Get Chuck Todd with a microphone for a half hour, and you’ll get some soundbites.
Todd appeared on HuffPost Live Tuesday in a close to 30 minute interview, promoting his new book “The Stranger: Barack Obama In The White House.” But the audience learned a lot more about Todd’s views. The still new “Meet the Press” host spoke about the president, cable news, MSNBC vs. Fox News, and his ousted predecessor David Gregory (well kind of).
Here’s the top three takeaways:
1. David Gregory…umm awkward
When host Marc Lamont Hill asked if Todd was surprised when Gregory was ousted, Todd’s got a little tense. “This is a rough business, I’ll just leave it at that.” On whether he’s spoken with Gregory since his departure. “I bumped into him a couple times, we said hello.” Hill asked if things were awkward between the two. “About as awkward as being asked questions about him,” he said.
2. Fox News is “Campaign-y”
While answering a question about the differences between Fox News and MSNBC, Todd was frank: “I think it’s a little bit different because, look, I’ve always thought the Roger Ailes political past… because he actually worked as an operative, [Fox] always feels a little more campaign-y than what gets accused on the MSNBC side. I certainly think at night there’s certainly a liberal perspective [and] a conservative perspective. I think in the daytime both channels would argue that there’s a lot more straight forward reporting.”
3. Obama’s inexperience pre-presidency
To Todd, Obama’s lack of time as a Senator in Washington led to him failing to instinctively understand the necessary political “maneuvering” necessary to get things done. “He doesn’t understand why you have to go through the theatrics of something,” Todd said, adding Obama’s inexperience at practicing politics has shown during his presidency.