Chuck Todd "The Campaign Season's Most Improbable TV Star"

NEW YORK -- In a borrowed office at 30 Rock, Chuck Todd is on his cellphone, telling a Barack Obama strategist that his boss will probably fall just short of winning Indiana that night.

"Are you really going to ask for a recount over one delegate?" NBC's political director asks, swiveling in his chair. "It is literally one delegate!"

Less than an hour later, Todd is in front of a bright green wall in Studio 3K, a map of Indiana projected behind him, Hillary Clinton clinging to a fragile lead, when MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann asks: "Did it just end tonight?"

"It may just have ended," Todd says, virtually pronouncing Obama the Democratic nominee at 12:09 a.m. Wednesday.

For political junkies, Todd has become all but inescapable. When he isn't shuttling between studios, he is being invoked as an authority by one anchor or another. After a career out of the limelight, the genial 36-year-old is the campaign season's most improbable TV star.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[drblack]

I watch political coverage constantly and I must ask...who is this guy?

[MrKnuckles]

This is the guy who explained, on the primary night almost SEVEN WEEKS before the Pennsylvania contest, that Barack Obama had achieved approximately a 150 elected delegate lead, which meant that the odds of Hillary being able to catching up to his over all lead in that delegate total by the Puerto Rico primary was very unlikely and that the odds of her making up the ground on that 150 total would get smaller and more difficult to do with every passing primary contest. Look what has happened. This guy just tells it like it is rather than spewing spin and what ifs.

[Strywever]

He's the guy who comes on NBC news/commentary sets and explains the statistics and their signficance -- lately I've seen him nearly every day on the news/chat shows. I have to agree with the author -- Todd is objective and clear-eyed, and I've come to trust him.

[jdkjdk]

Can't see him and not think of the Murray the manager of the Flight of the Conchords

[drblack]

Murray is great and so is Flight of the Conchords. Brit...Present..Jermaine ..Present

[grannysharp]

Chuck Todd is great and his first read is always spot on, if you don't receive it you really should sign up for it, saves a lot of time as you don't have to listen to so much TV to find out whats going on.

[hyperexcel]

Proud to say I worked at Atlantic Media while he was at the Hotline's helm. Chuck has a great head when it comes to crazy stuff like election politics.

[independentrepublicrat]

The NEW Chuck definitely TRIES to mask his bias better than the pre-MSNBC Chuck. Then again, Brian Lamb didn't mask his bias at all IMO so it is no wonder Chuck was his favorite spin master. I remember both he and Ed Henry as completely biased toadies but I suppose most people in TV may simply follow the current boss' lead and that in itself is not necessarily a compliment or in service of the truth.

[MariaHopeful]

I hate the media. I hate Faux, MSNBC and CNN. I like Chuck Todd. He is the opposite of Rick Sanchez and John King of CNN. He doesn't make the reports about him and his knowledge. He is not in love with the sound of his own voice and he doesn't want to convince you that he is brilliant and knows a whole lot more than you do. He is calm and understated and I think that he tries very hard to be fair. I don't always agree with him but I respect him. I hope his new found fame doesn't go to his head.s

[AdultFilmLegend]

When I looked at the Nielsen numbers recently, it appeared that almost no one was watching this guy.

[dajay]

Oh right. Chuck Todd. The numbers guy on MSNBC that has been in the tank for Obama since New Hampshire.

I have actually seen this guy break out in a sweat, just to make sure his delegate count never favored Hillary.

Yeah, another credible journalist on the MSNBC Obama Network.

I wonder what that network will do in November, after Obama goes back to the Senate

[Max7073]

In fact Chuck Todd has been the only guy telling the straight story on the numbers for quite some time. He had it pretty much figured out after jr. Super Tues, that HRC wouldn't be able to catch up...even when the other networks were buying into all of the ever-more ridiculous metrics being spewed by HRC. And laying out the numers acurately and what that means in terms of the race, does not make him in the tank for Obama..it's the facts. Something CNN's crew has been rather short on.

Chuck Todd is fantastic.

[independentrepublicrat]

The NEW Chuck definitely TRIES to mask his bias better than the pre-MSNBC Chuck. Then again, Brian Lamb didn't mask his bias very well so it is no wonder Chuck was his favorite spin master. I remember both he and Ed Henry as completely biased toadies but I suppose some people may follow the current boss' lead and that in itself is not necessarily a compliment or in service of the truth.

[dajay]

Just working on MSNBC makes him in the tank for Obama. I have seen him on that network talk about Hillary in a less than flattering way, just like everyone else on that network.

It has been many months now that Chuck Todd has been saying that Hillary couldn't win.

CNN's John King, has done an even better job than Todd, and all along, without being biased to either Obama or Clinton.

[heal57]

Chuck Todd is strictly a numbers guy. I've never seen HIM partial and I've watched him a lot. You just think that, because he had it called from way back cause he did the math; it's just that simple. The anchors and pundits want everyone to think the race is so close so they can fill their news hours. Don't get angry cause Chuck Todd would not play that game; he just told the truth from the numbers. John King at CNN is playing with that annoying map all the time, I wanted to wring his neck It's Chuck Todd for me for the early truth.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Chuck Todd is just a numbers man. He did not buy into the Clinton narrative after Obama won 12 in a row. Even then she needed to get 60% of the remaining primaries to win the pledge delegate lead. He was right to keep his focus on the numbers which is the only objective figure in who is winning the nomination.

[jgalvan]

You guys just cannot lose with any dignity, number don't lie. Maybe if Hillbilly Hillary would ever stop lying and pandering she could also have her own network. So long SUCKERS!

[dajay]

That's actually funny calling Hillary a hillbilly.

I thought you pathetic, hate mongering Obama supporters were accusing her of elitism and racism.

Make up your minds, schizos.

So long SUCKERS is right. So long to all the votes Obama won't be getting from her supporters either, but you don't need them from a bunch of uneducated, racist, Hillbillies anyway.

Yeah, good luck with that.

[OverIt]

You're right... Who EVER heard of a racist hillbilly????? jgalvan, you have been schooled! NOT!!!

HAHAHAH!

Isn't part of the definition of hillbilly a stong racist component????

[jgalvan]

You would know if a newspaper could be delivered to your trailer park, that it was Hillary's Hillbilly's camp who called President Obama an elitist. So once again please get your facts together before mouthing off and showing the world just how uneducated you are. And you are right, we don't need your votes.

[lisakaz2]

Chuck seems to just stick to the numbers. Gotta like that.

[mesuki]

I love Chuck Todd !.....and Keith Olberman.

[tj44]

Chuck Todd is solid and straightforward. He would be a solid addition to any network!

[Taaj]

Real news reporting, unlike the infomercial from the "inepts"on CNN and trash on FOX.

Chuck Todd usually keep his opinions to self.

[IslandGyal]

He's a cutie too....

[HopeGirl]

Captain Obvious

[deecee22]

The real reason why chuck is such a favorite is he comes with FACTS and WITHOUT the "personal self importance spin" . Point being made here: Look what happen to David Schuster when he put his "personal opinion spin" he was suspended. The good ones are David and Chuck. Keep up the Good work guys.

[AMJordan]

David Schuster was suspended for an inappropriate comment. One that would have gotten Keith Olbermann suspended if he had spoken it. It wasn't opinion, it was just an off the cuff remark that he didn't think about before saying it.

[KarateKid]

He said the Clintons were pimping Chelsea out on the campaign. She's not a kid anymore; she's 28, so why the kid gloves? Because we live in a hypocritical politically correct world. You all think this campaign is something??? Follow a campaign in the UK, or sit in on a Parliament meeting.

[Weathermaker]

At what he's doing, he is the best.

[mikebythesun]

Loved him when he was reporting for "Hotline" on C-Span!!!!!! Love him more now!!

[foufou]

"Chuckie T" is great; MSNBC is lucky to have him. But for Rachel Madddow, David Shuster, and Todd there would be no reason to watch MSNBC>

[elusiveyo]

first off this hack is no star, he is a political hack that is obviously biased, no doubt the fools on this site love the numbers dork, but he is a political hack, like the rest on nbc, no star here

[jgalvan]

Hey, just got a call from the last truck stop you were at, you left your banjo behind.

[dajay]

jgalvan: How does it feel to have to sit on your brains all the time.

Racist.

[jgalvan]

I don't know, but I'll ask you mom.

[DMHendrix]

biased? towards whom? he pretty much sticks to the numbers and the facts...the obvious facts that others just aren't facing.

[BadCompany]

You used the word *hack* three times in one "sentence".

[veteran1964]

That was an un-educated, beer drinking, truck driving WVA redneck talking..

[JayHorus]

dajay: Your not sounding very educated either to be honest.

What veteran1964 said wasn't racist, at best it could be seen as classist: "class·ism:
n. Bias based on social or economic class.

classist adj. & n."

"rac·ism:
n.
1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

racist adj. & n."

Also generalizing 99% of Obama supporters as "racist" is neither well informed or educated.

[dajay]

veteran1964: And you sound so educated.

Too bad it is racist bozos like yourself that make up 99% of Obama's supporters.

ANd that is exactly why we all will be saying President MCCain in the fall, and OBama will be back in the Senate, voting present on every vote.

Have fun until then, racist.

[KarateKid]

Not to change the subject or infect this one, but did anyone view the Bill O'Reilly meltdown? What a hilarious video. Huff Post didn't allow comments and I can only surmise why. I still haven't stopped laughing, and he looks absolutely creepy with that "long" hair.

[lisakaz2]

I guess I could understand that. I don't get why I got stopped just as I was posting to that HS prom thread tho. That "dress" was awful. Beachwear, fine. Not to a prom. If she had just opted to make the "dress" one piece between the neck/bra and skirt (cover her midsection) she woulda been fine.