Chuck Todd On McCain-Palin: No Chemistry, No Trust, Possibly No Chance

Commenting on a new joint interview with John McCain and Sarah Palin, NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd described the Republican ticket as lacking cohesion, chemistry, and (he hinted) trust.

"There was a tenseness," Todd told MSNBC's Chris Matthews. "I couldn't see chemistry between John McCain and Sarah Palin. I felt as if we grabbed two people and said 'here, sit next to each other, we are going to conduct an interview.' They are not comfortable with each other yet."

Todd, who was remarking on the interview conducted by NBC's Brian Williams (he was in the room), speculated that the candidates had come to the realization that "they are losing" the campaign, and guessed that McCain may have begun to hold his vice presidential choice responsible for his dwindling White House chances.

"When you see the two of them together, the chemistry is just not there. You do wonder, is John McCain starting to blame her for things? Blaming himself? Is she blaming him?" asked the highly regarded NBC newsman. "And maybe they don't feel they can win right now, so they are missing that intensity. That was the thing that struck me more than anything. You almost wonder why they wanted the two of them sitting next to each other."

The interview, Williams said, would air over the course of three days. And some actual news - beyond the body language - was drawn from the proceedings: Palin, apparently to her own staff's surprise, promised to release her medical records.

"Both of these candidates are on the verge of pulling a Bullworth," said Todd, referencing the late '90s political classic about a pol who stopped spinning. "We are at a critical juncture inside this campaign for the McCain folks and that is who is trusting who? You have got people worrying about their reputations. Now you are wondering do the candidates trust the staff? Does the staff trust the candidates? This is a dangerous time in a campaign that is behind. They desperately need some good news because you do wonder if cohesion is disappearing on the inside."

Comments

[kjwhite]

I caught some of this interview the other night on the news and I couldn't get over McCain's body language when Palin was answering questions...He looked as if he was about to either pounce on her at any moment or come right out of his skin. He kept raising his eyebrows and twitching around, you could just tell he was thinking she was talking too long and he was squirming around trying to throw signals for her to shut up.

When McCain is nervous or getting upset, he blinks a lot, and when she was talking he was blinking like mad, it was the most bizarre thing to watch. You could FEEL the stress coming right through the television. I think he is used to being able to shut his wife up with a gesture (personally I think Cindy McCain is probably emotionally abused) and it irritates him that those same "signals" don't work on Sarah Palin. It was all just too creepy and weird for me.

[pmag88]

"When McCain is nervous or getting upset, he blinks a lot, and when she was talking he was blinking like mad, it was the most bizarre thing to watch"

Eyes that flutter like a wide open shutter...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Man_(Captain_Beefheart_album)

[ErrolSmythe]

The body language shows what may allegedly be the wide mistrust between these two politicians.

[alphapm]

Did anyone notice her earpiece in this interview? What is that about? I swear it looked like an hearing aid. I wonder if she is getting remote help from a staffer on questions.

[thecanadian]

That is exactly what I said regarding VP race. Go back and look at the Huffpo tape - clear cord on shoulder. !

[ObamaEdwards]

Hilarious site:

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

When you get there, click on anything. It gets funnier and funnier.

[Sseb]

...and make sure your speakers are on. FOTFLMAO!

[mbh78213]

My favorite is "Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha versus Arizona."

[contemporarymom]

Boy he's nuts, now he's a body reading expert?

[Miami4Obama]

it doesn't take a body reading expert to see what they saw genius.

[contemporarymom]

Thats laughable - many see and hear the same words or image and 2 people walk away describing it differently. Just like you hear what you want to hear when you listen to one party over the other. It's called being closed minded.

[kingsbridge77]

Chucky Todd of MSNBO.

He's a liberal this year.

[Ambidexter]

Friends, just sit back and watch McCain and Palin be sent packing. This election is over. Obama is in the tank for the Big House. He's up in all the polls that count. People in my home state of Ohio are already starting to celebrate. Sure, some are still nervous, but the economy has wrecked McCain on the shore and Obama is now looking like he's in landslide territory.

[SuznAZ]

Don't break out the champagne quite yet. Vote flipping is being reported in Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri....so far. People voting a straight Democratic ticket are seeing their vote flipped to a straight Republican vote. Haven't heard of lawyers or media addressing this yet. There's a good post at http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6559 with details. Scary stuff. Can't let it happen this time.

[lastofourkind]

I am not surprised that they are blaming eachother for the failures of the campaign. She is setting herself up for 2012 and he is just trying to return to the senate with some respect.

The fact is neither one of them can see that their campaign tactics are both of their faults and they were doomed from the start.

-LoOK
http://lastofourkind.blogspot.com

[burningviolin]

With any luck, McCain will go quietly into retirement. Palin, I'm afraid, has just begun her political life. I'm sure that she's being told by people everywhere, sotto voce, "I wish you were running for president", and, Godly woman that she is, she will want to "be used as an instrument of His will."
The evangelicals have found their anointed one. As young as she is, I'm afraid she'll be around for a long time. Don't expect either McCain or Palin to blame one another, at least publicly, even after the election. If they lose (God willing!) the spin will be that the Democrats engaged in voter fraud. That way they don't REALLY lose, if you know what I mean. Which is why we must win a landslide, and take the Senate and the House. That way, the evangelicals will know that it WAS God's will. Let them reflect on that for eight (let it be eighty!) years.

[fearandloathing1]

Field Dressed: Inside Sarah Palin's Excellent Shopping Adventure:
http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/10/field-dressed.html

[TexasLovesUBlue]

In this same interview with Brian Williams, when asked about her medical records, she said that she would be releasing them,(or maybe she said "if")she went on to explain her youth and good health; I haven't seen them yet, and that was a few days ago; my question is; WHEN, and why not, what is there to hide; also, the election is nearly here, and is this not a requirement of a candidate to release medical records to the public(every other candidate has already done so), What's she hiding, and why isn't anyone, including McCain, seeing that this happens, Where's the media when you need them?

[BellaSofia]

I'll tell you what she's hiding: the fact that her youngest child, the baby with Down's Syndrome, is really BRISTOL'S first child, NOT Sarah's last. As a woman who has been pregnant, I'm telling ya that girl is pregnant with her second child: at the RNC after Palin's speech when the whole family came onstage, it looked like Bristol had just given birth--her breasts looked as though each had a half-gallon of milk in them, her face was slightly puffy, etc. I know she's currently with child, and it makes sense: women are extremely fertile after giving birth. (I realize this may be incorrect and I'm not trying to judge or smear Bristol Palin-- but, you asked 'What's Sarah Hiding?' and I'm telling you my theory. Stranger things have happened!) Does Sarah look like she's just gone through the gestation and birthing process to you?

[Huffrage]

Watch Will Ferrell spring a surprise endorsement on McCain and Palin as George W. Bush: http://brainrageblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/hot-lady-and-tiger-woods-guy.html

[Ebonyman1]

John McCain is a "Hot Head", and look where it has gotten him? He thought that this dumb woman could get him the women's vote! I knew from the beginning that that would not work with the American people. Besides, why did he think that women would be so naive as to his motive for selecting this very unqualified woman?

[ultrabop]

I didn't see any lack of chemistry. I did see lack of personality and lack of truthfulness and lack of knowledge and also saw distortion of the thing that Joe Biden said about Obama being tested. Palin tried to make it sound like Biden was predicting a national emergency based on Obama's inexperience. These people use logic in weird, contorted ways.

How about a national emergency if McCain were president? Not that is truly frightening. His anger problem could get us all obliterated.

[honestpolitician]

There was never chemistry....they are like apples and oranges... We all know that the Palin pick was deceitful pick from the McCain campaign and it was the very bad judgment of McCain accepting her. This is very bad leadership....We don't need another 8 years of garbage...

POLITICAL TV AD ATTACKS!! http://politicaladattacks.blogspot.com/

[ibsteve2u]

Republicans know better than to trust each other, because in the end they know they are each in it for themselves.

That is why the modern Republicans are not right for America - the phrase "serving America" has lost its meaning to them.

[ultrabop]

Rich people think that they're special. They are entitled. They are above the rest of us because God made them rich so the same rules don't apply. They are as the ancient Gods. They are beyond question. They are beyond retribution. They are murdering fools.

[OleHippieChick]

Yeah, "Serving America." It's a Rethug COOK BOOK! ~:-o