On Friday's NBC Nightly News, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd portrayed audience members at recent Republican debates as unruly and an embarrassment to the GOP: "Some Republicans are concerned these audience moments might send the wrong message to swing voters."
Wrapping up a report on Thursday's Republican debate, Todd declared: "These three September debates have also exposed just how stark some of the cultural divides are between left and right. From the cheering of Perry's death penalty record....To the shouts from the audience about whether emergency rooms should treat the uninsured....To last night's jeers of a question about gays in the military."
Here is a transcript of that portion of the September 23 report:
7:03PM ET
(...)
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Have you-
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
TODD: To the shouts from the audience about whether emergency rooms should treat the uninsured.
WOLF BLITZER: Are you saying that society should just let him die?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah!
TODD: To last night's jeers of a question about gays in the military.
STEPHEN HILL [GAY SOLDIER SERVING IN IRAQ]: Do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?
[BOOING]
TODD: Some Republicans are concerned these audience moments might send the wrong message to swing voters.
MICHAEL STEELE: When you're booing a United States Marine or an officer, it really bothers a lot of people out there, particularly those voters who are right there in the middle.
(...)
