Disputed even by a Republican, Blitzer persisted in suggesting that Dems' "100 Hours" agenda was a "stunt"

On the January 18 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer persisted in suggesting that the Democratic "100 Hours" legislative agenda was "merely a stunt," even after former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), CNN's conservative voice in its "Strategy Session" debates, had previously told Blitzer: "I don't think it's a publicity stunt." Blitzer asked CNN congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel if the then-expected passage of all the items on the agenda was "a success" or "merely a stunt." While discussing the first bill in the 100 Hours agenda on January 9, Koppel asserted that there was "a political calculation involved in the timing of all of this." But on January 18, when Blitzer again suggested the agenda was a "stunt," Koppel replied that it was not, saying "it was definitely a success." On-screen graphics throughout Koppel's report and afterward continued to ask: "100 Hours: Success or Stunt?"

Twenty minutes later, Blitzer, Watts, and CNN political analyst and Democratic strategist Paul Begala again discussed the 100 Hours agenda. Although they did not suggest the agenda was a stunt during that exchange, on-screen graphics still asked: "Success or Stunt?"

As Media Matters for America noted, Blitzer told Watts on the January 9 edition of The Situation Room that "[a] lot of critics are saying it's a pure publicity stunt." Watts disagreed: "I don't think it's a publicity stunt. I think there is substantive policy in what they're talking about doing." Despite Watts' answer in the 4 p.m. ET hour, Blitzer again asked of the 100 Hours agenda in the 7 p.m. hour: "[I]s it a serious call to action or a political stunt?"

From the 4 p.m. ET hour of the January 9 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

BLITZER: You used to serve in the House of Representatives. Let's get to this first 100 Hours on their legislative calendar. The Democrats are saying, you know what? These six items they want to pass, they're all important, including raising the federal minimum wage.

A lot of critics are saying it's a pure publicity stunt.

What do you think?

WATTS: Wolf, I don't think it's a publicity stunt. I think there is some substantive policy in what they're talking about doing.

I think they made -- if I would have been advising them -- and I said this a week ago -- I would have advised them to not shove it down the throat of Republicans, allow them to have a say in debating this, going through committees and all those things, simply because I think there is some substantive policy there that needs to be debated.

From the 7 p.m. ET hour of the January 9 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

BLITZER: Coming up, the House starts the clock on its first 100 Hours. Is this -- is it a serious call to action or a political stunt?

From the January 18 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

BLITZER: Welcome back. This hour, the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi [D-CA], is hoping to portray the House under her leadership as a "Do-Something" Congress. Right now, House members are moving toward a vote on an energy bill that would slap the oil industry with more fees and taxes. It's the last agenda item in the Democrats' first big push for their legislative priorities in the House.

Was the first 100 Hours, as the Democrats are calling it, a success or was it merely a stunt?

Let's check in with our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Wolf, it was definitely a success, although it certainly wasn't a surprise. Speaker Pelosi carefully selected the top seven legislative issues that she put on the fast track. She blocked Republicans from offering amendments, refused to allow them to discuss these issues in committee. But just because these bills sailed through the House doesn't mean it'll be smooth sailing through the Senate.