Seriously, WTF. Chuck Todd blames Obama for America's division,

[RandySF]

NBC host Chuck Todd suggested on Sunday that the U.S. is divided politically because former President Barack Obama failed to “bring this country together.”

While speaking with Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke on Meet the Press, Todd asked the 2020 contender about healing the country’s political divide.

“You aren’t the first candidate to say, ‘I’m going to bring this country together,'” Todd told O’Rourke. “The most recent Democratic president, a lot of people put their hope in him and thought he was the answer that was going to do that.”

“Why do you think that didn’t happen in Obama’s eight years?” the NBC host queried.

“I know that President Obama worked incredibly hard to find common ground with Republicans,” O’Rourke replied. “He was able to achieve a heck of a lot in those eight years.”



https://www.rawstory.com/2019/03/chuck-todd-blames-obama-americas-division-couldnt-bring-country-together/#.XI58fpAy5bw.twitter

[MontanaMama]

1. Once again...everybody with me?

Fuck Chuck Todd. One more time with feeling.., FUCK Chuck Todd!

[HipChick]

2. Who is actually watching Chuckie?

His rating have to be in the sewer

[Hoyt]

3. Did he blame Obama, or is he asking O'Rourke what makes him think he

can bring liberals and ignorant, racist Deplorables together?

Personally, I don’t want to hear platitudes from candidates unless they can articulate how they are going to accomplish them. I think Todd asked a legitimate question, one that O’Rourke flubbed.

[GP6971]

4. I stopped watching MTP

years ago. It's so jaded and a waste of time.

[Firestorm49]

5. "Why do you think that didn't happen?"

Maybe because of institutionalized racism from Republicans. It began on day one with McConnell saying he would do everything in his power to make Obama a one term president. And the battle began.

Someone tell Chuck Todd to go ..........himself.

[gratuitous]

6. Why didn't it happen?

Have you heard of Mitch McConnell, chucktodd? John Boehner? Paul Ryan? Any of this ring a bell in that empty head of yours?

[JustAnotherGen]

8. I hope he asks Mayor Pete

He is quick on his feet and innocently tells the truth.

[The Wielding Truth]

29. That and FAUX NEWS propaganda machine churning out nasty lies.

[NoMoreRepugs]

7. Chuck toad attempting to be cerebral while asking

dumbass questions is just so, so.... Chuck Todd.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Chuckie just burned a ton of

bridges today with his comments about Obama.

He will amp this up Wednesday and Thursday,watch and see. Chuckie is a Third Way Democrat or as we know them as DINO's.

This is not over by a long shot.

[raging moderate]

10. Why was Chuck Todd given this job? Does he have a powerful relative?

I remember reading questions about his incomplete education and inadequate qualifications.

[quickesst]

11. Only here......

.....on Democratic Underground can this.....

“You aren’t the first candidate to say, ‘I’m going to bring this country together,'” Todd told O’Rourke. “The most recent Democratic president, a lot of people put their hope in him and thought he was the answer that was going to do that.”

“Why do you think that didn’t happen in Obama’s eight years?” the NBC host queried.

.... Be turned into this....

"Chuck Todd blames Obama for America's division,"

Oh wait....Did I say "only here"?

[MadDAsHell]

12. Your post title is misleading vs the actual quotes in your post. nt

[spanone]

13. Has chuck been anesthetized for two years?

[Caliman73]

14. I don't really like Chuck Todd, but that clip does not show him blaming President Obama.

I think we have to be honest here. He did not blame President Obama. He merely stated that President Obama advocated bringing the country together and was not able to accomplish the task. That is reality.

Unlike another poster on this thread I DO NOT think it was a particularly good question. It was a "horse race" question, the point of which was to put O'Rourke on the spot. He had to go one of a few ways. Either criticize President Obama which would spark headlines of "divisions within the Democratic Party as candidate "Blasts Obama". Or he would rightfully attack the Republicans for their divisiveness during the Obama Administration, which would defeat the narrative of O"Rourke being the candidate of "coming together" or he would answer like he did which was a non-committal answer praising President Obama's accomplishments.

The honest answer to the question is that President Obama was not able to bring the country together because he faced 2 fundamental challenges that he was not able to overcome. The first and biggest challenge, which O'Rourke does not face is racism and bigotry which have been an underlying challenge throughout the history of the United States. It took 219 years for a Black American to be considered a viable candidate for President and it took a cratering economy caused by 8 years of Republican mismanagement to make it possible for him to win. Yet it was a struggle for 8 years against bigoted attacks if not made directly by Republicans then at least not condemned by them. President Obama's election sparked the greatest rise in the number of White Supremacist hate groups in modern times.

Second (which is faced by any Democratic, but especially more left leaning candidates), the media landscape has FUNDAMENTALLY changed over the last 30 years with the rise of right wing radio and then the prominence of Fox News and proliferation of right wing media on-line. The ending of the Fairness Doctrine, the consolidation of media, the rise of cable news and the 24 hour media cycle, and the ruling that news organizations are not obligated to report factually accurate information, all of which occurred through the Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and then Bush Jr. administrations have lead to the divisions we see today. There have always been divisions but the sources of information had been stable and there was at very least, a semblance of objectivity within the media of the time: CBS, ABC, and NBC, and the papers of note: The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and others. We all operated on the same reporting. Battles were had, but politicians and pundits fought about interpretation of the information. Now, people who consume right wing media can go their whole lives without hearing any factually accurate information. The right wing has done everything in their power to poison the well. They have turned people off to politics, they have convinced their followers and some low information people that anything that does not specifically have a right wing bias to be "the liberal media", and they have allowed corporate, and wealthy interests to have a controlling influence on media in general. That is why President Obama was not able bring the country together and until the issues are addressed, it will be nearly impossible for ANY Democratic candidate to do so.

[GaYellowDawg]

15. This is a hell of a good post.

Well done.

[democrank]

16. Excellent post, Caliman73.

Thank you.

[pnwmom]

19. Great post. Thanks, Caliman73. n/t

[Cha]

24. Yeah, 'cause he's Black.

[Drunken Irishman]

17. Why didn't it happen? I don't know, Chuck...could it be because he's black?

[pnwmom]

18. Yeah, I can't stand him anymore. If I'm watching and I see his face, I switch to CNN.

Wolfe isn't the greatest, but he doesn't bother me like smug Chuck Todd.

[Cha]

23. Remember this?

UPDATE: Chuck Todd Lied & Falsely Accused President Obama of Not Mentioning "Syria"

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/9/8/1327926/-Chuck-Todd-Lied-Falsely-Accused-President-Obama-of-Not-Mentioning-Syria?

[get the red out]

20. RW media

Has been purposely dividing this country LONG before President Obama was even known.

[Bettie]

21. Fuck that guy

he's a tool.

Also, Obama's only "contributions" to the divide were being not-white and a Democrat.

[Cha]

22. chuckie's 1st MTP show he

had President Obama on and fucked up that interview.

UPDATE: Chuck Todd Lied & Falsely Accused President Obama of Not Mentioning "Syria"

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/9/8/1327926/-Chuck-Todd-Lied-Falsely-Accused-President-Obama-of-Not-Mentioning-Syria?

Remember that?

[TheFarseer]

25. He bent over backwards for those a-holes

And it got him nowhere. I wish we could govern by consensus building but they wouldn’t even pass tax cuts with Obama. I don’t even know what to say when R’s don’t want tax cuts.

[Volaris]

31. That they're more rascist than greedy ( and that's saying something)

They're terrified of the demographic wave that gets closer to destroying them every year. If they hadn't cheated in 2018, we'd very possibly be looking at blue majority SENATE today.

I wonder how much longer they can actually prop up this sham they've created for themselves ...

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. I give up.

[thegoose]

27. Gee. A black man couldn't end racism?

Color me shocked, I tell ya...

Chuckie Toad is a fucking douche.

[Jarqui]

28. Sometimes, Todd is just plain ignorant - says stupid stuff.

In fairness though, the title of the thread could be perceived as a little unfair to Todd as he blamed Obama for not bringing the country together - not for originating the division.

The Civil War was just a silly aberration in history. Racism began with Obama ...

Obama did try to narrow the division and work across the isle. But he ran into a wall of racists in my opinion. I think history will show he was more successful than Todd is giving him credit for by narrowing the divide in the younger generations coming along.

Trump is stoking that divide today and he used it to get himself elected. To me, that's far more egregious than Obama falling short on eliminating the division (which was an impossible task to expect 100% complete in 8 years).

[bearsfootball516]

30. That's a very misleading headline compared to what he said.

Even Obama said that his greatest regret was that instead of the country coming together, partisan divide got worse during his time.

[Power 2 the People]

32. The source of our division? Look in the mirror Chuck.

Media like Chuck legitimizing a propaganda outfit like Fox and turning our national debate into a sporting event is the source of all of our problems.

[Pepsidog]

33. Todd's gotta go. I mean he shined Russert's shoes and benefited from his death. I sick of his

both-sider routine.