During a panel discussion on Tuesday's NBC Today, NBC chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman decried Mitt Romney proposing a $10,000 bet in the latest Republican debate: "I watched it live, and it was one of those moments where I immediately went [gasp] and you could just – even in your own living room, everything came to a halt. It was a disastrous move."
Advertising executive Donny Deutsch disagreed while still taking a shot at the GOP field: "Look, with the inane things the candidates are saying, in the scheme of things, it's not a big deal." He further added: "Jack Kennedy's family was the fifth wealthiest family in the country when he was elected. This is not a barometer, it's irrelevant."
Co-host Matt Lauer actually took Deutsch's side of the debate: "But Donny does have a point, it doesn't matter how much money you have, it really matters whether you have solutions that can help the problems of poor people and middle class people." Snyderman replied by ranting: "And guess what? There were no solutions offered up in that debate."
Lauer began the "Today's Professionals" panel segment by wondering: "Did the media make too much of that story?" In a report earlier in the show, White House correspondent Chuck Todd referred to Romney's bet as "infamous."
Here is a transcript of the December 13 exchange:
8:10AM ET SEGMENT:
MATT LAUER: Let's start with a topic that's been in the headlines the last couple of days. Mitt Romney during a debate offers Rick Perry a $10,000 bet. Did the media make too much of that story? How do you think it played in the heartland?
DONNY DEUTSCH: Look, with the inane things the candidates are saying, in the scheme of things, it's not a big deal. You have little kids that'll say, "I'll bet you a million dollars." And by the way-
SNYDERMAN: But he's not a little kid.
DEUTSCH: But by the way, people say, "Oh, because he's wealthy." Jack Kennedy's family was the fifth wealthiest family in the country when he was elected. This is not a barometer, it's irrelevant.
STAR JONES: The problem is, though, no one really resents that you're rich. We just resent when you don't take into account that other people are not.
DEUTSCH: But that has nothing-
JONES: And that – and using a $10,000 bet-
SNYDERMAN: It's the out-of-touch aspect
JONES: That's out of touch.
DEUTSCH: It's just not connected.
SNYDERMAN: Yeah, it's the out-of-touch aspect.
LAUER: But Donny does have a point, it doesn't matter how much money you have, it really matters whether you have solutions that can help the problems of poor people and middle class people.
SNYDERMAN: Right.
JONES: Because everybody would like to have a little bit more, no one has a problem with that.
SNYDERMAN: And guess what? There were no solutions offered up in that debate.
(...)
