By Erik Wemple
When Chuck Todds Meet the Press" launched on Sept. 7 it did so with an interesting new feature: What everyone in Washington knows but is afraid to say." On its face the title could invite gossip as in everyone knows that Senator So-and-So has had a mistress for decades.
In its first two weeks under new host Todd however the feature has been limited to political dynamics related to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Last week for instance the thing that everyone knew but was allegedly afraid to say was that Clinton was indeed running for president. As we pointed out this past week a lot of people have been unafraid to say just that.
Yesterday the taboo topic was a bit more insiderish: Hillary Clinton would love to see the Senate in Republican hands going into 2016 wouldnt she?" asked Todd of his guests on the Meet the Press" roundtable. Jim VandeHei chief executive of Politico responded I think a lot of Democrats would. They never say it in public because everybody knows virtually nothing is going to happen over the next two years and Democrats Hillary Clinton in particular would love Republicans Rubio Rand Paul to actually have to take ownership of some of the dysfunction."
Hand it to Todd losing control of the Senate is indeed something that Democrats would be afraid to root for in public even if they felt that way. But as with the Clinton-is-actually-running thing the notion that Republican control of the Senate could aid Democrats isnt precisely a fresh and edgy sliver of punditry. Commentary magazine has taken up the topic as have the New York Times and Vox. Turns out that what everyone in Washington knows" also goes by the name of conventional wisdom."
