NECN appearance

Dan:Here’s a serious question that I’d like your opinion on, concerning broadcast journalism. Why is it that, more often than not (at least in my experience) the talk shows have defined commentators discussing the political races? That is, why have Democratic analysts and/or Republican analysts discussing the races, as opposed to simply having commentators who may not automatically be trying to put some spin on their answers?(I am NOT saying you’re such a person. Don’t know if I needed to throw in that disclaimer, but figured safe is better than sorry.)Take Greater Boston as an example. Emily will often host Warren Tolman or Avi Nelson or other commentators more-or-less committed to one side of a race already. I would prefer to hear commentary from someone without a dog in the fight.Am I in the minority on this? Is it just my libertarianism talking? Seriously – I’d like your opinion.

Suldog: Well, kudos to NECN for having me on! 😉 I would not object to being called a liberal commentator, but I “support” no one.You make an excellent observation, but it’s hardly universal. On “Meet the Press” (I hesitate to call it a quality show, but it’s certainly better than what’s on the cable nets), Russert will often have a panel of journalists to discuss politics. You don’t have to like them, but at least they’re not grinding the axe in a partisan manner. On the other hand, Russert practically wets himself with excitement on the weeks that he’s able to line up James Carville, Mary Matalin, Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy, a line-up that would inspire me to turn off the TV, except that I listen to “MTP” as a podcast in my car.In my somewhat limited exposure to “Washington Week,” it seems that Gwen Ifill never goes partisan — her guests are almost always journalists.But yes, the cable nets are beneath contempt. I think it’s particularly bad on CNN, since they’ve been rotating such a huge cast of characters in and out on primary nights. You’ve got to be a total political junkie to keep the players straight and to remember who’s allied with whom.