After hosting her own show on Wednesday, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell ventured over to MTP Daily to continue in the media’s newest tradition of acting like historically high gas prices are solely due to Vladimir Putin’s decision to wage war on Ukraine. Not only did Mitchell defend that talking point, she hailed it as “a great way to message it.”
Host Chuck Todd had just finished lamenting that gas prices are a “potent” domestic issue that could hurt Democrats in November when Mitchell agreed: “It's a potent one, but I really do think, in talking to members of Congress, that they now see the politics right now, and it may not last, that the American people are behind us. And more likely, are willing to take a hit at the pump. I don’t think it’s been sold adequately.”
Todd then interrupted to offer his own suggestion on how Democrats could sell higher gas prices, “If it means not bringing war here, right? Like, that's another way to message this, I might argue?”
Mitchell then continued and contradicted her earlier point, “Yeah. And ‘Putin's price hike’ is a great way to message it. The pictures are just so devastating.”
She then argued that the horrible images coming out of Ukraine, such as bombed out maternity wards, make her “think that seeing these faces, I think people are willing to put up with it, that is what, at least, the Democrats in Congress think.”
As for Republicans, Mitchell added: “I really thought that the Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, was maybe premature in his new messaging that people aren't blaming President Biden for this. Yet. I think he’s managed, at least through the State of the Union, he managed to make the case.”
As hard as it might be for Democrats and their media friends like Mitchell to understand, most Americans are aware that history did not begin in the last couple of weeks.
This segment was sponsored by Applebee’s.
Here is a transcript for the March 9 show:
MSNBC MTP Daily
1:48 PM ET
3/9/2022
ANDREA MITCHELL: It's a potent one, but I really do think, in talking to members of Congress, that they now see the politics right now, and it may not last, that the American people are behind us. And more likely, are willing to take a hit at the pump. I don’t think it’s been sold adequately.
CHUCK TODD: If it means not bringing war here, right? Like, that's another way to message this, I might argue?
MITCHELL: Yeah. And “Putin's price hike” is a great way to message it. The pictures are just so devastating. The children, people, are, want to know where can we help? You know, we're trying to put pages up and tell people where are the credible sources
TODD: Sure.
MITCHELL: -- of help are for the refugees. Two million people on the move. We haven't seen anything like this since World War II, the hospital in Mariupol, the maternity ward bombed today, hit, artillery fire, I should say, rocket fire—
TODD: Right.
MITCHELL: -- and in Kyiv, the hospital evacuated, the—the-- largest children’s hospital, so I think that seeing these faces, I think people are willing to put up with it, that is what, at least, the Democrats in Congress think.
TODD: Right.
MITCHELL: I really thought that the Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, was maybe premature in his new messaging that people aren't blaming President Biden for this. Yet. I think he’s managed, at least through the State of the Union, he managed to make the case.
