In an example of what’s likely to play out during the 2020 Democratic primary battle, liberal panelists on NBC’s Meet the Press clashed over the feasibility of the left’s radical Green New Deal on Sunday. NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell rhetorically duked it out with Heather McGhee from the left-wing Demos nonprofit. The former wanted passible legislation while the latter wanted the GND passed in a panic.
Mitchell seemed disgusted by a video put out by a far left-wing group using kids to ambush California Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) on the Green New Deal. “Very uncomfortable. Let me just say, I think, first of all, she is a leader on the subject. So, why didn't they go after someone who is against climate change,” she decried. “Who are the adults who bring their kids, who don't understand this stuff, seven, eight, nine, ten-year-olds. I understand the passion of children and how important it is, but to ambush a senator this way.”
McGhee took a more radical hardline stance and touted the use of kids not just to ambushing a Democrat, but also to apparently “sleep” outside a GOP senator’s office. “First of all, those children and the sunrise movement, as it’s called, which was started by young people are sleeping outside of Mitch McConnell’s office. So it's often, ‘why are we attacking Democrats’ is what people say,” she explained.
“They don't post videos though -- They haven't posted videos outside McConnell’s office,” Mitchell shot back. But McGhee responded by noting: “They actually have. They just haven't gone viral.”
Admitting she was getting “emotional”, McGhee then dove into pushing climate change alarmism and hysteria:
One of the things that I think is so important about this is that it’s a difference of urgency. For someone who’s 7 years old-- We just sat here talking about the Clinton impeachment like it was yesterday. At that time, 20 years from now in the future, we will have all coral reefs gone in this country.
It’s something that most people who are thinking about their children right now. I'm sorry I'm getting emotional. But -- Dianne Feinstein has been great. And she has been in office and not had the urgency that is required. This is an emergency in this country. It's an emergency on this planet. There is no higher responsibility of anyone with any kind of political power right now than to try to stop a global catastrophe that’s not happening in three generations, it’s happening now.
Then, in an apparent attempt to be a liberal voice for reason, Mitchell tied to get McGhee to agree to legislation that she suggested actually had a chance at passing:
MITCHELL: I agree. But Heather, she's got legislation she's working on.
MCGHEE: But, it's not going to solve the problem.
MITCHELL: Is the new green deal going to solve the problem?
MCGHEE: Absolutely. The entire actually policy platform, if you look at the think tanks that have gone behind it.
MITCHELL: I agree with the hopes behind it but don’t you have to work on a bill?
MCGHEE: No. It's not a question of hopes. It’s a question of, is there going to be a reality for our children and their children's children. We can’t say it’s too aspirational, it's the planet.
Republican strategist Lanhee Chen chimed in and tried to use their argument as an example of what the Democratic Party would be facing during their primary. But McGhee wasn’t having any of it, snapping at him saying: “The Green New Deal is popular with 80 percent of Americans, why should there be multiple lanes to saving the plant?”
“It may be, until they realize it means they're going to lose their health care, they’re going to lose their transportation, and everything they care about,” he chided. McGhee proceeded to talk over Chen as he made the rest of his point, which was how there was room for another Democrat to jump into the race and say they wanted a “responsible way to address this issue”.
It’s always fun to watch the left eat their own. Unless you’re CNN’s S.E. Cupp.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
February 24, 2019
11:24:41 a.m. Eastern(…)
CHUCK TODD: I think a lot of people look at that, Andrea, and think, “boy, she could have been more -- less tone deaf in how to talk to the kids. And who are the adults that are using kids to practice politics?” It was -- the whole thing was uncomfortable.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Very uncomfortable. Let me just say, I think, first of all, she is a leader on the subject. So, why didn't they go after someone who is against climate change? She has legislation. She's saying, “I don't want to sign on to the New Green Deal because it's aspirational. It’s not legislation. I'm working on something that’s real.”
Who are the adults who bring their kids, who don't understand this stuff, seven, eight, nine, ten-year-olds. I understand the passion of children and how important it is, but to ambush a senator this way. And again, her political skills were lacking in terms of the way social media conveyed this.
But I just think, go after the critics. She's been stalwart on guns, on climate change, on all the other issues. And it just shows you the perils of social media. And I really don't understand this type of activism.
HEATHER MCGHEE: I this is a great topic for us to be talking about. First of all, those children and the sunrise movement, as it’s called, which was started by young people are sleeping outside of Mitch McConnell’s office. So it's often, “why are we attacking Democrats” is what people say. But they're also--
TODD: The 80/20. You’re 80 percent with but 20 percent against.
[Crosstalk]
MITCHELL: They don't post videos though -- They haven't posted videos outside McConnell’s office.
MCGHEE: They actually have. They just haven't gone viral. One of the things that I think is so important about this is that it’s a difference of urgency. For someone who’s 7 years old-- We just sat here talking about the Clinton impeachment like it was yesterday. At that time, 20 years from now in the future, we will have all coral reefs gone in this country.
It’s something that most people who are thinking about their children right now. I'm sorry I'm getting emotional. But -- Dianne Feinstein has been great. And she has been in office and not had the urgency that is required. This is an emergency in this country. It's an emergency on this planet. There is no higher responsibility of anyone with any kind of political power right now than to try to stop a global catastrophe that’s not happening in three generations, it’s happening now.
[Crosstalk]
MITCHELL: I agree. But Heather, she's got legislation she's working on.
MCGHEE: But, it's not going to solve the problem.
MITCHELL: Is the new green deal going to solve the problem?
MCGHEE: Absolutely. The entire actually policy platform, if you look at the think tanks that have gone behind it.
MITCHELL: I agree with the hopes behind it but don’t you have to work on a bill?
MCGHEE: No. It's not a question of hopes. It’s a question of, is there going to be a reality for our children and their children's children. We can’t say it’s too aspirational, it's the planet.
LANHEE CHEN: What you’re seeing though. This is the pull of the 2020 Democratic primary process. I mean this is where it’s headed. The challenge is, you’ve got so many people playing in this lane, in this lane around this Green New deal that have endorsed it that have said this is their policy preference, that's a very crowded lane in a 15-person field. And if you think about differentiation when you have a 15-person field, you have the think about your lane. There are an awful lot of lanes here from the pure politics of this not necessarily what might be the best policy.
MCGHEE: The Green New Deal is popular with 80 percent of Americans, why should there be multiple lanes to saving the plant?
CHEN: It may be until they realize it means they're going to lose their health care, they’re going to lose their transportation, and everything they care about.
MCGHEE (over Chen): They're going to lose national sovereignty when we have millions of climate refugees?
CHEN: Let’s talk for a minute about the politics. Because I think there’s an opportunity for someone like an Amy Klobuchar, like a Joe Biden, like a Mike Bloomberg to come out and say, “I think differently about this. I think there's a responsible way to address this issue.”
(…)
