At the start of last week, the liberal media had a nervous breakdown after former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced he was thinking about running for president as an independent. The liberal media was worried that he was doing to damage the changes for Democrats so they did what they could to beat up on him. They ripped into him so much, that during Sunday’s Meet the Press, on NBC, moderator Chuck Todd was seemingly impressed he withstood it all.
In the midst of discussing how the Trump campaign was interested in Schultz, Todd interrupted to share some internal polling data the Schultz team gave to NBC. “They released some of it. They did polling following this week where he got beaten, the living daylight out of him in the media,” Todd remarked.
Here’s one match up. They sent us two matchups of Trump/Harris/Schultz and Trump/Warren/Schultz. As you can see here, this is a poll conducted after the rollouts. So, in the last two days. Essentially, Trump and Harris tied, Schultz, sitting at 17. The point they wanted to make here, Mark Leibovich, is that, “hey, even after this horrible rollout where he got battered left and sometimes right, he's still sitting in the mid-teens,” which their argument shows you how much room there is for an independent.
Interestingly, Todd didn’t share the Trump/Warren/Schultz matchup poll results and didn’t note whether or not they resembled the Trump/Harris/Schultz matchup poll.
“Well, it’s the half-caff strategy,” Mark Leibovich of The New York Times magazine joked. Leibovich seemed a little annoyed by the poll and suggested it only confirmed the fears of Democrats:
But I mean look, is he trying to make the point of the Democrats, because that basically says Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren they could be up by 7, 8 points in these polls and yet you have Donald Trump in the lead. So it's hard to see what they're trying to do here, except he has gained some traction.
In response to Todd asserting that there was “room” for Schultz in the 2020 race, a panicky sounding Eugene Robinson, who’s a columnist for the Washington Post, quickly proclaimed, “There is room for him to lose! I mean, there is room for him to lose. There's no path for him to win the presidency. There just isn't.”
Maria Teresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino, was also concerned about Schultz hurting the Democrats:
And for the Democrats to lose, I think what the Democrats are really counting on is more of a centrist piece of the nominee on their end to bring in a lot of independent and moderate Republicans who do not like where their party is going. Schultz basically tears that way.
In a bit of blunt advice that would certainly go unheeded, National Review editor Rich Lowry explained that “if you're really worried about this liberal Democrat in good standing the day before yesterday, cleaving off enough moderate voters to swing the election, moderate on some issues. And that's one thing basically the Democratic Party seems to have zero interest in.”
“No,” Robinson blurted out. “[W]hat's happening in the Democratic Party is a debate about issues it's very healthy, it’s very good. That’s what ought to happen. To talk about actual issues [Crosstalk] you know, universal health care has been Democratic policy for decades.”
Seemingly enjoying the show his guests were putting on, Todd concluded by quipping about how “electability is doing to end up being the biggest issue come Iowa night.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
February 3, 2019
11:25:25 a.m. EasternCHUCK TODD: I want to pivot to 2020. We had a lot happening this week. The Howard Schultz earthquake was among them, Cory Booker getting in. Megan McArdle, I thought, did a tremendous job at summing up this debate. “The question is which way Democratic primary voters will bet: on some boring centrist who will never even try to deliver the radical change so many of them crave, or on the fire-breathing progressive who might accidentally deliver them another four years of Donald Trump.” Hallie, that's probably as good of an expression of this divide as any.
HALLIE JACKSON: Sure. And when I talk to folks-- Because I cover the White House and Donald Trump, on the campaign side for that, sources sort of familiar with that, you know who they're looking at very interestedly is Howard Schultz just as much as Democrats are as well. Buzz that changes a lot of the ways they're going to go in strategize and plan and try to do some of their issue.
MARK LEIBOVICH: Are they looking at him with enthusiasm or with fear? Because I would imagine Democrats are now.
JACKSON: Obviously enthusiasm. Also the idea it changes the way they would end up doing some of the things in their strategy moving forward, so they are just as curious as Democrats.
TODD: Alright, I want to interrupt the conversation. But let me just add one more little additive here. Howard Schultz is sort of a budding campaign. It's not official. But they did some polling. They released some of it. They did polling following this week where he got beaten, the living daylight out of him in the media.
Here’s one match up. They sent us two matchups of Trump/Harris/Schultz and Trump/Warren/Schultz. As you can see here, this is a poll conducted after the rollouts. So, in the last two days. Essentially, Trump and Harris tied, Schultz sitting at 17. The point they wanted to make here, Mark Leibovich, is that, “hey, even after this horrible rollout where he got battered left and sometimes right, he's still sitting in the mid-teens,” which their argument shows you how much room there is for an independent.
LEIBOVICH: Well, it’s the half-caff strategy—Actually, I didn’t even mean to do that. [Panel laughs]
TODD: Ah, yes you did. Yes, you did.
LEIBOVICH: But I mean look, is he trying to make the point of the Democrats, because that basically says Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren they could be up by 7, 8 points in these polls and yet you have Donald Trump in the lead. So it's hard to see what they're trying to do here, except he has gained some traction.
TODD: There is room for him. Are Democrats over reacting?
EUGENE ROBINSON: There is room for him to lose! I mean, there is room for him to lose. There's no path for him to win the presidency. There just isn't.
MARIA TERESA KUMAR: And for the Democrats to lose, I think what the Democrats are really counting on is more of a centrist piece of the nominee on their end to bring in a lot of independent and moderate Republicans who do not like where their party is going. Schultz basically tears that way.
RICH LOWRY: But this is the thing though. If you're really worried about this liberal Democrat in good standing the day before yesterday, cleaving off enough moderate voters to swing the election, moderate on some issues. And that's one thing basically the Democratic Party seems to have zero interest in.
ROBINSON: No, what's happening in the Democratic Party is a debate about issues it's very healthy, it’s very good. That’s what ought to happen. To talk about actual issues [Crosstalk] you know, universal health care has been Democratic policy for decades.
TODD: I can tell you this, I think electability is doing to end up being the biggest issue come Iowa night.
