With only (only?!) 14 months until the next Presidential election, it seems that the non-stop political talk has carried over from the 24-hour news networks and onto just about everything in broadcasting. As a result, many of the men and woman running for their party’s nomination have been popping up on a lot of chat-show couches and desks lately. While you might think their toughest interviews would come from a news network with typically opposing views (i.e. a Democrat going on Fox News or a Republican going on MSNBC) or, perhaps, on the Sunday morning shows like Meet the Press or Face the Nation, (as you’ll know if you read the headline) the absolute hardest interview in politics today undoubtedly comes courtesy of the women on ABC’s The View.
Although ratings for the long-running gabfest called The View have had challenges in recent years, the show has captured a lot of headlines as of late… although usually not for the right reasons. The show’s revolving door of panelists and jokes gone wrong have made them a target for both mockery and ire over the past year but they still draw big guests as well. When they’re not interviewing One Direction or Sofia Vergara, they’ve gotten into politics themselves — they even have a special banner and logo for it!
This is where The View gets a little off the rails. Yes, it’s definitely important for them to actually get Trump to answer a real question and call him out on certain things, but does Michelle really think it’s appropriate to make a (lame) joke while he’s speaking? And LOL at Raven or anyone on The View asking someone about slipping up with their words (any nurses reading?). Part of this may be due to Trump’s larger than life persona and their familiarity with him as an entertainer. That’s certainly understandable, but it sets a bad tone for other political guests.
To be fair, The View also recently welcomed Senator Elizabeth Warren for an interview that, when compared to the raucous atmosphere of the other two, seemed more like a peaceful political pow-wow. It’s hard to say whether this was because 1) she was in studio instead of calling in or 2) she’s a Democrat, as are most of the show’s hosts. While I’m sure those at Fox News would argue that the latter is the real reason, I honestly think it’s a combination. For one, it’s much easier to have a conversation in person than it is when those conversing can’t even see each other. Secondly, taking the time to actually visit the show in New York and sit with them earns you a bit more respect.
Yes, the ladies of The View have recently had Ohio Governor John Kasich on via satellite and gotten a call from businessman turned reality star turned Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. In both cases, what makes these interviews difficult is not only that ladies have no fear of poking the candidates with questions they already know the answers to but also have zero problem cutting the guest off or talking over other panelists in order to ask their question (or, in Michelle’s case, to hit another punchline). You can see from the beginning of Kasich’s interview that even the easiest of questions — “Can I call you John?” — is met with silence as he tries to figure out if it’s his turn to talk yet or not. And there’s the awkward moment soon after when Whoopi asks about the debate, “Do you think anyone even knew you were there?” to which one of her co-hosts can be heard audibly gasping. Since politicians are really just looking to take whatever little airtime they can get and get as many carefully crafted and focus-grouped “talking points” out of their mouths as possible, this set up must be a nightmare for them but, in theory, could be used to get to the bottom of who the candidate really is.
While you could argue that a lower-in-the-polls candidate like Kasich is desperate enough to subject himself to such a jarring appearance (it can’t be worse than one of these 11 person debates, right?) in order to introduce himself to voters, frontrunner Donald Trump also had a recent appearance on the show, calling in to speak with the panelists. Of course, Trump has been on in the past as well, but that was before his political ambitions were fully realized and he was on the show to talk about Omarosa or something, presumably. But his old friends at The View weren’t too pleased with some of his proposed policies or comments on Carly Fiorina and were crawling over each other to take their jabs.
It should also be noted that Warren is currently not campaigning (even if the hosts clearly want her to run) and, thus, has more time to appear in person at their Manhattan studio. Unfortunately, others like Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Bernie Sanders, etc. have to spend most of their time in states like Iowa and New Hampshire in order to seal their nominations. OK, so all of those people have popped up on late-night shows in New York, but those appearances have proven their effectiveness for reaching voters. The real question is, will The View‘s platform prove less important when the nominations are sealed and the general election is in full swing?
It’s not that the hosts shouldn’t ask these politicians hard questions — they absolutely should. But shouldn’t the audience also be able to hear those answers? The View has often floated between hard news and lighter fare (or “Kardashian news”), but interviewing these candidates is a privilege that should be taken seriously and handled professionally. Perhaps their guideline should be this: if their audience got to ask these candidates questions, what would they ask? Admittedly, it’s not easy to get the candidates to answer real questions and it’s a fine line between being overly aggressive and making the interview a puff piece. But, until they learn to walk that line, The View may be the hardest interview in politics but it will be far from the best.