discuss amongst yourselves.