Almost on cue when it became clear that GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz would announce Carly Fiorina as his running mate, MSNBC and host Erica Hill brought on EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock for a round of softballs to viciously smear yet another conservative woman as “a photo-op” versus an opponent like Hillary Clinton who has been “a champion her entire life for women and families.”
With smiles all around, Hill made sure to have zero mention of how EMILY’s List-backed Democratic candidates fared horribly on Tuesday night with senatorial candidate Donna Edwards losing in Maryland and Kathleen Matthews (wife of Hardball host Chris Matthews) losing a congressional race in the same state.
Hill started off easy with an easy lob to Schriock about the impending Cruz announcement: “First, I have to get your take on this announcement that we’re going to hear in just about 90 minutes, Ted Cruz naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Your take?”
The radical pro-abortion activist immediately sought to dismiss Fiorina as a legitimate candidate and only a pawn by Cruz standing in the way of liberals:
Well, if Ted Cruz thinks he will fix his problem with women voters with Carly Fiorina, he's making a huge mistake. I mean, voters aren't looking just for a photo-op, they're looking for candidates who support, particularly women candidates are looking for candidates who support policies that actually help women and families and this combination is against equal pay.
“They don't even think it's a problem. They want to dismantle Planned Parenthood. This is not a team that women voters are going to be taking a serious look at,” Schriock added.
Hill followed up with even more pandering by assisting Schriock in strategizing how Hillary Clinton could play the so-called woman’s card most effectively:
Is it effective for Hillary Clinton to talk about playing the woman’s card in the sense of, sure, you know what? Sign me up. I’m going to after equal pay. I’m going to work on family leave. Is it helpful to set those up as women's issues or would it be effective for her to set those up as issues that affect every single American and every family?
Her guest obviously agreed and touted those as “really important economic issues” in general by providing an “incredible contrast between Hillary Clinton and her support for women and families, whether it’s equal pay or healthcare or the list goes on and on versus Donald Trump and his decades of just atrocious statements about women and his embrace of the Republican policies that really hold women back.”
With time running low, Hill gleefully asked Schriock to step inside the Clinton campaign and explain what she would be telling the former secretary of state to do on the trail: “If you were advising Hillary Clinton because we know you want to get her there, how would you advise her that she go after Donald Trump?”
Lacking any sense of irony, Schriock closed by gushing about Clinton “as someone who's been a champion her entire life for women and families from her very first job at the Children’s Defense Fund”:
I think Hillary Clinton is doing exactly the right thing here. It is really, really important to talk about the differences really between these two political parties. I mean, what we see as Hillary Clinton as the leader of the Democratic Party as someone who's been a champion her entire life for women and families from her very first job at the children’s defense fund and up against Donald Trump who continues to say outrageous things about women in particular and also the Republican Party's continuation of policies that really are not good for women and families[.]
The relevant portion of the transcript from MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016 on April 27 can be found below.
MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016
April 27, 2016
2:37 p.m. Eastern
ERICA HILL: This news of Cruz tapping on — calling on Carly Fiorina as his running mate comes now as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, of course, have been trading fire. Donald Trump slamming Hillary Clinton saying that she's playing the “woman card.” All of this started when Clinton responded to one of Donald Trump's criticisms of her. Take a listen
HILLY CLINTON: Mr. Trump accused me playing the quote, “woman card.” Well, if fighting for women's healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in!
DONALD TRUMP: I think the only card she has is the woman's card. She's got nothing else going and frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get five percent of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the woman's card and the beautiful thing is women don't like her, okay? And look how well I did with women tonight, okay?
HILL: This morning, the Clinton campaigned fired off a fundraising e-mail to its supporters, calling Trump’s woman’s card comments a quote, “absurd diatribe” and saying his rhetoric has, quote, “created a volatile atmosphere.” Let's bring in now EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock. EMILY’s List, of course, supports pro-choice, Democratic women. First, I have to get your take on this announcement that we’re going to hear in just about 90 minutes, Ted Cruz naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Your take?
STEPHANIE SCHRIOCK: Well, if Ted Cruz thinks he will fix his problem with women voters with Carly Fiorina, he's making a huge mistake. I mean, voters aren't looking just for a photo-op, they're looking for candidates who support, particularly women candidates are looking for candidates who support policies that actually help women and families and this combination is against equal pay. They don't even think it's a problem. They want to dismantle Planned Parenthood. This is not a team that women voters are going to be taking a serious look at.
HILL: Is it effective for Hillary Clinton to talk about playing the woman’s card in the sense of, sure, you know what? Sign me up. I’m going to after equal pay. I’m going to work on family leave. Is it helpful to set those up as women's issues or would it be effective for her to set those up as issues that affect every single American and every family?
SCHRIOCK: Well, I think women and families in this country see those as family issues. Those are really important economic issues and when we're looking at the incredible contrast between Hillary Clinton and her support for women and families, whether it’s equal pay or healthcare or the list goes on and on versus Donald Trump and his decades of just atrocious statements about women and his embrace of the Republican policies that really hold women back. This contrast is clear and we’re going to see women voters standing with Hillary and the Democrats this year.
HILL: What do you think as we've seen and talking about throughout the day here on MSNBC these jabs that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are throwing back and forth at one another. A lot of talk how they both seem to be very focused on November. If you were advising Hillary Clinton because we know you want to get her there, how would you advise her that she go after Donald Trump?
SCHRIOCK: I think Hillary Clinton is doing exactly the right thing here. It is really, really important to talk about the differences really between these two political parties. I mean, what we see as Hillary Clinton as the leader of the Democratic Party as someone who's been a champion her entire life for women and families from her very first job at the Children’s Defense Fund and up against Donald Trump who continues to say outrageous things about women in particular and also the Republican Party's continuation of policies that really are not good for women and families and we saw the biggest gender gap in 2012, I — we may not see anything yet the way 2016's playing out.
HILL: Well, it’ll be interesting to see. There will be a lot more talk, I’m sure, about women’s issues, especially as we hear from Carly Fiorina from the other side of the aisle and ticket. Stephanie Schriock from EMILY’s List. Appreciate your time today, thank you.
SCHRIOCK: Any time. Thanks.
