The Republican National Convention isn’t over yet, but MSNBC is already telegraphing how it will cover the Democratic Convention. On Thursday, liberal host Chris Hayes, who has been anchoring live coverage this week, talked to a top aide of Hillary Clinton. Citing the “lock her up chant,” Hayes whined, “Does it make you wonder about the intensity of negativity that will be this campaign stretch for about 100 days between the end of convention and Election Day?”
Never mentioning Benghazi or Clinton’s e-mail scandal, the journalist offered this softball: “Are you surprised? Hillary Clinton is someone who has been in the public eye for decades.... Does this surprise you or do you guys just sort of price in that, like, ‘Yeah, there's going to be a hall of people chanting lock her up for four nights?’”
This question was so easy, Hayes had to tell Deputy Communications Director Kristina Schake that “I’m serious!”
Regarding the “lock her up chants,” Hayes mused, “I have been watching these moments, I have been thinking when Hillary Clinton or the folks in Brooklyn are watching this crowd.” He added, “What is going through your mind?”
Considering that MSNBC already warned its sensitive viewers before showing anti-Clinton buttons at the GOP convention, one can only imagine the fawning that will prevail at the Democratic convention next week.
A transcript is below:
MSNBC live coverage
7/21/16
6:42CHRIS HAYES: There have been tremendous amounts of disunity politically and ideologically over the past three days here at the Republican National Convention. There has been, however one thing everyone has been able to rally behind, one slogan that everyone in the hall seems to agree with and on the stage: Lock her up.
[Montage of speakers and crowd chanting “lock her up!”]
...
CHRIS HAYES: Joining me now, Christina Shake, deputy communications director for Hilary for America. Good to have you here.
KRISTINA SCHAKE (Deputy Communications director, Hillary for America): Great to be here.
HAYES: I have been watching these moments, I have been thinking when Hillary Clinton or the folks in Brooklyn are watching this crowd of people chanting “lock her up,” what is going through your mind?
SCHAKE: You know, this is just par for the course wit campaign on the Republican side. I mean, this is not a campaign about ideas, this is not a campaign of where they are putting forth plans to make a difference in people's lives. It's just been a race to the bottom full of insults and inaccuracies. I mean, fact checkers have had a field day this week, just fact checking everything that’s wrong, that they are saying from the stage.
HAYES: Are you surprised? This is someone--- Hillary Clinton is someone who has been in the public eye for decades. She is a uniquely polarizing figure in many respects. She has faced just a tremendous amount of invective and even — does this surprise you or do you guys just sort of price in that, like, “yeah, there's going to be a hall of people chanting lock her up for four nights?” I'm serious!
SCHAKE: I just have to say Hillary has been in this position for so long because she's been in there and fought progressive fights and so as a result, she is definitely a target of the Republican party. I think what we saw this week is the Republican Party really have no ideas to put forth. And they are in a state of chaos and disarray. They are not even really supporting their candidate. And so, the only thing they have to unify themselves is their dislike of Hillary Clinton.
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HAYES: Does it make you wonder about the intensity of negativity that will be this campaign stretch for about 100 days between the end of convention and Election Day?
SCHAKE: You know, Chris, I think we just expected this because we saw what they did to each other.
HAYES: Fair point.
SCHAKE: I mean, it was just a campaign of insults and a real race to the bottom, and we knew the Republicans really aren't putting forth a positive vision for this country.
HAYES: Let me say this: I agree in this respect, that the sort of animus toward Hillary Clinton has been the lone kind of glue that's held this thing together. That said, there is an agenda emerging. I mean, it’s an agenda of, you know, opposition on trade deals, building a wall, banning Muslim immigrants or possibly Muslims from other countries. I don’t know, possibly getting out of NATO. There is an agenda there that is sort of coming into view.
SCHAKE: I think it is coming into view. There are very few plans that Donald Trump has put forth, but when he does, they are incredibly dangerous and out of step. I think we have seen the comments he made to the New York Times about NATO which even prominent Republicans said are absolutely wrong and would actually make our country less safe. So, it is true from banning Muslims to building a wall, there are some very dangerous plans. When he does put out plans, they are really, really wrong for this country. And so, I think we have seen after you're through primary you put on conventions to talk to the rest of the country, talk about what you would do as president. This week we saw very few plans and then nothing really to make a difference in people's lives, not to create jobs. Not to create jobs. Even on the economy night, there wasn't a single person who talked about an actual plan. What they are really doing is just trying to insult Hillary Clinton and, you know, she's had this happen to her before. She's certainly been the target of these kind of Republican attacks for a long time. She's still standing and still winning and still succeeding. She will keep fighting the hard Progressive fights to make a real difference in people's lives.
HAYES: Thanks for being here.
