On Friday, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd insisted that Tuesday’s midterm election seemed like a ‘hold-your-nose’ [1] election and on Sunday’s Today, the NBC News Political Director threw even more cold water on the GOP’s chances of winning the Senate.
Todd pointed out how he “ran into a bunch of voters that said I'm tired of the hold-your-nose vote. Forget it. I’m going to vote none of the above. I’m going to vote for one of these third party candidates.”
The NBCer began by arguing that even though “the math here for Republicans, it’s in their favor” voters “want to punish the president, they’re not happy with him but they haven't bought what Republicans are selling because the Republicans aren't selling an agenda they’re just selling anti-Obama.”
Todd continued the segment by playing up the supposed appeal of Independent Senate candidate Greg Orman and how “that’s what’s fueled him I think is this disgust between both parties.”
The Meet the Press moderator then went on promote his assertion that the GOP’s so-called lack of a policy agenda has weakened their chances of winning the Senate in November:
I talked to Republican candidates who, they won't say this on the record, but they think the reason why they haven't closed the deal, is there’s been nothing to run on. They don't know what the Republican agenda’s going to be if they get control of both the House and the Senate.
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The question is, is it antagonistic? The base of the party does want to be antagonistic to the president. They would like to see, make him veto the repeal on healthcare. Other Republicans say hey, we’ve got to show our brand is a mess we only won this because we weren't him. We've got to show that we can do something.
The NBC News Political Director concluded by predictably pushing the liberal line that even if the GOP wins the Senate on Tuesday, they might not achieve anything:
There are small things that can be done just the same way Bill Clinton got stuff done with a Republican Congress. But the 2016 race is looming. And it's very possible it starts so quickly that it just drowns out anything in Washington.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Today
November 2, 2014
KATE SNOW: And Chuck Todd is moderator of Meet the Press. Chuck good morning.
CHUCK TODD: Good morning. It’s good to be up here.
SNOW: It’s nice to have you up here. So let's catch up on what everybody needs to know about Tuesday. You’ve got a lot of really tight races, right? Where we don't know which way it's going to go.
TODD: It’s amazing. We talk about all this potential Republican momentum, they might win the Senate and yet eight of the ten battleground states in the Senate are polling less than five points difference between the two parties. So, the math here for Republicans, it's in their favor, but it’s not guaranteed because there’s some uncertainty there with the voters. They want to punish the president, they’re not happy with him but they haven't bought what Republicans are selling because the Republicans aren't selling an agenda they’re just selling anti-Obama.
SNOW: And people are just frustrated with the system right now?
TODD: They’re angry at incumbents. They’re angry at Washington, they don't like the dysfunction. But what we’re seeing is incumbent Republican governors are struggling. Republican incumbent senators in Kansas are struggling. Incumbent Democratic administrations are—It is just -- if you're in power, you're not being trusted and people are unhappy.
SNOW: Maybe because of that you’re being a lot of third party candidates, independents getting in.
TODD: Well it is. You have the Kansas race which may be the epitome of this. Right? I think voters are looking for a vehicle to say I want to punish both parties. Well, Kansas voters have it. Greg Orman, this independent. He's neck in neck, a Republican incumbent, long-time incumbent there Pat Roberts and that’s what’s fueled him I think is this disgust between both parties.
The other phenomenon we’re seeing though is Libertarian candidates, Green Party candidates, they’re polling higher than normal because they’re the none of above. I ran into a bunch of voters that said I'm tired of the hold-your-nose vote. Forget it. I’m going to vote none of the above. I’m going to vote for one of these third party candidates.
SNOW: What about what Kristen [Welker] was just talking about? What happens if -- we don't know how it’s going to go -- but if Republicans get control of the Senate, they've got the House already, what does that look like?
TODD: Well, you know, that’s been part of the frustration. You know, I talked to Republican candidates who, they won't say this on the record, but they think the reason why they haven't closed the deal, is there’s been nothing to run on. They don't know what the Republican agenda’s going to be if they get control of both the House and the Senate. The question is, is it antagonistic? The base of the party does want to be antagonistic to the president. They would like to see, make him veto the repeal on healthcare.
Other Republicans say hey, we’ve got to show our brand is a mess we only won this because we weren't him. We've got to show that we can do something. So, if they want to do that, taxes is possible. There are small things that can be done just the same way Bill Clinton got stuff done with a Republican Congress. But the 2016 race is looming. And it's very possible it starts so quickly that it just drowns out anything in Washington.
SNOW: It’s going to be an interesting night on Tuesday.
TODD: I think it’s going to be Election two months, it could take us two months to know who controls the Senate believe it or not.
SNOW: Because of recounts.
TODD: Recounts, run offs. It’s going to be a wild night.
SNOW: And you’ll be there for all of it. Chuck, and we’ll talk to you a little bit later previewing what's coming up on Meet the Press.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter. [2]