Just hours before President Biden’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday, MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd wailed that the “right-wing echo chamber” was to blame for a majority of Americans having a bad view of the Biden economy in multiple polls. He went on to complain to fellow Democratic Party hack Jen Palmieri that the “Democratic echo chamber” needed to do a better job of spreading propaganda.
After admitting that Biden was at a moment of “major political weakness” with an “approval rating below 40%” in several recent polls, Todd fretted: “Huge chunks of the country describe the current economic climate as a ‘recession or a depression.’ And even more describe it as ‘not good and poor’ despite the fact that it’s never been easier to get a job, never been easier to get a high-paying job.”
Talking to a panel of guests moments later, the exasperated host bitterly whined: “51% believe the economy is in a recession or depression. I mean, look, it’s just not true....my God, there’s jobs. There’s good jobs.” He then asked former Obama White House communications director (and Todd family dinner party guest) Palmieri: “Is this a – the right-wing echo chamber is better than Democratic echo chamber?”
Palmieri agreed and bemoaned how “the right-wing echo chamber is always better than the Democratic echo chamber.” She laughably argued – on MSNBC of all places – that: “It’s not because Democrats aren’t smart and strategic, it’s because we just don’t repeat what we’re told to say and we never will.”
Minutes later, Republican strategist Matt Gorman pointed out: “I think it’s broader than just the economic, right? People go to a restaurant and there’s not enough wait staff. They go to the grocery store, they can’t always get what they want at the time they want.” Todd then scolded Americans: “We don’t feel first world enough....And it’s like I want to tell people, ‘Go live in another country and realize we have it pretty good here.’”
Wrapping up the State of the Union discussion, Todd saw the brutal war in Ukraine as an “opportunity” for Biden and absurdly claimed that “there probably isn’t anybody in the Democratic Party that has better credentials to manage this moment.”
He seemed to forget the assessment from former Bush and Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”
Todd using his left-wing echo chamber on MSNBC to defend Biden on the dismal economy was brought to viewers by Visionworks and Applebee’s. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a transcript of the March 1 discussion:
1:21 PM ET
CHUCK TODD: As we mentioned at the top of the show, as Biden prepares for tonight’s State of the Union, his presidency perhaps has been totally transformed by war in Europe. And by Putin’s threat of nuclear engagement. The turmoil overseas comes at a moment of major political weakness for Biden here at home. Every single major poll released in the lead-up to the State of the Union has Biden’s approval rating below 40%. Most of them show support from his own party, on approval, in the 70s. That’s a sign of growing unrest inside the Democratic base.
And the public’s views of the Biden economy do not reflect the job gains or the GDP growth that have been touted by the administration. Huge chunks of the country describe the current economic climate as a “recession or a depression.” And even more describe it as “not good and poor” despite the fact that it’s never been easier to get a job, never been easier to get a high-paying job.
(...)
1:23 PM ET
TODD: Jen, I heard that if you’re a progressive, you might not be thrilled with the laundry list tonight because it’s a – as it was portrayed to me – is that look, it’s going to be things that lower the cost for people’s lives, right? They want to emphasize that, whether it’s prescription drugs – right? You could see where they’re going, but I don’t think we’ll hear the phrase “Build Back Better.”
JEN PALMIERI [FMR. WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIR. UNDER OBAMA]: And it’s the way – that’s the way that they’ll say they’re going after inflation, is to try to – is to take these steps that will lower costs in people’s lives, it’s that.
(...)
1:24 PM ET
AYESHA RASCOE [NPR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER]: Well, there are so many risks for him. Because even when you’re talking about bringing prices down, the President can only do so much about inflation. The problem for, you know, Biden right now is Americans want him to fix that, but it’s not clear that he can.
TODD: I want to go back to this, Jen. I mean, I – 51% believe the economy is in a recession or depression. I mean, look, it’s just not true.
PALMIERI: I know.
TODD: This economy’s frustrating. This economy, with COVID, has been – “I’ve got money and I can’t find something.” But my God, there’s jobs. There’s good jobs. Is this a – the right-wing echo chamber is better than Democratic echo chamber?
PALMIERI: For sure.
TODD: Or is there something else missing here?
PALMIERI: I mean, for sure, the right-wing echo chamber is always better than the Democratic echo chamber. It’s not because Democrats aren’t smart and strategic, it’s because we just don’t repeat what we’re told to say and we never will.
RASCOE: They’re not good at echoing. [Laughter]
PALMIERI: No.
TODD: You’re not good, you don’t echo very well.
PALMIERI: We all have our own views. So, yes.
TODD: Yeah, how’s Rashida Tlaib, right? She’s going to be quite the echo chamber tonight, whatever that is.
PALMIERI: Right, there’s a number of Democratic speeches being given tonight. But – but moreover, people don’t feel like the economy is secure and that they’re doing well.
TODD: That’s the real issue. They don’t feel secure about it, right.
PALMIERI: But the good thing for Biden is there – you know, the economy, there’s a lot that is going right in the economy, so people’s feelings could turn around quickly. You know, it could -- by the time you get to the fall, people could be feeling a lot better. And then, you know, you’re gonna see his numbers get better.
(...)
1:26 PM ETMATT GORMAN [REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST]: I think it’s broader than just the economic, right? People go to a restaurant and there’s not enough wait staff. They go to the grocery store, they can’t always get what they want at the time they want.
TODD: We don’t feel first world enough.
GORMAN: Exact – well, yeah.
TODD: Weirdly enough.
GORMAN: We don’t feel comfortable.
TODD: And it’s like I want to tell people, “Go live in another country and realize we have it pretty good here.”
GORMAN: We don’t feel comfortable enough. And I think the mask mandates are finally getting [lifted] all across the county. I think it’s just broader. I think the recession is – the idea of it is a manifestation, but it’s so much broader about our way of life.
(...)
1:27 PM ET
TODD: There is an opportunity here for Joe Biden. If you were to say, “Oh, my God, we’ve got to have a Cold War president,” there probably isn’t anybody in the Democratic Party that has better credentials to manage this moment.
RASCOE: Yeah.
TODD: This could be an opportunity for him.
RASCOE: It could be. Interestingly enough, like, he’s not polling well on this issue, though.
TODD: He’s not. Well, this is the Afghanistan effect.
RASCOE: Yeah. He’s not polling well on it. And unfortunately, if you have gas prices and energy prices go up, which they almost certainly they will, go up even more, that’s going to be counted against Biden.
(...)
