Once again proving that the liberal media can interpret an ulterior motive of racism by conservatives into any issue, MSNBC host Katy Tur and MSNBC Republican contributor Michael Steele hinted on Tuesday afternoon that racism has the reason why so many voters have told pollsters they prefer President Donald Trump to better handle the economy than Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
As the two discussed why Trump still has high ratings on the economy despite the decline it has taken since the pandemic, the two talked in circles a bit before Steele finally suggested that it was the "ugliness" of suburban whites not wanting minorities moving into their neighborhoods that was driving pro-Trump sentiment expressed to pollsters.
After Tur asked why voters would prefer Trump in spite of the recent economic downturn, Steele cryptically responded:
You've got to understand what that hook is that keeps them on the fence. You've got to understand what it will take to get them off the fence. I would contend to you that the hook -- one of those hooks is the economy. Despite that, yeah, the economy has flat-lined and crashed and all of that -- tell me why there's still a 10-point advantage to the President. They're not making the same assessment that a lot of the, you know, "smart money" or "smart people," are making about this
As Tur jumped in to press for a more direct answer, Steele continued his cryptic musing:
STEELE: [I]t's rooted in their reality -- it's rooted in their reality. They feel -- whatever they're feeling, whatever they're taking away from it, they still give that kind of advantage to the President. And I think that the Biden campaign and Democratic Party and those that are ancillary to that have to understand at its core: What is it that's making these folks still think and tick in that direction? I'm not saying that, you know, at the end of the day, they will or won't move off of Donald Trump. What I am saying is, if you want to run the kind of campaign you're going to need to win, you're going to have to understand that element of this as well because when you look at all the other metrics, Biden is leading, but a 10-point --
TUR: Yeah.
STEELE: -- given everything that we have seen on the economy -- having a 10-point edge for Trump, you've got to understand why that is.
Tur then followed up by asking if there is an ulterior motive to why voters are telling pollsters they approve of Trump on the economy:
I think this is where things get really interesting because I wonder, then, is it actually the economy then? Maybe they're just using the economy as a stand-in for another feeling that they have about Donald Trump. So, when the Biden team tries to figure out what is it that's going to make them feel more confident with Biden and vote for him, should they be looking at the economy or should they be looking at something else?
Steele then alluded to the liberal media's theory that Trump's repeal of Obama administration housing regulations is a racist appeal to suburban voters as the MSNBC contributor responded:
There, Katy, that's why I like you, Katy. You -- you've got your finger on the under side of that question. That's exactly right. Is this polling on the economy a stand-in for something that's a little bit deeper, that goes a little bit further down than where we're looking? And the key for me is what the President said for the last few weeks. What's been his appeal and his approach the last few weeks? Specifically to white women -- specifically to white suburban women, right? They're coming for your homes -- they're coming for your communities.
He more directly hinted at racial motivations as he added:
At the end of that -- that economic rainbow for those folks lies the ugliness of fear of others -- lies the ugliness of fears of the neighborhood -- "my community changing in a way I may not want and certainly I would not express in polite company." So, yeah, that's part of understanding what that 10-point number is telling us or saying or -- specifically to your point, Katy -- is hiding. Trump knows -- he at least has a sense about that, and there's a reason why you've got to pay attention to how he talks and what he says, particularly to suburban voters.
Making clear her visceral disdain toward those outside her world view, Tur concluded: "This is where polling can only go so far. Michael Steele, thank you for the beginnings of a conversation we should be having more often. It is fascinating."
This episode of MSNBC Live with Katy Tur was sponsored by Liberty Mutual and DampRid. Their contact information is linked.
Below is the relevant transcript:
MSNBC Live with Katy Tur
August 18, 2020
2:27 p.m. EasternMICHAEL STEELE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: You've got to understand what that hook is that keeps them on the fence. You've got to understand what it will take to get them off the fence. I would contend to you that the hook -- one of those hooks is the economy. Despite that, yeah, the economy has flat-lined and crashed and all of that -- tell me why there's still a 10-point advantage to the President. They're not making the same assessment that a lot of the, you know, "smart money" or "smart people," are making about this and saying well, because --
KATY TUR: But what reality is that rooted in, Michael, is what I'm asking?
STEELE: -- it's rooted in their reality -- it's rooted in their reality. They feel -- whatever they're feeling, whatever they're taking away from it, they still give that kind of advantage to the President. And I think that the Biden campaign and Democratic Party and those that are ancillary to that have to understand at its core: What is it that's making these folks still think and tick in that direction? I'm not saying that, you know, at the end of the day, they will or won't move off of Donald Trump. What I am saying is, if you want to run the kind of campaign you're going to need to win, you're going to have to understand that element of this as well because when you look at all the other metrics, Biden is leading, but a 10-point --
TUR: Yeah.
STEELE: -- given everything that we have seen on the economy -- having a 10-point edge for Trump, you've got to understand why that is.
TUR: I think this is where things get really interesting because I wonder, then, is it actually the economy then? Maybe they're just using the economy as a stand-in for another feeling that they have about Donald Trump.
STEELE: Ahhh!
TUR: So, when the Biden team tries to figure out what is it that's going to make them feel more confident with Biden and vote for him, should they be looking at the economy or should they be looking at something else?
STEELE: There, Katy, that's why I like you, Katy. You -- you've got your finger on the under side of that question. That's exactly right. Is this polling on the economy a stand-in for something that's a little bit deeper, that goes a little bit further down than where we're looking? And the key for me is what the President said for the last few weeks. What's been his appeal and his approach the last few weeks? Specifically to white women -- specifically to white suburban women, right? They're coming for your homes -- they're coming for your communities. At the end of that -- that economic rainbow for those folks lies the ugliness of fear of others -- lies the ugliness of fears of the neighborhood -- "my community changing in a way I may not want and certainly I would not express in polite company." So, yeah, that's part of understanding what that 10-point number is telling us or saying or -- specifically to your point, Katy -- is hiding. Trump knows -- he at least has a sense about that, and there's a reason why you've got to pay attention to how he talks and what he says, particularly to suburban voters.
TUR: This is where polling can only go so far.
STEELE: That's right.
TUR: Michael Steele, thank you for the beginnings of a conversation we should be having more often. It is fascinating.
