IF CHICAGO TONIGHT WERE STRAIGHT NOT LEFT-WING HERE’S THE FARE IT WOULD OFFER.

         Q.  What do you mean?
        A.  The format is so incurably left-wing it wreaks of political correctness and apologias.  It is a case of the Left having taken over complete control of the program agenda…due to the feminist alliance of Mary Field, Carol Marin and Elizabeth Brackett…the trio telling hopelessly pliable anchor Phil Ponce what he will do.  
        Q. As for instance?
       A.  Whenever the issue turns to same-sex marriage there is only one side presented—pro.  They wind up Ponce like a robot…you can almost see the key sticking out of his back… and out he goes with that pasted on smile to mouth banalities while the hard aggressive salesmanship goes on.   Remember State Rep. Deb Mell who “married” her lover?   You’d think Marin was witnessing a theophany. 
       Q.   So you’d convert the fare to the right.
      A.  Absolutely not.  I’d have a debate—anything would be more robust than that old mushy liberal we-all-agree nya-nya-nya.
      Q.  Such as…?
     A.  Two experts on the federal budget debating the Obama second-cut version as delivered at George Washington University the other  night and an advocate of the Congressman Paul Ryan counter-budget. Mary Field knows from her rolodex who to get on the Left.  The Heartland Institute should have a good representative on the Right.  To keep it straight, they should get someone other than (a) Marin, (b) Brackett or (c) Ponce to moderate: they’re so hopelessly indoctrinated by the Left they don’t understand what it is to be fair. 
       Q.   Who would it be?
      A.   Any ordinary station announcer who has the intellectual mien of the holder of a high school diploma.
      Q. What other issues would you like to see?
      A.  This should have been aired long ago.  Pro and Con: Is the removal of Muammar Qaddafi in our long term interest? Also long ago: The growth of public employee unions and how legitimate or illegitimate they are—with emphasis on the Wisconsin imbroglio.
       Q.  More!
      A.   Sen. Durbin announced recently that he would hold hearings on anti-Muslim bigotry.  Two sides equally represented.  Should the debt limit debate feature a deal to force consideration of a balanced budget  amendment or a constitutional limit on federal spending with a supermajority required to raise taxes?   Pro-and-con.
      Q.  Is something like this likely to happen?
     A. Decidedly not. But this is the stuff that could resurrect `TTW from its old Left-wing blues.