During the panel segment on NBC’s Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd openly panicked over the Republican Party’s lead in his network’s poll of the generic congressional ballot on Sunday, calling it a “huge red flag”, and remarked how the GOP hasn’t led in NBC’s generic congressional ballot poll since September 2014.
Dispatch Editor and panelist Steve Hayes believed there are two reasons why President Joe Biden and the Democrat Party are suffering in the polls with the first being “we're not seeing any improvement” in the economy, and the second is “he's [Biden] not willing to do the kind of things, I think, both with respect to the war and the economy that might actually help.”
Hayes argued that Biden could come out in support of an “all-in energy policy”, which in Hayes’s view would bring down gas prices. But as he pointed out, Biden could make the case for, but his left-wing base won’t let him.
Todd jumped in and touched on one of the questions in the NBC poll which showed thirty-eight percent of voters blame Biden for rising inflation. Todd attempted to put a positive spin on the abysmal numbers for the President:
The most generous way you can look at it, Susan, is, well, only thirty-eight percent blame President Biden and a majority blame something else, but that's about all you can do. What's interesting is that only six percent blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that was a specific thing the President said.
USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page replied with the truth that “Inflation was becoming a problem before Russia invaded Ukraine,” and pointed out “three of the last four Presidents have lost control of the House of Representatives in their first midterm election.”
Then came the sobering moment for Todd when he read the key finding of the poll:
I’m going to put up our generic ballot test here. The public’s going to look at it, you'll see 46-44, Republicans up by two, oh that’s not, that's a coin flip. This is the first time we've had Republicans leading in the generic ballot in our polls since September of 2014, eight years ago. There is always a little bit of a democratic add because Democrats are more packed in more districts here. This is a huge red flag!
NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor agreed begrudgingly that “it's a huge red flag, and it's coupled with the idea that people are blaming President Biden's policies for inflation.” She noted that this is part of the reason voters are saying they trust Republicans more to control congress and be better stewards of the economy. “That's going to be a hard thing for Democrats to overcome and to message about,” Alcindor worried.
Todd ended the segment correctly noting that gas prices and inflation is “a regressive tax. It impacts people harder farther down the socioeconomic ladder.”
This segment showing Chuck Todd panicking over Republicans leading in the generic congressional ballot was made possible by the endorsement of Liberty Mutual, Charles Schwab, and Amazon. Their information is linked so you can let them know about the biased news they fund.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
NBC’s Meet The Press
3/27/2022
11:11:43 a.m. EasternSTEVE HAYES: I think part of the reason that he's struggling on the economy is, one, we're not seeing any improvement, and two, he's not willing to do the kind of things, I think, both with respect to the war and the economy that might actually help. I mean, If you talk about an all-in energy policy that would address some of the things that we're seeing come out of Russia and potentially forestall some of the inflation, he could make the case but I don't think his base will let him.
CHUCK TODD: Look, I want to bring up, you brought up the poll numbers of President Biden. On who do you blame on inflation, I just want to put it out here. Cause, the most generous way you can look at it, Susan, is, well, only thirty-eight percent blame President Biden and a majority blame something else, but that's about all you can do. What's interesting is that only six percent blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that was a specific thing the President said.
SUSAN PAGE: Well and of course Inflation was becoming a problem before Russia invaded Ukraine, although it's clearly jacked up gas prices and had some other effects. But this is of great concern to the White House. Three of the last four Presidents have lost control of the House of Representatives in their first midterm election and is there anybody in Washington who doesn’t think that’s gonna happen in November?
TODD: Well, it’s funny and Yamiche, I’m going to put up our generic ballot test here. The public’s going to look at it, you'll see 46-44, Republicans up by two, oh that’s not, that's a coin flip. This is the first time we've had Republicans leading in the generic ballot in our polls since September of 2014, eight years ago. There is always a little bit of a democratic add because Democrats are more packed in more districts here. This is a huge red flag!
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It's a huge red flag, and it's coupled with the idea that people are blaming President Biden's policies for inflation. It's coupled with the idea that Americans are still very, very concerned about how much they're paying for so many other things, not just gas, and that also is, part of the reason why when you ask people right now they're essentially saying Republicans are the ones who they trust with the economy. That's going to be a hard thing for Democrats to overcome and to message about.
TODD: Yeah and this gas issue, it's a regressive tax. It impacts people harder farther down the socioeconomic ladder.
