Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd seems to be obsessed with complaining about America’s political climate and decided to show his frustration by promoting an NBC-created animated skit asking “what if kids starting using political talking points, the talking points politicians use, to talk back to their parents?”
In the skit, the child, named Billy, is accused by his mother of eating a dozen chocolate chip cookies, to which he predictably says “You know who's behind this, don't you? The Koch brothers.”
The skit was inspired by the Des Moines Register and Todd promoted how “we took the liberty of borrowing the Register's idea, added some pictures and sound, so here now, is our version of what kids would sound like if they talked like politicians. Script courtesy of The Des Moines Register.”
After the animated skit ended, the entire panel unsurprisingly whined about the political climate in America with the Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson complaining that “whoever wins come November or January, whenever this thing is going to be decided, they are going to be facing a very frustrated public. A public that doesn't really believe that they can make a difference and break the gridlock.”
Todd concluded the broadcast by insisting that America’s toxic political climate won’t improve any time soon:
This sets the environment for 2016. That's what's actually here, is just distrust of politicians. I mean, it's sort of we made fun of it and mocked it there, but that's going to be the environment.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Meet the Press
October 26, 2014
11:25:46-11:28:27 [2 minutes 41 seconds]
CHUCK TODD: All right. I want to sort of have a little lighter moment here, although it's a little bit depressing. I want you to see this. Yesterday, the Des Moines Register, and yes, it's turning into my favorite paper today, as you know, asked, "What if kids starting using political talking points, the talking points politicians use, to talk back to their parents?” Well, that got us thinking. So we took the liberty of borrowing the Register's idea, added some pictures and sound, so here now, is our version of what kids would sound like if they talked like politicians. Script courtesy of The Des Moines Register.
(BEGIN TAPE)
MOM: Billy?
BILLY: Good morning, Mother, and let me say how great it is to once again be back in the kitchen. Am I to understand that you have a question?
MOM: I certainly do. Did you eat the cookies?
BILLY: I'm sorry. Could you repeat that question?
MOM: Did you eat the dozen chocolate chip cookies that I had left on the counter to cool?
BILLY: I'm deeply upset by this question. I would like to think that we had built the kind of relationship where such questions would not be necessary.
MOM: Well, it is. When I left the kitchen, there were a dozen cookies cooling on the counter. Now they are gone. Did you eat them?
BILLY: That's not the question. You know who's behind this, don't you? The Koch brothers.
MOM: The brothers who run the Koch Industries?
BILLY: No. Jimmy and Jumbo Rodgers, the twin brothers who live on Koch Street.
MOM: Answer the question, Billy. Did you eat the cookies?
BILLY: I have answered that question.
MOM: You didn't say anything.
BILLY: That is my answer.
MOM: Your answer is no answer?
BILLY: I have no control over how you choose to interpret my answers. And isn’t it high time we put the past behind us and looked forward to the future. What's for supper, anyway?
(END TAPE)
CHUCK TODD: You know, Nia, I mean, look, we did it in an absurd way because what, do these elected officials know that's how they sound when they do these crazy evasions? And you make us all ask the same question four or five times. It's like that skit out of Austin Powers, ask me three times, and finally Will Ferrell's character will answer the question.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: This idea that your answer is no answer at all, right? And you know, whoever wins come November or January, whenever this thing is going to be decided, they are going to be facing a very frustrated public. A public that doesn't really believe that they can make a difference and break the gridlock. How they're able to convince the public otherwise will be a big test going forward.
TODD: Dan, and this sets the environment for 2016. That's what's actually here, is just distrust of politicians. I mean, it's sort of we made fun of it and mocked it there, but that's going to be the environment.
DAN BALZ: It is. I mean, one of the big questions is which of these candidates who want to run for president in 2016 has a way to get past where we are today. They'll all talk about it, but is anybody really going to be able to do it?
TODD: Is it believable? I don't know.
