With Donald Trump winning on Saturday night in South Carolina, the liberal pundits of MSNBC commenced their latest efforts to tie Trump’s views and questioning President Barack Obama’s religion to the rest of the conservative movement as Andrea Mitchell whined that the collective GOP “is looking for is anyone who will absolutely be crude and rude and take on Barack Obama.”
Co-host Rachel Maddow turned to Mitchell around the 8:07 p.m. Eastern mark and mentioned that Trump tweeted during the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral mass wondering if the President would “have gone to Justice Scalia's funeral if it were held in a mosque?”
“That’s one thing if that’s Donald Trump competing for the nomination, but when that becomes the standard bearer of the Republican Party, what is the Republican Party do with that? Do they coalesce around that and say yes, that's what we believe. That’s what our leaders says,” predicted Maddow.
Mitchell chimed in and pointed out that the tweet came “just as Father Paul Scalia was delivering an emotional and deeply affecting homily” and observed that Trump’s conspiracy theory “hits at Barack Obama on his religion, his Christian faith and goes in so many multiple ways against Muslims, against Obama.”
“I think what the Republican base is looking for is anyone who will absolutely be crude and rude and take on Barack Obama,” Mitchell warned.
Surprisingly, MSNBC political analyst and former Bush administration official Nicolle Wallace jumped to the defense of those who make up over half the Republican Party and do not support Trump:
I don’t see — see, that's part of the strong medicine they stomach to get someone who is a truth teller. They didn't like the performance on Saturday night and you saw it in the CNN town hall. The woman stood up and said, I'm worried about your impulse control problem. I feel like you don’t restrain. I think those are the sorts of things, I don't think the Republican voters want someone crude and crass. I think they're willing to take that with someone strong and clear.
Mitchell responded by reiterating her previous point despite the fact that President Obama won’t even be on the ballot: “They want someone to take the fight against Obama. They want someone to challenge Obama. Obama is so toxic with that part of the base.”
The relevant portion of the transcript from MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016 on February 20 can be found below.
MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016
February 20, 2016
8:07 p.m. Eastern
RACHEL MADDOW: We've got him tweeting, would President Obama have gone to Justice Scalia's funeral if it were held in a mosque? Okay, and that’s one thing if that’s Donald Trump competing for the nomination, but when that becomes the standard bearer of the Republican Party, what is the Republican Party do with that? Do they coalesce around that and say yes, that's what we believe. That’s what our leaders says.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Do they own it?
MADDOW: Do they own it? How do you not own it if you're running for president? What happens there?
ANDREA MITCHELL: And he tweeted that just as Father Paul Scalia was delivering an emotional and deeply affecting homily. I mean, you look at the time of that tweet. He is watching this or someone is tweeting for him or I don't understand the personality that is involved in that, but that tweet hits at Barack Obama on his religion, his Christian faith and goes in so many multiple ways against Muslims, against Obama. I think what the Republican base is looking for is anyone who will absolutely be crude and rude and take on Barack Obama.
MADDOW: And will swear.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I don’t see — see, that's part of the strong medicine they stomach to get someone who is a truth teller. They didn't like the performance on Saturday night and you saw it in the CNN town hall. The woman stood up and said, I'm worried about your impulse control problem. I feel like you don’t restrain. I think those are the sorts of things, I don't think the Republican voters want someone crude and crass. I think they're willing to take that with someone strong and clear.
MITCHELL: They want someone to take the fight against Obama. They want someone to challenge Obama. Obama is so toxic with that part of the base.
WALLACE: And listen, the Clintonism. I mean, I think they correctly admire the Clinton machine for its abilities and they think they need someone tough and who is not beholden to political correctness to beat it.
MADDOW: Honestly, though, what happens to comments like this? President Obama is saying he's a Muslim. This comes right after he says how dare he question another man's faith and there's Donald Trump saying if this were a mosque, he would be there. I mean, the Republican Party is going to have to come up with some sort of strategy around this because every Republican who runs for everything to dog catcher in the country is going to be running on that platform unless there’s some separation created and if he’s the standard bearer. I don't know you win in any remotely purple state in any race anywhere in the country.
WILLIAMS: It reminds you of his comment about he could take out a gun and shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York
MADDOW: And wouldn't lose any votes.
