In a stunning omission on Wednesday's NBC Today, brief coverage of a 2007 video of Barack Obama [1] completely
ignored the then-Senator praising his controversial pastor Jeremiah
Wright as a "great leader, not just in Chicago, but all across the
country." The NBC morning show adopted a dismissive attitude toward the video, with co-host Savannah Guthrie leading off the broadcast: "Conservatives circulate a five-year-old video, in a move the Obama campaign calls desperate." [Listen to the audio [2]]
In the report that followed, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd
further quoted Obama talking points: "In a transparent attempt to
change the subject from his comments attacking half of the American
people, Mitt Romney's allies re-circulated video of a 2007 event that
was open to and extensively covered by the press at the time."
Todd assured viewers: "NBC, along with several other media outlets, covered the same speech at the time."
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Now to presidential politics in this country, and we
begin with some unusually direct talk today from Democratic candidate
Barack Obama on the issue of race, something he rarely focuses on in his
speeches. But today, speaking to a primarily black audience at Hampton
University in Virginia, Obama said the Bush administration has done
little to address what he called 'a quiet riot' of discontent and
despair among blacks in this country, one that erupted in L.A. 15 years
ago and has been building again since the administration's response to
Hurricane Katrina.
BARACK OBAMA: This administration was color blind in its incompetence.
But everyone here knows that the disaster and the poverty happened long
before the hurricane hit. All the hurricane did was make bare what we
ignore each and every day, which is that there are whole sets of
communities that are impoverished, whole sets of communities that don't
have meaningful opportunity and don't have hope and are forgotten.
WILLIAMS: Senator Obama's message on race came a day after an unusual
forum that found the Democrats talking about another sometimes touchy
subject, faith, and they spoke with what some saw as surprising candor.
Again, there was no mention of the then-Democratic presidential candidate praising the radical Reverend Wright.
On Wednesday's Today, in addition to skipping over Wright,
Todd significantly watered down Obama's accusation that the federal
government discriminated against victims of Hurricane Katrina in
comparison to its response to other disasters.
Ignoring Obama's assertion in the speech that "The people down in New
Orleans they don't care about as much!," Todd simply noted: "Mr. Obama
spoke at length about the hurricane response." In the sound bite that
followed, Obama ranted: "People asked me whether they thought race was
the reason the response was so slow. This administration was
color-blind in its incompetence, but – but everyone here knows that the
disaster and the poverty happened long before the hurricane hit."
In a news brief at the top of the 9 a.m. et hour, anchor Natalie Morales reiterated the dismissive tone of the coverage:
A 2007 speech by then-Senator Obama is now generating criticism from conservatives, who say his words are racially charged. The Obama campaign is fighting back, saying Romney's allies are just trying to distract from Romney's secretly taped remarks about 47% of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes.
Following Todd's report, fill-in co-host and Meet the Press moderator David Gregory interviewed former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum about the upcoming presidential debate. Moments later, Guthrie interviewed deputy Obama campaign manager Stephanie Cutter on the same topic. Neither were asked a single question about the Obama video.
Here is a full transcript of Todd's October 3 report:
7:00AM ET TEASE:
SAVANNAH
GUTHRIE: Face-off. The first presidential debate now just hours away as
Vice President Joe Biden makes a comment that gives his Republican
rivals new ammunition. And conservatives circulate a five-year-old
video, in a move the Obama campaign calls desperate.
7:07AM ET SEGMENT:
GUTHRIE: And this morning on Today on the Trail, the first
presidential debate. The stage is set for tonight's showdown between
President Obama and Mitt Romney. Their first face-to-face meeting in
five years. Chuck Todd is NBC's political director, chief White House
correspondent, and he is outside the debate hall at the University of
Denver. Chuck, good morning to you.
CHUCK TODD: Well, good morning, Savannah. It's the first of three
90-minute debates, one-on-one between President Obama and Mitt Romney,
and it comes at a critical time. For Romney, it's about turning the page
on a rough September, and for the President, it's a chance to shut off
Romney's last path to victory. President Obama took a break from
Tuesday's debate prep in Nevada, visiting the Hoover Dam.
BARACK OBAMA: It's spectacular and I've never seen it before.
TODD: Meanwhile in Denver, Mitt Romney's break time from debate prep
was lunch at the Tex-Mex chain restaurant Chipotle, joined by Ohio
Senator Rob Portman, who's been playing Mr. Obama in Romney's mock
debate sessions.
With the two candidates off the trail Tuesday, their number two men
picked up the slack. Campaigning in North Carolina, Vice President Biden
drew some attention with these comments, discussing the GOP ticket's
tax plan.
JOE BIDEN: How they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that's been buried the last four years?
TODD: The Romney campaign pounced on the word "buried." Campaigning in Iowa, Paul Ryan fired back.
PAUL RYAN: Vice President Biden just today said that the middle class
over the last four years has been, quote, "buried." We agree. That means
we need to stop digging by electing Mitt Romney the next President of
the United States!
TODD: Later, the Vice President did some damage control, clarifying his remarks.
BIDEN: The middle class was buried by the policies of Romney and that Ryan supported.
TODD: And 24 hours before the start time of tonight's debate late
Tuesday, conservatives began circulating a 2007 speech by then-candidate
Obama, speaking to an African-American audience about victims of
Hurricane Katrina. Fox News host Sean Hannity prominently featured the
video as a gotcha moment.
SEAN HANNITY: It contains some of the most divisive class warfare and racially charged rhetoric ever used by Barack Obama.
TODD: NBC, along with several other media outlets, covered the same
speech at the time. Mr. Obama spoke at length about the hurricane
response.
OBAMA: People asked me whether they thought race was the reason the
response was so slow. This administration was color-blind in its
incompetence, but – but everyone here knows that the disaster and the
poverty happened long before the hurricane hit.
TODD:
Late Tuesday the Obama campaign responded, calling Hannity's coverage
"desperate," adding, "In a transparent attempt to change the subject
from his comments attacking half of the American people, Mitt Romney's
allies re-circulated video of a 2007 event that was open to and
extensively covered by the press at the time."
OBAMA: This is why I like coming to Vegas.
MITT ROMNEY: This is a great place to be.
TODD: Meanwhile, a new round of NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist
polls shed some light on where this race stands in the three biggest
battleground states. There's good news for Mitt Romney in Virginia,
where he's closed gap with President Obama to just two points, compared
to a four-point deficit last month. And it's also a close race in
Florida, where the President leads Romney by just a single point, also
down from a four-point lead last month. But Romney's made no progress in
Ohio, where Mr. Obama maintains a significant edge, virtually unchanged
since September. Nationally, the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll also
shows the President in a strong position, though the race tightened. He
sits at 49% in both his ballot test and job approval rating. Mitt Romney
coalesced some Republicans, so closed the gap on likely voters because
of Republican enthusiasm, to 46 – 49/46. David.
GREGORY: Chuck Todd, thanks.