Center for American Progress (CAP) President Neera Tanden joined CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning as part of the panel and encouraged President Obama to use part of his Oval Office speech later in the day to denounce Republicans for their “continual language....to target Muslims” which she argued the GOP’s so-called Islamophobia “is exactly what ISIS wants.”
Prior to that suggestion, she agreed with fellow panelists S.E. Cupp, Ken Cuccinelli, and Van Jones “that the country is scared” after terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino “and it’s time for the President to really address our concerns and address it directly to the American people.”
After opining that Republican Senator Marco Rubio (Fl.) laid out an ISIS strategy and need for Middle Eastern countries to contribute boots on the ground is similar to what President Obama hopes to do, the CAP head and former Hillary Clinton aide turned her attention to chastising Republicans (which drew a rather confounding look from Cupp):
I think the truth is that he has to say to the American people that the continual language of political leaders to target Muslims is exactly what ISIS wants and that I think if there's good will from all Republicans and Democrats to say no to that language. The fact you have the leading Republican candidate saying we should monitor Muslims is exactly what ISIS wants to hear and we have to say no to that as well.
The relevant portion of the transcript from CNN’s State of the Union on December 6 can be found below.
CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper
December 6, 2015
09:38 a.m. Eastern
NEERRA TANDEN: Look, I would agree that the country is scared and it's time for the President to really address our concerns and address it directly to the American people. I mean, I actually listen to Marco Rubio this morning and on the things he was saying we should do, like, form a coalition with another Middle Eastern countries to actually have them have more boots — more of their boots on the ground, those are the things we're pursuing, so I think the president needs to communicate clearly to the American people what is happening, what we are doing, and additional steps we can take and I think the truth is that he has to say to the American people that the continual language of political leaders to target Muslims is exactly what ISIS wants and that I think if there's good will from all Republicans and Democrats to say no to that language. The fact you have the leading Republican candidate saying we should monitor Muslims is exactly what ISIS wants to hear and we have to say no to that as well.
