White House senior adviser David Plouffe showered Mitt Romney with unwanted praise by calling him "the godfather of [President Obama's] health care plan."
He accused the former Massachusetts governor of "running away from the past" and said that having another big fight about health care would not be good for the country.
The Supreme Court is set to review the legality of the President's health care reform law this week; something Plouffe is not worried about. "We're confident in the constitutionality of the health care law," he said.
Also this week, the story of Trayvon Martin, a seventeen year old boy who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch leader in Florida, gained national traction and sparked a discussion about race relations in our country.
In a special roundtable conversation, our group discussed the issue and whether or not the president, as the nation's first African-American president, ought to lead on the issue.
NPR's Michele Norris, creator of The Race Card project, thinks the president has lead on the topic of race. "I think we've probably heard [the president] talk frontally about race more than any other person who has sat in that office," Norris said.
David Brooks thinks the problem lives more on the personal level and how we process people from other groups. invited viewers to a site called Project Implicit to take a test on just that.
"What you'll find, if you're like the vast majority of human beings, is you process people from other groups differently, and you associate them with violence and other things."
On politics, former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (who has yet to endorse a candidate) thinks that Romney has the nomination locked up, "unless [he] steps on a landmine."
You can watch the entire program on our website including a one-on-one discussion with Rachel Maddow on her new book Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power that asks the question: When did America become at peace with a constant state of war?
Read an excerpt of Rachel's book here.
We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.
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Why are we still talking about Health Care when we should be talking about JOBS JoBs jobs!!!!!
It should read, "...thinks the president has led on the topic of race."
I'm deeply disturbed you did not confront Haley Barbour today when he backed Gingrich by saying there was no racial aspect to the Treyvon Martin murder. Your job on MTP is to be an advocate for truth. Permitting this white southern political to minimize the obvious racial aspect to this crime allowed for a lie to be presented as truth and diminished you as a journalist. You should not just spew off questions and allow obvious distortions of the truth to go uncontested. You should have pressed him. It would have pointed out exactly how these crimes on young black men keep happening: bigoted white men who are only blind to race when a black man is dead. It was a moment as a journalist you could have helped but instead you were silent. Evil will continue to prevail when good men, and journalists, say nothing. Martin Luther King said he had less issue with the racist bigot spewing hatred than with the good hearted white person who stood by silently. Now is the time not to be silent. As a citizen and as a journalist.
I must ditto Sean Mannion's submission. I was so deeply disturbed that I question my own sanity for expecting more from hosts, yes, like yourself, David, on every talk show since Trayvon became the public poster child for "The Good Ole Boy Network and Racism is Alive and Well in the USA," to even conduct 'discussions' that it might not be, in the face of the most obvious blunders of Sanford's police department, Mr Bonaparte, and currently the State of Florida. To hear this Gov Barbour back Gingrich made me sick, physically. Mr. Gingrich is not so subtly inciting more racism and violence which in turn will be blamed once again on our black citizens. Not only does President Obama have a right as both our President and a black man, he has an absolute duty to call an ace an ace when he sees it; especially 'because' 43 presidents before him have been unwilling to do so. I for one, want President Obama to go further and state that racism is alive and detrimental and do whatever he can during his presidency to make racism an issue to come to grips with on the kitchen tables of American homes. Why is the obvious so obscure to the many? Because a need to discuss the obvious is denial of the obvious. Fear of stating the obvious is to be complicit in the obvious. Allowing bigots to state or discuss their viewpoints in Politically Correct terms is only allowing them to cloak bigotry further. Shame on you for a missed opportunity; I am questioning whether all MSNBC and CNN hosts this week (except for Rev Sharpton) have truly never mixed deep enough with people of color to substantiate to me what is an apparent self-styled projections of being perceived as racist-free. Waiting for an investigation before demanding at least the law, in good faith, holds Zimmerman, only gives time for the good ole boys to break his nose, lacerate his head, hide things from his home or past, fake a predated registration for the Neighborhood Watch program, and make a buffoonery of our justice system and a mock of Blacks attempting justice in the USA. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke
It is the first time I have ever seen you hold a member of the Obama administrations feet to the fire. They have spun and spun and they have been quite hypocritical and it was good to see you call them on it. We need this administration who has regulated instead of legislated policy and sweeping reforms that the american public do not want, to be held accountable and answer to the people. We have gone from a president that the media held to the fire for 8 years , to a president that the media is in love with and promotes. It is nice to see finally that Meet the Press known for it's straight forward , and not biased leaning , to actually live up to it and hold Obama CO accountable.
I agree with Tony's comment. You did a great job keeping on the pressure though Plouffe kept skirting the issues. What has happened to the Press in general, where are the commentator's that ask the tough questions? Keep it up David - make the answer about the gas prices, Obama is becoming two faced like the rest of the politicians. What he said in 2008 he's seeming forgotten. Whats up with that??? It's not just the gas (energy) issues its everything he promised in 2008... he's fallen way short and seems to think he's fooled everyone. David make Obama and his crew answer, hold them to the fire!
As we watch and looking at"ALL"these"TOPICS"on"MEET THE PRESS"today,It"SHOULD and SHALL"let Obama and his David Plouffe know,That there is"WIDE"difference between Political concurrence in a wrongful Act and Inability to prevent it.@
Correction: 2nd sent: ....expect more from hosts...than to even conduct/hold 'discussions' that it might not be
I find it extremely frustrating when the only answer to the energy problem is what should happen in the future! Yes, it is extemely important but it is not going to help me who is putting $50. a week into my gas tank and not driving on weekends in order to save.
I find it hard to believe nothing can be done now. It gets me crazy when we are given all the reasons why the prices are going up, up, up. What about the fact that this country has had one of the warmest winters on record. The heat in my home wasn't on for 5 days last week. What is happening to the oil that people aren't using? Shouldn't there be a surplus somewhere at least keeping the prices stable?
Savannah was a real STAR during her interview with Santorum today on MEET THE PRESS!!
When ever possible, bring her back again!
Allto, the Round Table group was superb--could not have been better. WELL DONE!
Savannah was truly a STAR during her interview with Santorum today on MEET THE
PRESS!! Bring her back whenever possible.
Also, the Round Table group was superb--could not have been better. WELL DONE!
Elton Bell