For the first night of the Republican convention, MSNBC on Monday went to extremely liberal columnist Charlie Pierce to rant against all the “angry,” “old” “white people” attending. Host Chris Hayes also brought on the wife of a Democratic senator to ask her opinion on the GOP gathering.
Questioned by Hayes about the Republican Party’s “identity crisis,” Pierce assailed, “If you are really optimistic, you could say this is the last time that old white people will command the Republican Party's attention, its platform, public face.” He continued, “That hall is wired by loud, unhappy, dissatisfied white people.”
Pierce is a long-time writer for Esquire and the Boston Globe. He’s previously bashed Paul Ryan as “Satan.”
Reporter April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks agreed, “very white crowd.” Hayes did allow one GOP voice, Congressman Steve King of Iowa, but he was often talked over the left-wing panel.
Later, for “balance,” the MSNBC host brought on Connie Schultz. Hayes sheepishly admitted, “I should note for full disclosure you are married to Sherrod Brown who is a senator from Ohio.”
Hayes then seriously questioned the spouse of the Democratic Senator, offering this question about John Kasich: “Do you think it will hurt him in terms of his appeal to voters to be in this convention or do you think it's about something else?”
A partial transcript is below:
MSNBC Live
7/18/16
6:26pm ETCHRIS HAYES: In terms of people missing, Susanna Martinez, a popular governor from New Mexico. You have Mia Love, who has been seen as a rising star, an African American woman from Utah, Congresswoman. She’s actually got a very tough race. Of course, there is Marco Rubio, former future star of the party. He’ll be beaming in.
CHARLIE PERCE: He’ll be beaming in.
HAYES: What does it say about the identity crisis the party has right now?
PIERCE: Well, if you are really optimistic, you could say this is the last time that old white people will command the Republican Party's attention, its platform, its public face. Of course, I thought that was going to happen after 2012. And I was, thanks to the good work of Congressman King, I was severely disappointed.
APRIL RYAN: I think it will still be around though.
PIERCE: I think it will be around. But I will tell you what, in that hall today, that hall is wired. That hall is wired by loud, unhappy, dissatisfied white people.
RYAN: Very white crowd.
PIERCE: Any sign of rebellion is going to get shouted down or — either shouted down kindly or roughly but that's what's going to happen.
...
HAYES: Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, Connie Schultz, great to have you. She spent almost 20 years writing for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Connie, great to be in your home town.
CONNIE SCHULTZ: Thank you. Welcome to Cleveland.
HAYES: I find this remarkable. Ohio's politics are complicated. I should note for full disclosure you are married to Sherrod Brown who is a senator from Ohio.
BROWN: Right.
HAYES: And it's sort of prototypical swing state. It's desperately needed for Republicans in the general and my understanding is John Kasich quite— I mean, the polling indicates he is quite popular here.
SCHULTZ: Yes, he is. He's obviously setting himself up for a 2020 run. He thinks Trump is going to lose badly and wants nothing to do with any of that.
HAYES: Do you think it will hurt him in terms of his appeal to voters to be in this convention or do you think it's about something else?
