Based off of the Wednesday edition of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor lives in an alternative reality. In Alcindor’s world, Democrats are struggling because they are focusing too on inflation while not countering the GOP’s culture war.
Guest host Chris Jansing wondered how people are fighting back against those dastardly Republicans, “So, Yamiche, look, you’ve been in Alabama, right, covering new laws targeting trans youth, so I'm curious about this whole idea of speaking up, fighting back, not just, you know, as Bill [Kristol] just said, “no, I haven’t, I don’t, haven’t beat my wife.” But really getting out in front of this, what are you seeing?”
For Alcindor, the answer is not much as Democrats are just too wonky, “It’s a real challenge for Democrats because, when I talk to Democrats, they sort of sound like Elizabeth Warren's op-ed in the New York Times where she said Democrats really need to get stuff done, like lower prescription drug prices. That they really need to be able to get a reconciliation bill through Congress.”
As for Republicans, “it's almost like they're on a completely different planet. When Republicans are talking about, sort of, the state of America, they're not just talking, they’re not talking about inflation.”
Instead, it is all culture wars, “A little bit about inflation, but they are really talking about sort of America continuously slipping through the fingers of what it traditionally is. You think about, of course, what happened in Alabama, the first state to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth.”
Not only is the GOP culture warring, many of their concerns aren’t even true, “You think about what happened with Ketanji Brown Jackson and as Bill just mentioned, the fact that they were basically accusing her of being soft on crime and soft on people who were producing materials, showing child abuse, sexual child abuse, and then you think about Critical Race Theory and the false claims there where they were trying to tie her and so many other Democrats to this idea that Critical Race Theory is being taught to young children when it is not.”
Not only did Alcindor call Republican concerns false, she also implied they are racist, “They’re looking for Virginia, and what happened with—with-- Governor Youngkin, and how he was able to lean in on Critical Race Theory and scare parents, basically including a lot of white parents frankly, out in the rural areas to come out and vote in high numbers.”
This all greatly concerned her, “That is sort of what is energizing the Republican base. And Democrats are, sort of, especially Democratic base voters, they’re looking to be energized and it doesn't seem as though talking about inflation is the way to do it.”
The claim that Democrats are talking about inflation and Republicans aren’t is false and Axios has charts to prove it. Republicans are talking about inflation at over six times the rate of Democrats.
This segment was sponsored by E-Trade.
Here is a transcript for the April 21 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
4/20/2022
11:39 PM ET
CHRIS JANSING: So, Yamiche, look, you’ve been in Alabama, right, covering new laws targeting trans youth, so I'm curious about this whole idea of speaking up, fighting back, not just, you know, as Bill just said, “no, I haven’t, I don’t, haven’t beat my wife.” But really getting out in front of this, what are you seeing?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It’s a real challenge for Democrats because, when I talk to Democrats, they sort of sound like Elizabeth Warren's op-ed in the New York Times where she said Democrats really need to get stuff done, like lower prescription drug prices. That they really need to be able to get a reconciliation bill through Congress.
When you hear President Biden, he’s really focusing on inflation and focusing on sort of what he’s doing to try to make this economy, which is already in some ways going well when you think about the employment rate, how it's going to be better for Americans. But then you listen to Republicans and they’re, it's almost like they're on a completely different planet. When Republicans are talking about, sort of, the state of America, they're not just talking, they’re not talking about inflation. A little bit about inflation, but they are really talking about sort of America continuously slipping through the fingers of what it traditionally is. You think about, of course, what happened in Alabama, the first state to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth.
You think about what happened with Ketanji Brown Jackson and as Bill just mentioned, the fact that they were basically accusing her of being soft on crime and soft on people who were producing materials, showing child abuse, sexual child abuse, and then you think about Critical Race Theory and the false claims there where they were trying to tie her and so many other Democrats to this idea that Critical Race Theory is being taught to young children when it is not. But you see Republicans, they are really, really feeling like this is going to be a strategy that works for them.
They’re looking for Virginia, and what happened with—with-- Governor Youngkin, and how he was able to lean in on Critical Race Theory and scare parents, basically including a lot of white parents frankly, out in the rural areas to come out and vote in high numbers. That is what is scaring people. That is sort of what is energizing the Republican base. And Democrats are, sort of, especially Democratic base voters, they’re looking to be energized and it doesn't seem as though talking about inflation is the way to do it.
