Since joining NBC, Chuck Todd has had only good things to say about GOP

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200703300009



Since Chuck Todd assumed duty as NBC News political director on March 12, he has made numerous appearances on the network in which he spoke positively about Republicans, making broad, unsupported, and, in some cases, rebuttable assertions, while making negative, equally unsupported comments about Democrats.

For example:

On March 12, Todd asserted that former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) is "one of these people that can probably keep the entire conservative coalition together, the social conservatives, the economic conservatives, and the religious conservatives." Approximately two weeks after that comment, prominent social conservative James C. Dobson, Focus on the Family founder and chairman, said of Thompson, "I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," and added that "such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination."

On March 28, Todd asserted that "{i}t would be easy for" Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "to criticize the war. The maverick thing to do is to actually take the unpopular stand." In saying this, Todd suggested that McCain's position on the war is one of a "maverick," despite the fact that other leading contenders for the Republican nomination also support President Bush's Iraq policy. As NBC News chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell noted during the same segment, "McCain's chief rivals for the Republican nomination, {former Massachusetts Gov.} Mitt Romney and {former New York City Mayor} Rudy Giuliani, also oppose a timeline for withdrawal and support a surge of U.S. troop strength." In addition, McCain voted with the vast majority of Senate Republicans to remove a redeployment goal from the Senate's Iraq funding bill, as Media Matters noted. And, contrary to Todd's suggestion that McCain has taken the politically unpopular approach of not criticizing the war, McCain has described himself as the "greatest critic of the way the war was being conducted."

On March 30, NBC News congressional correspondent Chip Reid noted that "some political analysts" say that President Bush's veto of an Iraq spending bill that includes a timeline for withdrawal "could strengthen {Bush's} hand." Reid then aired a clip in which Todd asserted that a veto would allow Bush "to look like the commander in chief," "stand up to the congressional Democrats," and "potentially put in a position of not funding the troops." Todd did not indicate why "stand up to the congressional Democrats" on a timeline for withdrawal might help Bush politically. A March 23-25 USA Today/Gallup poll found that 60 percent of respondents favored Congress "{s}etting a time-table for withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq no later than the fall of 2008." Moreover, it is unclear why Bush's veto would put Democrats "in a position of not funding the troops." It could also be said, as Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) did on the March 29 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, "if vetoes this bill, he's the one that's cutting off the money to the troops."

While Todd has repeatedly praised Republicans during these appearances, his comments about Democrats have been largely critical:

[Roland99]

1. turning the M$M more and more into lapdogs. BTW, McCain a "Maverick"? I think not.

check my sig :)

[Benhurst]

2. It's hard not to have a rosey view of the GOP when you've got

your nose stuck up General Electric's corporate ass.

[catmandu57]

3. NBC is back on the reservation

They were actually going after these crooked bastards after Katrina, in the last few months they've noticeably shifted back to kissing reptilian ass.

[Roy]

4. This is not a change, he was the same on C-Span...

You could always tell when the news was bad for repubs by the very sad look on his face while C-Span host was introducing him.
And an upbeat look is always followed by good news for repubs.

[CatWoman]

5. took the words right out of my mouth, Roy

:hi:

when he was with "Hotline", he was always on CSPAN, in the exact same mold.

[Roy]

7. Good to type atcha again CatWoman

:hi:

[KoKo]

6. Todd had a disclaimer before 2006 Election that his wife worked for Jim Webb...

Campaign, which surprised me. When he used to be on C-Span a couple of years ago for "Hotline" he always seemed more liberal that his co-editor...but then he turned and started spouting Repug line about the time his wife was working for Webb. Maybe it's a Carville/Matalin situation.

But, imagine NBC wouldn't have hired him if he wasn't willing to toe the Jack Welch/GE line. Sad, because I used to like him back in the C-Span days when he seemed reasonable.

[Cha]

8. In other words..chucky todd is

a fucking lying gewhore.

When I remember him on c-span with hotline, I recall todd was the one who was fair about the Dems and vaughn ververs was the deluded, highly caffienated one especially when it came to Al Gore.

So we know todd can switch allegiance when the money is sweet enough.

[Catherine Vincent]

9. Yes, I've noticed that about Todd.

I guess he can't help it, if he supports republics he can't hide it. When he was still with cspan, he stated that he listens to Rush Limbaugh sometimes but he made it seem like it was for entertainment. Yeah right.