Amid a plethora of coverage on Monday's NBC Today fawning over Hillary Clinton's announcement of her presidential campaign, co-host Matt Lauer led off a discussion with Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd by wondering: "What's she running on? What's her message? If the Hillary Clinton campaign could write the headline on the front page of major newspapers this morning, what would they write?"
Todd proclaimed:
"She Launches a Humbler Campaign About Everyday Americans." Everything they want to be over the next six days, "everyday Americans, everyday Americans." You're going to hear her say it, you saw it in the video. And obviously on issues she wants to be about economic fairness. That's the one issue....everyday economic fairness, everyday Americans. And oh, by the way, we're going to hear a lot about "grandmother."
That assessment came just minutes after correspondent Andrea Mitchell provided the very same Clinton talking points in a report: "Hillary Clinton says she wants to be the champion for everyday Americans, saying the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top....This time Hillary Clinton is promising a listening tour. Instead of big rallies, small events targeting the middle class."
Mitchell added: "Instead of downplaying her gender, this time playing it up." A sound bite ran of Clinton gushing: "I am still kind of in the grandmother glow."
Exactly the spin Todd said the Clinton campaign would most want to see in news coverage.
Mitchell did note a "chorus of criticism" from Republicans, followed by clips of Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz.
However, Mitchell quickly added that Clinton would be "upstaging Florida Senator Marco Rubio, launching his campaign today in Miami."
In the discussion with Todd, Lauer did bring up problems for the former secretary of state: "The Republicans are going to try to make it about one thing – Hillary Clinton. Because she comes to this position with a lot of political baggage, even some personal baggage. Who's going to win that battle?"
Todd acknowledged: "I think it's tough for her....look, we had an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that showed a majority of Americans think her candidacy is more about the politics of the past than it is about a new direction."
Lauer added: "Yeah, let's put up those numbers right here. You asked, "Does she have a vision for the future?" And we had 51% saying it's a return to policies of the past. Vision needed for the future, 44%."
The analysis then turned back in a more positive direction for Clinton, with Lauer wondering: "What about inspiring young voters? We hear so much about the need to get those young voters out. Barack Obama did it twice. Can Hillary Clinton at this stage of her career do the same thing?"
Todd saw great possibilities:
Well, think about this. People under the age of thirty-eight have never seen anybody with the last name of Clinton on a general election presidential ballot. So it is all about reintroducing herself to people under the age of forty. Now, what the Clinton campaign will tell you is the idea of electing the first woman president is what is the future, is what inspires young Americans. And they say that is the key to unlocking millennials.
Here is a full transcript of Lauer's April 13 discussion with Todd:
7:07 AM ET
MATT LAUER: Chuck Todd is NBC's political director and of course moderator of Meet the Press. Chuck, good morning, good to see you.
CHUCK TODD: Good morning, sir.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Clinton's Campaign Challenge; Chuck Todd on "Rebranding" of Hillary]
LAUER: What's she running on? What's her message? If the Hillary Clinton campaign could write the headline on the front page of major newspapers this morning, what would they write?
TODD: "She Launches a Humbler Campaign About Everyday Americans." Everything they want to be over the next six days, "everyday Americans, everyday Americans." You're going to hear her say it, you saw it in the video. And obviously on issues she wants to be about economic fairness. That's the one issue. Notice there was nothing on foreign policy, nothing on making Washington work. She wants to be an – everyday economic fairness, everyday Americans. And oh, by the way, we're going to hear a lot about "grandmother."
LAUER: But if she wants to make it, she's gonna try to make it about everyday Americans and average families. The Republicans are going to try to make it about one thing – Hillary Clinton. Because she comes to this position with a lot of political baggage, even some personal baggage. Who's going to win that battle?
TODD: I think it's tough for her. She's got – you know it really depends, obviously, who the Republican is. If Jeb Bush is her opponent, they're going to have a harder time making it about the past because she's happy to have a debate about the past. But if it's not Jeb Bush, if it's Marco Rubio, than that last name – look, we had an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that showed a majority of Americans think her candidacy is more about the politics of the past than it is about a new direction.
LAUER: Yeah, let's put up those numbers right here. You asked, "Does she have a vision for the future?" And we had 51% saying it's a return to policies of the past. Vision needed for the future, 44%.
What about inspiring young voters? We hear so much about the need to get those young voters out. Barack Obama did it twice. Can Hillary Clinton at this stage of her career do the same thing?
TODD: Well, think about this. People under the age of thirty-eight have never seen anybody with the last name of Clinton on a general election presidential ballot. So it is all about reintroducing herself to people under the age of forty. Now, what the Clinton campaign will tell you is the idea of electing the first woman president is what is the future, is what inspires young Americans. And they say that is the key to unlocking millennials.
LAUER: You mentioned briefly Marco Rubio, expected to announce on the Republican side his candidacy today. How much impact does he have?
TODD: He could have big impact. You talk to the Clinton campaign, Rubio as the Republican nominee is somebody that scares them. By the way, his candidacy today, Hillary Clinton's announcement today. Put it together, it means it's a bad week to be Jeb Bush. Because we're bringing up dynasties. That's not a good thing in the Republican primary. And Jeb Bush is so popular in Florida that he could not chase Marco Rubio out of the race.
LAUER: Chuck Todd. Chuck, good to have you here in New York.
And by the way, Senator Rubio will join us live here on the show tomorrow morning.
