Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Good morning. Today, the talk shows are guaranteed to be more annoying than usual. It's all about the new political order after the Massachusetts election. Because, you know, the Democrats only have an 18-seat advantage in the Senate.

The crack team at White House is in full spin mode, sending Valerie Jarrett to NBC, David Axelrod to ABC and CNN and Robert Gibbs to FOX (yes, FOX.) We really need to hear from them how Obama is going to finally be a leader. All three were on the campaign trail with Obama. Maybe, they could explain where "campaign Obama" went and if he's coming back to deliver on his campaign promises. And, it would be great if one of them could clarify what's going to happen on key issues like health care. This morning, for example, we'd like to hear whether Obama still supports his promise to require coverage for pre-existing conditions.

There are a total of eight Senators on the shows this morning. Reflecting the perceived balance of power, you'll see six Republicans (fully 1/7 of the GOP caucus) and two Democrats.

In 2001, Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party, becoming an independent. At the time, the Senate was split 50/50 (the GOP controlled the chamber because Cheney was VP.) Jeffords defection caused the GOP to lose its actual majority status. Yet, I don't remember this much hand-wringing and whining. George Bush, who didn't even win the popular vote, just plowed ahead with his agenda.

The full lineup is here.