Sen. Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination last week–but Meet the Press‘s Chuck Todd, who’s “obsessed with elections,” didn’t seem to notice. (cc photo: Paul Morigi/Brookings)
UPDATE: See our Activism Update: “Chuck Todd Responds: Looking at Whether Meet the Press Mentioned Sanders or Not Is ‘Arbitrary’”
(5/5/15).
Meet the Press host Chuck Todd can’t seem to get enough of the 2016 presidential race. Yet the one major candidate who announced he was running last week–Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who declared on April 30 he was running for the Democratic nomination–was strikingly ignored on Meet the Press‘s May 3 broadcast.
It’s not that the broadcast didn’t have time to talk about the 2016 race. One of the show’s guest was Martin O’Malley, brought on to talk about the Baltimore protests as former mayor of Baltimore and former Maryland governor, but also as someone “weighing a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination”: “Do you think you can still run on your record, as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland,” Todd asked him. “Do you think this is a positive thing that voters will look at…?”
Todd closed his interview by saying: “We’ll see you, you’ll probably announce in Baltimore.” But we didn’t see anything about the candidate who actually announced that week in Washington, DC.
Afterwards, Todd had a brief discussion (labeled “nerdscreen time”) of an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of voter priorities: “For Democratic primary voters, the number one issue is job creation and economic growth followed by health care and climate change.” As it happens, these are all issues that Sanders has put at the center of his campaign–but Todd made no reference to his candidacy.
Chuck Todd not talking to House Speaker John Boehner about Bernie Sanders on Meet the Press.
Then Todd ended his interview with Republican House Speaker John Boehner by saying, “Let me have a little bit of fun with you on presidential politics,” then asking a series of six questions, none of which produced a substantive response–from “You are a big fan of Jeb Bush, but you haven’t endorsed, why?” (“Well, I’m not going to endorse anybody”) to “When I say Hillary Clinton, what do you say? Give me a word or phrase. First thing that comes to mind” (“Listen, I don’t have a word for her. Former secretary of State”) to “Cruz, Paul, Rubio… Do they have enough experience?” (“It will sort itself out over the next year”).
Todd introduced the final panel discussion segment of the show by declaring that “we are going to have another big week of presidential announcements coming up”:
Carly Fiorina is expected to announce tomorrow. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO will make the announcement online, and then she takes questions via Twitter‘s livestreaming app Periscope.
Baltimore native Ben Carson also announces tomorrow. He’ll do so, though, in Detroit, not Baltimore.
Mike Huckabee will announce his presidential candidacy Tuesday in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas. That’s right, the same hometown as Bill Clinton.
So that’s three mentions of candidates who are going to announce–but no reference to the candidate who really did announce in the previous week. (Sanders did not get his announcement previewed the week before on Meet the Press; in fact, Sanders hasn’t been mentioned on the show since September 14, 2014, when he made his only guest appearance on the show.)
Todd continued:
And by the way, there is a fourth candidate that’s been in the news this week. Chris Christie’s presidential ambitions are, well, shall we say floundering after two key allies were indicted and another plead guilty over the Bridgegate mess.
At this point, the show has mentioned 12 people who are running for president–none of them the one person whose candidacy had been declared in the previous week.
After this introduction, Todd declared, “Let’s talk a little quick 2016 with the panel”–leading a conversation that brought up Carson, Fiorina, Huckabee, Christie, Hillary Clinton, O’Malley–and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has repeatedly insisted she is not running for president. Wall Street Journal editorialist Kimberley Strassel asserted that Clinton “is so worried about Elizabeth Warren getting into the race and [Clinton] is moving left, left, left, left.” Meanwhile, the name of the candidate who is running to Clinton’s left–not hypothetically, but in reality–was never mentioned.
It’s worth noting that Meet the Press did not ignore Sanders because he’s so much more obscure than the other candidates who were mentioned. Not that polls taken more than nine months before the first vote will be cast have much validity, but in four national opinion polls taken in the month before he announced his candidacy, Sanders averaged 6 percent of the vote–as opposed to O’Malley, who averaged 2 percent. In the Republican race, Todd was previewing the announcement of Fiorina, who’s averaging 1 percent in polls, albeit in a more crowded field.
Campaign pundits often use fundraising ability as a measure of the seriousness of a candidate. Sanders raised a surprising $1.5 million in the 24 hours after his announcement, in increments that averaged under $50. By comparison, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul raised $800,000, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz $1 million and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio $1.25 million in their first official day of campaigning.
Todd introduced the last topic of the day by saying, “I’m obsessed with elections, as people know”–and launching into a 400-word discussion of the race for British prime minister between Labour’s Ed Miliband and Conservative David Cameron.
Bernie Sanders: ignored on Meet the Press, but a featured guest on This Week.
What were the other networks doing with their Sunday shows? CBS‘s Face the Nation devoted its broadcast to the Baltimore protests, featuring media-anointed poverty expert Rep. Paul Ryan (R.-Wisc.).
And the main guest on ABC‘s This Week? Sen. Bernie Sanders, discussing the announcement of his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
ACTION: Please tell Meet the Press to cover Bernie Sanders, one of only two major declared candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination.
CONTACT:
Chuck Todd
Meet the Press
Chuck.Todd@nbcuni.com
Twitter: @ChuckTodd
Please remember that respectful communication is most effective. Feel free to leave a copy of your message in comments below.
CORRECTION: Fixed the date of the most recent Meet the Press broadcast. Corrected spelling of Ed Miliband’s name.
Keep in mind when making your comment or critique that Bernie Sanders was a guest on Meet the Press about 7 months ago as part of a “meet the candidates” show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcaSYclEKQg. I didn’t know that when I wrote to them, so what I ended up saying was a bit off base.
Today, I emailed the following to Chuck Todd at Meet The Press:
So, Chuck….
Did you have the flu last week? Did you miss Bernie Sanders announcing his candidacy for 2016? Did it just slip your mind?
‘Cause on yesterday’s show, you didn’t mention Senator Sanders at all. Not even once!
I noticed, and I’m certain the rest of your audience did as well.
You mused about the ever-expanding field of Republican candidates, and talked about Martin O’Malley’s possible bid. But no Bernie?!
Journalistic integrity be damned?!
Please treat me and the rest of your audience with more respect than we’ve been getting from you. Give us some fair and balanced political discussion on the show once known for it. And at least, interview ALL candidates!
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. Todd,
During your friendly round table discussions with your Meet the Press guest panel, you directed a series of questions at O’Malley and Boehner related to their opinions as to the voter viability of Republican and Democratic presidential politicians who are to announce their runs for presidency. Oddly, you failed to bring up the one person who has already announced his bid for presidency: Senator Bernie Sanders. Perhaps your network has somehow failed to gauge the pulse of the nation, which has been beating with increasing excitement over the recent announcement of Senator Bernie Sanders; however, I doubt that is the reason for what your audience perceives as your deliberate obfuscation during these panel discussions. I suggest to you that the perception of our major networks is that they are mere lapdogs that lie at the feet of the of the politically elite beltway boys and girls. This week moved ahead of Meet the Press in 2015; a first in 22 years. It might be in your interest to note that its main guest for this week is Bernie Sanders, and that perhaps you should consider that it is This Week’s unsteady baby steps toward a viewership that is weary of the status quo found in our two party system, as well as in the yellow journalists who consistently support it. Twitter and Facebook are following you, Mr. Todd, and if you refuse to deliver campaign coverage that is fair and balanced, then these social networks will do your job for you.
Sincerely,
Joycelyn R. Leigh, Ed S
Dear Mr. Todd,
It is with dismay that i hear about your show’s lack of complete coverage of the Election 2016 presidential candidates.
Is it true that you made no mention of Sen. Bernie Sanders declaration of candidacy for president on your May 2 show?
I am sure his declaration and candidacy is of interest to many, coming from a sitting Senator with many years of experience.
While my viewing habits on Sunday morning tend towards lighter fare on another network, it is not encouraging to me that in fact I am not missing important news and commentary there upon from your show by not tuning in.
I encourage you to follow the campaign with a curiosity, as i do, about someone who has a frank and straightforward style in discussing topics of importance and concern to this voter and viewer..
Thank you for your consideration and time in accepting this feedback.
Cordially,
Daniel C. M
RE: Mr. Kenneth Polsky post
I also received a response to my initial contact with Mr. Todd. I immediately responded:
“Dear Mr. Todd,
I thank you for your very rapid response. While what you have brought to my attention is commendable, it still does not address the reality that you omitted Senator Sander’s bid for presidency from your discussion with some of the major voices in Washington. The inference still remains with some of us that a collusion of blatant ostracism of a third party candidate is glaringly apparent in this oversight: A sort of “Yes, I’ll invite you to my home for tea, but don’t expect to receive an invitation to one of my dinner parties.”
Sincerely,
Joycelyn R. Leigh
Here’s the reply I got from Meet the Press:
I had him on the show talking up running before any other Sunday show did in October. And I plan on to have him on again.
And if you spent a few minutes on our web site during the week, you’d also see how much time we spent covering him.
Some media site decided to come up with some arbitrary away to judge the show and cherry picked facts to create a false narrative. Careful of click bait false impressions.
Chuck Todd
NBC News
@chucktodd
Carson is a Detroit native…which is why he announced there. Another black eye for the establishment tool chuck todd.
To Chuck.Todd@nbcuni.com
Today at 9:38 AM
Chuck – Why the inexplicable dearth of coverage, or discussion, about candidate Bernie Sanders this week?
You risk being seen as blind to the real forces that will be driving this coming election by ignoring Sanders.
Your continuing coverage of political dilettantes such as Carson and Fiorina while ignoring Sanders makes this viewer wonder not only about fairness, but your political acumen.
Aside from this glaring oversight, I think you’ve done a great job of breathing new life into a moribund format.
A long time viewer, and fan of the show,
Bob Eyres, Jupiter Fl.
Today, I emailed the following to Chuck Todd at Meet The Press:
The viewers of Meet the Press deserve to hear about Bernie Sanders, a presidential candidate with a lot of interesting things to say.
Please join my group on Facebook…. To support Bernie Sanders!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597073507177649/
Below is a copy of my email to Chuck Todd and his response–
I had him on the show talking up running before any other Sunday show did in October. And I plan on to have him on again.
And if you spent a few minutes on our web site during the week, you’d also see how much time we spent covering him.
Some media site decided to come up with some arbitrary way to judge the show and cherry picked facts to create a false narrative. Careful of click bait false impressions.
Chuck Todd
NBC News
@chucktodd
On May 5, 2015, at 8:53 AM, ” jwalsh3721@aol.com” wrote:
Mr. Todd,
Please give time to the announcement of Sen. Bernie Sanders for President of the United States on Meet the Press. Ignoring his candidacy encourages disdain for “mainstream” media, at least for me it does.
Jeff Walsh
Avon lake, Ohio
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) declared his candidacy for the Democratic Presidential nomination on April 30, 2015. Yet, his name was not mentioned at all during an extended discussion of Presidential candidates, both declared and potential, on the May 3, 2015, edition of Meet the Press.
Senator Sanders is going to be a force to be reckoned with during the 2016 election cycle. As such, he should be part of the conversation on your program, and not ignored, as you appear to be determined to do.
I, therefore, fervently request that you cover Senator Sanders’ candidacy and campaign on Meet the Press.
By the way, May 2 was SATURDAY. The most recent edition of MTP was May 3.
Dear Mr Todd
Please include Senator Sanders in the dialogs preceeding the primaries. There are many of us interested in his run and feel his message needs to be heard in context with the other candidates.
Sincerely
Butch Black
After I got the response from Chuck Todd, I responded with:
Hi Chuck,
Thanks for responding. Sorry to say your response is not convincing. I’d say the best response is just to devote more time on-air to Senator Sanders. I’m sure your audience (if not your sponsors) will be interested in what he has to say.
Bernie Sanders is the MAN ! (Actually, Ralph Nader is, but since Sanders is a US Senator, running for President, can you give the guy some decent coverage ?)
I sent an email to Chuck Todd, who wasted no time in sending this reply: “Thanks for the email. A few missing facts from the blog post generating this idea that somehow MTP has ignored Sanders. To the contrary. I had Sanders on the show talking up running before any other Sunday show did in October. First major Sunday show interview was on MTP. And I plan on to have him on again.
And if you spent a few minutes on our web site during the week, you’d also see how much time we spent covering him.
Some media site decided to come up with some arbitrary way to judge the show and cherry picked facts to create a false narrative. Careful of click bait false impressions.
And yes, I chose to leave Sanders out of a discussion at the very end of the show about the GOP field. Because the focus of the segment was about the Gop field, not the Dem primary. Btw. We had very little 2016 coverage though I’m impressed how FAIR created that false impression. We left a lot on the cutting room floor simply for time on Baltimore
Chuck Todd
NBC News
@chucktodd”
They have to wait before they let Bernie into the TV shows so they can show a bunch of really bad pictures of him and figure out a strategy to make him look bad so they can program people with anything but facts.
Dear Mr Todd,
Why didn’t you announce on Sundays show that Bernie Sanders had pitched his hat into the ring?
Are your corporate sponsors that afraid of his fighting for the average Joe that they won’t allow you to mention his name? That is my conclusion unfortunately.
Sincerely
Dennis Hicks
I emailed a simple request: Please cover the candidates who raised $1.5 million or more their first day after announcing.
Please get a host who is well educated, is willing to cover politics as more than a beauty contest, and who will be fair to all candidates…not just the ones he thinks are viable. What Chuck Todd thinks doesn’t interest me at all because it doesn’t…and should not matter.
Holy cow. In Todd’s interview w/ Sanders, Sanders says about Citizens United that it “opens the door for oligarchy in the United States” to which Toad replies “Left and Right?”
Talk about knee-jerk, fake “balance”. Better make sure to mention the threat of all those leftist oligarchs out there, right Toad?
Only slightly less laughably pathetic was Toad’s under-the-breath grumble when Sander’s mentioned that people in the US are equally disappointed in the press as any other portion of the US elite.
The media has a very long and shameful history of treating democracy in America as if it is in the hands of only two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. Third parties are routinely ignored, even shunned.
But when a Democrat running for president is ignored because, presumably, he is too far left, the media has sunk to new lows.
Meet the Press must stop ignoring the candidacy of Bernie Sanders.
Chuck Todd is someone I have had very little respect for …he seems almost like a cardboard box of a person….he’s rigid and seems to be stuck in neutral. If he’s shooting for “middle of the road”, he’s just plain reverse.
NBC now blocks the email address for accuracy input.
In the interview with Donald Trump, it was mentioned that Planned Parenthood performs mammograms. THEY DO NOT AND CANNOT. They are not licensed to perform mammograms and do not have the equipment.
Also, money is fungible. One cannot donate to Planned Parenthood only for women’s health exams without also funding abortions. Roughly 40% (over half a billion dollars) of Planned Parenthood funding comes from taxpayer money through the Federal Government. Planned Parenthood performs one third of abortions performed in the United States annually.
Throwing out untruths while relying on the guest to correct the facts is unprofessional and deceptive.