Amid special coverage of Wednesday’s House vote to impeach President Trump, NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd waxed historical about the meaning of it all. Todd lamented that the country seemed “numb” to the process following “the worst decade in American politics.”
Holt wanted to make sure viewers knew that the President would be forever tarred with a “mark of shame” even if he was not removed from office: “Impeachment – it is, in fact, while it doesn’t guarantee removal from office, it is a stain. It’s a mark of shame and something that will be noted by history.”
Todd agreed, before launching into a complaint about “how unremarkable today has suddenly felt” despite being so “remarkable” and “historic.” He worried: “And the reason I say it that way is because that is how numb, I think, our politics is to what’s – to what we’re facing.”
Moments later, Todd declared: “Basically, this has probably been the worst decade in American politics, certainly in our lifetimes.” He added: “Maybe the ’50s and ’60s had periods like this, but a sustained decade of decline.”
After hailing Barack Obama for having “held an inaugural ball in honor of John McCain, his opponent, in 2008,” Todd then pinpointed the exact moment the “decline” began: “Our politics has so declined, starting in 2010, to where we are today, and in some ways this is a fitting end to what has been this sort of toxic decade for American politics...”
Coincidentally, 2010 was also the year Republicans took control of the House of Representatives following the rise of the Tea Party. In fact, in a Wednesday article for NBC’s First Read, Todd placed the Tea Party at the top of a list of things that supposedly contributed to “a dark ten years in American politics.”
Predictably, most of the people, organizations, and events on that list targeted Republicans and conservatives. Only one thing on the lengthy 28-point list specifically blamed Democrats for “the darkest decade in politics since the 1960s,” that being “Barack Obama’s campaign nuking Mitt Romney over Bain Capital” during the 2012 presidential race.
During NBC’s impeachment coverage, Todd bemoaned: “...the fact that it feels like we’re just sort of stumbling to this, that this isn’t a larger conversation for the country to grapple with, what this President is putting the Constitution through, I think just tells you how numb we are to this – to the politics that we participate in these days.”
Holt chimed in: “It is a sad commentary.”
Later in the 9:00 a.m. ET hour, Todd accused Trump of not “having reverence” for the Constitution and “that he doesn’t seem to understand the story of America.”
Here is transcript of the December 18 exchange with Holt and Todd:
9:08 AM ET
(...)
LESTER HOLT: I want to bring in Chuck Todd, here. Chuck, we have focused so much on the fact that so much of this is a foregone conclusion. We think we know what’s going to happen this evening with that vote, we think we know what’s going to happen in the Senate. But pause for this moment in time if you will. Impeachment – it is, in fact, while it doesn’t guarantee removal from office, it is a stain. It’s a mark of shame and something that will be noted by history.
CHUCK TODD: It will be. You know, I was struck both just last night and this morning, how unremarkable today has suddenly felt, suddenly feels. And I say that because it is remarkable what’s happening, it is historic, what’s happening. And yet, it feels like, let’s be honest, Lester, this feels like we’re coming on the air dealing with a government shutdown threat, not impeachment. And the reason I say it that way is because that is how numb, I think, our politics is to what’s – to what we’re facing. I mean, this should be a moment where the whole country is basically having their own gut check, where we are – we are having a national conversation trying to figure this out.
And the fact that we’re not having it, that this feels like just another battle in what has been a – and we tracked this, this morning in First Read and I encourage people to take a look at it. Basically, this has probably been the worst decade in American politics, certainly in our lifetimes, Lester. Maybe the ’50s and ’60s had periods like this, but a sustained decade of decline.
I mean, if you’re under the age of 30 and you’re a working adult right now, you would probably be shocked if I told you that Barack Obama held an inaugural ball in honor of John McCain, his opponent, in 2008. Right? Our politics has so declined, starting in 2010, to where we are today, and in some ways this is a fitting end to what has been this sort of toxic decade for American politics, but the fact that it feels like we’re just sort of stumbling to this, that this isn’t a larger conversation for the country to grapple with, what this President is putting the Constitution through, I think just tells you how numb we are to this – to the politics that we participate in these days.
HOLT: It is a sad commentary, Chuck. Thanks very much.
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