Appearing on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports Thursday afternoon as Nancy Pelosi was reelected Speaker of the House, lefty historian Doris Kearns Goodwin hailed the Democratic leader as “the right person at the right time in the right place.” She went on to describe how “thrilling” it was to see Democrats regain control of the congressional chamber and bring “joy” back to Washington.
After welcoming Goodwin to the show, anchor Andrea Mitchell fawned: “First to you, Doris, the significance of Nancy Pelosi now, the most powerful woman in government?” Goodwin proclaimed: “You know, I think for all the angst that people felt about who the speaker should be, between the election and today, there’s no question she’s the right person at the right time in the right place.”
Commenting on the new crop of far-left members of Congress taking office, Goodwin marveled: “It’s an incredible thing to see this diverse House. I must say, I’m ever-optimistic when I watch them. A lot of young people must be feeling, ‘I can be one of them.’ So it’s a pretty exciting thing.” She provided another enthusiastic endorsement of Pelosi as their leader: “And she knows procedure, she knows strategy, she knows politics, and she’s confident as hell.”
Minutes later, Goodwin lectured:
You know, it’s about time. It’s about time that the House of Representatives, the peoples’ house, begins to look more like the people of the United States. And I think it’s thrilling, I felt that at the time of the midterms.
She imagined how “some 20 years from now, 30 years from now, there’ll be a young Doris Kearns Goodwin writing about one of these characters as an historic figure. So I’m ever-optimistic when I see these moments of change, I think it’s pretty grand.”
Returning to the coverage for a third time just before the end of the show, Goodwin added some final celebratory remarks:
We’ve had so little joy in politics in these last months. I mean, there seems to me so little joy in President Trump as a person, you know, except when he’s fighting against something. So to see families together at this moment, to see the joy of new people thinking that maybe things will be different, you know, that maybe something will change and this fever will break, we just have to celebrate that moment. And it’s a great thing.
She advised viewers to “just take this moment and feel good about it,” adding, “I just have a little bit better feeling about things right now, as of this moment.”
Mitchell happily agreed: “Well, we love to have your optimism...”
The moment Democrats are back in power, liberal journalists and pundits suddenly get a “better feeling” about politics and see “joy” return to the nation’s capital. It’s funny how their emotional state is dependent upon who’s in power in Washington.
Here are excerpts of Goodwin’s January 3 commentary to Mitchell:
12:36 PM ET
(...)
ANDREA MITCHELL: First to you, Doris, the significance of Nancy Pelosi now, the most powerful woman in government?
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: You know, I think for all the angst that people felt about who the speaker should be, between the election and today, there’s no question she’s the right person at the right time in the right place. Now the question for her, I think the challenge for her, to allow that symbolic vote against her, not influence how she treats those younger people. If I were her, I would let those resentments fade I would give them good assignments, I would make them part of the process.
I mean, one of the things that Teddy Roosevelt said after he was questioned when he kept on the McKinley cabinet, who were more conservative than he, “Aren’t you worried they won’t be loyal to you?” He said, “I don’t care what they did in the past, they need to be loyal to their work now.”
So if she can let these people spread their wings. It’s an incredible thing to see this diverse House. I must say, I’m ever-optimistic when I watch them. A lot of young people must be feeling, “I can be one of them.” So it’s a pretty exciting thing. And if she can let them spread their wings, but yet, get them to fly together on the key issues by forgetting these people that are voting against her and bringing them together, I think it would be a magnificent thing.
And she knows procedure, she knows strategy, she knows politics, and she’s confident as hell.
(...)
12:40 PM ET
MITCHELL: The diversity of this, Doris, is so extraordinary. You’ve got women members, new women members and like Ilhan Omar. She, 23 years ago, was from a refugee camp in Kenya. They had to change the rules so that she could wear the hijab on the floor of the House, you’re not allowed to have headgear on the floor of the House. They changed the rules for her appropriate religious dress. And just the fact that she has come from that refugee camp to become a new member of Congress, one of the two new Muslim American members. Pretty extraordinary.
GOODWIN: You know, it’s about time. It’s about time that the House of Representatives, the peoples’ house, begins to look more like the people of the United States. And I think it’s thrilling, I felt that at the time of the midterms. You’ve got more veterans in now than we’ve had in recent years. You know, way back in the 1965-75 period, 75% of the Congress and the senators were veterans, no wonder they could come together on a common mission and work across the party lines.
So I think now the exciting thing is what’s good about Nancy Pelosi is she loves this institution, she’s not running for the presidency, this is her life, this is her love. And if you can make those people in the House feel a loyalty to the House as a whole, to its responsibility as the peoples’ house, that might get beyond left and near-left and moderate and the divisions in the party, because it’s pretty exciting to be a member of the House of Representatives. And today’s a day when we can all see they’re signing in for the first time and say some 20 years from now, 30 years from now, there’ll be a young Doris Kearns Goodwin writing about one of these characters as an historic figure. So I’m ever-optimistic when I see these moments of change, I think it’s pretty grand.
(...)
12:51 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: One of the remarkable things about opening day of Congress, as Michael Steel knows well, and Doris Kearns Goodwin is still with us. Doris you can comment on the children. The children – we just saw a quick shot of Eric Swalwell with a baby. They all – they bring all their children. It’s the one time of year when everyone can come. Up in the gallery. we saw some shots of the Pelosi family proudly in the gallery. This is family day on Capitol Hill, Doris.
GOODWIN: Yeah, which makes it even a more warm occasion. You know, it struck me in Representative Jeffries nomination of Speaker Pelosi, when he talked about what a joy it was for him to nominate her. We’ve had so little joy in politics in these last months. I mean, there seems to me so little joy in President Trump as a person, you know, except when he’s fighting against something. So to see families together at this moment, to see the joy of new people thinking that maybe things will be different, you know, that maybe something will change and this fever will break, we just have to celebrate that moment. And it’s a great thing.
You’re right, normally they can’t be there. So, you know, let us just take this moment and feel good about it and know that maybe things will get tough again tomorrow. But I just have a little bit better feeling about things right now, as of this moment. So call me that.
MITCHELL: Well, we love to have your optimism as we face this continuing shutdown though.
(...)
