Chuck Todd reverted to form on Sunday’s Meet The Press. He interviewed Senator Mitt Romney with excellent questions. The problem is that he accepted Romney’s answers at face value. Sadly for the average American, after listening to the interview, they would have left more misinformed than when they started.
I am convinced that it is not only being wards of the Plutocracy that causes mainst+-ream media talking heads like Chuck Todd to allow the misinformation. There is a level of wanting to ingratiate with these people of power that may also be causal.
In the short interview, Todd allowed a lie, a spin, and a moral failure to go unchallenged. Ironically in the one with Mayor Pete before the Romney interview, he was holding the mayor to account for every word.
Chuck Todd, 3 strikes & you should be out on healthcare
Chuck Todd correctly pointed out that Obamacare was very similar to Massachusetts’ Romneycare. He then asked Romney if he wanted to start healthcare from scratch.
Before his bloviation, Romney lied. He said that Obamacare only affected 20% or so of Americans. Chuck Todd never pushed back. In not pushing back he left in the ethos that most Americans would not be affected by repeal. The reality is any repeal of Obamacare removes hard fought for protections like the elimination of caps, rescission, and discrimination against women. It also removes preexisting condition protections and the carrying of children up to age 26 on their parents’ policies.
Later when discussing private insurance, Romney claimed that Republicans wanted to create a plan more state-centered. He spoke about magically reducing with no specifics on how they would do it. Todd never reminded him that while in full control of the government, Republicans did absolutely nothing to ease the healthcare pain on Americans. They fought for repeal with nothing to offer in its place.
Lastly, The Utah voters voted for the Medicaid expansion to the Affordable Care Act. Their legislature is attempting to obstruct the people’s vote by getting waivers to be less generous. Romney gave the impression that the only issue was Utah wanted the ability to opt-out if the Federal Government did not fund their share of the program. That was a false statement. But there was a moral component that Chuck Todd did not follow up on at all. In effect, Romney was antiseptic in talking about the health of the people in his state. He just made it a cost issue instead of a human issue and Todd never call him on it.
There is no doubt that any average listener of that interview left much more misinformed than had they not watched it at all. And that is a shame, especially in these times. Our mainstream media is to blame for much of the failings in the body politic.
Chuck Todd is a good barometer of how mainstream press covers (or not) national and international events. Based on the pros vs. cons of his reporting, it isn’t all that good. And that is why as many of us as possible must become the new-media or assist in keeping a vibrant independent media.