The only unity the liberal media were interested in was their way or the highway. The unity between ABC and NBC was obvious Sunday morning, as each broadcast network showed that they were already getting fed up with the days-old Biden administration for continuing to preach unity and healing despite Republican pushback on policy. While NBC’s opposition was the strongest, ABC didn’t get the answer they wanted from a commentator.
After some banter about the new studio and set for NBC’s Meet The Press, Sunday Today host Willie Geist questioned political director Chuck Todd about Biden’s instance on sticking with his campaign message of unity.
“Joe Biden hoping to get through the $1.9 trillion package, already meeting resistance from Republicans on the Senate on many aspects of it and also pushback on other proposals,” Geist said. “Now that we are into it, now that we got the nitty-gritty in front of us, can Joe Biden begin to get his agenda through, or is he going to meet that resistance all the way?”
At first, Todd told his host that Biden’s answer would be “‘Yes’ to both of them, meaning, he can pass his agenda, at least this COVID relief bill, and at the same time struggle with unity with it.”
But he then moved on to venting liberal concerns and frustrations with how long Biden would keep up his unity and healing shtick:
The debate they're having right now is, at what point do they give up trying to work with Republicans? I do think President Biden is going to be, you know, he’s gonna wanna stay in the game longer in working with congressional Republicans than either Speaker Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
And that's the question I have is, what is -- how much patience does the Biden team have? I know they're going to have more patience than congressional Democrats.
“And does that gap of patience, does that become an internal problem inside the Democratic coalition,” he fretted. They would go on to salivate for the Senate’s trial against former President Trump for inciting the Capitol riot.
Over on ABC, co-anchor Dan Harris was fishing for such a response from faux Republican commentator Matthew Dowd. Unfortunately for him, his guest appeared to not give him the answer he was baiting for.
“Right now, he's pushing a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, as you know,” Harris noted before asking if Biden should just ram his agenda through without Republicans. “Early signs indicate he may not get much Republican support, do you think he should try to ram it through in a bipartisan – in a partisan way, rather than bipartisan, or do you think he should try to reach a compromise?”
Dowd, a Never Trumper and a stickler for the Washington establishment, responded by boasting about Biden’s commitment to unity (Click “expand”):
Well, to me the first thing out of the box for our President, that wants to bring the country together and heal a bunch of the divides, is not to have a partisan vote. And so, I know he believes this, he was in the senate for 40-some-odd-plus years. I think he would like a bipartisan vote on this even if that means slightly less than that. I think, in the end, the compromise is what the America public wants. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
And so, I think over the course of the next few weeks, the President will, I'm sure, meet with Mitch McConnell and they will come up with something they can get at least five or six or seven or ten Republican votes on.
“So, consensus and compromise is something the American public wants not bitter partisanship,” Dowd declared just before the end of the segment.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
January 24, 2021
8:14:45 a.m. Eastern(…)
DAN HARRIS: Right now, he's pushing a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, as you know. Early signs indicate he may not get much Republican support, do you think he should try to ram it through in a bipartisan – in a partisan way, rather than bipartisan, or do you think he should try to reach a compromise?
MATTHEW DOWD: Well, to me the first thing out of the box for our President, that wants to bring the country together and heal a bunch of the divides, is not to have a partisan vote. And so, I know he believes this, he was in the senate for 40-some-odd-plus years. I think he would like a bipartisan vote on this even if that means slightly less than that. I think, in the end, the compromise is what the America public wants. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
And so, I think over the course of the next few weeks, the President will, I'm sure, meet with Mitch McConnell and they will come up with something they can get at least five or six or seven or ten Republican votes on. So, consensus and compromise is something the American public wants not bitter partisanship.
(…)
NBC’s Sunday Today
January 24, 2021
8:05:40 a.m. Eastern(…)
WILLIE GEIST: This is our first Sunday together with a new president. Joe Biden hoping to get through the $1.9 trillion package, already meeting resistance from Republicans on the Senate on many aspects of it and also pushback on other proposals. Now that we are into it, now that we got the nitty-gritty in front of us, can Joe Biden begin to get his agenda through, or is he going to meet that resistance all the way?
CHUCK TODD: Will, I think you could answer that question “Yes” to both of them, meaning, he can pass his agenda, at least this COVID relief bill, and at the same time struggle with unity with it. Right?
The debate they're having right now is, at what point do they give up trying to work with Republicans? I do think President Biden is going to be, you know, he’s gonna wanna stay in the game longer in working with congressional Republicans than either Speaker Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
And that's the question I have is, what is -- how much patience does the Biden team have? I know they're going to have more patience than congressional Democrats. And does that gap of patience, does that become an internal problem inside the Democratic coalition?
(…)
