Andrea Mitchell kicked off her Tuesday MSNBC show with a 20-minute interview with Speaker Nancy Pelosi that began with her voters do not appreciate the “extraordinary” record that she and President Biden have allegedly built up for the past two years.
Mitchell began by noting that Democratic momentum in the polls that arose after the “huge outrage” at the Dobbs decision “has seemed to subside, at least among overriding concerns.” Mitchell considered this to be most unfortunate, “Despite all the legislative accomplishments and I want to cite them, I want to, you know, say it's been an extraordinary session, you and the president have done so much in terms of domestic concerns, the economy.”
In her typical softball fashion, Mitchell then asked, “So, why is this message -- why do you think the president hasn't gotten it through to the voters?”
After some back-and-forth on whether Democrats should be concerned about recent polling noticeably did not talk about any of those “accomplishments.” Instead, she kept trying to make abortion a defining issue, “I’ve been in an average of five states a week and I can tell you that women's concerns about their freedom are very, very much still very significant in terms of how they will vote. In fact, 80 percent of people who care about a woman's right to choose say they will vote -- it will determine who they vote for.”
Pelosi also accused Republicans of “pouring endless money, dark, undisclosed special interest money into the campaigns,” with a heavy emphasis on “dark.”
Most of the rest of the interview consisted of talk about January 6 and how horrible Republicans are. Mitchell mostly just let Pelosi say her piece, not correcting her when she suggested Republicans want to ban contraception or that Democrats have their own history of denying election results. The only thing that could be considered a tough question was when Mitchell asked if Democratic leadership is too old.
This segment was sponsored by Subway.
Here is a transcript for the October 18 show:
MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports
10/18/2022
12:01 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: So, let's talk about rising inflation, concerns along with crime, giving momentum, new momentum to Republicans after the Democrats were closing the gap, the historic gap.
NANCY PELOSI: Yes.
MITCHELL: So, after the Supreme Court ruling, there was huge outrage. That has seemed to subside, at least among overriding concerns. Despite all the legislative accomplishments and I want to cite them, I want to, you know, say it's been an extraordinary session, you and the president have done so much in terms of domestic concerns, the economy. So, why is this message -- why do you think the president hasn't gotten it through to the voters?
PELOSI: Well, first of all, let me say that I think much of what you have said I don't agree with. That is--
MITCHELL: Okay.
PELOSI: -- to say, the New York Times poll, I think, is an outlier poll, you cite poll, but all the others polls have a different—
MITCHELL: It's the Real Clear Politics average showing similar issues.
PELOSI: No, no, but that was one that brought down the average and it was an outlier.
MITCHELL: Okay.
PELOSI: It wasn't that big a sample. So, I dismiss that. I have been -- since Congress adjourned, I’ve been in an average of five states a week and I can tell you that women's concerns about their freedom are very, very much still very significant in terms of how they will vote. In fact, 80 percent of people who care about a woman's right to choose say they will vote -- it will determine who they vote for.
So, again, Washington has always been "Oh, Republicans are going to win, there's no question," for a year and a half. Now that that has diminished in terms of that certainty and there is a real race on, the Republicans are pouring endless money, dark, undisclosed special interest money into the campaigns, but we're holding our own. It's a matter of who turns out to vote. There are issues that we -- of course, we want to fight inflation, it's a global issue.
