Bill Maher Shreds Chuck Todd and Meet The Press For Lacking Integrity

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Bill Maher took a moment during his New Rules segment to call out the media for lacking integrity. Maher specifically pointed a finger at Chuck Todd and Meet The Press.

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Maher’s topic was how Republicans in Kansas are using the bogus strip club “scandal” to distract voters from the fact that Sam Brownback has destroyed the state’s economy with trickle down economics. Maher also took a moment to shred Meet The Press and Chuck Todd for dignifying the story.

The Real Time host said,

Brownback’s experiment was such a colossal failure that in a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic senator since the outhouse moved indoors that over one hundred former Republican officials in Kansas endorsed the Democrat, Paul Davis, who a month ago was a shoo-in to take over.

But then something horrible happened, it was revealed that sixteen years ago, when Paul Davis was an unmarried twenty six year old man, one night he went to a strip club, and now good people all across this once great nation are asking themselves what do we tell the children?

…

But of course it worked, Davis started to lose ground in the polls so he apologized saying he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yeah, Kansas. No wait, I like Kansas. I actually go there. This is not just about Kansas. This is a national disease. An unholy alliance of easily distracted voters, and a shameful pandering media, which used to have the integrity to filter out sh*t like this.

But today what happens is, the story ran in the local press, within hours Politico picked it up, and a day later, Meet The Press, yes, Meet The Press further dignified the story by allowing Grover Norquist to talk about it. To say about Paul Davis that he is, “Not the kind of person you could ask your sister to vote for.”

Maher was right. It is a widespread problem within the mainstream media, and Meet The Press used to be one of those filters that used to weed out baseless and tasteless nonsense like the Kansas strip club story.

Meet The Press used to hold a special place in the media. Chuck Todd is continuing David Gregory’s practice of chasing the shiny Republican talking point. The problem with Chuck Todd, Meet The Press, and the mainstream press in general is a lack of integrity. Chuck Todd believes that it is not his job to challenge Republican lies.

Meet The Press didn’t need a new host or a new set. The show needed a dose of the kind of integrity that died with Tim Russert. Chuck Todd’s refusal to allow the show fulfil its purpose is one reason that he isn’t the right choice to lead Meet The Press.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association