Politico: Sunday talk shows don't want to appear partisan

Sunday talk show roster Politico's Dylan Byers weighed in Wednesday morning with a theory about why the Sunday talk shows haven't booked Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein. It's all because "none of these shows want to appear partisan."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

And, puhleez.

Prompted by Greg Sargent's commentary, I noted Tuesday that Mann and Ornstein's hotly discussed op-ed saying Republican extremism is behind government dysfunctionalism ought to be the topic of at least one of the Sunday talk shows. Their format is tailor-made for the kind of in-depth dissection that such a thesis deserves. And yet, the two men have not been invited on any of the shows to explain themselves.

Byers called CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC to ask why not and got what he called a "nearly unanimous" response: They don't comment on their booking practices. "Nearly unanimous" would suggest that one out of the four did explain why the two men hadn't been booked. But we aren't told what that one said. Instead:

Worth noting, too, that all of these shows have a pretty significant backlog of potential guests, and only an hour each week. But there's a fair chance the thesis is being overlooked because none of these shows want to appear partisan.

Apparently, Byers sleeps in on Sundays. I don't blame him. But as I documented by not sleeping in over a 16-month period, and others also have demonstrated here and here and here and here and here, the Sunday talk shows are relentlessly partisan. A partisanship that favors Republicans when Republicans are in power and out of power.

Perhaps, if they didn't dial up John McCain every Friday to see if he's available to discuss whatever they decide needs discussing, some headway could be made on that "backlog of potential guests."