At a gathering of Democrats in California on Saturday, 2020 candidates and party leaders stoked the hate of their base. But there was something of a backdraft when Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the stage and was drowned out by the crowd as they demanded she begin impeaching President Trump, much to the seeming excitement of ABC’s Good Morning America on Sunday. The network had the added bonus of Democrats pushing for gun control.
Leading into her report, White House correspondent Tara Palmeri noted that California had become an important part of the 2020 strategy for competing Democrats. “Now, the crowd was mainly Progressive. They were literally shouting for impeachment,” she hyped.
Palmeri also touted how those candidates used the conference to push for switching up the Party’s approach to impeachment:
Until now, many 2020 presidential hopefuls drawing the line at impeachment. But overnight, some taking a stand at the California Democratic Party conference, separating from the pack at the largest gathering of 2020 candidates before the Democratic debates.
“Shouts drowning out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech in her hometown of San Francisco,” she showed off. A clip of this is in the video below.
Following the report, co-anchor Tom Llamas brought on chief anchor and Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos to talk about the scene. Seeming to take on the role of Democratic spokesperson, Stephanopoulos made their argument for impeachment:
And listen closely to what they're saying. And I think they’re trying to draw a line right here. They're not saying, we ready to vote for impeachment right now, they’re saying we should start impeachment inquiries, impeachment proceedings. And that's where the pressure is on Nancy Pelosi right now, including from members of her own caucus, including her own committee chairman.
They’re not saying we necessarily have to move to a vote now on impeachment, but we have to think about opening up a formal inquiry so we can increase the Democrats' power against the White House, leverage against the White House and put a focus on what they think are high crimes and misdemeanors outlined in Robert Mueller's report.
In addition to touting their cries for impeachment, ABC championed calls from the candidates for extreme gun control measures under the guise of “gun reform”:
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: We're not secure if the Second Amendment is allowed to become a death sentence for thousands of Americans because Washington can't deliver commonsense gun reform.
(…)
REP. ERIC SWALWELL: Those weapons belong on battlefields, not in our churches and not in our schools.
Stephanopoulos was hopeful for tougher gun control given that there were candidates like “Cory Booker calling for gun registration. Eric Swalwell calling for gun buybacks.”
“And this has been perilous for Democrats in past presidential election. I think you will see it more part of the debate. A lot of this will depend on whether young people, especially, are energized to come out in massive issues because of this issue,” he added.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
June 2, 2019
8:11:24 a.m. EasternEVA PILGRIM: Well, now to the race for 2020 and some drama on the stage. As Democratic candidates and party leaders spoke about their priority issues at a major event in California.
TOM LLAMAS: ABC's White House correspondent Tara Palmeri is on the north lawn this morning with that story. Tara, good morning.
TARA PALMERI: Good morning, Tom and Eva. 14 Democratic candidates were pounding the pavement this weekend in California. What's become a critical state for Democrats who want to clinch the nomination because they moved up the primary. Now, the crowd was mainly Progressive. They were literally shouting for impeachment. But our recent polling shows very little overall public support for impeachment.
[Cuts to video]
Until now, many 2020 presidential hopefuls drawing the line at impeachment. But overnight, some taking a stand at the California Democratic Party conference, separating from the pack at the largest gathering of 2020 candidates before the Democratic debates.
(…)
PALMERI: Shouts drowning out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech in her hometown of San Francisco.
[Pelosi trying to speak but shouts of “impeach” drown her out]
PALMERI: Pelosi, under pressure to act. More than 50 House Democrats now support impeachment hearings following Special Counsel Robert Mueller's statement that he didn't clear the President on obstruction of justice. Candidates also taking a stand on gun control after that mass shooting in Virginia Beach.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: We're not secure if the Second Amendment is allowed to become a death sentence for thousands of Americans because Washington can't deliver commonsense gun reform.
PALMERI: Floating their ideas for gun reform.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL: Those weapons belong on battlefields, not in our churches and not in our schools.
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
PALMERI: Joe Biden was noticeably absent from that event. He skipped California for another battleground state, Ohio, where he hosted an LGBTQ dinner. And at that dinner, he called President Trump a disaster on human rights.
(…)
LLAMAS: I want to start with the news this weekend. So, we have 12 people killed in Virginia Beach. Police saying the gunman had an arsenal of weapons including a silencer. Since 2016, we’ve had Las Vegas, Parkland, the synagogue shootings, and it doesn’t stop the problem is getting worse. Do you see this emerging as a major campaign issue in 2020?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, it did become a pretty big campaign issue in the 2018 midterm elections. You saw more candidates elected in the 2018 midterms who were supporting tougher restrictions on guns. And you've got some of the Democrats now calling for quite far-reaching proposals, including Cory Booker calling for gun registration. Eric Swalwell calling for gun buybacks.
But you see that implacable opposition, led by the National Rifle Association. The Republicans control the Senate. And this has been perilous for Democrats in past presidential election. I think you will see it more part of the debate. A lot of this will depend on whether young people, especially, are energized to come out in massive issues because of this issue.
LLAMAS: We saw it in Parkland and they were able to do it in Florida.
I want to go back to some of the images we saw in Tara's piece. Speaker Nancy Pelosi at that state convention in California, interrupted by chants of "impeach, impeach." She’s made it clear she’s not at that point yet. As Tara pointed out, a poll shows the country doesn't want it right now. But we heard what some Democrats and that activist base are saying and it sounds like some of the candidates are coming around to it.
STEPHANOPOLOUS: And listen closely to what they're saying. And I think they’re trying to draw a line right here. They're not saying, we ready to vote for impeachment right now, they’re saying we should start impeachment inquiries, impeachment proceedings. And that's where the pressure is on Nancy Pelosi right now, including from members of her own caucus, including her own committee chairman.
They’re not saying we necessarily have to move to a vote now on impeachment, but we have to think about opening up a formal inquiry so we can increase the Democrats' power against the White House, leverage against the White House and put a focus on what they think are high crimes and misdemeanors outlined in Robert Mueller's report.
