For his Friday show on MSNBC, MTP Daily host Chuck Todd tried his hand at comedy as he confidently proclaimed that Republicans will blame Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for inflation because that is all they have. Giving the “Republican” perspective for the panel discussion was former party chair Michael Steele who agreed and claimed Jackson’s confirmation hearings will provide Republicans good opportunities to raise money.
After Democratic strategist Adrienne Elrod declared that Republicans will be unable to attack Jackson’s qualifications, Todd turned to Steele and declared:
I’ve sort of put this, this way: if the Republicans could attack on inflation they would, but there’s, because that they, meaning they don’t have really a win in here… They want to just simply keep an issue alive that they think might help, and, I guess, trying to do a crime it, is that they think here, like, even if, you know—you know--, at least keeps that quote, unquote "in the news."
Steele concurred, “It keeps it in the news, it also is—is-- driving down to the base. There's a lot of money being raised off of, I mean--”
Todd then interrupted to affirm Steele’s take, by dismissing Senator Josh Hawley's concerns about Jackson and her record on pedophiles and child porn peddlers. “Well, Hawley apparently, is only, appears to be interested in this for his fundraising…Just put one out today,” he scoffed.
After some crosstalk, Steele got back to his original point and concurred with Todd that Republicans will use the hearings to air unrelated grievances:
Exactly, so this is all about the money, this about how they can leverage that. They know that even though you don't have Sinema or Manchin having confirming their support for the judge, they’ll be there, so McConnell knows that and he says what he says, this is a done deal. So, the question for the Republicans is how do we then create it as a place holder in—in-- terms of other narratives we’re pushing, whether it's on crime issues, whether it’s going to be on inflation, like you said, if we can attack to her that she had a case in which--
After Todd interrupted to make sure everyone knew he was “being facetious,” Steele then echoed Elrod, “That’s all they want to be able to do and that’s good, that’s fine because at the end of the day they cannot in any way raise a question about her qualifications.”
Ironically, it was the Democratic Elrod who came closest to accurately explaining the Republican view better than both the anchor and former RNC chair as earlier in the segment she warned Republicans would attack Jackson as soft on crime and for representing Gitmo detainees.
This segment was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here is a transcript for the March 18 show:
MSNBC MTP Daily
3/18/2022
1:50 PM ET
CHUCK TODD: Let's talk about the confirmation hearing. Adrienne, it seems, what is it, even Mitch McConnell said, she's going to get confirmed. So, what is the goal then on? Let me ask you this, what is the goal of the Democrats here in these confirmation hearings? To protect her from attacks or do you not expect anything that serious?
ADRIENNE ELROD: Yeah, look we know that Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, there are going to be Republicans who are going to attack her record. What they—they-- think missing is being soft on crime. She represented some prisoners at Gitmo they’re going to be talking about that. But for us as Democrats, we want to talk about her qualifications and her experience and I think what you are not going to see coming from Republicans is attacking her credentials for being on the Court. You know, we are prepared, I’m actually working with a number of outside groups right now getting ready for next week. We are prepared to respond accordingly to attacks, but we don’t want to lift those attacks up either, we want to make sure she, that her own words, that she says in front—in front—of the hearings next week, that her own words are lifted up. That, again, we focus on her qualifications and her experience and that she is exceptionally qualified to be on the Court.
TODD: Michael, I--I’ve sort of put this, this way: if the Republicans could attack on inflation they would, but there’s, because that they, meaning they don’t have really a win in here—
MICHAEL STEELE: There’s no win here right.
TODD: They want to just simply keep an issue alive that they think might help, and, I guess, trying to do a crime it, is that they think here, like, even if, you know—you know--, at least keeps that quote, unquote “in the news.”
STEELE: It keeps it in the news, it also is—is-- driving down to the base. There's a lot of money being raised off of, I mean—
TODD: Well, Hawley apparently, is only, appears to be interested in this for his fundraising.
STEELE: Right, this is all, Josh Hawley—
TODD: --Just put one out today about this.
ELROD: Surprise, surprise.
STEELE: Exactly, so this is all about the money, this about how they can leverage that. They know that even though you don't have Sinema or Manchin having confirming their support for the judge, they’ll be there, so McConnell knows that and he says what he says, this is a done deal. So, the question for the Republicans is how do we then create it as a place holder in—in-- terms of other narratives we’re pushing, whether it's on crime issues, whether it’s going to be on inflation, like you said, if we can attack to her that she had a case in which--
TODD: I mean, I’m being facetious, but it seems like that’s all they want to be able to--.
STEELE: That’s all they want to be able to do and that’s good, that’s fine because at the end of the day they cannot in any way raise a question about her qualifications.
