Chuck Todd blames Alison Lundergan Grimes for his journalistic screw up

[geardaddy]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/15/1336682/-Chuck-Todd-blame-Alison-Lundergan-Grimes-for-his-journalistic-screw-up?detail=facebook#

Chuck Todd does not get it. Once he becomes the news in this manner he has failed as a journalist. A few days ago Alison Lundergan Grimes was interviewed by the Louisville Courier-Journal editorial board. They asked her whether she voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. She justifiably refused to answer.

The talking heads and pundits claimed she was not prepared for the question. The lack of sophistication of the traditional media is astounding. It was evident that she was prepared for the question and she intended not to answer it. It was evident that her team likely thought the downside was worse if she answered.

Chuck Todd in another case of irrational verbal diarrhea said that her answer "borders on disqualification." One wonders how not answering an inconsequential and silly question borders on disqualification yet he never said such on the various substantive lies and misstatements by Mitch McConnell (e.g, implying that Kynect is not Obamacare, etc.).

For anyone who had any doubts, in a subsequent debate, Alison Lundergan Grimes again refused to bite. She said she had a right to the privacy of the ballot box. Those talking heads and pundits who in unison thought she was unprepared realized it was a strategy, a strategy most thinking political observers saw right away.

More at link.

[Stellar]

1. Todd, what an aswipe!

[Logical]

2. She screwed up! Looked clueless and made a non-story a story! nt

[upaloopa]

6. I don't think she screwed up. I am originally

from Ohio just a few miles from Kentucky. My dad was born there. If she said she voted for Obama that would have lost her more votes than not answering does. You have to be there I think.

[Logical]

7. You know it better than me.....

But this has been news for too long.

[arthritisR_US]

8. Blame that on the MSM. nt

[upaloopa]

12. It's news because the media makes it so

I think the media are against her.

[Logical]

24. If a GOP candidate would of done this about McCain/Palin we would be laughing our asses off. nt

[Skittles]

23. how do you know she voted for Obama

perhaps she didn't and was reluctant to be questioned about THAT

[upaloopa]

25. I don't know but my guess is she did. I can't see

even a blue dog Dem voting for someone so right wing as Romney. Why would she even consider running in 2014 if she wanted Romney for President?

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Nothing irrational about Todd's response.

His goal was to twist whatever Grimes said into material that could be used against her, and he succeeded. Had she acknowledged voting for Obama, that would have been featured in every Turtle ad between now & the election. And it's pretty unlikely that she would have voted for rMoney, but even if she said she head, then there would be a flurry of negative ads about that.

I really wish people would quit mistaking malice for incompetence.

[Logical]

4. I disagree.....

Everyone knows she voted for Obama, she made a non-story a story.

[geek tragedy]

5. "Justifiably refused to answer" oh horsefeathers!

Secrecy of the vote is a pathetic argument when you are running to be a professional vote caster.

[DefenseLawyer]

13. Do you still beat your wife?

That fact is, because of the spin machine covering the campaign it was never going to be a "non-story". Had she answered yes the press would be talking about her "Michael Dukakis moment" when she told the truth and went down in flames; tied herself to the unpopular President, blah blah blah blah. As long as the media was willing to play along with Mitch McTurtle's ploy (and of course they were) there was no way to answer and defuse the story.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. In her position, it would have been inexcusable not to vote for him

Asked whether she’d vote for the president again if she had a chance to do it over, Grimes said “your facts are mistaken there” and wouldn’t go further. A spokeswoman later said Grimes had been a Hillary Clinton delegate at the 2008 Democratic Convention, though she was a member of the Kentucky delegation to the convention four years later and said publicly at the time that she backed the president’s reelection bid.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/alison-lundergan-grimes-kentucky-senate-on-the-ground-102544_Page2.html

If she didn't vote for Obama in the general election in 2008, she wasn't supporting her party.

[DefenseLawyer]

18. The point is, politically, there is no "right" answer

There is no way to answer the question, give the politics of Kentucky, that doesn't ding her with somebody. McConnell's whole campaign has been "Grimes = Obama". Her campaign knew that talking about voting for the President would be played on an endless loop until election day and chose not to bite. That may have hurt her with you, but it was a calculated risk. Personally, if "not supporting her party" helps her get elected in Kentucky, so be it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Is there anyone who's thinking "that settles it, I'll vote for her because she won't say"?

I suspect not. Do they like people who pretend to be a Democrat, but aren't really? Enough to not vote for the Republican anyway?

[DefenseLawyer]

20. Are you from Kentucky? or any Red State?

"Average Joe" in Kentucky HATES the President. Hates. Not just rabid republicans either, but average low information voters. They may not know much about any of the issues, but they know that they hate the President. She's obviously not going to gain any voters by not answering. That's not the calculation. Low information voters probably aren't paying attention to the "controversy" one way or the other, but they will watch a commercial of Grimes saying "Of course I voted for Obama" and that may be the difference. As I said, as long has the press plays along, it's a no win situation for her on that question.

[jen63]

27. Yep, I'm from the Appalachian

end of Ohio. It's the very same mindset.

[Rex]

9. Syria, Syria, Syria, Syria, Syria...so you haven't mentioned Syria yet.

Fuck that hack, he is an embarrassment to all the actual investigative journalist out there that BUST THEIR ASS to get a real story because they fucking care!

Chuck Toad doesn't care, he has said it before and doesn't really care if anyone even remembers. He sure as hell can't even pay simple attention to the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES during an interview.

Think about how sad that is. And now he is a 'made man' on NBC!

NBC, their reputation can be seen floating around the urinal cake.

[madokie]

10. this will be todds last gig

He might get on at faux noise but I wouldn't bet on that.
Smarmy bastard is all I know for sure

My apologies for using the b word but nothing else fits in this case. Sorry

[nykym]

11. It really is a non story to me

Why do we cast our votes either behind a curtain (mechanical voting booths or in the privacy of a small voting kiosk (electronic voting)? What does it really matter except to create a non story out of a silly question.
Who you or anyone votes for is their own business. If you want to share it then fine, if not respect their wishes and move on.

[oldandhappy]

14. more and more of the media seem to be bailing out on truth and sensibility

Todd is hopeless -- he has sold out

NBC and MSNBC see to be trying to rehabilitate him -- he has been on a lot of shows. I hit mute each time.

[BuelahWitch]

28. Todd was always an ass

I suppose part of it is working for NBC, the other comes from his background as a blogger. Right now he's treading water because he knows he's just a place holder until the PTB get Baby Spud Russert up to speed.

[Ykcutnek]

15. Victim blaming.

The Republican way.

[geardaddy]

16. Spot on

and welcome to DU!

[C_U_L8R]

21. So who did Chuck Todd vote for?

That's really the issue. Especially when Todd is so seemingly in the bag for the republicans.

[geardaddy]

22. Bingo.

[Paladin]

26. This shameful behavior should adhere to and shame Todd for the rest of his life.

He should never, ever be given the opportunity to forget it---not now, not a year from now, not 20 years from now.