The broken clock that is ABC’s The View struck (mostly) correct on Friday as most of the cast was in favor of making cowardly Democrats debate their Republican opponents before the midterm elections in a month. Suggesting the Democrats were refusing to debate “election deniers,” the cast called it “not fair” to voters and told them participating in debates was “their job.” Only one, Sunny Hostin, thought it was fine for her side to refuse to debate Republicans.
“Now, is that the right way to do it or do you still have to do your job even when other people refuse to do theirs? I mean, how does that work?” Whoopi Goldberg scoffed at Democrats, after chiding Republicans. “Don't you have an obligation, Democrats, to come out and explain to us why we should vote for you?”
Co-host Sara Haines noted that while “some of them are not wanting to do it because they're election deniers,” there are others “saying the victory is already sealed by percentages and polls so they're just not going to do it.” She decried that as “when party is put over people.”
Recalling the infamous Nixon/Kennedy debate, Haines argued that debates serve a very important function for voters and taking that away was “not fair” to them:
Those debates not only show us what they feel on policy, which you can find on a website, shows you if they make you feel better when you listen to it, how they deal with a challenged point of view, how they come back. There's a lot more we pick up from that. So, to not give us that chance because, as a party, they know whether they have a victory or not, is not fair.
“Debates are a chance for voters to hear from candidates. I frankly think they should be required of anybody running for office that they agree to debate because it's optional,” declared self-describe Republican Ana Navarro.
Navarro would go on to celebrate how Democratic extremists chased Senator Sinema into a bathroom and filmed her. She suggested it needed to be done because Sinema supposedly refuses to debate and doesn’t hold town halls (both are untrue seeing as Sinema is not up for reelection yet and she does hold town halls).
While Navarro got praise for operating with her own set of concocted facts (which The View does often), it was disingenuous for Hostin to later whine that election debates didn’t operate like the ones she participated in during school, thus Democrats were right to refuse them:
The debate rules will tell you – any debate captain, any debate team will tell you, that you have to work from the same facts in order to have a valid debate. They're working from out-of-space facts. They're election deniers, so how do you have a true debate when one side is debating a fact that doesn’t exist?
“Because it's not debate team. It's elected officials. And give them enough rope and they'll walk right into it,” Haines countered.
The other self-described Republican, Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in to praise outgoing Congresswoman Liz Cheney for taking part in a GOP primary debate and to say opposing sides needed to be brought together like that. “That's their job. That’s their job. You want the job, you got to show up,” Goldberg agreed.
This spurred on another Haines/Hostin flashpoint where the former noted how well Democratic election denier Stacey Abrams did against Republican Brian Kemp in the last Georgia gubernatorial race. “And she still lost,” Hostin whined. “Yeah, but that was the voters, but she came up and showed up, and they all had to put it out there. Let us decide,” Haines pushed back.
The segment closed with Goldberg scolding Democrats for playing like they’ve already won before votes have been cast:
If you’re going to be an elected official, this is your job. This is part of what it is. And you're not allowed to step back and go, “No, I think I already won this.” You don't know. You don't know you won until you won. Don't get [complacent]!
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
ABC’s The View
October 7, 2022
11:02:28 a.m. EasternWHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, apparently the midterms are right around the corner and according to The Washington Post, there are currently 299 Republican candidates running who are still pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. And several of their Democratic rivals say they're not going to debate them.
Now, is that the right way to do it or do you still have to do your job even when other people refuse to do theirs? I mean, how does that work? How are you going to say, “No, I'm not going to do it” and then they stand up and continue to push the lie? Don't you have an obligation, Democrats, to come out and explain to us why we should vote for you?
SARA HAINES: Well, debates, I think, are for the voters and people to watch and I think some of them are not wanting to do it because they're election deniers. Others are saying the victory is already sealed by percentages and polls so they're just not going to do it. That's when party is put over people.
When you think back to the Nixon/Kennedy debate, when someone listened on the radio, they thought that Nixon had won. When they saw it on TV, they thought Kennedy had. Because Nixon was sweating and profusely, like, nervous.
Those debates not only show us what they feel on policy, which you can find on a website, shows you if they make you feel better when you listen to it, how they deal with a challenged point of view, how they come back. There's a lot more we pick up from that. So, to not give us that chance because, as a party, they know whether they have a victory or not, is not fair.
ANA NAVARRO: Yeah, and listen. Debates are a chance for voters to hear from candidates. I frankly think they should be required of anybody running for office that they agree to debate because it's optional. It should be a requirement because a lot of these people once elected, you know, run into bathroom stalls and don't like to answer questions from voters and don't like to face them.
GOLDBERG (Sarcastically): No.
NAVARRO: Look, usually what happens is -- Si. Arizona. You know, Kyrsten Sinema, she was chased. If she had a town hall, if she answered her voters, maybe they wouldn't chase her into a bathroom stall, but that's just a suggestion.
Listen. What usually happens in politics though is somebody who's ahead, regardless of party and regardless of whether they're election deniers or not, people don't like to debate because of the chance that there's a mistake made that's going to be a costly mistake that could cost the election.
Who cares? You owe your voters to tell them exactly what your positions are, to answer hard questions, to answer policy questions. Not just – We should not have to vote based on 30-second and one-minute attack ads.
SUNNY HOSTIN: I think normally that made sense, you know? And I think we all remember the Kennedy/Nixon debate. I remember Mike Pence's fly on his head. I remember the Kamala, you know, Mike Pence debate. I remember a lot of them because I think it's very important.
I was on the debate team. I’ve said that before. But the problem is now the majority -- it's not just a minority, but the majority of the GOP nominees, that's 299, are all election deniers.
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
HOSTIN: The debate rules will tell you – any debate captain, any debate team will tell you, that you have to work from the same facts in order to have a valid debate. They're working from out-of-space facts. They're election deniers, so how do you have a true debate when one side is debating a fact that doesn’t exist?
HAINES: Because it's not debate team. It's elected officials. And give them enough rope and they'll walk right into it.
HOSTIN: But the analogy is the same.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: The problem is you have to win over the voters because the problem that my party is dealing with right now is many of the Republican voters believe the election lies. So, actually I think it's really powerful when people go on stage and challenge them.
Liz Cheney knew she was going to lose most likely by the time she did her debate. But she still knocked down each of the election myths and lies her opponents ran against her. So, I think it was very important.
It's also just a duty to show up. We live in an environment where more and more politicians are retreating into their partisan corners. So like, Republicans go Fox and Democrats go on MSNBC. I think it’s really good to put them next to each other, who they’re running against and have a journalist ask them questions they can’t dodge.
GOLDBERG: That's their job. That’s their job. You want the job, you got to show up. You can't just -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.
HAINES: That clip of Stacey Abrams and Governor Kemp which was a few years ago, but it recently went viral where he says something and she just takes him down five notches in fact. Let it play out in front of her eye.
HOSTIN: And she still lost.
HAINES: Yeah, but that was the voters, but she came up and showed up, and they all had to put it out there. Let us decide.
NAVARRO: And frankly if Donald Trump runs again, I really hope Liz Cheney runs and I hope that they debate so that there is a Republican with a spine and with conviction and with proof on her side calling him out and fact-checking him on the moment. ‘Cause remember what a bully he was with Hillary?
HAINES: He, like, hovered.
HOSTIN: What's interesting is he isn't a terrible debater believe it or not.
NAVARRO: He looked terrible to me.
HOSTIN: Well, he looked terrible.
GOLDBERG: Well, I just know that you can try to put some kind of funny name on her if you want to. You can mess with Stacey if you want to. I don't recommend it.
HOSTIN: I believe they are going to debate most likely again.
HAINES: I just mean in general it's a good example of showing you when someone doesn't have facts, what it looks like. Voters aren’t dumb.
NAVARRO: I'm looking forward to a debate between Charlie Crist and Ron DeSantis ‘cause I dislike them both so much, I need one of them to give me a reason to vote for them.
GOLDBERG: Listen, this is – If you’re going to be an elected official, this is your job. This is part of what it is. And you're not allowed to step back and go, “No, I think I already won this.” You don't know. You don't know you won until you won. Don't get complicit. We will be right back.
