On Thursday night, MSNBC’s The Last Word spent the duration of its show on the Nice, France truck terror attack and New York Times columnist Frank Bruni lamented that the “really, really volatile moment” could be used have negative connotations on both European and “French politics” in light of Brexit with “feelings of nativism, wanting to close doors.”
Seconds earlier, host Lawrence O’Donnell and Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson trumpeted this situation as “an opportunity for Hillary Clinton to show voters why they would want her handling situations like this” because it “clearly does fall into the her wheel house.”
Prior to Robinson’s comments, O’Donnell hyped:
Gene Robinson, this should be an opportunity for Hillary Clinton to show voters why they would want her handling situations like this since she has so much experience. Normally in a presidential campaign, when something comes straight into the strike zone of your experience that is an opportunity.
The liberal columnist in Robinson responded that “this clearly does fall into the her wheel house, I mean, this is something she knows very well” and compared what’s transpired in France to the effect that the global financial crisis had on the 2008 presidential election:
I'm reminded of what happened toward the end of the 2008 general election campaign when the financial crisis hit and John McCain reacted and I think this is a term of art like a chicken with its head cut off. I mean, he kinda suspended his campaign and called a meeting, didn't have anything to say. Barack Obama was calm and cool and collected and while I don't think anybody thought he was necessarily a financial expert, he gave people the reassurance that he could handle crises as they came up[.]
Bruni soon rightfully pointed out that “this is a really, really, volatile moment right now and I mean, coming after so much of this, I think people are reeling” but quickly moved onto politics and bemoaning those who lean to the right:
I think this is going to have an effect on European politics on French politics, you know, coming right after Brexit in terms of, you know, feelings of nativism, wanting to close doors, maybe wanting to kind of go your on way. I think this colors all of that.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell on July 14 can be found below.
MSNBC’s The Last Word
July 14, 2016
10:36 p.m. EasternFRANK BRUNI: Complete distinction in this discussion and I wish we had more of the Hillary Clinton side of it because she was answering challenges, I think you could call them that Bill O'Reilly was raising to her repeatedly and she was answering them very effectively in such a way, it wasn't that O'Reilly thing where he kind of pushes you back, no, no, come on and I think she was finding areas that — that were surprising agreement for Bill O'Reilly. I think O'Reilly was hearing something in her knowledge about this, that he had never heard before. I actually think it was the strongest, the single strongest eight minutes of interview she's done on the campaign.
FRANK BRUNI: And I wish I had a chance to see it. I think to the extent that one can be comfortable on this terrain. I think she's confident in her knowledge. The thing that she said that really stood out to me when you heard the Trump comments right afterwards, when she said we have to work with our friends. Then you heard Trump talk about they want to let anyone come into the country and he's sort alluding to his own Muslim ban. The problem with that Muslim ban is, what does that do to a lot of our alliances, what does that say to the world about the cooperation we want, about the cooperation we're willing to achieve. Very stark difference right there that said it all in terms of their approaches.
O’DONNELL: Gene Robinson, this should be an opportunity for Hillary Clinton to show voters why they would want her handling situations like this since she has so much experience. Normally in a presidential campaign, when something comes straight into the strike zone of your experience that is an opportunity.
EUGENE ROBINSON: Right and this clearly does fall into the her wheel house, I mean, this is something she knows very well. I'm reminded of what happened toward the end of the 2008 general election campaign when the financial crisis hit and John McCain reacted and I think this is a term of art like a chicken with its head cut off. I mean, he kinda suspended his campaign and called a meeting, didn't have anything to say. Barack Obama was calm and cool and collected and while I don't think anybody thought he was necessarily a financial expert, he gave people the reassurance that he could handle crises as they came up and so we will learn, a lot from the two candidates as they react to this developing situation and, potentially, other things that can happen between now and November.
O’DONNELL: And Frank, this presents a challenge for President Obama. He issued a written statement tonight. He's obviously doing to have to address this tomorrow and who knows what it means in terms of future discussions with the French and Europeans.
BRUNI: Yeah, I know, this is a really, really, volatile moment right now and I mean, coming after so much of this, I think people are reeling. I think, you know, not just Europeans but here in America. I think this is going to have an effect on European politics on French politics, you know, coming right after Brexit in terms of, you know, feelings of nativism, wanting to close doors, maybe wanting to kind of go your on way. I think this colors all of that.
O’DONNELL: Eugene, what do you expect to hear from the President tomorrow?
ROBINSON: You know, I expect to hear a reaffirmation of U.S. resolve to stand with France and to go after ISIS, specifically, and terrorists in general. I expect to hear also real remorse. I think he probably understands the shock that this has — that France is suffering to happen on the Bastille day is just a tremendous significance and after Charlie Hebdo, after the Bataclan, France is reeling and I think there will be some reassuring words directed at our French allies.
