I’m generous enough to congratulate Chuck Todd on landing the Meet the Press gig even though I see it as an uninspired choice. Without a doubt, Todd has earned the promotion in the sense that he paid his dues and made sure to gain the knowledge that he’ll need to do the show. He was the logical choice.
I just don’t hold out a lot of hope that he’ll do anything particularly worthy with the opportunity. The show will be smarter than it has been under David Gregory’s stewardship, but it probably won’t break out of the cocoon that seems to plague the Sunday morning shows. My best advice to Todd is not to develop an insular group of recurring guests made up from people who attend Sally Quinn’s cocktail parties. Branch out. Try to find guests who don’t live in Washington DC or New York, and that have never appeared on the Sunday morning shows before. Find interesting people who have unexpected things to say. Tap into the scientific and academic worlds, and try to get guests from other countries to offer their perspectives. Defining the red/blue divide on any given issue should be the starting point, not the whole point.
And, when trying to find the progressive point of view, reach out to community organizers, faith leaders, union leaders, and urban politicians in order to delve into how the left differs from the party leaders in Washington.
Also, John McCain has already filled his quota for Meet the Press appearances. Unless he has something original to say, he shouldn’t be a guest.