Episode 185: The Loss of RBG

The year 2020 sent more bad news this Friday when the world learned that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away.  An unflappable and untiring champion of equal justice and a pioneer in women’s rights, Ginsburg was a liberal icon and a bastion of progressive power on the court.  Grief and memorials, however, took a backseat this week to the immediate news that Republicans would be rushing towards a new replacement nominee—despite their principled stand in 2016 that during an election year “the voters should have a voice.”

On today’s episode, we look at how the Sunday shows covered the loss of this historic figure, the hypocrisy of this new SCOTUS fight, and the options for democrats.  We also look at what the shows missed in their coverage of this story.

Chapters

Introduction

Highlight / Lowlight

Republican Positions

Democratic Positions

What the Shows Missed

Show Rankings

Dialogue Challenge

Shows discussed 

Face the Nation on CBS

State of the Union on CNN

Fox News Sunday on FOX

This Week on ABC

Meet the Press on NBC

Resources

Transcript of RBG’s discussion this February at Georgetown University (link)

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Unlikely Path to the Supreme Court” by Jill Lepore in The New Yorker

“The Mysterious RBG” by Dahlia Lithwick in The Atlantic

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