NBC's Chuck Todd: 'Our Pollsters Are Concerned' About Obama's Poll Numbers

Is NBC News employing Democrat pollsters?

Consider Chuck Todd's revealing statement about the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll made to Brian Williams on Tuesday's "Nightly News" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

 

---

BRIAN WILLIAMS, HOST: Now we turn to our new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Some bad news for the President tied to some very bad feeling about the current state of our economy. Our political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd here with us in California for tomorrow night’s debate with a look at the numbers.

CHUCK TODD, NBC: Look, quite a backdrop being painted for this important week in American politics. The debate tomorrow night, the President’s speech to Congress on Thursday. Here’s what all of them are facing. Mood of the country: 73 percent say it’s on the wrong track. That’s three out of four Americans who believe it’s on the wrong track. Why? Obviously, it’s the economy. Listen to this: about three out of four – 72 percent – say we have a ways to go before we hit bottom.

Now this has taken a hit on the President politically. 44 percent approve of the job he’s doing – all-time low of his presidency. But a more important number that our pollsters say is in there is this idea that is this a long-term setback for him or a short-term one? 54 percent said long-term. Our pollsters are concerned that’s kind of numbers you have when the public starts to give up on a president as a problem solver.

"Our pollsters are concerned?" Are these Democrat pollsters?

Shouldn't their charge be to survey the public, assess the data, and report it dispassionately and without bias?

This is the kind of statement you would expect from a Democrat strategist referring to polling done by a company the organization he or she works for hired.

But for NBC's political director and chief White House correspondent to be saying his network's pollsters are "concerned" about what their polling data indicates for a president or leading politician is an intentional or accidental exhibition of partiality that should be unacceptable from a news organization.

That is, of course, if he is working for a news organization and not a propaganda arm for the politician in question which would answer in the affirmative the question posed at the beginning of the article.

I guess we should be grateful for Todd's candor intentional or not.

(H/T Steve Malzberg)

Readers are advised that NBC News uses pollsters Peter D. Hart (D) as well as Bill McInturff (R) and therefore shouldn't miss the facetiousness in the opening question. It is their alleged "concern" expressed by Todd at issue and not their political leaning.