Daily Rundown

MSNBC Dutifully Demonizes Conservative Black GOP Politician: ‘He Might Make Todd Akin Look Like A Moderate’

Now that the race for Virginia’s next governor has kicked into high gear, NBC News’ Chief White House Correspondent has decided to be partisan and sharply criticized the Republican ticket.

On his May 20 edition of The Daily Rundown, the MSNBC anchor hammered the GOP’s nominee for Virginia Lieutenant Governor, African-American pastor E.W. Jackson, as extreme and someone who “might make Todd Akin look like a moderate.” "Can the GOP win in 2013 with a ticket of candidates who are best known for being very conservative and very outspoken on social issues?" Todd rhetorically asked before playing several clips of Jackson in a manner worthy of a liberal attack ad. [See video after jump. MP3 audio here.]

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Shorter Chuck Todd: Hillary Clinton Will Benefit From Benghazi

When it comes to NBC and its sister network MSNBC, Chuck Todd is one of the few journalists that actually attempt to be fair. However, there are times when Todd will make a statement that makes you pause and question how much he's co-opted by the network's determination to be Obama boosters.

On his May 10 Daily Rundown program, the veteran White House correspondent claimed that when it comes to Benghazi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “is going to benefit it seems a little bit in this one respect if [it appears] that her opponents try too hard."

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On Opening of Bush Library, Chuck Todd Mocks Ex-President’s ‘Gaffes,’ Imagines a GOP Loss in 2016

Previewing the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on Thursday, rather than positively reflect on the legacy of the Bush presidency, MSNBC unsurprisingly chose to mock and minimize his eight years in office. During The Daily Rundown, host Chuck Todd introduced a segment on the former president with a spew of Bush “gaffes." He then mocked, "I miss this part of Bush because Obama never does this stuff."

After playing the clips, Todd spun, "Some of the lighter moments there from Bush's time in office. President Obama's always a little more careful. President Bush would dip into some of those things."  Todd has gone so far as to excuse gaffes made by President Obama, blaming his speechwriter for the errors. [See video after jump.  MP3 audio here.]

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After Learning of Her Death, MSNBC’s Bashir Trashes Thatcher: ‘Divisive, Selfish’ Instigated ‘Race Riots’

Leave it to MSNBC to bring its perhaps most vile ultra-liberal daytime host to make the first comments following the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Speaking with host Chuck Todd and the BBC’s Katty Kay, Bashir sharply smeared the legacy of the Iron Lady, calling her tenure very divisive and one that promoted selfishness. 

The segment began with Bashir -- who has no qualms about calling living conservatives Stalinesque -- giving liberal talking points as to why he disliked the career of Thatcher:

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Chuck Todd Declares ‘This Just Looks Bad’ for Obama, But NBC News Skips Access-Buying at White House

Picking up on a Saturday front page New York Times story on how the Obama campaign is selling access to the White House through its newly formed Organizing for Action group, a revelation ignored all weekend by ABC, CBS and NBC, on Monday’s Daily Rundown on MSNBC, Chuck Todd declared: “This just looks bad. It looks like the White House is selling access.” He pointed out the hypocrisy, recalling: “Offering this kind of access to big donors was precisely what Obama was campaigning against in 2007 and 2008.”

Yet, though Todd is NBC’s chief White House correspndent, nothing about it aired on NBC’s Today, Nightly News nor Meet the Press all weekend, Monday or Tuesday morning.

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NBC’s Todd: GOP ‘Begging the Media to Say It’s Obama That Started the Sequester’

After dismissing the argument that President Obama was to blame for the sequester as "dumb" on Thursday's MSNBC Daily Rundown, NBC political director Chuck Todd further mocked the notion on Friday's program: "Republicans have been playing, well, an inside game, the inside the Beltway game, trying to build support for their position against the cuts and begging the media to say it's Obama that started the sequester, not them." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

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Chuck Todd Rants Against ‘Dumb’ GOP Argument Blaming Obama for Sequester

MSNBC's Chuck Todd on Thursday echoed a liberal columnist and mocked the idea of blaming Barack Obama for sequester spending cuts, even though it was the President's idea. On Thursday's Daily Rundown, Todd sneered, "Of all the dumb things Washington does, this 'who started it' argument has proven to be one of the dumber ones, especially since we're so close to the actual cuts going into place." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

Todd's talking points sound very similar to assertions made by liberal Newsweek/Daily Beast writer Michael Tomasky. On Tuesday, he admitted that Obama came up with the plan, but wondered why it matters. The sub-headline offered this Daily Beast article proclaimed, "Conservatives keep reminding everyone that the sequester was Obama’s idea. But, says Michael Tomasky, that doesn’t mean he’s to blame for the current crisis."

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Washington Post’s Cillizza Confesses: ‘I Can’t Get Enough of Hillary Clinton’

Filling in for host Chuck Todd on Friday's MSNBC Daily Rundown, The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza gushed over the popularity of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "Hillary Clinton is just day's removed from public office, but a new poll finds her public image soaring. Time to put another log on the 2016 speculation fire....Look, I can't get enough of Hillary Clinton, I'll just admit it. I'm just fascinated by the story." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Comparing Clinton to a list of other potential 2016 presidential candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, Cillizza proclaimed: "She's more popular than anyone else on this list....These numbers are not terribly surprising, I mean, she just spent four years as our top diplomat."

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NRA Ad Identifies NBC’s David Gregory as ‘Elitist Hypocrite’ on Gun Control

As MediaBistro's TVNewser blog noticed on Wednesday, an image of NBC Meet the Press moderator David Gregory was featured in the newly released ad by the National Rifle Association, labeling him to be one of several "elitist hypocrites" on the gun control issue. [Watch video of the ad after the jump]

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NBC’s Todd Laments House GOP Having ‘All White Men’ as Committee Chairs

Taking a gratuitous shot at Republicans at the end of his Wednesday MSNBC show, The Daily Rundown, NBC political director Chuck Todd insisted on making this declaration: "By the way, though, all of the committee chairs in the House Republican conference....All white men....Picture of the party's potential problems." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Todd, who is himself a white man, was reacting to Democratic strategist Karen Finney making a "shameless plug" for the number of women elected to Congress, who she hoped would bring "a little bit of sanity to the process." As Todd hit the House GOP, Finney chimed in: "White men....Very representative."

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Latest MSNBC ‘Lean Forward’ Ad Spikes Football Over Obama Election Victory

It should come as no surprise to most people that MSNBC is a liberal network, but it appears as though they are now actively campaigning for the Democratic Party.  For several years, MSNBC has produced their own ads featuring numerous on-air personalities promoting different liberal causes.

 MSNBC’s latest ad, however, goes well beyond promotion of liberalism and has shifted into outright DNC promotion.  Narrated by ultra-liberal primetime host Rachel Maddow, the commercial is a litany of Democratic “achievements” essentially a mirror-image of the DNC platform.   [See video below page break.  MP3 audio here.] 

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Obama Asked to Show ID to Vote: Where’s the Outrage at MSNBC?

Over the past several months, MSNBC has been on a tirade criticizing attempts by mostly Republican state legislatures to ensure voting integrity by requiring a photo ID in order to vote. 

As NewsBusters has documented, one of the leaders of the anti-ID movement is none other than the host of the 6 p.m. Eastern program Politics Nation, the Rev. Al Sharpton, who on numerous occasions has suggested that such laws are thinly-veiled, racially animated attempts to depress minorities of their right to vote.  [See video below break.]

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Day 2 of MSNBC’s Blackout on Libya

It appears as though MSNBC has gone into overdrive covering up for the Obama administration over the terrorist attack on our consulate in Libya.  Following emails uncovered by CBS News late Tuesday evening showing the White House knew within two hours that the attack was terrorist related, MSNBC has run a grand total of two stories on these shocking developments. 

Unlike yesterday, NBC's Today did provide a news brief on the emails Thursday morning as well as a story during Wednesday night’s Nightly News, but their sister cable network MSNBC has only covered the story once today, on The Daily Rundown at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

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NBC News Ignores Emails Showing White House Knew Libya Attack Was Terrorism

**UPDATE** At 2:30 p.m. EDT, MSNBC mentioned the damaging emails for the first time, coupling it with breaking news of an arrest in the attack on our Libyan consulate.   

Following in the footsteps of its sister broadcast network, MSNBC has continued to ignore the shocking revelation that the White House knew on September 11 that the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was under a well-coordinated terrorist attack. 

As NewsBusters’ Matthew Balan noted, NBC's Today was the only broadcast network morning show this to ignore the story altogether, with MSNBC following suit by remaining silent as well throughout the day.  In contrast, both Fox News and CNN have run numerous stories Wednesday morning.

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NBC Demands: ‘Does the Romney Campaign Believe That God Intends Rape?’

With less than two weeks before the November election, it appears as though the media have found their newest manufactured controversy to smear Mitt Romney and other Republicans running for elected office.

Following comments made by  Richard Mourdock, Republican candidate for Senate in Indiana, NBC News’ Luke Russert disgustingly tried to twist Mourdock’s comments and tie them to the Romney campaign.  [See video below break.  MP3 audio here.]

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NBC’s Todd Dismisses Big Bird Ad as Bait for Media Attention…MSNBC Runs it 10 Times

Appearing on Tuesday's MSNBC Morning Joe, NBC political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd discounted a new satirical ad from the Obama campaign mocking Mitt Romney for mentioning Big Bird in the debate: "...this is clearly a, as I was told, 'national cable,' which seems like code for, 'We put it out there hoping a lot of people will play it over and over because we think it's a good snarky conversation.'"

However, only moments earlier, the full ad played on the MSNBC morning show, as well as during the 6 a.m. ET hour. In fact, the ad ran in full on every MSNBC show between the 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET hours on Tuesday, for a total of ten times. That included on Todd's own 9 a.m. ET show, The Daily Rundown.

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Tom Brokaw: If Romney Performed Like Obama Did Last Night ‘It Would Have Been Over’

There has been a lot of harsh criticism for Barack Obama's performance at Wednesday's presidential debate, but maybe the strongest came Thursday from former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw.

Appearing on MSNBC's Daily Rundown, Brokaw said, "I think that this morning we have a kick-start to this presidential campaign. If it had been Romney performing like the president last night, it would have been over" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

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Chris Matthews: RNC Message Is A Return To Slavery

For months, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews has been on a near-daily if not daily tirade accusing the Republican Party of using dog-whistle racist tactics to defeat President Obama.  Since the start of the Republican National Convention, Matthews has amped up his racial hyperbole to 11 by overtly claiming the Republican Party wants to return to a time when slavery was legal.

Matthews’ insulting comments came roughly 12 hours after former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke at the GOP convention.  Appearing on The Daily Rundown, Matthews tried to paint Ms. Rice as an outlier in a party hostile to minorities.   [See video below.  MP3 audio here.]

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NBC’s Todd Whines Over Lack of ‘Rational Policy Debate’ About Gun Control

While discussing gun control on Wednesday's The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, correspondent Mike Viqueira lamented: "...the anti-gun control, pro-gun rights crowd has won the argument at this point....they've succeeded in framing the issue as one of essential American national values." In response, host and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd ranted: "...nobody has sort of a rational policy debate about it." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Todd began the segment by whining over the lack of gun regulation:

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NBC’s Mitchell Rants: Romney Using ‘Dog Whistle’ Language Against Obama

On her 1 p.m. et hour show on MSNBC on Tuesday, host and NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell decried Mitt Romney labeling President Obama's big-government philosophy "foreign" to American capitalism: "...he is still using the term 'foreign' and I'm telling you, this is happening every day, it is a dog whistle." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd attempted to talk Mitchell down: "...to take him [Romney] at face value – it's about trying to paint the President as out of touch, that he doesn't have the experience....out of touch about the American economy, that he doesn't understand how capitalism works." Mitchell refused to accept that explanation: "Out of touch is out of touch....Foreign is suggesting somebody who grew up in Indonesia....I'm telling you....words matter."

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NBC Desperately Scrambles to Claim Romney Told Olympians ‘You Didn’t Build That’

In an article for NBCNews.com's First Read on Monday, Domenico Montanaro eagerly proclaimed to readers: "Mitt Romney has criticized President Obama for his 'you didn't build that' line, when it came to businesses....But in 2002, during his speech at the Opening Ceremonies at the Winter Olympics....Romney made a similar argument about Olympians."

Romney simply told the Olympic athletes – many in their teens and twenties – that they achieved their individual success with help of parents, coaches, and their local communities. However, by Monday night, The Washington Post's Ezra Klein, filling in for MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, wildly misconstrued the comment to slam Romney: "Got that, Olympians? You didn't build it....It's like David Axelrod went back in time and put the precise words he needed into Mitt Romney's mouth."

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Russert Tells Dem Rep ‘They Watch This at the White House, God Willing, So They’ll Get the Message’

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday, "NBC News is an annex of the Democrat National Committee, and it is posing as a news network."

Perfectly illustrating the point Thursday was MSNBC's Luke Russert who while substitute-hosting the Daily Rundown told Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Oh.) after she sang the praises of President Obama and asked him to campaign for her in her state, "They watch this at the White House, God willing, so they’ll get the message loud and clear" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

LUKE RUSSERT, SUBSTITUTE HOST: So you would welcome President Obama to campaign with you in your district?

CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR (D-OHIO): Oh, welcome him. I've been trying to get his wife, Michelle Obama, for several years right now. And we would like them to travel with us throughout Ohio. I think our Party represents, if you just look at the number of women running in the Democratic, on the Democratic side of the aisle in Ohio, 7 of the 15 candidates that we have are women. We have minorities. You look at the other side of the aisle, there are no women. There are no minorities running in Ohio. We have a much more representative slate as we look at Ohio, and I think we’d be proud, I want the president back. And certainly we would love to welcome his fight.

RUSSERT: Well they watch, they watch this at the White House, God willing, so they’ll get the message loud and clear.


Luke's father Tim must be rolling over in his grave.

(HT Marc Sheppard)

MSNBC Panel: Fast & Furious Scandal Bad for GOP, Good for Obama

Update [12:52 ET]: Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele followed Bernard's lead in MSNBC's noon hour by claiming the Fast & Furious investigation was "not good" for the House GOP. Video below and audio here.

In an attempt to twist the Obama administration's Fast & Furious gun running scandal into bad news for Republicans, on Wednesday's The Daily Rundown on MSNBC supposed Republican pundit Michelle Bernard proclaimed: "...when you think about just the damage that has been done over the last year to the GOP's brand, this is just another – adds more fuel to the fire." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Bernard was referring to the possibility of Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress for not providing documents about the failed policy to lawmakers. Instead of questioning the White House, Bernard continued to rant: "...this is just another thing that I think gives the Obama administration and the Obama campaign a little bit more fuel to go to the American public and say, 'Why won't they just do their job? We don't elect members of the Congress to come in and beat up on the Attorney General and be obstructionists. Ask them to do their job and back off of Eric Holder.' It makes no sense."

Prior to Bernard's spin, Politico's Jake Sherman warned: "There are elements, significant elements within House Republican leadership, that think this is a really bad message. The economy is struggling. Obama's numbers are not where he wants them to be. So why get off message? That's what some people, high-ranking aides and even lawmakers in the House Republican conference, are telling us."

Following Bernard, fill-in host Luke Russert concluded that the President even welcomed the congressional confrontation: "It's another dynamic of Obama versus Congress. Which is a fight that he's actually wanted."

Update:


Here is a transcript of the June 20 exchange:

9:47AM ET

(...)

LUKE RUSSERT: Another story that's sweeping over the Capitol today is this ongoing fight between Eric Holder and Darrell Issa. Eric holder said this yesterday when he was on the Hill.

ERIC HOLDER: I think the ball is in their court. They rejected what I thought was an extraordinary offer on our part.

DARRELL ISSA: Ultimately, the documents necessary to cause a postponement appear to be in their possession.

RUSSERT: Jake, you've been following this story. What's going on here? And more importantly, how does the leadership feel about all this? Are they worried that it distracts from the economy message?

JAKE SHERMAN [POLITICO]: The freight train is going full speed. Contempt vote's going to happen by noon today, we're told, in committee. Then it will head to the full House floor. Speaker John Boehner and Eric Cantor are very cognizant that their conference, that their 242 members want this vote. They're angry at Eric Holder, they don't trust Eric Holder. The interesting dynamic will be – is whether there are documents that come to the Hill before the vote happens on the floor.

There are elements, significant elements within House Republican leadership, that think this is a really bad message. The economy is struggling. Obama's numbers are not where he wants them to be. So why get off message? That's what some people, high-ranking aides and even lawmakers in the House Republican conference, are telling us.

MICHELLE BERNARD [BERNARD CENTER FOR WOMEN]: You know, Luke, when you – for a different vantage point, when you think about just the damage that has been done over the last year to the GOP's brand, this is just another – adds more fuel to the fire. The economy is in a very, very bad place. We should be talking about job creation. We should be talking about all of the pocketbook issues that matter to Americans. And this is just another thing that I think gives the Obama administration and the Obama campaign a little bit more fuel to go to the American public and say, "Why won't they just do their job? We don't elect members of the Congress to come in and beat up on the Attorney General and be obstructionists. Ask them to do their job and back off of Eric Holder." It makes no sense.

RUSSERT: It's another dynamic of Obama versus Congress.

BERNARD: Exactly.

RUSSERT: Which is a fight that he's actually wanted.

(...)

NBC’s Luke Russert: Is Romney Campaign ‘One of the Most Secretive in History?’

Continuing to beat the drum of Mitt Romney's campaign not being transparent on Wednesday's The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, fill-in host Luke Russert melodramatically asked: "Is this one of the most secretive presidential campaigns in history?" On Tuesday, regular host Chuck Todd predicted that Romney could be "the least transparent president in a generation." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

In response to Russert, NBC News political editor Mark Murray lamented the inability of the media to throw Romney off message: "I would actually say that they've demonstrated incredible message discipline. They have talked about the things that they want to talk about. When you bring up other matters, whether it's Donald Trump, whether it's Syria, whether it's this transparency in campaign...[the campaign says] those issues aren't – don't matter. What voters really care about is the economy."

Murray argued that such discipline would make it difficult for Romney as president: "...when you sit in that Oval Office you don't always get to control the things you have to talk about....it presents challenges once you get into that Oval Office."

Russert then falsely jabbed at Romney: "And it presents challenges on the way, he's eventually going to have to sit down for an interview that's not Fox, at some point."

Mitt and Ann Romney appeared on CBS This Morning on May 1.

The couple sat down with ABC's Diane Sawyer on the April 16 World News.

Mitt Romney appeared on NBC's Today on February 1 after winning the Florida primary.


Here is a transcript of Russert's June 13 exchange with Murray:

9:04AM ET

(...)

LUKE RUSSERT: Interesting article in the AP yesterday talking about Mitt Romney and secrecy. And – but it also talks about how disciplined he is. It goes, "Romney refuses to identify his biggest donors who bundle money for his campaign. He often declines to say who he's meeting with or what he's doing for hours at a time. He puts limits on media access to his fundraisers. And resists releasing all of his tax returns, making just a single year public after facing pressure to do so."

And it's funny, yesterday I was reporting that Mitt Romney was going to meet with Speaker Boehner, having a rally this Sunday. Capitol Hill reporters knew before Romney campaign reporters. Is this one of the most secretive presidential campaigns in history?

MARK MURRAY [NBC SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR]: Luke, I would actually say that they've demonstrated incredible message discipline. They have talked about the things that they want to talk about. When you bring up other matters, whether it's Donald Trump, whether it's Syria, whether it's this transparency in campaign, but I want to say, those issues aren't – don't matter. What voters really care about is the economy.

But as we write in First Read this morning, one of the things about being president, when you sit in that Oval Office you don't always get to control the things you have to talk about. There are events that are outside your control, foreign policy issues that you end up having to dealing with. And so the Romney campaign right now, they're running out the clock, which is a really smart – in sports, in football, basketball, it's a very smart strategy to deploy and it actually could end up helping Mitt Romney being able to win this election. "Hey, we're only going to talk about the economy." But it presents challenges once you get into that Oval Office.

RUSSERT: And it presents challenges on the way, he's eventually going to have to sit down for an interview that's not Fox, at some point.

MURRAY: Well, right, and he's also going on this bus tour starting on Friday, in which the traveling press corps will have tons of questions for him. Yesterday, it was interesting, he was asked one of the questions about whether he thought that Democrats were taking his words out of – about firefighters and police officers that he said on Friday – out of context and he basically said, "I don't want to answer that question." And so far that's actually been a response we've seen from him more so than saying, opening up to questions where we might actually get more of a sense of where he stands on issues outside of the economy.

(...)

NBC’s Todd Warns: Romney May Be ‘Least Transparent President In a Generation’

At the top of his Tuesday MSNBC morning show The Daily Rundown, NBC chief White House correspondent and political director Chuck Todd cited the Romney campaign's refusal to release a list of top fundraising bundlers as evidence that "if he wins in November, Romney could very well be the least transparent president in a generation." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Todd continued to rant: "Less transparent than the two previous Republican presidential nominees, George W. Bush and John McCain, who did release their bundlers. But the Romney camp – campaign believes there is no penalty with voters and they don't care if the media criticizes them, because the conservative media outlets won't criticize them for this."

Perhaps part of the reason is that Mitt Romney does not want to publicize a list of names for the Obama campaign to go after as part of its "name and shame" effort, as Kim Strassel detailed in the Wall Street Journal in April:

This past week, one of his [Obama's] campaign websites posted an item entitled "Behind the curtain: A brief history of Romney's donors." In the post, the Obama campaign named and shamed eight private citizens who had donated to his opponent. Describing the givers as all having "less-than-reputable records," the post went on to make the extraordinary accusations that "quite a few" have also been "on the wrong side of the law" and profiting at "the expense of so many Americans."


Like Todd, The Washington Post editorial board on Saturday hit Romney for having "secret bundlers," ominously declaring:

The difference between President Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney when it comes to fundraising is not only that Mr. Romney managed to outraise the president last month. A more troubling difference is that Mr. Romney provided almost no information about the key "bundlers" who helped his campaign vacuum up such huge sums....Why would he hide his roster of key supporters?

Here is a full transcript of Todd's June 12 comments:

9:06AM ET

CHUCK TODD: One more thing, a Republican operative close to the Romney campaign confirmed to reporters yesterday that Romney will not release the names of his bundlers, saying enough transparency already exists, the FEC reports. Folks, everyone gets criticized for not being transparent enough, but if he wins in November, Romney could very well be the least transparent president in a generation. Less transparent than the two previous Republican presidential nominees, George W. Bush and John McCain, who did release their bundlers. But the Romney camp – campaign believes there is no penalty with voters and they don't care if the media criticizes them, because the conservative media outlets won't criticize them for this.

NBC’s Todd Grills Victorious Walker: Do You ‘Regret’ Going for ‘Political Kill’ of Unions?

Following his resounding victory in Wisconsin's recall election on Tuesday, Governor Scott Walker appeared on Wednesday's The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, where host Chuck Todd wondered if Walker's signature achievement was also his biggest regret: "Looking back, do you have any regret of going at the issue of collective bargaining itself?...any regrets on that front?"

Despite Walker's push for fiscal restraint in the state having been vindicated, Todd fretted over the Governor's success: "Because there are still Republicans who say, you know what? You poked a tiger that maybe looked like you were going for a political kill rather than focusing on the policy."

Todd must have forgotten that reforming collective bargaining rights, which is exclusive to salary negotiations, re-induced economic vigor into the state. Not to mention the fact that unemployment in Wisconsin is down to 6.7%. A rate that is well below the national average.

Walker responded, on June 6, 2012 show, by highlighting what his reforms have achieved and offered some areas where he could have improved in terms of presenting his agenda:

No, I think in our case the product itself was positive – and we've documented more than $1 billion dollar with the savings, in fact, for the first time in twelve years property taxes went down on a median valued home and statewide we went from a $3.6 billion dollar deficit to a $154 million dollar surplus.   

 I think though what I would do differently is I would spend more time last January and early February talking about what we're doing instead of rushing out to fix it.  If I mentioned, for example, last January that before our reforms, most school districts in our state had to spend tens of millions of dollars more than they needed to because they couldn't bid their insurance out because of collective bargaining. I think most people would have said fix it. If I said in the case of the city of Addison because of collective bargaining and overtime abuse, a bus driver there makes over $150,000 dollars, most taxpayers, be they Democrat of Republican, would say fix it.


Pushing Democratic spin that the race was manipulated by outside money, Todd grilled Walker: "Are you comfortable with all the outside money that came in? Most of it benefitted you – yes there outside money on the other side, but in this case you were the prime beneficiary. You comfortable with all that outside money that came in and frankly, overwhelmed TV stations?

Does Chuck forget the Obama outspent Hillary 3:1 in ads in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey in 2008 and lost all three primaries?  Meg Whitman spent $150 million of her own money of California's gubernatorial race and lost.  Linda McMahon spent $50 million of her own money in her failed Senate bid in Connecticut.  Money doesn't always translate into votes.


Walker highlighted the frustrations that Wisconsonites have with the recall law and the "permanent election cycle" in general:

Well, we've got to change the recall process overall I think most people in my state today wake up saying they don't want to go through this again be they Democrat or Republican. I think recalls, for most of us here, we think should be about misconduct in office and not just open ended and that would change the process because the recall law itself and the portion of the constitution that enables recall  really allowed for that kind of money to come in.

Remember, you know it's a year and half  worth of an assault that started last February against me and it started out with the national special interest on the left and it finished off with every special interest, right or left in America, seemingly involved in the state. I think now that those interests and those people have moved on to Florida, Ohio, and those other states. We got to get focused on fixing things in Wisconsin but I think there is just no doubt in the future  people in Wisconsin want to change the law – they want to change the constitution so that recalls if any here are rare, if ever, used in the state of Wisconsin that are used for things like misconduct that would change the money that would change the focus and for most of us that would end these permanent recall elections – permanent election cycles – that I think most are sick of.

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