NBC’s Chuck Todd filled in for David Gregory as moderator of Meet the Press on Sunday and took the opportunity to mock Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for a campaign ad he ran last week.
At issue for Todd was an ad by McConnell which erroneously featured an image of two Duke University basketball players mistaken for Kentucky Wildcats, to which Todd ridiculed “was a whole mess that day because first he had the wrong thing, then he changed it, then the NCAA said oh you can’t use our players and then, pretty much insult to injury,” his Louisville team lost to Kentucky.
Todd laughed at how McConnell “didn't have a great week. And oh by the way, he didn't have a great weekend in the NCAA Tournament because of his bad week.” Todd was so eager to mock McConnell for his campaign ad gaffe that he failed to mention that his opponent for Senate, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes had her own NCAA gaffe last week.
According to ESPN [1], Grimes “miffed fans by picking Wichita State to beat Kentucky in her tournament bracket. The Wildcats beat the previously unbeaten Shockers 78-76. And she picked Louisville to lose to Florida in the championship game.”
Rather than note that Grimes picked both Kentucky schools to lose in the NCAA tournament, causing many in Kentucky to be upset with her, Todd took a cheap partisan shot at McConnell for a mistake likely made without his knowledge.
See relevant transcript below from the March 30 Meet the Press:
CHUCK TODD: Mitch McConnell could lose, Rick Santorum. And by the way he didn't have a great week. And oh by the way, he didn't have a great weekend in the NCAA Tournament because of his bad week. I want to show you, he got in trouble for an ad that he put up. We want to show you a clip of this ad. Let’s play it really quickly here.
MITCH MCCONNELL: This is the moment. Let's go out there and do it.
TODD: Well, look at those two guys. Those aren't Kentucky Wildcats. Those aren't Louisville Cardinals. Rick Santorum, those are duke blue devils. You’re a guy that knows you can't mess that stuff up.
AMY WALTER: It's blue and white, come on.
RICK SANTORUM: It fooled me.
TODD: It did fool you.
SANTORUM: I thought it was Kentucky.
TODD: It was a whole mess there. You know Peter Baker it was a whole mess that day because first he had the wrong thing then he changed it then the NCAA said oh you can’t use our players and then the pretty much insult to injury. Mitch McConnell who’s a Louisville Cardinal grad sees them lose to Kentucky so now UK, who he’s no fan of, who he’s made clear he’s no fan of is playing today for a right to go to the Final Four.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter. [2]