Family Feud: ‘Morning Joe’ Crew Blasts ‘Softball Questions’ at NBC’s Hillary Townhall

Over at the left-wing Politico, media reporter Hadas Gold does an admirable if unconvincing job to rescue NBC News from criticism that erupted Monday after NBC turned its network universe over to the Hillary Clinton campaign for three days. On the NBC network, NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo, softball questions flew, pancakes flipped, and the painfully obvious effort to rehabilitate Hillary was everywhere.

As is always the case with the mainstream media, the real news in this Politico article is buried deep under a half-dozen paragraphs. Fearing the “Today Show Townhall,” co-hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist, would be what it was — a softball pitching contest — “Morning Joe” refused to simulcast the event.

After the seeing the pro-Hillary Townhall, the “Morning Joe” crew felt vindicated in that decision:

The optics surrounding the “Today Show” New Hampshire town hall led to some friction within the network. According to a high level NBC source with direct knowledge of the situation, “Morning Joe” was pressured by MSNBC executives to simulcast Clinton’s New Hampshire town hall at the same time it aired on the “Today Show.”

But hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski weren’t comfortable with blindly agreeing to a simulcast, the source said, since the two hosts couldn’t guarantee the town hall wouldn’t be made up entirely of “softball questions.” According to the source, the “Morning Joe” crew felt justified by their decision after seeing the town hall.

The lies of omission in the Politico report are legion:

1. As Politico’s impact and reputation fades, the left-wing outlet is desperately in need of NBC for a media presence.
2. NBC News has funneled more than a half-billion — with a “B” — dollars into two openly left-wing political sites: Vox and BuzzFeed.
3. To “enhance its coverage,” NBC News has partnered with TargetSmart, the same Democrat political data firm Democrats are using. The company was also founded by a Democrat.
4. Last month, after interviewing Hillary, Andrea Mitchell of NBC News admitted that she held back questions about Clinton’s various scandals.
5. This weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” skit with Clinton was warm and affectionate, nothing like what other political guests have suffered, especially Republicans.
6. Politico reports on only a couple tough questions asked at the Townhall but not the swarm of softballs:

 “Well, first, I want to thank you for your candidacy, you’re such a role model for women my age. And so thank you for putting yourself out there.”

“So in your e-mails you told Senator Mikulski you guys should go out and celebrate with something unhealthy to drink so I’m wondering what your favorite celebratory unhealthy drink is.”

“Hi, Secretary Clinton. My question is what is your favorite book?”

Newsbusters details the rest. Unlike what we always see with Republicans, no effort was made to root out Clinton’s extremism on abortion or gun control or any other issue. All the policy questions came down to: Will you be left-wing enough.

the ever-fearless Donald Trump has agreed to the next NBC townhall.

Does anyone believe Guthrie and Geist will protect him from tough questions?

Democrats sure got it good.

 

 

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC