On Tuesday's NBC Nightly News, hours before the House of
Representatives approved a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, chief White
House correspondent Chuck Todd wrung his hands over Republican
opposition to the lopsided legislation that increased taxes and offered
no spending cuts: "I think we're in the last throes of sort of
the typical theatrics that have become the norm for Washington over the
last couple of years. And there is going to be a few more shenanigans
before the night is over." [Listen to the audio [1]]
That was in response to fill-in anchor Kate Snow observing: "There are
some voices out there saying, 'Good for the House Republicans, they're
standing on their principles.' But there are also a lot of voices
saying, 'How much longer is this going to take?'" Todd lamented: "Well,
it may be a new year but old habits are dying hard with this congress."
He reiterated: "It could be a real mess. But I do think we're in the
last throes of sort of the Washington shenanigans."
When Snow asked about White House reaction to the last-minute
wrangling, Todd seemed to absolve President Obama of any responsibility
for the situation: "They have been nothing but bystanders today....he is
a spectator to all of this, Kate, as he waits to see whether he has any
legislation to sign in the next day or two."
Todd also noted how the President's vacation and time on the golf
course had been interrupted: "...we caught pictures of a van being
loaded up with luggage and golf clubs, presumably maybe it's the
President's golf clubs. I think there's been an expectation that this
would get done some time today and maybe the President could rejoin his
family back in Hawaii."
Here is a full transcript of the January 1 segment:
7:00PM ET TEASE:
KATE SNOW: On the brink. With Congress still unable to make up its mind
on the fiscal cliff, tonight, many Americans are asking, "What is going
on in Washington?"
7:01PM ET TEASE:
SNOW: It is almost hard to overstate the mess Washington finds itself
in tonight and the disbelief many Americans are expressing on this
holiday. As Congress fails to agree on taxes and government spending
measures that have a direct impact on every single American. This New
Year's Day started right after the ball dropped with a lot of hopeful
language. The Senate voted after 2:00 a.m. on a bipartisan deal that the
President praised. But now, an impasse.
7:04PM ET SEGMENT:
SNOW: Our chief White House correspondent and political director Chuck
Todd joins us now. Chuck, there are some voices out there saying, "Good
for the House Republicans, they're standing on their principles." But
there are also a lot of voices saying, "How much longer is this going to
take?"
CHUCK
TODD: Well, it may be a new year but old habits are dying hard with
this congress. Look, I think we're in the last throes of sort of the
typical theatrics that have become the norm for Washington over the last
couple of years. And there is going to be a few more shenanigans before
the night is over. But they're probably going to end up getting on this
– voting on this bill. Now if they don't approve it, do realize, if
they don't approve it, the Senate is not going to take up any bill. And
that means this entire fiscal cliff mess will not be solved at all.
They'll have to start all over with the new congress, which gets sworn
in in two days. And by starting all over, it could take weeks and
everybody's taxes go up. It doesn't – you know, not just $250,000.
Everybody's taxes go up. So it could be a real mess. But I do think
we're in the last throes of sort of the Washington shenanigans.
SNOW: And you're standing on the White House lawn, so how is the White House dealing with today's developments?
TODD: They have been nothing but bystanders today. In fact, I think at
the beginning of the day, we caught pictures of a van being loaded up
with luggage and golf clubs, presumably maybe it's the President's golf
clubs. I think there's been an expectation that this would get done some
time today and maybe the President could rejoin his family back in
Hawaii. But right now, he is a spectator to all of this, Kate, as he
waits to see whether he has any legislation to sign in the next day or
two.
SNOW: Chuck Todd at the White House tonight, thanks so much.