Liberals have a problem, according to MSNBC host Al Sharpton and two of his left-leaning friends. They’re not blaring their pro-ObamaCare message loudly enough. [Video below. MP3 audio here.]
On Tuesday’s PoliticsNation, MSNBC contributor Jimmy Williams, worried that his side might be losing the PR war over ObamaCare, unleashed a rant against Republicans. He started by defining the difference between the two parties as he sees it:
There’s a big difference between Republicans and Democrats, and I don't mean just necessarily in their ideology. I mean in how they actually look at the world of governing and of politics. Republicans transact. Democrats feel.
Williams, a former Sen. Dick Durbin (D) staffer, explained further:
Remember, Bill Clinton said, "I feel your pain." We care about kids who are sitting in poverty. We try to do something about it. Republicans don't think that way. They transact their way into any kind of political situation.
Having established that Republicans are heartless and can’t “feel,” Williams got to the heart of the issue, declaring, “The problem here is that we have to start on the left and in the middle, Independents in this country have got to start shouting louder than the lies that are being told by the Republicans.”
Sharpton, however, was concerned that “these right-wing groups have a lot of money behind them.” For evidence, he pointed out that Americans for Prosperity has put out twice as many ads as Senate Majority PAC in nine states with key 2014 U.S. Senate races. The reverend fretted, “How do you scream louder if you do not have the money to amplify it?”
But of course, Democrats do have plenty of money available to amplify their message. They have billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer on their side, for example. They also have most major unions in their corner. The Senate Majority PAC will not be going it alone in 2014.
Sharpton’s other guest, political strategist Angela Rye, voiced a bizarre concern about the lack of a platform for Democrats. She said, “If you're shouting from the rooftops with no microphone, no bullhorn, you're eventually going to get hoarse.”
What does she think MSNBC is, if not a constant microphone for liberals? The Lean Forward network has been a tremendous bullhorn for ObamaCare, as well as pretty much everything the president has done, ever since Obama took office. And they have been helped by CNN, the three major broadcast networks, and a whole host of left-leaning websites such as The Daily Beast and Slate.
Liberal Democrats don’t lack money, and they certainly don’t lack microphones and liberal media surrogates to amplify their message.
Below is a transcript of the segment:
JIMMY WILLIAMS, MSNBC contributor: I mean, you have to get into the minds of Republicans to understand exactly how they think. There’s a big difference between Republicans and Democrats, and I don't mean just necessarily in their ideology. I mean in how they actually look at the world of governing and of politics. Republicans transact. Democrats feel. Remember, Bill Clinton said, ‘I feel your pain.’ We care about kids who are sitting in poverty. We try to do something about it. Republicans don't think that way. They transact their way into any kind of political situation. So it doesn't matter if the Koch brothers actually believe anything that they say. Clearly they don't, because if that's the case, they can only believe lies. The problem here is that we have to start on the left and in the middle, Independents in this country have got to start shouting louder than the lies that are being told by the Republicans. If we don't do that, we have no one else to blame but ourselves. Truth will always prevail, but not unless we go and shout it out to the rooftops everywhere across the country. And that's what we have to do.
AL SHARPTON: Yeah, but shouting out louder, Angela, the problem is these right-wing groups have a lot of money behind them.
ANGELA RYE: That's right.
SHARPTON: Take a look at this. Since January of last year, Americans for Prosperity has averaged over 1,600 ads in nine U.S. Senate races. That's more than two times the total number of spots as the Democratic group Senate Majority PAC. Angela, they have a lot of power. How do you combat these groups and their misinformation? How do you scream louder if you do not have the money to amplify it?
RYE: Not only the money, but the bullhorns. If you're shouting from the rooftops with no microphone, no bullhorn, you're eventually going to get hoarse. And we’re playing with folks that have a lot of dollars to expend. They will do anything to try to win the Senate majority. I know a lot of us saw Nate Silver's prediction. I don't know how we combat people who are not even playing a fair game. They’re not playing with facts here. It's something we’ve talked about ad nauseum on this network, and we just have to continue to make sure that the message is getting out. The message is clear and it’s precise and it’s honest. That’s the only way that we can combat a lie.
