The View sees changes to its line-up of panelists on a semi-regular basis. Recently, Jedediah Bila departed the talk show after having been a panelist from 2016 to 2017. Her replacement is Senator John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, who has been a Republican commentator for some time but has nonetheless managed to stand out to some extent because of her not so Republican views on some matters.
How Did She Do on Her First Day?
For the most part, McCain’s first day was not particular unexpected. For example, she paid tribute to the talk show as well as Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a panelist from 2003 to 2013 who can be considered her predecessor of sorts as the conservative representative on The View. Furthermore, she paid tribute to Whoopi Goldberg for encouraging up and coming talent, which was followed by a statement that she does not seem to have received a lot of support from women over the course of her chosen career.
Finally, McCain uttered a complaint that not enough people were commenting on the sexual harassment stories surrounding Harvey Weinstein compared to the sexual harassment stories surrounding Bill O’Reilly and other conservative figures, which seems rather odd considering the sheer amount of attention that those stories have received so far. Overall, McCain’s appearance on The View was not particularly unexpected in any respect, though there was an emotional moment when she commented about her father’s cancer diagnosis.
Can She Last?
To be honest, to be a pro-Republican commentator on a place other than pro-Republican media does not seem to be a particularly enviable position at the moment. After all, the current presidential administration is not exactly covering itself in glory at the moment, which is not helped by the fact that the Republicans control not just the presidency but also both the House and the Senate. Furthermore, there is a shadow looming over the current presidential administration in the form of Robert Mueller’s investigations, which would be top news under normal circumstances but has somehow managed to fade into the background for the most part because of a sea of scandals both big and small. Summed up, it is not a fun time to be a pro-Republican commentator. Never mind performing that function before millions and millions of viewers.
As a result, it seems probable that McCain will have to walk a careful course between two perils. On the one hand, she has to be strategic when it comes to choosing which Republican decisions should and should not be defended, not least because defending all of those decisions is probably beyond the time and energy of any single person. On the other hand, she can’t afford not to defend Republican decisions because failing to do so would invalidate her basis purpose for being on the talk show as well as alienate the people who likeliest to make up her fan base. Simply put, it is not impossible that McCain will thrive under these circumstances, but the current political climate means that she will be under enormous pressure right from the start, which will not be a fun process to undergo.
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