Geithner vs. Geithner: "Meet The Press," "This Week" Both Book Treasury Secretary

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has double-booked his Sunday morning!

Both ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet the Press" will host the Treasury Secretary this weekend and they are both touting his first interview with a Sunday morning program.

George Stephanopoulos wrote:

Our headliner on "This Week" Sunday: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. It's Geithner's first Sunday interview since taking the reigns [sic] at the Treasury Department.

"Meet the Press" Executive Producer Betsy Fischer tweeted:

MTP Guests for Sunday: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his first live Sunday interview plus an exclusive with Sen. John McCain.

The difference, of course, is that "Meet the Press" promises Geithner's "first live Sunday interview" (emphasis added), while "This Week" claims his "first Sunday interview."

So what gives?

ABC tells us that Geithner will pre-tape an interview with Stephanopoulos at 8AM in Washington. The interview will be "live to tape," while David Gregory will interview Geithner live at 9AM.

Secretary Geithner's office did not return an email asking about the double-booking.

Both "Meet the Press" and "This Week" will be forced to compete with "Face the Nation," which has booked President Obama for his first Sunday morning sit-down.

ABC counters with Geithner critic Paul Krugman on the panel, which should make for exciting television, while NBC follows Geithner with Senator John McCain.

Last week, "Meet the Press" won solidly in the ratings, averaging 4.315 million viewers, 45% more than "This Week" (2.981 million) and 57% more than "Face the Nation" (2.753 million).

An appearance by President Obama on "This Week" on January 11 has been the only time "Meet the Press" failed to win in the ratings since David Gregory took over as moderator.

Comments

[jsinclair]

Here's why Gregory is so awful.

He interviews Geithner with a sarcastic, scolding, aggressive tone, basically finding ten different ways to say, "You and your and Obama's ideas suck."

Then on comes McCain. Gregory's tone changes completely--softer, respectful. He asks McCain to ccomment on why Obama and Geithner suck. Nothing about the absurd, obstructionist Republicans witth their non-existent "plan". Instead, Gregory lets McCain blathers on and on and on with criticism of Obama, uninterrupted.

Nor does he challenge McCain's total ineptitude on economic topics--not even asking about the unemployment if we follow his advice and let GM and Chrysler and big banks fail.
Gregory should watch Zakaria to learn how this "question thing" SHOULD be done.

[jane gutowski]

geithner says if he needs to ask for more money he will just explain to congress how it will save us in the long run if he spends our money now. last fall he and his buddies told us that and now he seems confused as to where that money even went.how does throwing our money into a black hole every few months make us better off?car companies keep getting billions of dollars and he seems confused about where that money went,too.no plan, no accountability, no commitments but obama likes him.

[TJCole]

It wouldn't be Sunday without Meet the Oppressors..!

[MMoore]

Has anyone else noticed Mr Geithner seems to have basically one look? Uneasy! His face is often tense and his forehead wrinkled up with anxiety. His smiles are wan, like he knows the ax is going to fall. I know that we only see the photos that editors select and maybe they think the frightened weasel look garners more readers by scaring the b'jeezus out of us. On the other hand that may actually be Geithner's default personality shining forth. In short, he does not make me feel more confident in this bail-out fiasco.

[Tracy Hale]

Well, he IS a republican...that might have something to do with it. :)

[kashifsaeed28]

I think Geithner is Geithner's biggest enemy. lol.

My blog:
http://project-you-are-not-alone.blogspot.com

[ljc]

I'm disappointed the Treasury Secretary is going on any of these fake news programs. All they will do is trash him. I have watched him testify and seen him speak and interviewed in other venues and he is way to smart for those corporate puppets disguised as journalists. They won't understand anything he says. Then Krugman will come out and disagree with everything.

[Carolab]

Geithner's Toxic Asset Purchase vs The S&L Bailout
Friday, 27 March 2009
Carolyn Betts

I'm an attorney who was working in Washington with RTC during the S&L crisis, so I know something about "toxic asset" sales. I have several observations of the Geithner plan for so-called public-private partnerships to purchase these vaguely described "toxic assets."

(1) We need to be defining exactly what these "toxic assets" are.

(2) If non-performing assets are to be sold to private investors, those private investors will only pay the best possible price if they have access to reliable data upon which to base their bids.

3) The New York Times article describing the new Geithner plan says that it is similar to what was done by RTC during the S&L crisis.The Geithner "TOPS" plan is not similar to anything I saw at RTC.

(4) There needs to be a plan to figure out how to deal with some problems going forward. I see no sign of new government regulations that would prevent more of the same, including credit default swaps in the trillions of dollars.

(5) In my view, the only hope we have to make good on, or reduce the losses on, the "toxic" mortgages at issue is to manage them on a local level with community involvement.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0903/S00336.htm

[TJCole]

Meet the Oppressors is going full hog for the Bilderberg Group, it's their top venue..

[meinokea]

It seems that the Sunday Morning sewing and talking bee, have turned into a sad version of Saturday Night Live.
I would like to see Carville and Bagalo verses Rachel and Oberman spend a hour trying to talk without saying Bush or Chenny in a strip poker format. Oh crap I am sorry Please forgive.

[MyTake]

No wonder he botched his income taxes!

[ljc]

Yawn.

[rsprags]

Geitner can handle both of these guys! John you lost remember!

[strangerinthenight]

Here comes the Clown. He can't even make up his mind about the toxic asset !

[larry278]

Is this evidence that Pres Obama's G man has now gone beyond being slightly schizoid by double booking himself of 2 Sun, AM, talking head whatevers? Could the G man be doing the jobs of employees who won't work at Treasury while he is the Secretary of the Treasury? Really radical, progressives think so & say, Pres Obama, "Fire your junior G man.".

[JamesA1102]

My concern is why another Sunday morning interview with McCain. Don't the networks realize he lost the election.

[teron678]

Mac is campaigning for his re-election ........

[ekoorb]

Yes. It's time for the Fundraising version. Look for some red meat to pry open those right wing checkbooks. He can throw in a little disconsolation over the Palin prayer flop for good measure.

[tuckgraph]

So MTP is following Geithner with John "the fundamentals of the economy are sound" McCain. Why? To ask him why he wouldn't pray with Palin?

[tailgateshirts]

Yea she sucked bc she didnt pray.... thats it lol. I would love to hear him say, yeah wahtever, it wouldnt have mattered

[pauldeman]

Mccain drives me crazy as well. Picking Palin was cynical and anything but "country first."

Gregory may have booked him b/c of the administration's new Afghanistan plan. MTP has spent a great deal of time on the econ crisis, and w/the exception of Gates, they have not spent a great deal of time on foreign policy.

[ljc]

Geithner is was to smart for these guys. They won't understand anything he says.