NBC congressional correspondent Kasie Hunt joined Andrea Mitchell on her Thursday MSNBC show to discuss President Biden's Wednesday night speech to Congress and Sen. Tim Scott's response to it. Hunt twisted herself into a rhetorical pretzel to declare that Biden's speech was "less partisan" and normal while also claiming the era of big government is back, while Mitchell criticized Scott's "very partisan tone."
According to Hunt, the pandemic protocols "made for a very different atmosphere. Some people I have spoken to since then they say it was less partisan because it was less raucous, it was much more intimate in a way. It sort of lent itself to personal conversations that sometimes bigger crowds just don't." That sounds strange. Like there aren't personal conversations during a normal State of the Union?
A less rowdy atmosphere atmosphere does not necessarily mean a less partisan speech. Hunt allowed this: "But, of course, the substance of the speech divided parties along many classic lines. That is a return, a familiar way of doing things that was absent for a while in the Trump Administration. While of course, you hear president Biden talking about the era of big government being back, those sorts of ideas."
Hunt then praised the return of normal politics under Biden. "The one thing I really underscore about what it was like to be in that room was how much more close it felt to normal compared to what we saw from former President Trump, despite all of the restrictions and how few people there were because of the pandemic."
Agreeing with that, Mitchell contended Nancy Pelosi didn't even HAVE to tear up the president's speech! "And of course, only a year ago it was the Speaker of the House tearing up the president's speech which was a notable moment. Hardly that, this time, of course, first time that she in five years, of course, had a Democratic president giving a speech."
Turning to Scott's Republican response, Mitchell alleged he "struck a very different tone, a very partisan tone and seemed to be adhering to defense of the Trump years but also laying out what could be popular in the next political campaign."
Hunt agreed. After talking about Scott's role as the lead Republican on police reform negotiations, Hunt declared, "He also spoke to some of the coronavirus decisions that the Biden administration has now been in charge of, but remember the Trump Administration, of course, oversaw much of our pandemic lives from March of 2020 to March of 2021. Talking about schools, that’s become a hot button issue and other areas where he took more of a partisan line."
This segment was sponsored by Tide.
Here is a transcript for the April 29 show:
MSNBC
Andrea Mitchell Reports
12:07 PM ET
KASIE HUNT: It made for a very different atmosphere. Some people I have spoken to since then they say it was less partisan because it was less raucous, it was much more intimate in a way. It sort of lent itself to personal conversations that sometimes bigger crowds just don't. But, of course, the substance of the speech divided parties along many classic lines. That is a return, a familiar way of doing things that was absent for a while in the Trump Administration. While of course, you hear president Biden talking about the era of big government being back, those sorts of ideas.
Remember, former President Trump campaigned on a lot of things work in government programs not cutting Medicare, not cutting Social Security, there is this wave of populism in the country that actually crosses party lines in some ways. But you did see many conservatives members including people like Liz Cheney criticize the spending plans that President Biden laid out in his address last night, but still I would I say the one thing I really underscore about what it was like to be in that room was how much more close it felt to normal compared to what we saw from former President Trump despite all of the restrictions and how few people there were because of the pandemic, Andrea.
ANDREA MITCHELL: And of course, only a year ago it was the Speaker of the House tearing up the president's speech which was a notable moment. Hardly that, this time, of course, first time that she in five years, of course, had a Democratic president giving a speech. Tim Scott, Kasie, with the Republican response which struck a very different tone, a very partisan tone and seemed to be adhering to defense of the Trump years but also laying out what could be popular in the next political campaign.
HUNT: Well, he is an interesting messenger, Andrea. Senator Scott has been very well respected behind the scenes. He’s of course leading negotiations around police reform questions in the wake of the killing of George Floyd last year and he was able in some ways to carry forward the message Republicans are pushing while insisting there are not race based motivation for what they were saying, when he was talking about voting rights, for example. Tim Scott is a unique messenger as the only black Republican in the Senate on that particular question. It has been highly charged after President Trump's repeated lies about the 2020 election. He spoke to that. He also spoke to some of the coronavirus decisions that the Biden administration has now been in charge of, but remember the Trump Administration, of course, oversaw much of our pandemic lives from March of 2020 to March of 2021. Talking about schools, that’s become a hot button issue and other areas where he took more of a partisan line.
