As an apparent sequel to their biased “My Big Idea” series that aided 2020 Democrats in pushing their liberal policy proposals to the public, NBC Nightly News kicked off a brand new series Tuesday dubbed “What Matters” where they only talk to Democratic voters and pitch their comments to Democratic candidates.
“We're less than a year away from the 2020 election, and there’s another Democratic debate this month. So, we asked what's most important to Democratic voters as they weigh their decision,” boasted anchor Lester Holt. “Our Harry Smith spoke with a group of them and is taking their questions straight to the candidates in our new series ‘What Matters.’”
Correspondent Harry Smith was back again to host this new series as well. He was at the Bethlehem Brew Works in Pennsylvania, and what was the first question he asked his assembled group of 11 Democratic voters? “How important is defeating Trump to everybody at the table?” Because of course, it was. And as NewsBusters noted for the last biased series from NBC, they couldn't have cared less about what mattered to Republican voters in 2016.
Recalling the group was also concerned about “issues of money, or lack thereof,” Smith then shared a soundbite of this asinine argument they had (click “expand”):
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: The top one percent is garnering more and more of the total wealth in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: It's worse than that. It's the top .1 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: But what I'm saying to you is—
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: 99 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: But it’s the top .1 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: And I agree with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: No it’s not, it's the top one percent, true. But it's the top .1 percent that is benefitting.
Smith showed that video to South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and asked him if he’s heard their concerns while on the campaign trail. “Yeah, absolutely. I think what people are seeing is a president who says the economy is doing great. Just look at the stock market. And a lot of folks around the country and around here in South Bend saying, ‘well, what about me,’” Buttigieg lamented.
From there, the NBC reporter teed up the Democratic candidate to pitch his liberal policy solutions. Of course, the solution was to jack up the minimum wage and “increasing access to unionization so that people can bargain for higher wages, not just the minimum wage.”
“The Midwestern mayor supports a wealth tax. He wants guaranteed paid family leave. And for the national minimum wage to grow to $15 an hour,” Smith touted on Buttigieg’s behalf.
Towards the end of his segment, Smith mocked the students of history that understood hiking the minimum wage leads to people losing their jobs:
SMITH: You can almost hear a collective groan, though, from business people in America hearing even that short list. “Well, who's going to pay for that? That's us, and that's going to be a drag on the economy.”
BUTTIGIEG: Well, here's the thing. The economy has grown faster than it is right now under periods where we had fairer tax policy and invested more. I'm pretty sure that when we have fairer taxes, wealthy people will still be wealthy, but we won't have levels of inequality that literally threaten the future of the republic.
“To Pete Buttigieg, the stakes for this 2020 race are that high,” he boosted Buttigieg’s hyperbolic declaration.
If “What Matters” is anything like “My Big Idea” was, then it will be a hotbed of liberal policy pushing for what matters to the folks at NBC News. Stay tuned.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
November 5, 2019
7:13:54 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: We're less than a year away from the 2020 election, and there’s another Democratic debate this month. So we asked what's most important to Democratic voters as they weigh their decision. Our Harry Smith spoke with a group of them and is taking their questions straight to the candidates in our new series "What Matters." Tonight's South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
[Cuts to video]
HARRY SMITH: We're at the Bethlehem Brew Works in the key swing state of Pennsylvania with a group of 11 Democratic voters talking about what matters to them.
How important is defeating Trump to everybody at the table?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Extremely important.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It’s the most important.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Number one, yes.
SMITH: Defeating the President and issues of money, or lack thereof.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: The top one percent is garnering more and more of the total wealth in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: It's worse than that. It's the top .1 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: But what I'm saying to you is—
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: 99 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: But it’s the top .1 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: And I agree with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: No it’s not, it's the top one percent, true. But it's the top .1 percent that is benefitting.
SMITH: This was Omar Rayes’ question, one that many here were asking
OMAR RAYES: How would you fix income inequality in the United States?
SMITH: We took to it the dining room table of South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg. Does that sound like what you've been hearing on the campaign trail?
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D): Yeah, absolutely. I think what people are seeing is a president who says the economy is doing great. Just look at the stock market. And a lot of folks around the country and around here in South Bend saying, “well, what about me?”
SMITH: What would be the number one thing you would try to do to address some of those issues?
BUTTIGIEG: Certainly a higher minimum wage. Increasing access to unionization so that people can bargain for higher wages, not just the minimum wage. Making sure that people can get the kind of support that they need in terms of health, sick leave.
SMITH: The Midwestern mayor supports a wealth tax. He wants guaranteed paid family leave. And for the national minimum wage to grow to $15 an hour.
You can almost hear a collective groan, though, from business people in America hearing even that short list. “Well, who's going to pay for that? That's us, and that's going to be a drag on the economy.”
BUTTIGIEG: Well, here's the thing. The economy has grown faster than it is right now under periods where we had fairer tax policy and invested more. I'm pretty sure that when we have fairer taxes, wealthy people will still be wealthy, but we won't have levels of inequality that literally threaten the future of the republic.
SMITH: To Pete Buttigieg, the stakes for this 2020 race are that high. Harry Smith, NBC News, South Bend, Indiana.
