While analyzing the first night of the CNN Democratic debate, on Wednesday’s CBS This Morning, chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett touted the “ferocity and intensity” with which Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders defended their extreme policy proposals on health care and climate change.
“Major, how did the progressive candidates, Warren and Bernie Sanders, handle the attacks from the moderates?,” co-host Anthony Mason asked at the top of the segment. Garrett eagerly replied: “With ferocity and intensity, which is what most of the participating Democrats in the primary and caucus process want. They kept the progressive lane nice and wide...”
The reporter further emphasized that Warren and Sanders have a “mutual non-aggression pact right now to keep the progressive lane wide” and fend off the “so-called moderates.”
Later in the discussion, co-host Tony Dokoupil wondered: “Regarding those progressive ideas, though, former Governor Hickenlooper pointed out that the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all, in his view will, quote, ‘FedEx the election to Donald Trump.’ Is he right?”
In response, Garrett channeled left-wing talking points demanding “bold” ideas:
There’s this huge debate going on in the Democratic Party that’s significant and it’s a reflection of the Trump phenomena. Progressives say, “Look, Donald Trump has pushed politics to a place where our voters not only want to defeat him, but are very energized, almost have a scream therapy process going on to want to defeat him.” So the more aggressive you are, the more you can rally the party. It’s going to be a base turnout election, one base against the other. And the bigger and bolder you are, the more you might be able to get people in the middle. That’s what their argument is....“Go bold and the country will follow you.” Because that’s what they say Trump offered and enough of the country followed him. Their answer is, “No, we need to be equally as bold. And if it sounds aspirational, maybe we don’t get everything, but we push hard.”
At no point did Garrett describe the radical plans being pushed by Warren and Sanders as socialist, out of the mainstream, or even liberal, they were simply being “bold” and “aspirational.”
Here is a transcript of the July 31 segment:
7:07 AM ET
ANTHONY MASON: Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett is here. Major, how did the progressive candidates, Warren and Bernie Sanders, handle the attacks from the moderates?
MAJOR GARRETT: With ferocity and intensity, which is what most of the participating Democrats in the primary and caucus process want. They kept the progressive lane nice and wide and they told the moderates, so-called moderates, “We disagree, we disagree aggressively, and we’re leading in the polls. You’re probably not going to be at the next debate, so we’ve widened the progressive lane for us.” They came in, many Democrats I talked to after the debate, tied for silver in this race and they emerged tied for silver. They did not really take on each other at all.
MASON: Why was that, do you think?
GARRETT: That’s – their in a mutual non-aggression pact right now to keep the progressive lane wide. They’ll get at each other later, but now’s not the time. Now is the time to say, “There’s this dispute within the party, we’re going to respond aggressively, and we’re going to keep this lane wide.”
MICHELLE MILLER: It almost looked as though like they were running – they were like –
MASON: Running together.
MILLER: Running together.
GARRETT: Almost. But there is a structural reality to where this race is. Warren has been gradually moving up and taking support away from Bernie Sanders. So on a night when they’re tied, it’s better for Elizabeth Warren, because she has built better infrastructure and has been moving in the polls in a way that has come at Sanders’ detriment. So a tie for Sanders, which is probably what happened last night, is not structurally good.
(...)
7:08 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: Regarding those progressive ideas, though, former Governor Hickenlooper pointed out that the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all, in his view will, quote, “FedEx the election to Donald Trump.” Is he right?
GARRETT: There’s this huge debate going on in the Democratic Party that’s significant and it’s a reflection of the Trump phenomena. Progressives say, “Look, Donald Trump has pushed politics to a place where our voters not only want to defeat him, but are very energized, almost have a scream therapy process going on to want to defeat him.” So the more aggressive you are, the more you can rally the party. It’s going to be a base turnout election, one base against the other. And the bigger and bolder you are, the more you might be able to get people in the middle. That’s what their argument is. Moderates are like, “We’ve not tested that.” You heard references to Mondale and Dukakis.
MASON: Yes, Dukakis.
GARRETT: The progressives say, “No, the analogue is Gore, Kerry, and Hillary Clinton. They were safe ones and didn’t win. Go bold and the country will follow you.” Because that’s what they say Trump offered and enough of the country followed him. Their answer is, “No, we need to be equally as bold. And if it sounds aspirational, maybe we don’t get everything, but we push hard.”
(...)
