Appearing on Friday's NBC Today, left-wing MSNBC host Ed Schultz desperately tried to explain away President Obama's bad debate performance: "I
think that there were so many lies coming across that stage, and so
many inaccuracies, it was hard for the President to comprehend it and
decide which one he wanted to attack first." [Listen to the audio [1]]
Co-host Savannah Guthrie called him out on the liberal talking point:
"That sounds a little bit like you're making excuses for the President."
Schultz doubled down on his lame attempt to defend the President: "[Romney]
was the guy in the board room, he was the corporate shark, he knew how
to get this audience done and he was going to run over everybody. And I
think that might play to his disadvantage in the long run."
Guthrie began the segment by wondering if Romney's debate win could
"fundamentally alter the race." Schultz acknowledged that it was "a
wake-up call for the President and his campaign," but then ranted:
"...there's been such an effort to suppress the vote. Those people are
now energized after what they saw the other night."
At the end of the interview, Guthrie asked if the President would be
more aggressive in the next debate. Schultz replied that Obama "has to
be aggressive" and declared: "The thing that's so frustrating, I think,
for liberals is that they know that the President has accomplished a lot
without any help from the Republicans. That's a fact. That's not
attacking your opponent."
Here is a full transcript of the October 5 exchange:
7:05AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Ed Schultz is the host of The Ed Show on MSNBC. Good morning to you.
ED SCHULTZ: Good morning, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: You are a supporter of the President, your viewers are
supporters of the President. I think people from every side of the
political spectrum recognize he missed a big opportunity the other
night. Do you think this will fundamentally alter the race?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Decision 2012; How Has Debate Changed Race for the White House?]
SCHULTZ:
It will be a wake-up call for the President and his campaign. They
can't miss the mark again. The margin of error, winning or losing in
this campaign, in this election, is so tight right now, he just can't do
it. I mean, there's been such an effort to suppress the vote. Those
people are now energized after what they saw the other night. The
President's team has to bounce back, get on message, be aggressive.
You know, on liberal talk radio across America people were
disappointed. They were frustrated, they saw the perfect opening. I got a
phone call from a lady yesterday in Pennsylvania who said that, "You
know, when I'm sitting at home and I know the material better than the
President, something's wrong."
GUTHRIE: Well there's a question of whether he fought back on
substance. There's also the issue of style. People said he seemed
checked-out, not really present, not engaging. What do you think was
going on?
SCHULTZ: I think that there were so many lies coming across that stage,
and so many inaccuracies, it was hard for the President to comprehend
it and decide which one he wanted to attack first. I really believe
that. Because the President's personality is that he's bookish, he likes
to explain things. He's not a guy that's going to put something in a
two or three or four-line thing and say, "Well I'm done with that
subject."
GUTHRIE: That sounds a little bit like you're making excuses for the President.
SCHULTZ: Well, but if you look back at President Obama, the interviews
that he does, he likes to get detailed. He has not had as many debates
as Mitt Romney. Romney knows where President Obama is weak. Romney went
in there from the opening answer the other night, he was aggressive. He
was the guy in the board room, he was the corporate shark, he knew how
to get this audience done and he was going to run over everybody. And I
think that might play to his disadvantage in the long run.
GUTHRIE: Let me ask you about the 47% remarks. Mitt Romney said on Fox
the other night now he thinks they were "completely wrong," those
remarks. Initially he stood by them. Do you see a larger change in
strategy in the Romney campaign?
SCHULTZ: It is mandatory. He can't go to Ohio and explain the 47%
without correcting that. This is definitely a redirect on the part of
the campaign, and they're doing it at the right time. They're doing it
when – this is actually the most momentum that Mitt Romney has had
throughout this whole campaign. This is the perfect time to make that
correction, but are people going to believe it? That's the question.
GUTHRIE: Very quickly, what do you think President Obama does for the
next debate? Do you think he'll be more aggressive? Is there a danger of
overcompensating now?
SCHULTZ: He has to forget that. He has to go right at it. He has to be
detailed, he has to be aggressive. The thing that's so frustrating, I
think, for liberals is that they know that the President has
accomplished a lot without any help from the Republicans. That's a fact.
That's not attacking your opponent.
GUTHRIE: Well, Ed Schultz, it's good to get your perspective this morning. Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Thank you, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: And a reminder, you can see The Ed Show weeknights, 8:00 p.m. Eastern on MSNBC.