Chuck Todd: RNC Debate Move 'Smart'

Chuck Todd's Surprising Comments About Controversial Decision

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Chuck Todd spoke out about the RNC's decision to boycott partnering with CNN and NBC on any 2016 primary debates due to the networks' decisions to air programming about Hillary Clinton.

"Well if the RNC is trying to limit the amount of debates, that's smart," Todd said. "Because that will mean -- what? About half the Republican field from 2012, if they didn't have the debates, they wouldn't have run. They simply ran for exposure to get a talk show ... or a radio show, or a column or a deal with Fox. Whatever their reasons for running, it wasn't really because they thought they had a viable shot."

Todd said that the current exposure factor of running in a primary has resulted in an "underbelly of candidates," who run for the purpose of national cable and broadcast television appearances.

The MSNBC host has spoken out against NBC's decision to air programming about Clinton, saying that he worried that viewers would assume the network's news division was involved. "This miniseries is a total nightmare for NBC News. We know there's this firewall. We know we have nothing to do with it ... [but] we’re going to only own the negative. Whether it’s negative because ... the Clinton people are upset that it’s too tough on them, or negative because the Republicans think it’s this glorification of [Clinton]," he said.

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