Back in 2014 after years of calculated Republican misinformation, the Affordable Care Act was the most hated and misunderstood piece of federal legislation since Social Security. Admittedly, the rollout of the program was abysmal, and the public relations campaign was not much better. A major part of the American tradition of a free press is to challenge the obvious. Chuck Todd, the current host of NBC’s Meet the Press, famously responded to former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s displeasure with the acquiescence by the press to the deliberate disinformation by the Republican attack machine. When confronted with the failures of the press to do their job, and disseminate truth, Todd responded, "But more importantly, it's stuff that Republicans successfully messaged against it and they wouldn't have heard...they don't repeat other stuff because they haven't even heard the Democratic message…” Todd was saying, essentially, if confronted with a lie correcting it is not my job.
Well, the backlash came in the form of a figurative swift kick in the tail. After a few days Todd was so embarrassed by not living up to the tenets of his profession, the pursuit of the truth, he offered a non-apology, apology tweet “I was NOT saying it isn't job of journos to call out lies, I said it was not job of media to sell WH's health care message, it is WH's job.”
March 11th, 2018—On Sunday morning’s MTP I watched Chuck Todd be insistent, short-tempered and demanding of the truth. What a difference a personal attack makes. That attack came Saturday night when the President of the United States, entertaining his adoring throng, with a profanity-laced rift in Moon Township, Pennsylvania called Todd a, “sleeping son of a bitch.” Todd who, I am sure, subscribes to the adage of a reporter never becoming the story, all but gripped the throat of the Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin, with a fusillade of questions that barely masked his fangs. Todd repeatedly pushed for Mnuchin to show some regret on behalf of the President, but The Secretary only excused Trump’s behavior as "The president likes making funny names," I guess the time to call out a politician for boorish antics in front of a camera is now something Todd understands. The impunity Todd exhibited, with his pompous exhibition of journalistic integrity, back in 2014, no longer applied.
I am sure Todd sees himself as an arbiter of truth if it does not interfere with his constant attempts at normalizing the President. Todd is doing a bit of a walk back himself by invoking his kids and saying, “ you never speak ill of a sitting President.” As a father myself that may be the single biggest show of ignorance by Todd as a public figure. What I derive from his statement is no matter what the character of the man you never separate him or her from the office. Todd did not say you never speak ill of the office, he said you never speak ill of a sitting president. How absurd is it to say that Nixon and Watergate, Jackson and the Trail of Tears, and Wilson condoning the KKK; all should be respected? Not just the office but the men. I beg to differ, Mr. Todd, I taught my kids to only respect those who have earned it, no matter the rank.
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