NBC’s Chuck Todd was only on the air for an hour, but he managed to talk more than Rachel Maddow, and 7 Democratic candidates.
Chuck Todd talked more than Rachel Maddow and most of the candidates
Here is the word count:
No, we weren’t imagining it: @MSNBC get Chuck Todd off the debate tomorrow.
He and Chris Matthews need to give up their seats! pic.twitter.com/pceNK31JZl
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Amy Siskind ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ (@Amy_Siskind) June 27, 2019
The NBC debate night one went smoothly for the most part. The candidates were very factual, and with the exception of the usual complaints about airtime distribution, everyone got a chance to talk and many issues were covered. The one problem that they had was NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talked too much. From the moment that the second hour started, Todd dominated the conversation.
The role of a debate moderator is to enforce the rules and keep the debate moving. Todd hijacked the evening with long-winded back and forths with the candidates. The Meet The Press host spent minutes going back and forth with candidates on the bogus GOP conspiracy theory that Democrats are going to confiscate guns.
MSNBC’s promotion of this debate made it appear that this would be an MSNBC and Rachel Maddow would play a more significant role. The reality is that the debates are an NBC News event, and on night one, Chuck Todd was the moderator centerpiece of the coverage.
The candidates would have had more time to talk if Todd would have spoken less.
On the second night of the debate, where four of the top five Democratic candidates will be on the stage, Chuck Todd needs to talk less and question more.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
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
