When the left shows you who they are, believe them. Such was the case on Thursday’s ReidOut as host Joy Reid celebrated Biden aide Jennifer O’Malley Dillon calling Republicans “a bunch of f***ers,” and insisted that’s what Republicans have spent this week upset about instead of the millions of Americans suffering amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the guise of saying Republicans should have no room to talk due to the current President’s routine use of crass and vulgar language, Reid and her pals revealed the obvious truth that Joe Biden’s pledge to “restore the soul of America” and have people both “lower the temperature” and “see each other again” was a total lie.
Instead, it’ll be Democrats refusing to see non-Democrats as not sparing partners or good people you can disagree with, but less-than-human.
Reid set the table with a short bit introducing a new, reoccurring segment for the lame-duck session called “What the Duck” and complaining: “A hallmark of the Trump presidency has been the absolute silence of Republicans as Trump took a blow torch to norms, decency, and democracy.”
After cycling through Trump clips from over the last four years using expletives, denouncing Democrats, and ridiculing Republicans, Reid’s juvenile sarcasm hit a fever pitch:
You know, these liddle Republicans haven't been profiles in courage. Or really said anything at all until after Trump lost. Well, as the sun sets on Trump’s virulent and vulgarian, pearl-clutching Republicans are suddenly finding their voices. Is it that Trump caged babies? Oh, no, no, no. Is it that he’s lied to us about the coronavirus? No. Is that millions are hungry and on the brink of homelessness? Nope.
Reid returned from a commercial break and continued constructing her strawman and ignoring both the hypocrisy and lies constructed by her side with — you probably guessed it — name-calling (click “expand”):
Last night, forever presidential candidate Marco Rubio went to bed outraged — OUTRAGED — that a woman dared to call out Republicans. Rubio, who has carried trumps water in a tiny little bottle for four years, was critical of President-Elect’s call for unity after his campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon questioned Republican motives by using an expletive. Earlier this month, Biden defended his decision to nominate Neera Tanden to OMB after Senate Republicans warned she might not be confirmed because they found her tweets about them just too offensive. What the duck? [LAUGHS] I guess — I love that duck.
I guess they have been asleep for four years. [INTRODUCES PANEL] Cause you have doctorate, Jason Johnson, we want you to be involved in a segment that's kind of co-hosted by a duck. And so we want to make sure you keep your head on straight. You know what I mean? We gotta keep you humble. So, let's start out by talking about the whiny. Marco Rubio, who by the way, hasn't tweeted about the Russian attack — cyberattack on the United States even though he is the acting — the chair — the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted: “Biden talks about unity and healing, but you want to know what they really think? Read how the person he wants as the next WH deputy chief of staff called Republicans in Congress a bunch of f***ers.” And here's what Jennifer O’Malley Dillon actually said in Glamour magazine: “In the primary, people would mock him” — Biden — “like, ‘You think you can work with Republicans?’ I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of f’ers. Mitch McConnell is terrible.” “But this sense that you couldn’t wish for that, you couldn’t wish for this bipartisan ideal? He rejected that.” Which is a thing, “I’m not saying they’re...f’ers.” I’m not saying you shouldn’t work with them. Is that enough for Marco Rubio to go on a tweet storm?
A far-left progressive, MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson complained without a hint of irony that Republicans are lashing out as they always do “whenever they don't feel they control every single aspect of American society” with “these ridiculous, disingenuous, hypocritical, bad faith arguments.”
Jason also lamented the fall of Al Franken (while Trump got to stay in office) before insisting Republicans have “got more bad faith than Judas,” so they deserve to be cussed at and demeaned: “And I think what's important to remember is this is just going to continue as they realize more and more that the language that Democrats have been holding in for all these years is going to be common once Biden gets into office.”
Former Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined in by dismissing all Republicans as “puppets of Trump” and “hypocritical babies” but then demanded that they show humanity and “understand that people are hurting and they ought to get busy and do their job and stop worrying about somebody that hurts their feelings.”
Continuing on this theme of simultaneously belittling and demanding fealty from tens of millions of people who vote Republican, Johnson continued with his own strawman about Rubio being incapable of positive human emotion (click “expand”):
JOHNSON: [T]hese guys want to give $600 to people when you’ve got 900,000 people asking for unemployment in a week. If there’s anyone who has as a right to use profanity right now, it’s all of the American people out there. It’s the 300,000 plus people whose — whose families are suffering through a loss. Someone who’s not going to be — Biden’s phrase — someone who’s not going to be at the table this Christmas, not going to be at the table at Thanksgiving. It's the 900,000 who are applying for unemployment while Marco Rubio — the most offensive thing to him is not skyrocketing COVID rates in Florida. It’s not the fact that you’ve got people who are being evicted and kicked out of their homes. It’s not the fact that the Russians are attacking us. It’s not the fact that your sitting President tried to cheat. It’s not the fact that your sitting President insulted you. The most terrible thing in the world is that a Latinx congresswoman from the Bronx, it — you know, exists. And that — and that — and that these sorts of people are out there and empowered. So he wants to fight with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and he wants to get mad about women in the Biden administration. That's more offensive to him than hundreds of millions of people who are suffering across this country.
REID: And I think that’s an important point...[b]ecause these — they seem to get much more tweaked by women who say things and who, in their minds, step out of line than by anything that any man does, including Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump.
On November 7, Biden implored Americans to unite: “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again. Listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans. They’re Americans.”
He also said in his victory speech that he would “be a president who seeks not to divide but unify” and urged those listening to work together toward “a nation united,” “strengthened,” and “healed.”
But as we’ve seen countless times since the election and here with Reid and her crew, Biden’s words are nothing but lies as his side is hellbent on what they view as payback.
What a long four years it will be.
Reid’s outright hatred of people that think differently was brought to you by (and thus endorsed by) advertisers such as Gold Bond, Lincoln Motor Company, and Olay. Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from December 17, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
December 17, 2020
7:33 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: What the Ducks?!? GOP Suddenly Outraged by Foul Language]
JOY REID: There are just 34 days left of the Trump administration. We call this the lame duck period. After the 18th century term for a duck who’s unable to keep up with the flock, so basically a president and a congress on the way out. Now, usually not much happens during this interregnum between governments. Although there have been times like during the Civil Rights Era or first Obama-era lame duck Congress where major progressive legislation has happened. Like the Congress that passed ObamaCare then getting wiped out in the midterm and then ending don't ask don't tell on the way out in the lame duck. Well, now, tonight on The ReidOut we're launching a new segment to document what lame duck Trump and his Republican lemmings are doing on their way out the door. And because nothing good is going to come out of that, we're calling it, “what the duck?” A hallmark of the Trump presidency has been the absolute silence of Republicans as Trump took a blow torch to norms, decency, and democracy. They had no problem with his foul language.
DONALD TRUMP [on 10/11/19]: They’re pursuing an illegal, unvalid, and unconstitutional [EXPLETIVE] impeachment. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 02/06/20] We went through Russia, Russia, Russia. It was all [EXPLETIVE]. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 10/18/20] It was made up. Just like the Russia, Russia, Russia [EXPLETIVE] that was made up. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 10/16/20] This is the craziest thing done by AOC plus three. Who knows nothing about the environment. She doesn't know. She has a great line of [EXPLETIVE].
REID: You didn't hear them object much when he hurled racist, misogynistic, and anti-American labels at Democrats.
TRUMP [on 10/08/20]: This monster that was on stage with Mike Pence, who destroyed her last night, by the way. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 09/22/20] Omar of Minnesota. [SCREEN WIPE] She’s telling us how to run our country. How did you do where you came from? How is your country doing? [SCREEN WIPE] [on 10/17/19] The do nothing Democrats have betrayed the country. [SCREEN WIPE] Radical Democrats want to destroy America.
REID: And you definitely didn't hear them say much of anything when he lobbed insults their way.
TRUMP [on 10/18/20]: Now, we have this guy Sasse — you know, wants to make a statement. Little Ben. Little Ben Sasse. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 01/24/16] One of the problems with Ted Cruz is everybody hates hip. I mean, he's a nasty guy. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 03/03/16] I could have said, “Mitt, drop to your knees.” He would have dropped to his knees. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 03/13/16] Liddle — l-i-d-d-l-e — liddle. Liddle Marco. You know, we — we have to — you have to brand people a certain way when they’re your opponents.
REID: You know, these liddle Republicans haven't been profiles in courage. Or really said anything at all until after Trump lost. Well, as the sun sets on Trump’s virulent and vulgarian, pearl-clutching Republicans are suddenly finding their voices. Is it that Trump caged babies? Oh, no, no, no. Is it that he’s lied to us about the coronavirus? No. Is that millions are hungry and on the brink of homelessness? Nope. Stay tuned to find out What the Duck has triggered them.
(....)
7:41 p.m. Eastern
REID: Last night, forever presidential candidate Marco Rubio went to bed outraged — OUTRAGED — that a woman dared to call out Republicans. Rubio, who has carried Trump’s water in a tiny little bottle for four years, was critical of President-Elect’s call for unity after his campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon questioned Republican motives by using an expletive. Earlier this month, Biden defended his decision to nominate Neera Tanden to OMB after Senate Republicans warned she might not be confirmed because they found her tweets about them just too offensive. What the duck? [LAUGHS] I guess — I love that duck. I guess they have been asleep for four years. [INTRODUCES PANEL] Cause you have doctorate, Jason Johnson, we want you to be involved in a segment that's kind of co-hosted by a duck. And so we want to make sure you keep your head on straight. You know what I mean? We gotta keep you humble. So, let's start out by talking about the whiny. Marco Rubio, who by the way, hasn't tweeted about the Russian attack — cyberattack on the United States even though he is the acting — the chair — the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted: “Biden talks about unity and healing, but you want to know what they really think? Read how the person he wants as the next WH deputy chief of staff called Republicans in Congress a bunch of f***ers.” And here's what Jennifer O’Malley Dillon actually said in Glamour magazine: “In the primary, people would mock him” — Biden — “like, ‘You think you can work with Republicans?’ I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of f’ers. Mitch McConnell is terrible.” “But this sense that you couldn’t wish for that, you couldn’t wish for this bipartisan ideal? He rejected that.” Which is a thing, “I’m not saying they’re...f’ers.” I’m not saying you shouldn’t work with them. Is that enough for Marco Rubio to go on a tweet storm?
JASON JOHNSON: Joy, look, this is a guy who, if you ask your random person in the street, more people know him by his rap name Liddle Marco than actually know where he's a senator from. Lik, he’s — he's been attacked by mean language by the very President that he’s holding water for. But this is what happens with the Republican Party. Whenever they are out of power, whenever they don't feel they control every single aspect of American society, they engage in these ridiculous, disingenuous, hypocritical, bad faith arguments, right? What they — they — they got mad about Franken and then two years later, they voted for Trump. They get mad about profligate spending by Democrats and then they bust the budget. They’ve got more bad faith than Judas. It's ridiculous. And I think what's important to remember is this is just going to continue as they realize more and more that the language that Democrats have been holding in for all these years is going to be common once Biden gets into office.
REID: Well, I mean, and you know, Senator Boxer, you didn't have Rubio go on a tweet storm or start tweeting bible verses — which is his other favorite thing to do — when Congressman Ted Yoho called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez an f’ing B, right? He didn't have any problem with that. He didn’t have any problem with Donald Trump’s vulgarity. But suddenly, he wants to be the morality police. Maybe he should call his buddy Donald Trump and tell him not to try to veto the NDAA and basically defund the military. That's the other thing that’s going on in the lame duck. Your thoughts?
BARBARA BOXER: My thoughts are that Marco Rubio and all of these guys who just are the puppets of Trump, they are just hypocritical babies. You know, grow up. We know what they say when they're behind closed doors. And for them to act so shocked when someone makes a comment like that, in these days when, you know, everything you say is on social media. The whole thing’s absurd. But I have to say, I’m glad you’re looking at lame ducks because lame ducks are grumpy. And Marco Rubio is grumpy. He thought he’d be able to run. Now, Trump says he's running. You know, he's grumpy. He's around people retiring and don't want to be there. He doesn't want to be there. He wasn't in the room where all the work happened and he's jealous of that. So, I can tell you having gone through more lame ducks than I care to remember, it is one grumpy time. And they ought to just understand that people are hurting and they ought to get busy and do their job and stop worrying about somebody that hurts their feelings.
REID: Well, and you know, it’s — it is remarkable to me, Jason. You know, in the lame duck in 2010, that Congress that had got wiped out because they had taken — had the courage to vote for healthcare. And a lot of them lost seats. They said, “you know what we’re going to do in this lame duck? We’re going to end don't ask, don't tell. We’re going to pass a START treaty.” That was one of the most historic lame duck sessions, really since the Civil Right Movement when there were also huge pushes to pass progressive legislation that actually helped people. We're deep into the lame duck and there is still no decent bill that matches what the House tried to pass for people who are literally — eight million new people in poverty. That’s not getting done and if it does get done, it’s going to be a baby bill. What — what is this about?
JOHNSON: Right. Well, it’s also, Joy, it's about distraction, right? Like, like, these guys want to give $600 to people when you’ve got 900,000 people asking for unemployment in a week. If there’s anyone who has as a right to use profanity right now, it’s all of the American people out there. It’s the 300,000 plus people whose — whose families are suffering through a loss. Someone who’s not going to be — Biden’s phrase — someone who’s not going to be at the table this Christmas, not going to be at the table at Thanksgiving. It's the 900,000 who are applying for unemployment while Marco Rubio — the most offensive thing to him is not skyrocketing COVID rates in Florida. It’s not the fact that you’ve got people who are being evicted and kicked out of their homes. It’s not the fact that the Russians are attacking us. It’s not the fact that your sitting President tried to cheat. It’s not the fact that your sitting President insulted you. The most terrible thing in the world is that a Latinx congresswoman from the Bronx, it — you know, exists. And that — and that — and that these sorts of people are out there and empowered. So he wants to fight with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and he wants to get mad about women in the Biden administration. That's more offensive to him than hundreds of millions of people who are suffering across this country.
REID: And I think that’s an important point, you know, Senator Boxer. Because these — they seem to get much more tweaked by women who say things and who, in their minds, step out of line than by anything that any man does, including Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump.
BOXER: Well, I’m — I’m smiling with a wry smile because if I told you how many times they called on me to resign, I can't even tell you. So, wou know what? Let's just focus on reality. And you know, Jason points it out. We're in a dire situation in our nation. We look at the clips from my state of California, my great, magnificent state. I — I literally cry. People are waiting online — in line to get food. People who never, ever thought they had to do it and when you ask them about it, they just tear up and say I don't have a choice. And meanwhile, they're grumpy in a lame duck. Quack quack. Bottom line, Mitch McConnell doesn't want to do anything. And the only reason he's looking at doing something, as you said, a baby step, IS because he's scared that his two beloved candidates who are — are corrupt who are running in Georgia — okay — who wouldn't know what want — what the word want even means or what the word needy even means and he's worried —
REID: Yeah.
BOXER: — that people catching on. And so he may put something forward.
REID: Yeah.
BOXER: But everyone who is left out of the room where it happens — I know this —
REID: Yeah.
BOXER: — they want to be in the room where it happens. They want their favorite thing and we’re stymied and they better get help to people or we’re not going to look like America. We're not.
REID: Yeah. It’s — it’s — this is going to be quite a lame duck session, so I'm glad we have this new segment. Glad you guys kicked it off with us. A perfect pair. Former Senator Barbara Boxer, Jason Johnson, friends both. Thank you very much.
