NBC Hypes Republican 'Disarray' as 'Bloodier-Minded' Obama Focuses on Beating GOP in 2nd Term
A panel discussion on Monday's NBC Today on President Obama's
second term quickly devolved into anti-Republican ranting, with
correspondent Andrea Mitchell proclaiming: "It's been so toxic
that I think the President is betting that the American people...are
really fed up with this. And that it will be in the Republican Party's
advantage to play somewhat toward getting something done." [Listen to the audio]
Special correspondent Tom Brokaw followed up by touting how the GOP "lost big time" in the 2012 election and declared: "Now the Republicans are in disarray, trying to organize their party so they have a future. And they're going to have to deal with the reality of that as well. It is a party that is so broken into a lot of parts on the GOP side and there's going to have to be a lot of mending done and then more outreach as well."
A short time later, in the 8 a.m. et hour, New York Times
correspondent Jodi Kantor eagerly told co-host Savannah Guthrie how
Obama plans to go after the GOP in a second term: "The mystery that hung
over the first inauguration is gone. We know exactly what he wants to
do agenda-wise. And he's also much – I love this word – 'bloodier minded,' somebody said to me, about beating Republicans."
Later in the 8 o'clock hour, in an impromptu exchange with Republican
strategist Frank Luntz, Mitchell grilled: "Four years ago, Frank, you
helped lead a group of Republicans who were strategizing, including
Cantor and McCarthy and all the House leaders, strategizing on how to
stop Barack Obama from achieving his goals. Was that a signal of the
obstructionism and the partisanship that we experienced?"
The coverage omitted any discussion of the President's role in the "toxic" atmosphere in Washington in his first term.
Here is a full transcript of the January 21 panel discussion:
7:35AM ET
MATT LAUER: Andrea [Mitchell] thank you very much. Joined by a couple
of familiar faces in David Gregory and Tom Brokaw as well. Guys, welcome
to all of you.
DAVID GREGORY: Good morning.
LAUER: There's a saying that the job of the President in the first term
is to get a second term. So that's been mission accomplished now. In
your opinion, David, how high will this President set his goals for the
second term? How high should he?
DAVID GREGORY: Well, I think the key is economic restoration, he comes
into office amid financial ruin in the country. I think he understands
the public wants to get back to work, wants the country to grow again
economically. I think everything flows from that. I think that's what we
start to hear today, and that's really the mission of – it's four
years, but it's really much less than that, when you think about that.
LAUER: It starts with that, it starts with the fiscal responsibility,
debts and spending. It goes to gun control, it goes to immigration,
perhaps some action on climate control. That's a very big wish list.
What are the chances that he gets a little piece of all of that?
TOM BROKAW: Well, I don't know whether he will get a piece of all of
that. I think what we'll know more at the end of the day is, after his
inaugural speech, my guess is, based on what I've been told, we'll hear a
little more prose than poetry and a lot of it will be addressed to the
middle class, because they are the forgotten part of the American
economy in the eyes of a lot of Democrats especially. My guess is that
the big theme for him in the second term, Matt, is going to be big ideas
that unite the country, not the small ideas that have divided us for
the past several of years. And as David is right, you've got to restore
the economy and then everything flows from that.
LAUER:
You talk about big ideas that unite the country. And last night – I was
saying in the open of this show, Andrea and David and Tom jump in here –
that they were playing the 2009 inaugural address. And when he talked
about the things, like saying, "On this day we put aside petty politics.
On this day we put aside the politics of division. We show the people
of this country that their government works for them." And yet over
these last four years we've seen time and time again those things are
firmly entrenched here.
ANDREA MITCHELL: It's been so toxic that I think the President is
betting that the American people, clear in our polls, the people are
really fed up with this. And that it will be in the Republican Party's
advantage to play somewhat toward getting something done. You saw that
in Williamsburg, Virginia, with the House caucus last week when Paul
Ryan steered the party, and the more radical elements of the Tea Party
which supported him, to some sort of compromise, short-term, at least,
on the debt ceiling. They know they need to-
LAUER: Was it compromise or just a strategy to move a bigger fight down the road?
BROKAW: Well, I think it's an indication, I think it's a tell-tale sign
about where the Republicans are. Four years ago, when the President was
making that speech, Republicans were meeting at night.
MITCHELL: Exactly.
BROKAW: Trying to decide how they were going to defeat him when he runs
for re-election. They lost that, big time. He had a very robust
electoral victory and a significant popular vote victory. Now the
Republicans are in disarray, trying to organize their party so they have
a future. And they're going to have to deal with the reality of that as
well. It is a party that is so broken into a lot of parts on the GOP
side and there's going to have to be a lot of mending done and then more
outreach as well.
GREGORY: A couple of key areas. This is a President who's focused on
energy independence. People close to him say that could be an unlikely
bipartisan legacy for President Obama. And health care, party-line vote,
divided the country. Implementation's going to be tough, it's something
he's going to have to spend a lot of time on to show results.
LAUER: Wasn't it seen, though, that immigration was an area where he might have the best chance of success?
GREGORY: And I still think that's the case.
LAUER: Probably is true?
GREGORY: Yeah.
MITCHELL: I think that is something that the Republicans know they need
to focus on. Guns are going to be tough, but I think the President also
feels that on issues like this, he now can take some chances, even if
it's not politically popular, and it's not. He's going for the long ball
as well.
LAUER: I know you've got a lot to talk about, let's save a little of it
because you're going to be with us throughout the entire day.
BROKAW: Oh my, I had no idea.
LAUER: That's true, they didn't tell you? You gotta start reading your e-mails.
BROKAW: I told you everything I know.
[LAUGHTER]
LAUER: Tom Brokaw, David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell. Folks, always good to spend time with you.
