Newsvine Q & A: Chuck Todd on U.S. Politics

Chuck

Wondering your thoughts on one part of this "cabinet build". 

Is it me or do you think that many of the individuals Obama is asking at this unusual time in the world's history...

are not going to be about just their political careers or bi-partisanship for their own value  but because they live on this planet too... ...and at this specific crossroads...I don't think it is overstating it to say ...that there is a good chance that if "Team Obama" fails...and doesn't pull us out of this spiral...environmentally, fiscally, politically,

whatever future these individuals have as politicians...is minimal compared to how much worse we may end up as a species and a nation...as a world actually.

Seems everyone is in agreement that this tidal wave we are watching approach will either be overcome and the Obama team will succeed and seems to me ...being a member of said team would be a lifetime achievement for anybody...

or they fail...and there is a chance that any opportunity after that may not matter.

Do you agree?  Are they in that mindset yet?  Do they see what lies in front of us and what it means.

Just made me think as I watched all of this earth coverage NBC is doing... and hearre them (the leaders and potential cabinet of all of this) speak of what dire straits we seem to be in.

Your thoughts.

Understanding of course that there were many factors - in your estimation - what was the biggest single factor behind Obama's victory?

Where is all of the money going to come from to repair the myriad of problems and to fulfill the campaign promises made to the American people?

As more and more people are laid-off and unemployment benefits extended. The tax base has to be shrinking doesn't it?

Are we planning on selling "Economy Bonds" or something like that to just keep pushing the deficit into the future?

Are the choices that Obama has made to date a step in the right direction in your opinion?

Where are Chuck Todd's responses.....I don't get this discussion??

Bernie

On the Auto companies

I don't want all these folks to be out of work (I've heard numbers up to 3 million) but I don't want to reward failure (as we did in the financial sector.) 

With their planned obsolence that they started in the 80s, tabling the electric car, and fighting CAFE standards, and I've heard line workers start at like $60 an hour, even humourous items like 17 million dollars for lifestyle drugs (Viagra) in the health plan.

Can we keep the business running and force them to sell?  Without nationalizing the companies but some how force the failed management to leave?

Chuck the grapeview is working faster then the Media.  Brother Bill Clinton is being vetted by Obama.  The Jouralist and others who are Clinton haters must be really mad. Hillary was attacked by what would be done if she won, no body bothered to ask Obama.  Bill and Hill helped Obama to become Senator and Obama is wise to use the best we have.

Good to see Dan Rather finally will win his lawsuit from CBS and he's got the memo's to prove his case. At lease the public will know for sure the CBS station was working with the White House to spread the propaganda. Who's next?  All the information about Bush having his Father get him out of service illegally was correct, but the Media helped cover it up. Yes Bush was drunk and not fit to serve but we can now see he wasn't fit to be President either. If Americans had been given the truth we might not be in this mess.

Abramoff is waiting to be pardon or he will sing.  Bush will have make history again and give a blanket pardon with 8 years of criminal action done by his people.

I spoke of Hank Paulson not knowing what he's doing he just holds a title.  Well I've been proved correct as Hank is giving out money to friends and the White House has really spent over 4 trillion dollars for their pay offs and corruption.  I made sure I contacted Senator Waxman to hold Hank responsible and get our money back. 

Bush is trying to pass off this corruption of the US Treasury to Obama.  This shows just how stupid the Bush Administration is.  Obama will not touch any part of this scam and leave it for the Bush Legecy.  We now see the real figure of the thief so far is 4 Trillion and going up everyday. 

On a final not I recommended Patrick Fitzgerald for the job as Attorney General.  Now before you say I'm a nobody.  Rahm Emanuel got my letter and is giving it to President Elect Obama.  I took Obama at his word when he said he would listen to our opinion as an American, this was my test case and it worked.

Chuck you must be thrilled that the candidate you clearly supported won the election.  Now that the election is over, are you going to try to make a new commitment to objectivity?

Hi Chuck,

Has the television news media been given a mandate to:

1) Return to actually reporting rather then infotainment?  You know, where the lead story is not about the celebrity de jour, or the cat that got stuck in the tree.

2) Begin to finally expand and enlighten Americans into a less insulated culture? 

Also, given the strangle hold this administration has had on various government departments, which arm will start whistle blowing first?

Why is it so much more profitable or expedient to bail out the Wall Street companies rather than the auto industry when that industry caters to middle America?  Is middle America not worth just as much?  I heard that the "model" will not work?  What model?  Simply hold the auto industry accountable to make more efficient autos, to make some internal cut-backs (not injuring their personnel by cutting necessary benefits but something...........) and help them stay afloat.  Is is not possible to do both?  Just insist that the way the auto industry does business change if that is the loop hole holding this up.  The huge sum of money is still a HUGE SUM of money no matter where it is spent.  As a tax paying citizen; I'd sure feel better helping those whom I can relate to.  Is it me? 

It just does not seem equitable.  But then again, I may be economically intelligence challenged.  And neither, Wall Street or the Automobile Industry should get a blank check without some severe checks and balances in place!

Mr. Todd:

Who do you think that President Bush will pardon before he leaves office?  

Thank you for taking questions.

Victoria

Regarding the "Morning Joe" F-bomb heard 'round the world:

1. How much of a conscious effort did you have to make to ignore it? (You seemed to do a better job than some of the others.)
2. Which is worse: Making the mistake (it was clearly an accident) or spending too much time apologizing for the mistake?
3. What's the upshot for MSNBC when something like that happens? Risk of loss of sponsors? Viewer anger? 

My view is that this is the sort of silly controversy that the internet doesn't handle well, and -- if anything -- the age of YouTube and the instantaneous echo chamber tends to compound issues beyond what they ought to be.

I'm interested in comments on single payer healthcare.

It seems to me that going to a single payer healthcare system would also help the economy a great deal.

Employers would not be burdened with ever escalating healthcare costs. I know the automakers are suffering greatly from the generous benefit packages the unions managed to wring out of them and those costs have sky rocketed.

It would give workers more mobility since they would be able to smoothly change jobs without suffering through the pain of providing their own health insurance or doing without. Cobra is a joke. It costs more than a private plan.

It would bring Medicare and Medicaid into a more organized synergistic system, reduce fraud and lower costs. This alone would make a significant contribution to the cost of the system.

Could free up consumer earnings to be spent on goods and services.

Best of all everyone would be covered.

Hey, chuck.

Regarding the need for a party makeover, Tim Pawlenty was recently quoted: “The Republican Party is going to need more than just a comb-over.” 

In the short term (say, first six months of the Obama administration), do you see the GOP generally playing the part of the friendly opposition.... or decidedly unfriendly, in an attempt to redefine and distance themselves from the recent big-spending Bushian past. 

BTW, I noticed you got Maryland last week. Upset pick this week?

Thanks for taking the time to do this.  It makes us feel important :)

1. Is Hillary Clinton the most qualified candidate for SoS?  If so, what makes her qualified? 

It bothers me a bit that she does not agree with talking to enemies.  Isn't this where BO is fundamentally different from recent POTUS? 

2. Do you think Bill's relationships with foreign heads of state would influence her negotiations?

Chuck the Media seems to high Hank Paulson so high for his lack of Economic knowledge but because of his title and his work as CEO of Goldman Sachs.   What the public isn't told by the Media is Henry aka Hank Paulson was mentored by Watergate conviced felon John Ehlichman. Yes Hank was taught by one the of Republicans best criminals and Hank quickly moved on to Goldman Sachs as his teacher Ehrlichman was carted off to jail. 

This explains alot about the Bush Administration and the problems we're in now. Most of the top people were students of the first corrupt Administratiion in American History.  It was easy for them to get over because the Media never told Americans who these people really are.  We know that the US ranks low in education and most Americans look for the Journalist, reporters and Media to give the truth.   History always repeats itself when people aren't educated to know the facts.   Hank was taught to do as he was told when stealing and he learned well and now all those who sucked up to him are asking for some of that bailout money before Obama takes office.

John Ehrliclman would be proud to know what a great thief Hank turned out to be, he taught him well.  To bad Hank never did learn about Economy.

While the GOP warned voters against an alliance of Obama, Pelosi and Reid during the general, you've mentioned that the selection of Rahm Emanuel may partly have been a way of conveying to Pelosi & Reid that the Obama admin won't roll over for them. Do you anticipate Obama finding Dem Congressional leaders more of an obstacle to his legislation than others in Congress? And do you think he'll build legislative coalitions that may surprise people?

Thanks.

Do you think the infighting in the Republican party will allow the moderates (Snow, Collins, Specter and...?  hhmmm, not too many moderates left) to work with the Democratic party?  Even if the Democrats don't get 60 won't it be hard to filabuster?

Do you think Sen. McCain will go back to being one of those moderates?

Thanks!

Chicago is known for six things: Michael Jordan, Oprah 
Winfrey, Jerry Springer, Al Capone, Second City Comedy 
and crooked politics, and not necessarily in that order. 
You're Hillary Clinton, do you give up your nice, cosy 
NY senate seat for a position that serves at the 
discretion of two backstabbing, crooked Chicago politicians? 
Personally, I don't walk into Rahm Emmanuel's and Barack 
Obama's snake pit without a flame thrower.

Hi Chuck -

For those of us political junkies already looking ahead to 2010, these are the Senate seats I think Republicans will be most vulnerable in:

1. Florida
2. Kentucky

3. Kansas (if Sebelius runs)

4. Ohio

5. North Carolina

6. Pennsylvania (especially if Specter retires)

7. New Hampshire (the New England Republican is a dying species)

8. Arizona (if Napolitano challenges McCain)

It seems more likely than not that Democrats will get over 60 mark next election cycle ... your thoughts? 

Also ...

Do you think Debbie Wasserman-Schultz will run for the Dem nomination in FL, and would she be a strong statewide candidate?  How serious are the rumors that Chris Mathews will run against Specter in PA?  Which Democratic-held seats do you see as potentially vulnerable? 

Thanks!

Hi Chuck,

I wanted your thoughts on 2 things.  First, how powerful a VP do you anticipate Biden being?  Second, is there any clear front runner emerging in Speculationville for Treasury Secretary at this point?

p.s. I think the Terps would take down the 'Canes in the ACC football championship if it reached that point.

Hi Chuck -

What do you make of the new leaks indicating that Hillary is not all that sure she actually wants to be Secretary of State, and that the issues with her campaign debt may be a factor (among several)? 

And considering how close-lipped everyone in the Obama camp was during the campaign, I find it curious to have so many leaks coming out now.  Do you attribute all these leaks to the Clinton "add-ons" to the Obama transition team, or are the Obama folks changing strategy for a reason?

And if Hillary decides she doesn't want it, who do you think has the best chance? 

Off-Topic:  Saw you on Countdown last night - boy, my HDTV sure makes you look good!  And before jackierawlings can say it, I liked your suit too!  haha

My husband thinks you and David Shuster work well as a team, and suggested that the two of you moderate Meet the Press.  Just a thought...

I have a question, Chuck, regarding Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.  While I love Hillary, will other countries like Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., listen to her since she is female?  I'm not trying to be sexist but wouldn't a man have been a better choice?

1. This is amusing. The future president is supposed to make everything right in the world. Right!!!
2. Obama's business experience is what? He's supposed to set things right in the banking, auto industry and other businesses? Do this with no business experience or background.
3. World polution and the green house effect? Duhhhh! This is a global problem so it is going to take global co-operation. Yes that does include China and India. Guess what people this will not go away by itself.
4. The deregulation of the housing industry is what has brought this debacle on the mortgage front. Thank God my bankers had more sense than to make such loans. At least, I hope so.
5. Bail out the auto industry? Why didn't they bail out the .com industry when they hit the skids. The auto industry in the USA should have retooled a long time ago. World needs more gas efficient cars, cars that pollute less. We also need to find an alternative fuel. This alternative is needed for more reasons than one.
6. We have to many people, without a license, trying to drive this huge bus of humanity.
7. The public is better educated than in the past.
8. Old time politics and business as usual is what has got us into this mess in the first place.
9. Would it be better to get the old guard on your team and to your way of thinking than have battles. After all, everyone by now knows planet Earth is in big time trouble and it is not looking too good for the future if we continue down this path.

One more question.  Some argue that people would not buy an American made auto if the auto makers went into bankruptcy but what is the difference if we give them money?  The likelihood that they would still fail seems the same to me.

What we need is a strong third and maybe fourth party in the USA. Right now it seems to be the two parties the one of them!

Has the press thought about giving some of the other parties like the constitutional party more publicity in the press. Just a thought. You see if these two parties are really just one party with two faces, then guys and gals of the press you too are endangered of loosing your freedom.