On the May 21 edition of All In, Chris Hayes devoted time to bashing Republicans for lacking any advantage on wedge issues. Hayes took Jeb Bush’s comments – where he dismissed the idea that climate change is settled science – as a general example that Republicans are in a weak position on climate change, immigration, and gay marriage.
He argued that “you’ve got Democrats leaning into issues, climate and immigration. They think these are 55 percent plus issues, 60 percent issues. They’re on the right side of the wedge.” Hayes made this claim despite the fact that 60% of Americans do not see global warming as a serious threat to their way of life. On the other hand, Hayes suggested that the Republicans don’t have a single domestic wedge issue they can rely on:
And I can’t come up with a single domestic issue for the Republicans where they have the same ground. It used to be ObamaCare, faded into the background. It used to be the deficit, which really was a winning political issue for them. It has receded considerably as a mathematical fact. Taxes are low in a historic sense. What is the Republican domestic policy 55, 60 percent wedge issue in this campaign?
Hayes turned to his guest, McKay Coppins of Buzzfeed, who agreed with his assessment and added that while in the past Republicans often had an advantage on wedge issues, that edge is now gone, even for smaller political topics:
The culture war issues which were the Republicans’ wedge issues at that time – they’re all kinds of little ones like school uniforms, remember that? Flag burning amendment. The English as the national language issue, right? Those were all issues Republicans used, micro-issues, but used to great effect to signal. None of those issues work for Republicans anymore, right?
Coppins also stated that while Republicans traditionally have an advantage on national security, “you don't have a singular crisis that is defining the elections,” so any edge in that department would be minimal. The Buzzfeed scribe noted that, on climate change, Jeb Bush “knows the scientific consensus” but is reluctant to say so because his base “is very skeptical of science.”
Hayes said he “would really be concerned if I were advising a Republican presidential candidate on that specifically” because the Republicans are playing defense on almost every wedge issue.
The relevant portion of the transcript is below.
MSNBC
All In with Chris Hayes
May 21, 2015
8:15 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS HAYES, host: On the other side of the country today, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush was playing defense on climate change for a second straight day, as he tried to maintain a very precarious balancing act on the issue. Bush was asked yesterday to comment on President Obama’s speech at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, where the president characterized climate science as settled and called climate change an immediate national security threat.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH: First of all, the climate is changing. I don't think the science is clear of what percentage is manmade and which percentage is natural. I just don’t -- it`s convoluted and for the people to say the science is decided on this is just really arrogant to be honest with you. It`s this intellectual arrogance that now you can`t have a conversation about it even.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAYES: Jeb Bush used to be the governor of Florida, which is already feeling the effects of climate change, though officials don’t always like to talk about it there. Under the current Republican governor, Rick Scott, state officials have reportedly been banned from uttering the phrase change climate change in public, though his administration denied it. Today, Jeb Bush was pressed on his characterization of people who accept the scientific consensus on climate change as intellectually arrogant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Why do we have to have a debate where people that may have doubts about this are considered Neanderthals? That's the arrogance. It's the arrogance of saying that people who have a different well thought out view that somehow aren’t as intelligent or capable. That’s what I think in order to forge consensus, you can`t have this kind of attitude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAYES: Joining me now, the intelligent capable non-Neanderthalish, McKay Coppins, senior political writer for BuzzFeed News.
MCKAY COPPINS, BUZZFEED: Thank you, Chris.
HAYES: Yes, it's true. Okay. Let me get my spiel here and this is why I think this is fascinating what`s happening here, where you see Jeb Bush on -- let`s pick two issues -- climate, immigration also, which has
been big this week. You’ve got Democrats leaning into issues, climate and immigration. They think these are 55 percent plus issues, 60 percent issues. They`re on the right side of the wedge. They`re going to – Hillary Clinton is going to be aggressive on immigration. She has hired a DREAMer. She`s going to – path to citizenship, executive action. Climate change, the president is really pushing it. I mean, I think he thinks has the wind at his back.
And I can’t come up with a single domestic issue for the Republicans where they have the same ground. It used to be ObamaCare, faded into the background. It used to be the deficit, which really was a winning political issue for them. It has receded considerably as a mathematical fact. Taxes are low in a historic sense. What is the Republican domestic policy 55, 60 percent wedge issue in this campaign?
COPPINS: Well, I mean, if you ask Republicans, they’ll go through the standard ones which are taxes, which you are never going to lose votes by calling for lower taxes.
HAYES: Everyone loves lower taxes. But it’s not – you can just feel in the temperature of the country that is not –
COPPINS: And the economy. So I think this is why you hear Republicans talking a lot about foreign policy right now. Traditionally, Republicans have used national security and foreign policy as a wedge to great effect, right? When the country is nervous or scared about the state of the world, about the national security, about the security of their families, they tend to turn to Republicans who are more hawkish. They like the tough talk. They say we will keep you and your family and this country safe.
That may work. But the Republicans face the problem that Hillary Clinton has a robust record on foreign policy, much more robust than most of the Republicans and right now, at least, there with isn't the kind of – I mean, you have ISIS, you have all kinds of things as always going on around the Middle East and around the world. You don't have a singular crisis that is defining the elections.
HAYES: That’s a great answer. That’s, I think, the correct answer. I think this some ways if I were a Republican, if I were sitting there, the thing I would bang on every day the Middle East is on fire, the Middle East is on fire, look at these horrible monsters of ISIS, you know? But it`s also remarkable that there isn't a domestic answer to this.
COPPINS: No, right.
HAYES: There really is not a domestic answer. Sure. In a general sense, Republicans they want, you know, less regulation, or smaller government, all that stuff they have been saying for decades, right? But there is nothing that – you know, I have been reading campaign speeches from Richard Nixon back in 1968 and, man, I mean, law and order –
COPPINS: Yes, crime.
HAYES: And he knew that he was pushing and aggressive on it, and Hubert Humphrey and the Democrats sounded mealy mouth and defensive the same way you hear Republicans on immigration, climate, these other issues.
COPPINS: Even go back to the beginning of George W. Bush’s presidency. So, 2000, right?
HAYES: Right.
COPPINS: The culture war issues which were the Republicans’ wedge issues at that time – they’re all kinds of little ones like school uniforms, remember that? Flag burning amendment. The English as the national language issue, right? Those were all issues Republicans used, micro-issues, but used to great effect to signal. None of those issues work for Republicans anymore, right?
HAYES: That is exactly right. The biggest symbol of this, of course, is the trajectory of gay marriage, marriage equality, which in 2004, of course, there were all these ballot initiatives, it was perceived by Republicans as a wedge issue in their favor, a 55-plus, a 60-plus issue in their favor. It polled that way. Now, you just hit 60 percent, right? It’s a wedge issue in the other direction. And you saw in the Hillary Clinton video. She understands it, too. You line up domestic policy issues, you’re looking for the place where Republicans aren’t on defense. I would really be concerned if I were advising a Republican presidential candidate on that specifically.
COPPINS: Yes, I thought it was interesting in Jeb's answer both yesterday and today when he’s talking about what he’s – who he is talking to. I mean, part of the answer on this is like, of course, our economic interests wrapped up in energy companies that make it hard for Republicans and politicians in general to push back. That said, there is also an element of this that`s rooted in the religious right and in the conservative base that is generally skeptical of the scientific community because they see it as hostile to their religious beliefs, right?
And so, when Jeb Bush -- we know Jeb Bush knows the scientific consensus. He’s a smart guy, right? I won't speak for him, but he’s well-educated. He knows the 97 percent of scientists, where they stand on this issue. But he has to still talk to that base that is very skeptical of science and the problem is that whereas 15 years ago even or 10 years ago, that was ultimately politically advantageous in a general election. That`s not necessarily the case here.
HAYES: That’s right, and you can tell. I've watched so many Democrats in so many situations give these kind of tentative mealy mouth. I mean, the perfect example is Hillary Clinton on drivers licenses back in 2008, right? That was someone who just knew that they were caught and they were caught on the point of a spear of an issue that they wanted to avoid.
You can tell when a Republican is that way and that is what that body language, those answers to Jeb Bush look like to me. I think it`s going to make it a fascinating election on domestic policy front. Of course, the economy could totally tank and all that as well. You never know.
