Chuck Todd latches on to the GOP's lame whine about Pelosi's speech

[ProSense]

*** Democrats can't escape blame: Pelosi missed a huge opportunity to become an historic speaker and instead invited comparisons to Tom DeLay by deciding to deliver a more partisan speech than necessary at the time. There would have been time for partisan politics AFTER the vote, but to do it before seemed like a strategic blunder.

Pelosi played into the stereotype she had been very adept at avoiding most of these last two years. That said, did it really cost any GOP votes? Unlikely. But it did give the House GOP leadership a talking point to deflect from its own failure. Obama, who as McCain pointed out (probably jealously) kept a healthy distance from this process, didn't seem to try and exert any influence on some of the "no" votes from the progressive/liberal side of the Democratic caucus. A large chunk of those "no" voters were very early supporters of Obama during the primary. Would a true campaign by Obama to vote for this bill have persuaded another handful of Dems? Possibly. Then again, Democrats were never going to jump off this cliff by themselves. Still, what's another 12 votes at this point if this legislation is so necessary?

link

Is this guy serious?

That Mean, Nasty Nancy Pelosi (made Boehner cry)

Even the friggin wingnuts are trying to kill this BS spin because it makes the Repubs look like a bunch cowards (too late)

[SteppingRazor]

1. Meh. I don't necessarily agree with it, but it's pretty even-handed criticism. n/t

[ProSense]

4. Even-handed? Blaming Pelosi's speech is beyond ludicrous. n/t

[southpaw]

9. He didn't blame the Pelosi speech!

He said, and quite rightly, that Pelosi's speech gave the house Republicans a talking point that allowed them to point fingers rather than owning their own failure.

Big difference.

[ProSense]

13. A talking point that the whining bastards regret putting out there. Todd is full of shit.

There isn't a Republican who is willing now to say that's the reason they voted against the speech.

It's BS and they realize it.

Todd:

There would have been time for partisan politics AFTER the vote, but to do it before seemed like a strategic blunder.

He's full of shit!

[southpaw]

17. I'm not some adoring Chuck Todd fan

Nor do I think he is Sean Hannity in disguise.

I just don't see why he's being accused of blaming this on Nancy Pelosi.

[SteppingRazor]

19. It's kinda silly. Like you said, he's not blaming her.

He's saying that the speech gave the Republicans a talking point. And he may have a point that after the failed vote may have been a better time to nail the GOP to the wall. (Though to be fair, I really didn't find Pelosi's speech to be all that harsh.)

I think a lot of times we're a little too ready here at DU to rant about the big bad MSM and how unfair they are. Like I said in my original post, Todd's words as posted in the OP are actually quite even-handed. Yeah, he talks about Pelosi, but he also talks about McCain's railing against Obama and even attributes it to jealousy, which is actually the most unfair thing he said because it's something Todd has no way of knowing.

[ProSense]

22. Nonsense. By conceding that there is some validity to the point,

Todd is indirectly blaming Pelosi. "Invited comparison's to Tom Delay"? What crap.

[SteppingRazor]

23. Chuck Todd is not your monkey. n/t

[ProSense]

24. Is he yours? n/t

[SteppingRazor]

25. No. That's my point.

Todd offers political analysis. You will not always agree with it. But for him to ignore what the Republicans are saying, and what Democrats did or did not do that allowed Republicans to say that means that he is not doing his job. I expect people like Todd not to be in the tank for conservatives, but neither do I expect them to be in the tank for liberals.

[ProSense]

20. Why is he even advancing this BS spin

Pelosi missed a huge opportunity to become an historic speaker and instead invited comparisons to Tom DeLay by deciding to deliver a more partisan speech than necessary at the time.

Pelosi missed an opportunity?

What BS!

[Alter Ego]

2. Fucking Chuck Todd and his retarded political analysis.

It takes away from his ability with statistics.

[southpaw]

3. I wish Pelosi would have kept her mouth shut!

I don't think she was responsible for the failure of the bill, but she did, as Todd said, 'give the House GOP leadership a talking point to deflect from its own failure.'

She seems tone-deaf as a politician.

Had Pelosi not delivered the speech on the floor prior to the vote, the vote would have gone down exactly as it did, but the pugs would not have her to point the finger at. They would have been forced to own the responsibility of their votes with no scapegoat in sight.

[ProSense]

5. BS. Her speech was tame. The GOP have called Democrats terrorists on the Senate and House floors.

Criticizing Bush was the appropriate thing to do.

[southpaw]

14. I agree that Pelosi's speech was tame

I also agree that everything she said was TRUE!

However, it didn't really need to be said, at least not right then and there.

It's called politics, an art that the Speaker of the House needs to be skilled in.

Pelosi's speech didn't cause a single Republican to vote any differently than they would have voted had she kept her mouth shut. Todd said as much, himself.

What it did do, and what Todd rightly points out, is provide the slimy-assed pugs with something other than their own weakness to blame!

It's flimsy cover, to be sure... but it's easier to point the finger at mean ol' Nancy Pelosi and accuse her of injecting partisanship into the process than to have the courage of your own convictions or to admit to voting against it because you were afraid of your constituents.

Todd is not blaming Pelosi.

Todd is simply stating that, had Pelosi held her tongue until after the vote, the Republicans would not have her to lay the blame on.

[ProSense]

16. You are giving into a bullshit GOP hissy fit, that even they can't defend. Pelosi was perfect! n/t

[southpaw]

18. Dude, are you even reading my posts?

[hadrons]

15. No, they would have found another reason ....

Repukes excel in scapegoating

[Cosmocat]

21. Horsehockey ... the whole premise of this is ...

As others noted, it wasn't ANYTHING worth the Rs throwing a snit over - for the love of god, they have spent the ENTIRE DECADE LITERALLY calling Ds unpatriotic, terrorist sympathisers on a freakin daily basis.

All she did was give an HONEST accouting of where the bulk of the responsibility lies.

The whole premise here is that it is Pelosi's fault that the republicans are whinning A twits.

I have liked Todd a lot, and still like him a bit, but he has been assimilated a good bit.

[WeDidIt]

6. so throw the country under the bus because their feelings were hurt?

Chuck Todd has turned into a complete rightwing fuckwit.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

7. Prove It, Todd!

Give us names of those who changed their votes due to Pelosi's statement? No, really! Otherwise you have no credibility on this at all.

[spanone]

8. i remember the days when reporters reported the news....todd the tool

[SuperTrouper]

11. He is such a POS now. I can't stand Chuck Todd any longer.

[ErinBerin84]

10. Obama "kept a healthy distance" from the process.

but at least he fucking TALKED at that dumb meeting, unlike McCain! And he didn't go on tv yesterday blabbing about how you could thank him for his influence with the House members that his side was coming to the table to pass it. What bullshit.

[faithfulcitizen]

12. what happened to woodchuck anyway? I used to like him. Now, he appears to be partisan.