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There was a time when I looked forward to Sunday mornings. I enjoyed the process of getting a cup of coffee, opening up the NY Times, and then checking out the Sunday talk shows. Times have changed though. I’m almost tempted to ignore the Sunday round tables now because I can state with relative accuracy what the McCain surrogates are going to be relentlessly pushing. In fact, check me on this one. Here are my Republican Talking Points for Sunday’s Talk shows before they air:

1. Biden for VP underscores Obama’s inexperience compared to McCain.
2. Biden said Obama wasn’t ready to be president, Mitt never said anything like that.
3. Not ready to lead.
4. Not ready to lead.
5. Rezko! Rezko!
6. Cindy owns the houses, stop picking on McCain’s wife!
7. POW! POW! POW!
8. Drill Now!
9. Obama is going to raise taxes
10. RezkoNotReadytoLeadPlagiaristPOW!!

Here is my solemn promise to you; if I am wrong and those aren’t the 10 talking points pushed on Sunday, I will buy you a pony.

At this point I have to wonder why the show moderators allow themselves to become vehicles for partisan shilling instead of a demanding the guests put the talking points down and answer questions directly. How often do you see someone deflect a hard question and turn to an off-topic attack? Pretty much every single time a surrogate opens their mouth, right? Have the networks become so paralyzed by the fear of seeming biased that they no longer care about the quality of the dialog? Watching MSNBC yesterday was almost impossible because it was so cringe-worthy. David Schuster just could not keep his guests on point. And this isn’t a one off event, this is every day, all the time.

I think it is time for the hosts of these programs to take charge and start cutting the mikes of guests who obfuscate and answer questions with ad hominem attacks. Stop letting these shows be overrun with party operatives who lower the discourse and add nothing of value. These, I’m reluctant to call them interviews, seem to exist only as a means for each side to spew the attack of the day regardless of the actual topic. It is ridiculous and it makes the hosts look foolish, the networks like dupes, and it completely disregards the viewers. I cannot fathom why either side feels this is a strong tactic, pissing off the viewer with jackassery seldom wins you any points.

Of course this topic is a double edged sword because on the flip side you have “no spin zones” and guys like Christ Mathews, who seemingly profess to push for the truth and go past canned responses, but far too often these blowhards end up running over every guest and making the show about themselves. I can’t sit through an O’Reilly Factor episode but I watch MSNBC all the time and aside from Bill O’ few people make a bigger deal out of their alleged working class roots than Chris Mathews. If I hear him bloviate about being from Pennsylvania one more time I am going to break my television. And who decided Pennsylvania was the end all of working class blue collar-y goodness? And who is to say working class is better than upper class? Because I tell you this, I would take first class to coach any day.

My point is that this is supposed to be our media, and it is up to us to regulate it. In the age of consolidation and the death of local voices, we need to make sure our needs are being served if the FCC won’t. Call your local affiliates, email the cable stations or show hosts, at least let your voice be heard. Maybe nothing happens, maybe it is does. But at least we tried. All I know is that I should not be able to predict the dialog on 5 different shows with completely different guests a day in advance with any degree of accuracy…and yet here we are.

We will find out if I am right soon enough. Truth is I hope I’m not. Maybe tomorrow will be the day that someone gets tired of being a political pawn and demands answers. I wouldn’t bet on it though.

I guess it is days like today that make me really miss Tim Russert.