Wednesday night saw crickets on screeches about how democracy died a little and that press freedoms in America were under attack when, hours earlier, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) didn’t just swat down questions about his campaign from CNN’s Manu Raju and another reporter, but he berated them with a use of the f-bomb.
MSNBC’s MTP Daily host Chuck Todd read part of Sanders’s tirade aloud, but NBC Nightly News and then MSNBC’s now-Hardball-free 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour that the audio was played for the world to hear.
On the latter show, host Steve Kornacki teed it up by noting that Sanders has been “facing growing pressure to bow out of the presidential race” and had to refute an erroneous (and corrected) Axios piece that said he was dropping out.
Sanders was being questioned by at least one unidentified female reporter in addition to Raju when the proverbial gloves came off (click “expand”):
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Sir, what are you saying to your supporters? There’s been a lot of flurry today ---
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Well, some of what was said was just untrue. We sent out a statement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Uh-huh. What ---
MANU RAJU: What's the time frame?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: --- do you ---
SANDERS: You have to stop with this. I’m dealing a [EXPLETIVE] global crisis, you know? We’re dealing with it and you’re asking me these questions.
RAJU: You're running for president, so ---
SANDERS: Well, right now I'm running. Right now, I’m trying to do my best to make sure we don't have an economic meltdown and that people don't die. Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?
This may seem pedantic, but if a Republican Senator did this to a CNN reporter, the liberal media would be raising hell and offering finger-wagging commentaries about the First Amendment.
Oh, wait. We DO have an example of that. And didn’t CNN act as though it was the end of the world?
Good times…..seriously. Better than the times we’re living in now.
To see the relevant transcript from March 18, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s Decision 2020
March 18, 2020
7:50 p.m. EasternSTEVE KORNACKI: Following those losses in last night’s Democratic primaries that we were just talking about, Senator Bernie Sanders is facing growing pressure to bow out of the presidential race. Today, he was on Capitol Hill to vote on that Senate coronavirus legislation. Sanders got heated as he shot down an earlier report from Axios that he was suspending his campaign. Axios later said that it got that wrong and apologized.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Sir, what are you saying to your supporters? There’s been a lot of flurry today ---
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Well, some of what was said was just untrue. We sent out a statement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Uh-huh. What ---
MANU RAJU: What's the time frame?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: --- do you ---
SANDERS: You have to stop with this. I’m dealing a [EXPLETIVE] global crisis, you know? We’re dealing with it and you’re asking me these questions.
RAJU: You're running for president, so ---
SANDERS: Well, right now I'm running. Right now, I’m trying to do my best to make sure we don't have an economic meltdown and that people don't die. Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?
