Saturday, February 14, 2009

Chuck Todd: Clinton didn’t know why she wanted to be president.

Chuck Todd appeared Saturday at Politics and Prose Book Store to discuss his book, “How Barack Obama Won.” Here's the article.

As he pieced his book together, he was tracking the candidates’ major speeches. Todd said he found a common theme stemming from all of Obama's speeches dating back to 2004. But when he started looking at Clinton and McCain’s speeches, something became clear to him right away. He determined Clinton and McCain showed something very basic was lacking from their campaigns. “They didn’t know why they wanted to be president.” He claims while Obama focused on how to present a change from then President George W. Bush, McCain and Clinton were busy trying to show how they were different from Obama.

"Clinton’s campaign had other problems from the start," he added. Unlike Obama’s team, Todd says Clinton had very few people on her staff that had run successful statewide campaigns, lacked the experienced campaign hands that Obama hired, including her chief strategist, Mark Penn.

Now, I have a LOT of issues here. First of all, I used to LOVE Chuck Todd. He was one of the few people at MSNBC that wasn't completely over the top for Obama. (or I should say at least he didn't let it show as much) And it was always refreshing to hear him reporting the numbers. But I TOTALLY disagree that Hillary didn't know why she was running for President. I think she made it very clear. It has been clear to me since 2004 when Bush was re-elected! Even back then she stated openly and clearly her disapproval for Bush.

In almost every stump speech during her campaign she announced and proclaimed how terrible and awful the Bush Presidency has been. In fact, I would argue that she rarely, while out campaigning, mentioned anything negative about Obama. She only really hammered on him in the debates face to face. If anything I would say that Obama didn't hit the Republicans hard enough on the campaign trail.

One thing Chuck mentioned that I can agree on is this:

While Obama supporters bemoaned Clinton’s refusal to leave the primary race even after she mathematically couldn’t win it, Todd said “the best thing to happen to Obama was Hillary Clinton staying in the race.” One concrete example of that, he said, was Indiana. If the primary race hadn’t extended to Indiana, Obama wouldn’t have had to set up a campaign operation there, Todd said, and he wouldn’t have carried Indiana in the general election.
I firmly opposed those that disapproved of Clinton staying in the race. I never thought it was tearing apart the party or she hindered Obama in the general election. I think she really strengthened Obama as a Presidential Candidate and really put him to the test. I think people forget how CLOSE the race actually was. If Democrats didn't have the crazy weird Super Delegate thing she may have very well been our President.

I do think that Mark Penn was a bad choice and that it really did hurt Hillary. That really destroyed me when all of that went down. Obama had a really strong team of people with him. People that I really like, such as David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs. I think that hurt Hillary's campaign. But she always knew what she wanted to do. She was always focused and smart with decisions.

Well, all in all it makes me sick that people like Chuck Todd are writing these kind of books. I really think they should keep their opinions to themselves. I know that might sound harsh but really... I'm so over it. Just report the news. Buuut I can't say that I won't buy the damn book...

Ah... and since I'm on the subject here's another article about how Chuck Todd hates his new job. :P heh juuust kidding...

5 comments:

PYW said...

I agree with you. I always thought Hillary knew why she wanted to be president. She thought she had the best ideas and experience to handle the country's problems, period.

LM Smith said...

Chuck Todd is just another opinionator; what he says is just his opinion, not facts.

Sarah said...

Yes, Chuck Todd is just giving his opinion, as am I and millions of others, but I feel it's wrong when the lines between real news journalism and opinionated news journalism get crossed. And that's happening so often. I think it's wrong when a news outlet claims to not be biased just because they think they are on the right side of things. Just look at people like O'Reilly and how he has mindwarpted millions of Americans into believing his ideas are FACTS.

Chuck Todd is now working with the White House press corps as a reporter... but then he is also writing a blog on MSNBC.com about his own political analysis.

The lines are just getting a little too blurry for me... I'm getting dizzy!

Sarah said...

Plus, it's not like he's reporting for the Huffington Post... *hits drums* Ba-Dum-CH! :P

Mahlers5th said...

Does anyone remember that moment during the GE when a 7 year old girl in Indiana asked Obama why he was running for President? His answer? “I got hit in the head with a rock,” Obama said with a chuckle. “And when I woke up I had made my announcement, and then it was too late." He then went on to explain he was only joking.
Second try: “I am running for president because I’ve got two daughters just like you,” he said.
Thatwas apparently not enough, so he droned on through a dozen liberal policy-wonk themes. Finally, at about the 7:20 mark, Obama reprised the refrain that he and Michelle have been hammering for 20 years — that America basically sucks and he’s the only one who can save it.
If anyone else had said that, especially Hillary, Chuck Todd and those other clowns at CNN would have been all over her. But the ONE?
He's only working for a more perfect union for his children and all children. Pass the bucket.

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