Marc Ambinder has an interesting explanation for the odd phenomenon wherein Republican legislators outnumber Democratic legislators more than 2:1 on the cable chat shows. "The bookers of the shows look to the White House, not to House Democrats, for the Democratic perspective," he writes. "If no White House aide can be booked, then they'll quote from the Gibbs briefing. And since the White House's perspective on the stimulus is different, since it's institutional interest is different, they're not going to match the Republican partisan response." But is it true? Did Democratic lawmakers enjoy a sharp advantage over Republican legislators during the Bush administration? Media Matters or FAIR or someone must know the answer to this.
