Only in the mind of a liberal media journalist would Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Sen. Bernie Sanders be considered ideological "polar opposites," but that’s what NBC's Chuck Todd, during a piece aired on the health care debate on Tuesday's Today show, declared.
CHUCK TODD: Meanwhile, the Senate's two Democratic independents, polar opposites ideologically, are split over the bill's government-run public option and both are threatening to scuttle the process if they don't get their way.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN: If the public option plan is in there as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: It would be outrageous to me that when you have an overwhelming majority of Americans wanting a strong public option that we do not deliver that.
While the two may be split on a government-run option, that’s just one of the very rare times the two disagree as Lieberman's lifetime ACU rating is 15.96 and Sanders comes in at 6.44, hardly "polar opposites."
The following is the complete Todd piece, that featured mostly Democratic soundbites (only a brief excerpt of a GOP ad represented the Republican view) as it was aired on the November 10, Today show:
ANN CURRY: And now to the raging debate in Washington over health care reform. Former President Bill Clinton plans to visit Capitol Hill today with the Senate set to begin its debate. This as the current administration lobbies hard for every vote. NBC's chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd joins us now with the latest on this. Chuck, good morning.
[On screen headline: "Brewing Battle, Health Care Heads For Senate Showdown"]
CHUCK TODD: Good morning, Ann. Well with 58 Democrats and two independents that vote with them, the numbers in the Senate should favor the Democrats. They have, on paper, a filibuster-proof majority. But getting health care reform passed at all, let alone this year, is going to be a real challenge for this White House.
BARACK OBAMA: If there's not a deadline in Washington, nothing happens.
TODD: But it's a deadline that's been a moving target when it comes to health care.
OBAMA: I want it done by the fall.
REP. NANCY PELOSI: Before we leave for the August recess.
OBAMA: Before the August recess.
TODD: And while Congress has yet to meet a single initial deadline, progress has been made. The House did finally pass their version of health care last weekend, three months after Speaker Pelosi's initial deadline. Now attention turns to the Senate, and despite the history of Congress missing numerous deadlines, the White House Monday was emphatic-
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I just answered this three times!
TODD: -if not a tad defensive, that this one would stick.
GIBBS: The President wants to sign health care before the end of the year.
TODD: Despite the White House insistence, senators privately say a final bill may not reach the President's desk 'til next year.
SEN. KENT CONRAD: That's very challenging. Could it be done? Yes, but all of the stars would have to be in alignment.
TODD: And with the clock ticking, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is working hard behind the scenes to convince some wavering Democrats. Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who is up for re-election next year, is someone the Republican Party wants to make a poster child of the health care debate. The GOP launched a preemptive strike before she cast a single vote.
(Begin ad clip)
ANNOUNCER: I voted for government-run health care for my party boss before I voted against it to save my job.
(End clip)
TODD: Lincoln and other Senate Democratic moderates could end up controlling this debate.
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL: I think that's what you're gonna see being really pushed by, by the middle of the Senate that is gonna be the one that crafts the compromises.
TODD: Meanwhile, the Senate's two Democratic independents, polar opposites ideologically, are split over the bill's government-run public option and both are threatening to scuttle the process if they don't get their way.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN: If the public option plan is in there as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: It would be outrageous to me that when you have an overwhelming majority of Americans wanting a strong public option that we do not deliver that.
TODD: Now more on that Bill Clinton meeting with Senate Democrats. He's going there this afternoon. What's interesting is of the three wavering Democrats -- Ben Nelson from Nebraska, Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas, and Joe Lieberman from Connecticut -- the former president has a personal connection, and in particular with Blanche Lincoln, coming from his home state. What he says in that meeting could have a lot of influence on how she votes.
—Geoffrey Dickens is the senior news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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What is Bernie talking about?
November 10, 2009 - 12:45 ET by heldmywIs he nuts?
There isn't even an "overwhelming majority of Americans" who want this piece of crap to pass in ANY form with ANY options!
Formula---
November 10, 2009 - 13:40 ET by matthewdeanIn most cases:
Liberal = nuts
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Bernie actually meant to
November 10, 2009 - 13:47 ET by Roger the ShrubberBernie actually meant to say "...overwhelming majority of smart-minded, right-thinking, clear-headed Americans..."
Sorry, I was channeling an NB Troll hall-of-famer there for a second.
Shame on you Roger...
November 10, 2009 - 23:01 ET by MightyMouthHow am I supposed to get any sleep with visions of frank's posts dancing in my head?
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
F Chuck Todd...brilliance
November 10, 2009 - 14:23 ET by bigtimerF Chuck Todd...brilliance on parade.
Glittering jewel of colossal ignorance.
Stuck on Stupid.
Leftist Shill wannabe famous someday.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Chuck Todd's Right, Use of ACU rating is wrong
November 10, 2009 - 14:42 ET by chuckoRating scores are useless. They actually don't say much about what a given politican believes. You have to do the work and research what they say to get a good picture of a politician's politics.
As far as Lieberman and Sanders are concerned, it doesn't take much more than a google search or two to figure out how different these two are.
#1: Sanders is an avowed, proud socialist, the only one of his kind in the Senate.
#2: Joe Lieberman is a lot closer in political beliefs nowadays to liberal republicans like Olympia Snowe and his very close friend, Susan Collins than to liberal democrats. There is just no getting around it. (He is more hawkish than Arlen Specter as well)
#3: Because of #2 and a lot more reasons you will find below and elsewhere - his support of government intrusion in the Terri Shiavo case, non-support of the public option, itching for war with Iran, saying the Obama administration's release of the OLC so-called torture memos "helps our enemies" back in April, etc.- he is very different from Sanders.
Liberals hate (who some call) "Holy Joe" and want him out of the democratic caucus. Take a look at the liberal media giant HuffingPost's "Top 15 Lieberman Betrayals" and you will see Bernie Sanders does not even come close to the same politics as Lieberman.
Oh yeah, and how about the crucial fact that Lieberman LEFT the liberal party to become an independent (or independent-democrat), and then endorsed John McCain for president and spoke at the 2008 RNC.
I'm not saying these are bad things, but they all make Joe Lieberman far different from Sanders and most if not all democrats in the Senate.
Chucko, try harder
November 10, 2009 - 14:47 ET by Tim GrahamThese men are simply not "polar opposites ideologically" overall. If Joe is Olympia Snowe, that is also not a "polar opposite." Jim DeMint is a polar opposite, not Lieberman.
Read closer
November 10, 2009 - 22:53 ET by chuckoNo one said Lieberman and Sanders were polar opposites "overall," Tim.
Take a look at Chuck Todd's relevant sentence, again: "Meanwhile, the
Senate's two Democratic independents, polar opposites ideologically,
are split ...."
I suppose if he left out "Democratic" and said "Meanwhile, the Senate's
two independents, polar opposites ideologically, are split ..." then
you'd be correct to point out that Todd was wrong.
Trak65 has it right when he says that Sanders and Lieberman would be
ranked at opposite ends of the spectrum within the dems party. And I
think that is pretty much in line with what Chuck Todd was saying.
(Sorry for the double post but I meant to post it here the first time)
"Polar Opposites" may be an exaggeration...
November 10, 2009 - 18:12 ET by trak65....but I tend to agree with Chucko. The ACU numbers for the two may be a useful shorthand, but in the case of Lieberman they clearly don't tell the whole story. Plus, if you lined up all the democratics from most liberal to most conservative, these two guys would be the bookends. So, maybe Todd should have said they were polar opposites within the Senate Dem caucus.
Bernie forgot
November 10, 2009 - 19:16 ET by UpNorthto preface his remark on the public option, that being that everyone in Newark, New York, Los Angeles and D.C. want the public option. And of course, Chicago and Detroit.
And Bill Clinton and Comrade 0 both think the same of anyone who isn't on board with socialising health care, we're all "extremists and tea-baggers". These people are vile, disgusting creeps, just like many, many of their supporters.
Chuck Todd
November 10, 2009 - 22:51 ET by chuckoNo one said Lieberman and Sanders were polar opposites "overall," Tim.
Take a look at Chuck Todd's relevant sentence, again: "Meanwhile, the
Senate's two Democratic independents, polar opposites ideologically,
are split ...."
I suppose if he left out "Democratic" and said "Meanwhile, the Senate's
two independents, polar opposites ideologically, are split ..." then
you'd be correct to point out that Todd was wrong.
Trak65 has it right when he says that Sanders and Lieberman would be
ranked at opposite ends of the spectrum within the dems party. And I
think that is pretty much in line with what Chuck Todd was saying.