As part of their new “What Matters” series, the segment they admitted was only meant to gauge the interests of Democratic voters, Wednesday’s NBC Nightly News sat down with Senator and 2020 hopeful Amy Klobuchar (MN) and asked her how she would help to strengthen unions in America. While, at the same time, ignoring corruption charges against United Auto Worker bosses.
Again, anchor Lester Holt was not shy about stating the purpose of the segment. “With another debate coming up this month, we're asking what's most important to Democratic voters and Harry Smith is taking their questions to the candidates. Tonight, Senator Amy Klobuchar in our series, what matters,” he openly admitted.
Correspondent Harry Smith was still speaking with the same group of Democratic voters in Pennsylvania as he did in the first installment, but this time the discussion was about labor:
HARRY SMITH: How many union members or former union members? Five, six, seven.
At our round table with Democratic primary voters.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I couldn't get into a union. I couldn't get health care.
“A clear desire for the return of union strength,” he declared as if they were the oracles that knew what was best for the entire country.
Moments later, Smith boasted: “how Americans view unions has changed dramatically in the last ten years. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the U.S. now view unions favorably.” “But union membership is at a decade's low, 10 percent of the U.S. workforce,” he would go on to lament.
With absolutely no attempt to provide any counterpoint, Smith teed up Klobuchar to preach to NBC viewers about how great unions allegedly were:
SMITH: What goes through your mind?
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) That they’re right. That they get it.
SMITH: We talked with Senator Amy Klobuchar at home. To her, unions are a family matter.
KLOBUCHAR: I literally am here as the granddaughter of a union member, an iron ore miner, the daughter of a teacher and union member, the daughter of a newspaper-man and a union member.
“We have things that have gone awry. It is no surprise at all that you're going to see an increase in union organizing and increase in interest and popularity,” she touted.
But while Smith and Klobuchar were singing the praises unions, it was just this past August when the FBI raided the homes of United Auto Workers’ leadership as part of a corruption probe. NBC viewers didn’t learn about that story because they (along with ABC) refused to cover it.
CBS correspondent Dean Reynolds noted at the time that the “FBI raids today on the homes of Gary Jones, the current president of the United Auto Workers; and Dennis Williams, his immediate predecessor…” Reynolds added that the raids “signaled a drastic escalation of a four-year probe into illegal payments to union officials.”
Earlier Wednesday, CNBC reported online that UAW leaders were still being charged with corruption. "Federal prosecutors have charged retired United Auto Workers Vice President Joseph Ashton, a former board member of General Motors, as part of its corruption probe into the union," Michael Wayland reported. "Ashton was charged Wednesday in a criminal information filing, which indicates a guilty plea is expected."
A Democratic debate was coming up, but, as they would surely note for President Trump, they’re running to be president for ALL Americans. So, “What Matters” to Republican voters matters too. NBC just couldn’t care less.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
November 6, 2019
7:14:52 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: With another debate coming up this month, we're asking what's most important to Democratic voters and Harry Smith is taking their questions to the candidates. Tonight, Senator Amy Klobuchar in our series, what matters.
[Cuts to video]
HARRY SMITH: How many union members or former union members? Five, six, seven.
At our round table with Democratic primary voters.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I couldn't get into a union. I couldn't get health care.
SMITH: A clear desire for the return of union strength.
[To Senator Amy Klobuchar] Just take a look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (via video): What are we going to do to make unions stronger in this country because they need to be stronger. When the unions were strong, the middle class was strong.
SMITH: What goes through your mind?
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) That they’re right. That they get it.
SMITH: We talked with Senator Amy Klobuchar at home. To her, unions are a family matter.
KLOBUCHAR: I literally am here as the granddaughter of a union member, an iron ore miner, the daughter of a teacher and union member, the daughter of a newspaper-man and a union member.
SMITH: How Americans view unions has changed dramatically in the last ten years. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the U.S. now view unions favorably.
KLOBUCHAR: We have things that have gone awry. It is no surprise at all that you're going to see an increase in union organizing and increase in interest and popularity.
SMITH: But union membership is at a decade's low, 10 percent of the U.S. workforce. To effect change, the Senator wants to reverse Trump administration rules on overtime pay and to appoint more labor-friendly judges.
KLOBUCHAR: When there were changes in our country like during the gilded age and people weren't being treated well, that's when unions came up, that’s when unions organized. So that's what this is really about.
SMITH: Perhaps as another Minnesotan once wrote, for unions at least, “the times are a changin’”. Harry Smith, NBC News, Minneapolis.
