Free Republic

During an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Rep. Paul Ryan defended House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress, calling the decision “wholly appropriate.” Host Chuck Todd asked the Wisconsin Republican if it was appropriate for the legislative branch to circumvent the executive branch in matters of foreign policy. Ryan said critics of Netanyahu’s visit should look to the U.S. Constitution. “These are three separate but equal branches of government,” said Ryan. “We don’t subserve one to the other.”

After radical jihadists murdered their way through Paris in a three-day rampage that left 17 dead, France has declared its own war on terror. Appearing on Saturday in Evry, a town just south of Paris, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the country is at war against radical Islam. “We are at war — not a war against a religion, not a war against a civilization, but to defend our values, which are universal,” he proclaimed. “It is a war against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Islam, against everything that is aimed at breaking fraternity, freedom, solidarity,” Valls continued. “We...

New D.C. Mayor: We 'Deserve Full Democracy and Statehood' The issue of statehood for the nation's capital re-entered the public debate Sunday morning, with the mayor of Washington, D.C. declaring the need for a "new path" for the district. "The residents of Washington, D.C. deserve full democracy and statehood," newly elected Mayor Muriel Bowser said in an appearance on Meet the Press. When pressed by host Chuck Todd on whether she would accept being part of Maryland, Bowser was firm, "We are Washington, D.C., Chuck, and the residents of the District of Columbia really want to forge a new path...

The repeal of ObamaCare is the priority of the Republican party, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said on Sunday. “There will be a vote on repeal. The president, in the White House, will veto that,” he said of the symbolic gesture offered by GOP lawmakers still unsatisfied with the healthcare legislation. However, Barrasso told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” that there would also be other bills that strike at other parts of the Affordable Care Act – some of which have gained bipartisan support – including a repeal of the medical device tax and the employer mandate. There is...

Unlike his predecessor as host of Meet the Press, Chuck Todd is an approachable, un-phony presence. He knows politics and clearly enjoys politics. But, boy, is he excitable, especially on the subject of immigration, where he often lets the drama of the moment cloud his judgment. [You need three examples-ed. Got em.] 1. It’s November 7, 2012. Romney has just lost the presidency, something many analysts immediately blame on his poor showing among Latinos. The Beltway mind instantly draws but one conclusion: Republicans need to assuage Latinos by legalizing illegal immigrants, stat. Obama’s ‘immigration reform,’ Todd says, will get “80...

Shield your eyes! Read no further!  The Washingtonian magazine has revealed some really ugly behind the scenes turmoil and backstabbings that accompained the departure of David Gregory from Meet The Press last summer. The revelations could be too much of a shock for some of you to endure. If the shock doesn't terminate you, suffocation from uncontrollable laughing at NBC's absurd antics could finish you off. If you dare to read on, you will find out that Chuck Todd was hardly a modest shrinking violet when it came to replacing David Gregory. In fact, he had been clawing for that...

Shopping at a Washington, DC, bookstore Saturday, President Obama spotted a copy of “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd’s new book about his presidency. “Oh, Chuck Todd!” Obama exclaimed. “Let’s see what Chuck has to say here!” “How is he writing a book already? asked his 16-year-old daughter, Malia. “Sad.” “He’s just sad,” the president joked in response.

Signs are accumulating that California Governor Jerry Brown, fresh off a 20-point re-election victory and with at least $20 million in unspent campaign funds available, may challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.  John Fund writes in NRO: …when his political aides sent out an invitation for a $5,000 fundraiserin Sacramento next Monday, there was inevitable speculation: Jerry Brown may run for president for the fourth time. If he challenges Hillary Clinton, Brown can claim solid credentials as a liberal leader. He has raised taxes on the rich, been an avid backer of climate-change regulation, and...

Has the network news been neglecting the recent comments by MIT economist Jonathan Gruber? NBC, CBS and ABC haven’t covered the story a dozen times, leading to questions of media bias, but “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd offers an understanding of why this is the case. [Snip] “It’s a political story,” said Todd on Gruber’s comments. “Network news, in general, hasn’t be covering the political back and forth of Washington a lot lately."

All the president’s men could not shield the commander-in-chief from fallout surrounding recently uncovered comments made by Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber. The health policy and implementation expert who worked closely on the Affordable Care Act and the Massachusetts health care reform law has backed the administration into a corner after it was revealed he repeatedly celebrated the misleading way in which the law was crafted and the “stupidity” of the American voter over whose eyes the wool was pulled. “The fact that an adviser who was never on our staff expressed an opinion that I completely disagree with in terms...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Obama's out there at his press conference yesterday, and it was dripping with condescension. We got some sound bites coming up. F. Chuck Todd says the Democrats are outraged privately that Obama didn't take any responsibility for this yesterday. Yes. F. Chuck Todd on the nightly news last night with Brian Williams, and the question, "I did hear from Democrats today, F. Chuck, and they think the president needs some new people around him." TODD: I heard from Democrats today that thought the president made a mistake not accepting more responsibility today at that press conference. The...

During a Morning Joe appearance late last month, Chuck Todd, as we reported, described the congressional race on Staten Island as a "fight between mob families." Not a great idea for a guy who not long before saw his comment that Alison Lundergan Grimes had "disqualified herself" made into a Mitch McConnell ad. Back on the show this morning, Todd offered an unqualified apology for his "mob families" hit, calling it "bad, wrong" and a "cheap slur." But that didn't stop Joe Scarborough from trying to turn it into a joke and make things about himself. View the video here.

As you may have heard, we’re now only four days away from the 2014 midterms and gubernatorial races mercifully coming to an end, save for a likely runoff in Louisiana. And as you’ve also heard lately, race–for all the wrong reasons–has become a central theme for the party in blue. Speaking of the Bayou State, its likely-to-be-unemployed-after-said-runoff and current senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) had this to say to Chuck Todd (a good get via hustle by the new MTP moderator, by the way) regarding the reason behind her not inviting President Obama for help on the campaign trail: “The South...

In comments sure to cascade into regional races across the South, embattled Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) told NBC's Chuck Todd on Thursday that Southern racism is to blame for President Barack Obama's unpopularity. "Why does President Obama have a hard time in Louisiana?" asked Todd. “Let me be very, very honest with you," said Landrieu. "The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It's been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader." Landrieu added: “It has not always been a good place for women, to be...

Neutral Story Line That Isn’t: Looks like NBC has its midterm election line set: It’s all about “gridlock” and “polarization!” (Video clip, featuring Chuck Toddd, here.) You can understand the appeal of this angle to Turness & Co.. It at least seems to be a Neutral Story Line of the sort traditionally favored by big cautious MSM entities worried about appearing partisan –”Is This Anyway to Elect a President?” and “Nasty,Politics” are two other hardy NSL choices. (SNIP) If Republicans win, well, voters just saw that as the way to break gridlock! If Democrats win, voters were tired of Republican...

Did Chuck Todd just do it again? His comment a couple of weeks ago that Dem Alison Lundergan Grimes "disqualified herself" for refusing to say whether she voted for Barack Obama was quickly made into an ad by the McConnell campaign. On today's Morning Joe, Todd made a highly quotable claim about another race. Todd described the campaign for a congressional seat in a district located in Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn as "a fight between mob families." That sent Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough scrambling to disassociate themselves from the Meet the Press moderator. And at the end...

A new ad by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) features NBC "Meet The Press" host Chuck Todd saying Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes "disqualified herself" by refusing to say in a recent interview if she voted for President Barack Obama. The stumble last week led to pushback for Grimes, who is polling neck and neck with the Senate Republican leader. The McConnell campaign said on Monday that the ad, called "Disqualified," will air on TV statewide. It can be watched below.

As we reported here on NewsBusters, during a recent Morning Joe appearance Chuck Todd twice said that Dem candidate for senator from Kentucky Alison Lundergan Grimes "disqualified herself" for refusing to say whether she voted for Barack Obama for president. On Chris Hayes' MSNBC show tonight, Todd said he was "sick to his stomach" when he saw that his comment had been used in an ad for Mitch McConnell. But interestingly, instead of blaming the McConnell campaign, Todd tagged Grimes, saying she had "invited this on herself" by her refusal to answer the simple question. View the video here.

Meet the Chuck aka Meet The Press has a new format and it is incredibly awkward. Despite its official name, Meet The Press, the guests don't actually Meet The Press. Instead, host Chuck Todd conducts the interviews while the panelists sit uselessly at a table in the background. Yesterday's show was notable because one of the panelists sitting at the table in the background while Todd was hogging the interviews, was the NBC news anchor for over 20 years, Tom Brokaw. So how did Brokaw like being relegated to being just another panelist in the background as Todd conducted his...

Last week, the Supreme Court declined to hear several Appeals Court cases on gay marriages, which resulted in bans on gay marriage being struck down in numerous states across the country. Following the Supreme Court's decision to punt on the issue of gay marriage, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd saw this as a sign that social conservatism was declining and obnoxiously asked "it is time for conservatives to surrender in the culture wars?" After playing a pre-packaged segment on the evolution of social conservatism in the United States, the NBC host did his best to portray social conservatives as...