MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: Opposition to ObamaCare is Purely ‘Political’

In the minutes following the Supreme Court’s controversial decision to uphold ObamaCare, MSNBC's Chuck Todd dismissed opposition to the law as purely partisan politics.  Todd, who is the Chief White House correspondent for NBC News has decided to suddenly become a liberal pundit now that ObamaCare was upheld by the Supreme Court. [Video follows page break;  MP3 audio here.]

Todd claims that those opposing ObamaCare represented a:

hard-core base that is louder and a few more that exist that don’t like this law than like it.  But don’t be surprised if you see public opinion shift on this now that the final political challenge to this law has been dismissed.

According to Todd, now that ObamaCare has been upheld, opposition to it can only mean political partisanship.  Chuck goes on to claim that, “but this was the last obstacle and now that’s out of the way, you’ll get a clear sense of the popularity of the law.”  

In other words, now that the political challenges are over Todd feels (hopes?) that the real support for the law will become more evident among across the country. Todd is eager to move away from ObamaCare being a live controversy to being accepted, even if grudgingly, by the public-at-large. He wants this bitterly divided Court to be the final word in a political controversy.

Todd continued his Obama-boosting during the 11 a.m. hour of MSNBC Live where he kept pushing the "political risk" that Republicans might incur if they push their opposition to ObamaCare through the November election.

Todd further implied that, “there is fatigue there the voters may penalize you if you keep talking about it and so if you’re on the losing side keep sort of crying sour grapes.”

Of course, Todd's network is the same one that's been at war with the Supreme Court over its Citizens United decision from the day it was handed down. Now that the Court has spoken in favor of Obama's signature legislative achievement, it's "sour grapes" for conservatives to attack Chief Justice Roberts and the liberals on the Court who gave us the ruling in today's ObamaCare case.


Below is the relevant transcript.   

MSNBC
Jansing and Co.
June 28, 2012
10:57 a.m. EDT

CHUCK TODD: Let’s talk about political consequences here a second, number one, the Republicans have to make a decision, I’m seeing a lot of statements saying November’s going to be about health care.  Is it? Are you really going to go down this road? You really going to relitigate this? I don't think that's what the Romney campaign thinks.  I wouldn't be surprised if you see the Romney campaign stop talking about health care in a couple weeks.  The base may care about it but that’s it.  The second thing in here is you got to remember here, you look at the NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll public opinion is more fungible on this than some polls indicate when you realize yes there’s a hard-core base that is louder and a few more that exist that don't like this law than like it.  But don’t be surprised if you see public opinion shift on this now that the final political challenge to this law has been dismissed.. Remember, these were political challenges.  Republican attorneys general all over the country, but this was the last obstacle and now that’s out of the way, you’ll get a clear sense of the popularity of this law.

11:08 EDT

TODD: I will be surprised, you're seeing a lot of Republican reaction today saying they are going to make the November election about this. This means this. And as a fund-raising tool today for instance the Romney campaign already saying, bragging that they’ve raised a hundred  thousand dollars since the Supreme Court decision. That is fine with their base, but how long do they want to talk about this?  You know, I have talked to strategists on both sides of the aisle who say there is fatigue out there in the American people on this issue.  And the more you want to keep talking about it politically, when you’ve had not one but two political fights essentially over, one in Congress and then now one with the Supreme Court, that there is fatigue there the voters may penalize you if you keep talking about it and so if you’re on the losing side keep sort of crying sour grapes.