Appearing on TBS's Conan Thursday night, NBC's Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd downplayed the big Republican wave in the midterm election: "...they didn't win because people said, 'We want to hire the Republicans.' Essentially this was an election of 'Well, alright, we're firing the Democrats'....I think the leadership knows that they have to prove that they can govern, that they're just not the anti-Obama party."
That was in response to host Conan O'Brien wondering: "The President has two years left. And he's got this problem....the President does not have the House and Senate. He has two years to go. Can he get anything done?....is it possible for him to compromise at this point with the Republicans or is that just not gonna happen?"
After lecturing Republicans, Todd observed that both sides of aisle had "political nuclear weapons" that could cause gridlock: "...if the President goes aggressive on immigration, if the Republicans go aggressive at trying to get rid of the health care law – I think it sort of grinds Washington to a halt."
At the beginning of exchange, O'Brien declared: "You took over Meet the Press....and your first guest on your first Meet the Press, President Barack Obama. How do you top that?" Todd replied: "And not only that, it's like my bosses keep saying, 'Well, okay, that's a good booking, what are you gonna do next week? What are you gonna do next week? You got Obama again? Where's Biden? Where's Hillary? Come on.' And it's all downhill. And instead it's Scott Walker."
Minutes later, O'Brien noted that Todd's new book, The Stranger, about Barack Obama, was "critical of the President." Todd defended: "I say it's neither a liberal defense or a conservative attack. It's just sort of what I saw."
O'Brien followed up: "Do you get nervous that...[Obama will] read the book or hear about some of the negative things?" Todd admitted: "Oh, I am not looking forward to the next time I see him. You know, where he may say, 'Hey, you know, about that one thing you wrote about, you know, you didn't take into account this, this, this and this.' And you know, it can be an intimidating thing."
Here are excerpts of Todd's November 13 appearance:
11:43 PM ET
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CONAN O'BRIEN: You took over Meet the Press. It's the oldest, most venerated show on television, and your first guest on your first Meet the Press, President Barack Obama. How do you top that? It's just like that's your first guest.
CHUCK TODD: Done.
O'BRIEN: Then it just feels like you should just drop the mike when that one's over and walk off.
TODD: It's like it's over and all this stuff. And not only that, it's like my bosses keep saying, "Well, okay, that's a good booking, what are you gonna do next week? What are you gonna do next week? You got Obama again? Where's Biden? Where's Hillary? Come on."
O'BRIEN: Right.
TODD: And it's all downhill. And instead it's Scott Walker.
O'BRIEN: Yeah.
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11:45 PM ET
O'BRIEN: Now here's the interesting thing, you write this book – and you've been working on this book for quite a long time, it's not like you-
TODD: Became moderator of Meet the Press and said, "Hey, I should quickly write a book about the President."
O'BRIEN: Right, you've been writing this book about the President...
TODD: Since he got elected. Taking notes and all that.
O'BRIEN: ...and the book is critical of the President. In areas – I'm not saying that you're-
TODD: I think a – I think it's neither – I say it's neither a liberal defense or a conservative attack. It's just sort of what I saw.
O'BRIEN: Yes, there are positive things, there are negative things in the book. Do you get nervous that okay, you put this book out, you've interviewed the President, you're the moderator for Meet the Press, that he'll read the book or hear about some of the negative things?
TODD: Oh, I am not looking forward to the next time I see him. You know, where he may say, "Hey, you know, about that one thing you wrote about, you know, you didn't take into account this, this, this and this." And you know, it can be an intimidating thing. That said, I wanted to interview him for the book and his staff said no.
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11:47 PM ET
TODD: You know, he's a funny guy, too.
O'BRIEN: Yeah. That's the sense I've – in the times that I've gotten to interact with him I get the – he's very quick, funny. He's got a good, ironic sense of humor.
TODD: No, I'll give you an example. So my wife's name is Kristian, K-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. She was supposed to be a boy, so they – her mom just gave her a girl's name. Well, we're in the White House photo line during Christmas and we go up to him and she introduces herself, "Hi, Mr. President, my name's Kristian," and he goes, "Hi, I'm a Muslim." Right like that. And my wife is mortified, "Oh, my God, did he think I was like saying a statement, he knows my first name's really Kristian, right?" And all this stuff. And he like looked at me and gave me a wink, it was a funny joke. But he's very quick.
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11:49 PM ET
O'BRIEN: The President has two years left. And he's got this problem. Because the Republicans-
TODD: Just one problem?
O'BRIEN: He's got many problems.
TODD: There's a lot of problems.
O'BRIEN: But with the recent midterm....I'm curious about this, the President does not have the House and Senate. He has two years to go. Can he get anything done? Is there anything that he can get done? Is there any initiative that – and is it possible for him to compromise at this point with the Republicans or is that just not gonna happen?
TODD: I think it all depends on if the Republicans decide that they have to – you know, they didn't win because people said, "We want to hire the Republicans." Essentially this was an election of "Well, alright, we're firing the Democrats."
O'BRIEN: Right.
TODD: And if the Republican leadership – and I think the leadership knows that they have to prove that they can govern, that they're just not the anti-Obama party. And if that's what they want to do, I think in the first six months of next year, up til about the Fourth of July, they can get little stuff done.
But I think with health care and immigration, two sort of – they're like these political nuclear weapons that both parties have and if either one of them – if the President goes aggressive on immigration, if the Republicans go aggressive at trying to get rid of the health care law – I think it sort of grinds Washington to a halt. So I'm not optimistic, but you know, I guess you have to – maybe there's a little bit of condensation in the last [two years].
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— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter. [1]