After a series of confusing statements from Democrat politicians over the weekend on the party’s position on abortion, Senator Chuck Schumer got a pass from Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski on Monday, after fellow host Joe Scarborough started to ask Schumer about it.
The party’s position on abortion came into the spotlight after Bernie Sanders endorsed a Democrat Mayoral candidate in Omaha, who just happened to be pro-life. The outrage from abortion groups caused the media to react by quizzing various Democrat politicians what their actual policy was for tolerating pro-lifers within their party. This resulted in a series of missteps and conflicting answers, from Sen. Dick Durbin, who said that all Democrats must back “women’s rights,” and Roe vs. Wade, to Nancy Pelosi, who said “of course” pro-life Catholics could be included in the Democrat party.
Senator Chuck Schumer was given the chance to set the record straight yet again on Monday’s Morning Joe but was protected from having to answer the polarizing question by Mika Brzezinski, who intervened on his behalf.
Host Joe Scarborough snuck the question in at the end of his segment with Schumer, asking about the recent controversy within his party. After acknowledging it, Scarborough started to ask whether or not pro-life Catholics were “welcome” within the party. But he got cut off by an annoyed Mika, who backed up the Senator’s non-answer as “good enough.”
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Got to go to John Heilemann, but quick question, yesterday, Nancy Pelosi said, “Forget all the nonsense you're hearing, yes, we want pro-life Catholics in our party and if they run, we can support them.” You certainly showed that in Pennsylvania, that a pro-life Catholic --
SCHUMER: I got killed. I got criticized
SCARBOROUGH: You got killed but he's still the senator in Pennsylvania.
SCHUMER: And a great senator.
SCARBOROUGH: Still a vote your way.
SCHUMER: Look, we're a big tent party as Nancy Pelosi said, but we are, let's make no mistake about it, we’re a pro-choice party, a strongly pro-choice party, we think that's where the American people are and if anything are even moving more in that direction.
SCARBOROUGH: But, you welcome --
SCHUMER: We’re a big tent party.
SCARBOROUGH:---welcome pro-life Catholics to running?
MIKA: That’s his answer Joe. Big tent party.
SCHUMER: Gave you my answer.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: That's a yes. [rolls eyes at Scarborough]
SCHUMER: [chuckles]
