WATCH: @OMAROSA tells @ChuckTodd during an exclusive interview “I was complicit” in White House deceipt. #MTP pic.twitter.com/7NaiVg1ZXw — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 12, 2018 Brian To/WENN.com) Talking to Chuck Todd, Omarosa decided to give the details on her time at in the White House…
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Put On Blast: All Of A Sudden…Omarosa Says She Was “Complicit” In White House With Trump & His Rhetoric [Video]
Posted in Celebrities, Hollywood, Hot Stuff
Tagged bolitics, chuck todd, details, Entertainment, her-time, meet the press, News, put on blast, time, watch, wenn
Isn’t it odd after the passage of TARP, the stimulus and ObamaCare that left-wing politicians and their cheerleaders in the mainstream media are suddenly worried about budget deficits? As opposed to reining in deficit spending, the new public policy stance for the Democratic Party going into the 2010 midterm election is to call for a tax hike on the top-income earners by letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those folks. In an interview on MSNBC’s Sept. 17 “The Daily Rundown” with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, co-host Savannah Guthrie pressed the Texas senator on the need to raise taxes in order to lower budget deficits. Guthrie asked: “Sir, as you know, a lot of the energy in the Republican Party, some of the animating issues have to do with deficit and spending, and I ask you given the concern among Republican voters about deficit spending, how is it that Republicans can get behind allowing the Bush tax cuts to go forward for the wealthiest Americans, something that will cost $700 billion borrowed money deficit spending. How do you square that up?” This is becoming a pattern for Guthrie. The previous week, Guthrie pressed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell with the same line of questioning . But according to Cornyn, Guthrie was offering false choices, which was the exact same way McConnell responded when she pushed the same premise. “Well Savannah, it doesn’t make any sense to raise taxes in order to keep current tax policy in place,” Cornyn said. “I think frankly that’s a false choice. My preference would have been to make these tax rates permanent, but we didn’t have the votes to do it so they’re temporary. They’re going to expire.” Cornyn’s response didn’t satisfy “The Daily Rundown” co-host. Apparently in Guthrie’s mind, if you earn money – what the government allows you to keep is a federal expenditure, suggesting all earned income is the government’s and they’re just allowing you to keep some of it. “But, that will be deficit spending, right? I mean, it is deficit spending?” an unrelenting Guthrie interrupted and fired back at Cornyn. Cornyn called Guthrie’s “deficit spending” description a false construction and said raising taxes on anyone would be an “anti-stimulus.” “I think that’s a false construct, with all due respect, because these are current tax rates,” Cornyn replied. “We’re talking about the largest tax increase in American history. And particularly Democrats, I think, and Republicans are looking now to say, ‘You know what, even if we’re for raising the marginal tax rates to what they were in the ’90s, the worst time to be doing this is during a time of fragile, economic recovery so I hope we can come together and to stave that off, because I can’t think of a worse anti-stimulus at this time than this huge tax increase.” During the 2008 election, political opponents of the Republican Party and the party’s presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would often describe the GOP’s economic policies as “Hoover-esque.” Liberal economist Jared Bernstein was one of the people who used it to describe Republican policies in 2008 . Bernstein now holds a prominent position in the Obama White House as the chief economist for the vice president. But you don’t have to appear more “Hoover-esque” than raising taxes in the middle of an economic downturn – as former President Herbert Hoover did immediately following the stock market crash of 1929 with The Revenue Act of 1932.
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Savannah Guthrie’s Soak-the-Rich Obsession: Higher Taxes Only Means of Lowering Deficits
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Tagged Breaking News, chuck todd, daily, daily rundown, democratic, government, Hollywood, john cornyn, msnbc, Obama, People, savannah guthrie, stock-market, video
In FNC’s “Grapevine” segment Thursday night, Shannon Bream highlighted a finding in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll which NBC’s Chuck Todd failed to point out in emphasizing the public’s disgust with Democrats, Republicans and the Tea Party. Bream observed: A new poll suggests Americans have more positive feelings for the Tea Party movement than for either of the Democratic leaders in Congress. The NBC/Wall Street Journal survey finds 30 percent have a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, compared to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 21 percent and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s 11 percent. The evening before, on Wednesday’s NBC Nightly News, Todd declared: “It’s an unhappy America” where “the Democrats hit a record high in their negative rating – 44 percent” while “the Republicans are doing even worse – 46 percent of the country has a negative view of the Republican Party” and “even the Tea Party – which has actually enjoyed a little bit of a renaissance over the last six months – 34 percent now have a negative view. Just 30 percent have a positive view.” The next morning (Thursday) on the Today show, Todd repeated: “Democrats hit an all-new high in their negative rating. Republicans have even a higher negative rating. The Tea Party, which had enjoyed a positive rating for awhile, now they have a negative rating.” More in Geoffrey Dickens’ post: “ NBC’s Todd Proclaims If GOP Wins in November It’s Still ‘A Bad Election Night for All of Washington .” More of Todd’s poll summary on the August 11 NBC Nightly News, transcript provided by the MRC’s Brad Wilmouth for Todd’s look at evaluations of the parties: CHUCK TODD: It’s an unhappy America. Look, they don’t like the Democrats. The Democrats hit a record high in their negative rating – 44 percent. Just 33 percent have a positive rating on them. The Republicans are doing even worse – 46 percent of the country has a negative view of the Republican Party; 24 percent has a positive view. Even the Tea Party – which has actually enjoyed a little bit of a renaissance over the last six months – 34 percent now have a negative view. Just 30 percent have a positive view. What does this mean for the fall campaign? Right now, voters are sort of in a hold-your-nose moment. They’re sort of split decision – 43 percent want Democrats to keep control; 42 percent want Republicans to take control. But, among voters who have the highest interest in the November elections, this is where Republicans have a potential big advantage – 50 percent of high-interest voters want Republicans to take control of Congress, and just 39 percent would like to see the Democrats keep control. But, again, it’s an unhappy America. And this election, right now, could turn out being a hold-your-nose election when you go into that ballot box. Bream’s “Grapevine” item on the August 12 Special Report with Bret Baier where she was filling in for Baier: A new poll suggests Americans have more positive feelings for the Tea Party movement than for either of the Democratic leaders in Congress. The NBC/Wall Street Journal survey finds 30 percent have a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, compared to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 21 percent and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s 11 percent. 33 percent of those surveyed have had a positive attitude toward the Democratic Party compared to just 24 percent for Republicans. Congress’ overall job score even worse: 21 percent approved compared to a whopping 72 percent who disapprove.
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FNC Notices Americans More Positive Toward Tea Party Than Toward Pelosi or Reid
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Tagged 2010 congressional, chuck todd, congress, democratic, election, Hollywood, House, negative, parties, shannon bream, tea parties, TMZ
On Thursday’s Today show, NBC’s chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd started building the narrative for the liberal media to spout in case the Republicans win majorities in the House and Senate in the upcoming midterms – that the voters are just cranky about everyone and everything. Todd even went on to absurdly state that if the GOP has a big win it will still be seen as a “A bad election night for all of Washington.” All of Washington? Even for the party that is victorious? Todd, on with Today co-anchor Ann Curry, came up with that conclusion after reciting results from a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that showed “Everybody is angry at all things Washington” as Todd noted “Democrats hit an all-new high in their negative rating. Republicans have even a higher negative rating. The Tea Party, which had enjoyed a positive rating for awhile, now they have a negative rating.” Todd, then, went on to prematurely throw cold water on any sort of GOP win as he claimed: “If the Republicans get the majorities, it’s because people have decided to go into the ballot box and hold their nose, they’re not happy with anybody.” The following is the full transcript of the segment as it was aired on the August 12 Today show: ANN CURRY: What do Americans think about the economy and about the politicians in charge during these tough times? We’re getting some answers this morning from a newly released NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. We’ve got NBC’s political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd here in the studio this morning to fill us in. Hey Chuck, thanks for being here. CHUCK TODD: Good morning. [On screen headline: “Unhappy America, NBC News/WSJ Poll On Economy, Obama & Congress”] CURRY: So even though Jim Cramer sounds very positive, there’s a lot of pessimism, as we’ve seen in the markets, but also on Wall Street, but also on Main Street according to this new poll. TODD: Americans are feeling doom and gloom. He may not be seeing doom and gloom but look at those numbers about where people feel like we’re still in a recession. Sixty-four percent say we have yet to hit bottom. It’s an unbelievable number. Nine months ago in January, only 53 percent had that. So here we were the Obama administration told us that this was going to be recovery summer. We’ve had the administration arguing that the recovery is on their way. Jim Cramer was telling us that the financial numbers say that. The American people don’t feel it. CURRY: And they don’t feel like the country is heading in the right direction, which is even more and they’re, they’re really concerned about where it’s going. TODD: That’s right, that’s right. And they say 58 percent say we’re heading in the wrong direction. Of course this is taking a huge political toll on President Obama. Right now, his highest yet negative rating on handling the economy – 52 percent. Even people who approve of his job overall, are disapproving of the way he’s handling the economy. CURRY: And, and they’re disapproving him, I mean we’re getting into the nubbins- TODD: Sure. CURRY: -in terms of what specifically they’re disapproving him, about, in terms of what he’s done. TODD: That’s right. They don’t, they’re not, they don’t feel the recovery. And I think part of this may be a disconnect. He’s out there every day saying it’s coming. It’s getting better. And he goes to these places that are hiring 500 people here and 1,000 people there, and they’re trying to say, “Look, it’s gonna get better. It’s gonna get better.” People aren’t feeling it. And now they’re getting more pessimistic and you do wonder if they’ve stopped listening to Washington because they’re sitting there saying, “Hey, Washington’s saying it’s getting better. I’m not feeling like it’s getting better.” And then that leads to this crankiness, right now, that they feel about all politicians. CURRY: They’re feeling crankiness about both political parties. TODD: That’s right. CURRY: Republicans a bit more, but even the Tea Party gets a hit in this poll. TODD: It does. Everybody is angry at all things Washington. Democrats hit an all-new high in their negative rating. Republicans have even a higher negative rating. The Tea Party, which had enjoyed a positive rating for awhile, now they have a negative rating. Look, what this is leading to is in November, Democrats are still in big trouble. They could lose both of their majorities. But if the Republicans get the majorities, it’s because people have decided to go into the ballot box and hold their nose, they’re not happy with anybody. CURRY: So the bottom line is Americans are unhappy and this could, the midterm elections could be a- TODD: It’s going to be, it’s going to be a bad election night for all of Washington. Democrats are in big trouble. Even if they hold their majorities the public is saying, “You’re not doing your job right and we don’t like it.” CURRY: I was gonna try to bust you because what you said, privately, is that it’s gonna be a hold your nose election. Alright. TODD: It is! It’s a hold your nose election. They’re gonna walk into that ballot box and whoever they pick, they’re not happy about it. CURRY: Chuck Todd, not good news. But it tells us something. TODD: It does. CURRY: Thank you so much this morning. TODD: You got it, Ann.
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NBC’s Todd Proclaims If GOP Wins in November It’s Still ‘A Bad Election Night For All of Washington’
NBC Political Director Chuck Todd cherrypicked a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll to dismiss the possibility that Republicans will regain control of Congress in the November election. He did this despite evidence within the same poll that the political landscape in 2010 resembles 1994, when Republicans picked up 54 seats to take control of the House. On the July 13 “Morning Joe,” Todd emphasized the finding that 72 percent of the country has either “just some” or no confidence at all in the ability of congressional Republicans to “make the right decisions for the country’s future.” “This wild card about this election cycle which makes it different from ’06, which makes it different from ’94, is this issue of the public’s view of the Republican Party,” insisted Todd. The poll is misleading for a number of reasons, none of which Todd acknowledged. First, measuring public confidence in President Barack Obama, congressional Democrats, and congressional Republicans, the pollsters grouped respondents who reported “a great deal of confidence” with “a good amount,” and “just some” confidence with “none at all.” This aggregation resulted in a higher percentage of Americans expressing some or no confidence at all in Republicans than in Obama. But grouping “just some” respondents with “none at all” respondents does not make sense because expressing some confidence is much different from expressing “none at all.” If the pollsters had grouped those who reported “a good amount” of confidence with those who reported “just some” confidence, Republicans in Congress would have received 61 percent support, 14 points higher than Obama. Second, Todd’s insinuation that the public preferred congressional Republicans to congressional Democrats in 1994 but not in 2010 contradicts the same poll he cited to advance the argument that Republicans will not maximize their gains in November. As of July 11, 2010, voters prefer congressional Republicans 47 percent and congressional Democrats 46 percent, a negligible difference. By contrast, on August 8, 1994, 49 percent of the public preferred congressional Democrats while only 42 percent of the public preferred congressional Republicans, a seven point edge. In fact, the public preferred congressional Democrats over congressional Democrats in every Washington Post-ABC News poll taken through the November election. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough challenged Todd on the preference issue, asking, “Aren’t these off-year elections really just an opportunity for Americans to vote up or down for the most part on the party in power, the party that’s running Washington?” Todd, seemingly uninterested in demonstrable trends, insisted that the White House and Democrats are capable of turning the election into something other than a referendum on their liberal agenda. An obstinate Todd continued to rain on the GOP’s parade. “Joe, I think it’s the difference between picking up 25 or 30 seats and picking up 40 seats,” he insisted. NBC’s chief political junkie was all too eager to report the results of a poll forecasting sobering prospects for Republicans without scrutinizing the data or researching relevant historical trends. A transcript of the relevant portion of the segment can be found below: MSNBC Morning Joe July 13, 2010 7:24 A.M. E.S.T. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Hey Chuck, let me ask you something. Of course let’s put up the polls really quickly again from the Washington Post and then I’m going to follow it up with some news you say may not as good for Republicans. First of all, let’s look at the polls. Sixty-eight percent of Americans have little confidence in Democrats; Seventy-two percent, Republicans. Of course we talk about 58 percent, Barack Obama. Now let’s go to the four reasons why you say Republicans may not take back the House in the fall. You wrote about this yesterday and it’s very fascinating. You said the favorable ratings the same as the Democrats. And you are exactly right. In fact, in this case it’s even worse for Republicans than Democrats. But I guess the bigger question is – and I want to get Mark’s thoughts on this as well – aren’t these off-year elections really just an opportunity for Americans to vote up or down for the most part on the party in power, the party that’s running Washington? CHUCK TODD, MSNBC political director: Most of the time they are, and for many voters, this will be the case. This wild card about this election cycle which makes it different from ’06, which makes it different from ’94, is this issue of the public’s view of the Republican Party. And the reason you have to sit there and not ignore it is look at what the message the White House is trying to drive. Look at the message that Democratic candidates in congressional races are trying to drive, which is saying, “okay, you may be mad at us, but look at them.” And look, when you already have 70 percent of the public having a negative view, you can sell that story – you have a better chance of selling the story. SCARBOROUGH: Does that work when Democrats – it’s a monopoly though in Washington though. I guess that’s why it’s so much harder to sell. Listen in ’94 the Republicans actually had a plan. We haven’t seen that yet from this group of Republicans. I guess the bigger question, Chuck is, can you beat something with nothing? TODD: Joe, I think it’s the difference between picking up 25 or 30 seats and picking up 40 seats and 10 seats in the Senate. Do you see what I’m saying? I think the difference between having a good election night and the majority is somehow starting to improve their favorable rating, and starting to go out there and saying, “we have a plan.” And right now they don’t have that and I think that’s what’s keeping them from getting the entire enchilada here. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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NBC’s Chuck Todd Trumpets Flawed Election Poll, Parrots Democratic Talking Points
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Tagged 2010 congressional, analysis, chuck todd, country, democratic, House, liberal, media, morning joe, msnbc, Nbc, News, political groups, president, TMZ
In covering Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings, CNN and MSNBC have repeatedly lauded the Supreme Court nominee for her “flashes of humor” and “disarming ease.” In tune with the reverberations of the network morning shows’ echo chamber , correspondents like CNN’s Dana Bash and anchors like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Tuesday praised Kagan for her ability to inject humor into otherwise “hollow and vapid” hearings and charm hostile Republican senators into docility. “But just on a color note, what struck me, Candy, has been the way Elena Kagan has tried to use a sense of humor to really disarm the senators, particularly Republicans,” noted Bash. Maddow’s guest, Dahlia Lithwick of the liberal Slate magazine, gushed over Kagan’s “gut-wrenching” sense of humor, her masterful ability to balance “seriousness and levity and humor,” and her “disarming and charming and kind of likeable” personality. “A likeable liberal. Dear me, I know,” quipped Maddow. Anchoring the live coverage of the hearings, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews turned to Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief, who applauded Kagan’s performance: You know, it’s interesting since Kagan argued this case she feels pretty comfortable with it and you see, I think, a more free-flowing exchange between the senator and the nominee there then we’ve seen on some others. Kagan famously called these hearings “vapid and hollow” in the past but we’ve seen some flashes of humor here this morning. And interestingly, Kagan said that she thought it would be a terrific idea to have TV cameras in the Supreme Court. On her eponymous program, CNN’s Campbell Brown aired Kagan’s playful banter with Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) before querying CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin: “So, apart from the fact that she has got a sense of humor, what did we really learn today about Elena Kagan?” Over on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show,” substitute host Christopher Hayes, editor of the left-wing magazine The Nation and husband of a White House counselor, reckoned that the most newsworthy part of the hearings so far has been Kagan’s charm: Perhaps the most notable thing to report from today’s hearing is that Kagan is, as advertised, really a charmer. The nominee who once derided this process as, quote, “vapid and hollow” was no doubt probably and possibly justifiably in for a cold reception. But today, Kagan displayed the disarming ease, wit and knack for a well-timed joke that have made her so uniformly well-liked by her colleagues in other endeavors. On Wednesday’s “American Morning,” Bash continued to push the humor narrative, noting, “Throughout the day, Kagan tried to disarm senators by interjecting with humor…and Kagan really made a point early on, on setting that light-hearted tone, interjecting all the time with quick whips and — quips, I should say, and then witty comments.” MSNBC “The Daily Rundown” co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd wrapped up the Wednesday program with a recap of the hearing’s most “humorous” moments, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) discussing the latest installment of the Twighlight saga. (H/T MRC intern Matt Hadro ) There’s nothing wrong with color commentary, but the media’s emphasis on humanizing Kagan is coming at the expense of critical reporting on her nomination hearings and what little she’s willing to shed in the hearings about how she’ll approach constitutional issues on the bench. Transcripts of the relevant portions of the cited programs can be found below: MSNBC NewsLive 6/29/10 10:54 a.m. CHRIS MATTHEWS: And this came out in the president’s State of the Union where he took a swipe at the Supreme Court with Samuel Alito and other justices there and they didn’t like it. SUSAN PAGE, USA Today Washington bureau chief: They didn’t. You know, it’s interesting since Kagan argued this case she feels pretty comfortable with it and you see, I think, a more free-flowing exchange between the Senator and the nominee there then we’ve seen on some others. Kagan famously called these hearings “vapid and hollow” in the past but we’ve seen some flashes of humor here this morning. And interestingly, Kagan said that she thought it would be a terrific idea to have TV cameras in the Supreme Court. If she gets confirmed that’s an issue where she’ll have some real issues with her colleagues. CNN Newsroom 6/29/10 12:24 p.m. DANA BASH, CNN correspondent: Well, first, just on substance, I want to point out what John did just at the beginning of this conversation, that what Elena Kagan revealed or maybe more to the point, clarified, was in the memo that she had scribbled notes, “KKK, NRA,” as a bad organization. That has been flying around conservative circles as an ah-ha moment. And when they saw these documents I think about a week or two weeks ago when they were released by the Clinton library as proof that she is just a liberal, what she told us just now, what she told Senator Kyl, is that she was taking notes on somebody else’s conversation. So if that’s the case, that certainly appears to deflate that particular argument that conservatives have been making. But just on a color note, what struck me, Candy, has been the way Elena Kagan has tried to use a sense of humor to really disarm the senators, particularly Republicans. And Jeff knows her, so this may not seem a surprise to him. But just for example, when John Kyl came out after the break, there nobody was in the room and he said “I guess nobody wants to hear my questions” and without missing a beat, she said “maybe nobody wants to hear my answers.” And another time, Senator Hatch was talking about the fact that he and Senator Leahy were having a little disagreement. They’re kind of like an old married couple, and I say this respectfully and they would probably agree, and Elena Kagan again without missing a beat saying, “don’t worry go ahead, it takes the spotlight off of me.” I don’t remember seeing that certainly from recent confirmation hearings at this level, not from Sonia Sotomayor, and at least at the beginning, you know, as these nominees are getting comfortable. But it just seems to me the kind of charm she has. MSNBC The Ed Show 6/29/10 6:17 p.m. HAYES: Perhaps the most notable thing to report from today’s hearing is that Kagan is, as advertised, really a charmer. The nominee who once derided this process as, quote, “vapid and hollow” was no doubt probably and possibly justifiably in for a cold reception. But today, Kagan displayed the disarming ease, wit and knack for a well-timed joke that have made her so uniformly well-liked by her colleagues in other endeavors. Of course, beyond that, we still didn’t get that much of an indication of what kind of justice she’d make, although she does support letting cameras into the Supreme Court. CNN Campbell Brown 6/29/10 8:24 p.m. BROWN: It was a long day on Capitol Hill for Elena Kagan. It was day two of her confirmation hearing. It just wrapped up a little while ago. She faced some tough questions on everything from the War on Terror to her politics. Listen to this exchange with Arizona Senator Jon Kyl. Sen. JON KYL (R-Ariz.): Do you agree with the characterization by some of my colleagues that the current Court is too activist in supporting the position of corporations and Big Business? ELENA KAGAN, Supreme Court nominee: Senator Kyl, I would not want to characterize the current court in any way. I hope one day to join it. KYL: And they said you are not political, right? BROWN: So, apart from the fact that she has got a sense of humor, what did we really learn today about Elena Kagan? MSNBC Rachel Maddow 6/29/10 9:30 p.m. RACHEL MADDOW: And how do you think that Kagan is doing, thus far, as a nominee? Obviously, today was the first day she took questions. It’s clear that just from what I saw of the hearings today, that she seems very relaxed. DAHLIA LITHWICK, Slate senior editor: Relaxed, funny. You know, she brought the room to a standstill, just gut-wrenching laughter. At some point, Lindsey Graham asked her, what were you doing when the Christmas Day bomber was caught on Christmas Day? And she said, like pretty much all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant. I mean, you know, people were applauding. She`s very funny, Rachel. She`s very disarming. But at the same time, I think she does a good job of saying, look, I take the law very seriously. At one point, she was questioned about her passions and she couldn’t get passionate about anything but the law. So, she’s doing a good job of balancing seriousness and levity and humor, and I think real charm. The thing I really am enjoying this time around is it sometimes feels like these hearings shrink the nominee down to a smaller version of who they are. This is actually letting someone who looks good on paper but is hard to love in paper become quite human and warm and big luminous smile. And so I don’t know if that’s working for everyone, but it’s quite clear that the senators are finding her disarming and charming and kind of likeable. MADDOW: A likeable liberal. Dear me, I know. She won`t call herself liberal but the press is going to have a hard time understanding how to report on this. Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent for Slate magazine, I always really appreciate your insight on days like this. Thanks a lot, Dahlia. CNN American Morning 6/30/10 7:17 a.m. BASH: Throughout the day, Kagan tried to disarm senators by interjecting with humor. Sen. TOM COBURN (R-Okla.): This is softball. KAGAN: You promise? COBURN: I promise. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) I just ask you where you’re at on Christmas. KAGAN: You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant. BASH: And Kagan really made a point early on, on setting that light-hearted tone, interjecting all the time with quick whips and — quips, I should say, and then witty comments. And you know, it really did change the tenor of things, for example, when one of her starkest opponents, Senator Tom Coburn, who sits here was trying to ask her some questions she wouldn’t answer it. Instead of really going after her, he made a joke. He followed her lead and said “maybe you’re dancing so much, maybe you should be on ‘Dancing with the Stars.'” John and Kiran. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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CNN and MSNBC Applaud Elena Kagan’s Capitol Hill Comedy Hour
On NBC’s Today on Friday, White House correspondent Chuck Todd preemptively dismissed any criticism of President Obama referring to “Twitters” during a joint press conference with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev on Thursday: “It turns out he didn’t misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks.” During Todd’s report, a clip was played of Obama noting how in a visit to California’s Silicon Valley, Medvedev went to “visit the headquarter of Twitters.” Obama simply placed an ‘s’ after the wrong word. Rather than let the minor gaffe stand, at the conclusion of the report, Todd made to sure to explain the typographical error to viewers: “You did not mishear. The President did say the word ‘Twitters,’ plural.” Despite Obama’s inability to correct the remarks off the cuff, Todd solely blamed a White House staffer for the mistake: “A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one.” Todd quickly changed the subject to a similar gaffe made by President Bush: “…it did bring back memories of President Bush one time referring to those ‘internets.'” The media was certainly never quick to come to Bush’s defense after a verbal misstep. In his report, Todd observed how Obama got a “diplomatic head-start” on the upcoming G-20 economic summit in Canada by meeting with Medvedev and how “…the President treated Medvedev to cheeseburgers at one of the President’s favorite burger spots in northern Virginia.” Here is a full transcript of Todd’s June 25 report: 7:07AM MATT LAUER: President Obama will be keeping an eye on what’s happening in the Gulf today from Toronto. He’s heading there this morning to join a host of world leaders at the G-20 summit. NBC’s chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd is there as well. Chuck, good morning to you. CHUCK TODD: Well, good morning, Matt. The President is scheduled to arrive here later this morning. He’s going to have a new Wall Street reform deal in his back pocket. It’s something he’s going to try to use to convince these other nations from around the world to do similar action. On Thursday he met with an important G-20 ally, the Russian president. Believe it or not, it’s the seventh time these two have met face-to-face. Security here at the G-20 meeting is tight. The Canadian government has spent more than any other host country ever to try to make sure world leaders are safe. Heading into the important economic summit, the President got a diplomatic head-start by meeting with one of America’s most touchy allies, Russia, and its president, Dimitri Medvedev. BARACK OBAMA: America’s most significant national security interests and priorities could be advanced most effectively through cooperation, not an adversarial relationship, with Russia. TODD: And yet, despite the global economic concerns and the presence of the Russian president- UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Does the change in command in Afghanistan- TODD: A reporter’s first question brought the President back to the issue that’s dogged him all week, Afghanistan. OBAMA: I am confident we’ve got a team in place that can execute it. TODD: The President promised no more personnel changes after Wednesday’s dramatic firing of General Stanley McChrystal and the President made sure to leave himself wiggle room on the question of whether the U.S. will actually go through with its plans to draw down troops in July, 2011. OBAMA: We didn’t say we’d be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us. We said as we begin a transition phase in which the Afghan government is taking on more and more responsibility. TODD: Medvedev was asked if he had any advice for the President, given Russia’s long and costly war in Afghanistan. DIMITRI MEDVEDEV: But I try not to give pieces of advice that can’t be fulfilled. TODD: But Defense Secretary Robert Gates did have words of advice. ROBERT GATES: No one, be they adversaries or friends, or especially our troops, should misinterpret these personnel changes as a slackening of this government’s commitment to the mission in Afghanistan. OBAMA: Visit the headquarter of Twitters. TODD: On a lighter note, President Obama noted President Medvedev opened a Twitter account and joked it was a 21st sentry substitute for the old Cold War hotline. OBAMA: I have one as well, so we may be able to finally throw away those red phones that have been sitting around for so long. TODD: Earlier in the day, the President treated Medvedev to cheeseburgers at one of the President’s favorite burger spots in northern Virginia. MEDVEDEV: Probably it’s not quite healthy but it’s very tasty and you can feel the spirit of America. TODD: Alright. You did not mishear. The President did say the word ‘Twitters,’ plural. It turns out he didn’t misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks. A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one. But it did bring back memories of President Bush one time referring to those ‘internets.’ Matt. LAUER: Alright, Chuck Todd, thank you very much. He’s in Toronto this morning.
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NBC’s Todd Defends Obama ‘Twitters’ Gaffe: ‘Written Incorrectly in His Prepared Remarks’
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Tagged chuck todd, gaffes, House, mma, Nbc, Obama, prepared, president-bush, president-obama, TMZ
Media bias often shows itself in which organizations journalists choose to cite or ignore. A very prevalent form of this bias is selective reporting on polling data–polls that show results friendly to the liberal position like are touted while those that show the opposite are buried. MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, pictured right, is the latest reporter to demonstrate such a bias. He took Rasmussen Reports to task on Twitter yesterday, claiming it is “has a horrible track record and us [sic] proven to be unreliable” and is really “[n]ot a serious polling firm.” Todd said he would only report on “numbers from a more reliable pollster.” Apparently one such pollster, in the mind of Todd’s cable network at least, is Research 2000. But R2K was recently rated one of the least reliable major polling firms in existence by liberal statistician Nate Silver. R2K was not even accurate enough for the Daily Kos, which officially dropped the firm on Wednesday. Rasmussen, in contrast, was rated relatively highly in Silver’s study, at 15th out of the 63 firms that have conducted 10 or more polls. R2K came in at a paltry 59th. But R2K’s findings have nonetheless been touted on MSNBC in discussing the Nevada Senate race, the very topic on which Todd refused to even consider Rasmussen’s findings. Of course Todd does not speak for all of MSNBC, but where were his protestations when a colleague used poll data significantly less reliable than the unserious, unreliable Rasmussen, with its “horrible track record”? And if Silver’s numbers are not good enough for Todd, consider Rasmussen’s actual performance in the last three election cycles. Rasmussen’s track record is far from “horrible,” as Todd claims. As Greg Pollowitz notes , he’s consistently one of the more accurate pollsters out there. Here are his results from 2008 , 2006 ( Senate and governors ) and 2004 . Consider the races Nevada: in 2008 Rasmussen’s final poll had Obama over McCain, 55–43. The vote went for Obama, 50–46. (Rasmussen can hardly be accused of skewing Republican there). In the 2006 Nevada governor’s race, the final poll had Gibbons over Titus, 48–44. The election result was Gibbons, 48–46. And in the 2004 presidential race, the final poll had Bush over Kerry, 50–48. The vote tally was Bush, 49–47. One of the digs lately against Rasmussen is that his 2008 polls are showing a Republican house effect that wasn’t there in other years. Nate Silver has what I think is a fair look at Rasmussen and this development. I assume this is what Chuck Todd is referring to when he calls Rasmussen “unreliable.” The bottom line is we won’t know the answer until November, but if Rasmussen’s past performance is any indication, Harry Reid is in deep trouble. And I think Reid knows it.
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Chuck Todd Rips ‘Unreliable’ Rasmussen, Doesn’t Mind Liberal Polling Firm Even Kos Rejected
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Tagged 2008 congressional, chuck, chuck todd, cite-or-ignore, Hollywood, liberal, media bias debate, msnbc, nevada, nevada-senate, News, Obama, stars, touted-on-msnbc
On Wednesday’s Today show NBC’s Matt Lauer, Chuck Todd and Kelly O’Donnell forwarded the Democratic line that Tea Party candidate victories in Republican primaries will be the GOP’s downfall in November. First up Kelly O’Donnell, in a set up piece, claimed: “In Nevada, a big Tea Party victory in the GOP Senate primary…But Democrats are actually cheering Sharron Angle’s win, believing that a Tea Party candidate would be an easier opponent” for Majority Leader Harry Reid. Then, during a post-election analysis segment with Today co-anchor Matt Lauer and NBC News’ political director Chuck Todd, Lauer wondered if the Angle win meant “Democrats have a right to be optimistic” as Todd chimed with “Angle a little too conservative…to appeal to independents potentially” there is now a “path to victory” for Reid. The following takes on the Nevada Senate race were aired on the June 9 Today show: KELLY O’DONNELL: In Nevada, a big Tea Party victory in the GOP Senate primary. SHARRON ANGLE: We need to send a message to Washington, D.C. O’DONNELL: But Democrats are actually cheering Sharron Angle’s win, believing that a Tea Party candidate would be an easier opponent for one of the most vulnerable Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. ANGLE: We’re ready for the debate! Come on, Harry! Let’s talk about the issues! O’DONNELL: And Sharron Angle really surged at the end and her win was a surprise to many and Democrats now believe that they can use that Tea Party status to paint her as a bit more extreme, and that may help Harry Reid who, for much of this year, has been trailing just about any Republican he was lined up in polls. And so that really sets up Democrats to have a whole new conversation in the months ahead. … MATT LAUER: Alright, in Nevada we’ve got Sharon Angle. Kelly O’Donnell talked about this. CHUCK TODD: Right. LAUER: She’s the Tea Party candidate. She wins, she now faces Harry Reid in November. And, and do the Democrats have a right to be optimistic there? TODD: Well, what they do is they’re just less pessimistic. Harry Reid is not exactly any less vulnerable this morning than he was yesterday before the, before Sharon Angle. The difference is he’s got a path to win dirty. Okay? Nevada has something called “none of the above,” an actual line on the ballot that is “none of the above.” And what both sides expect this race to turn into is a heavy dose of negative ads, both candidates will be unpopular. And what Harry Reid needs is a lot of people, say 8,10 percent of the electorate picking, “You know what? I’m holding my nose to the point of I can’t vote for either of them, I’m gonna vote for none of the above.” And then suddenly he can win with 46 percent or 47 percent. With Sharon Angle a little too conservative for, to appeal to independents potentially, now that’s the Harry Reid path to victory.
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On Today: Dems Happy ‘Too Conservative’ Tea Party Candidate Won Primary
Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News
Tagged chuck todd, democratic, kelly o'donnell, News, sharron-angle, today, truthdig
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