On Monday night, MSNBC prime-time shows spent the vast majority of their time discussing President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court. Of the 27 guests which appeared over the four-hour block from 8:00 p.m. to midnight ET, not a single conservative was given time to speak about the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.
Among the guests were progressive activists brought on to discuss the significance of the nomination. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Cecile Richards, former CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, all got screen time.
Each expressed deep concern about Kavanaugh, and Northup in particular argued that “this nomination really is a threat to all of our rights.” Conservative activists, such as representatives from the Heritage Foundation or Federalist Society who helped pick Kavanaugh and could offer a more positive evaluation, were conspicuously absent.
Moreover, three elected officials were interviewed: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and, appearing across two different shows, Democratic Senator and likely presidential candidate Cory Booker from New Jersey.
Booker described himself as “sort of stunned at the way this has all played out,” and would later appear along with Warren at a protest against Kavanaugh on the steps of the Supreme Court. Not a single Republican lawmaker appeared during the four different segments.
Rounding out the cast of progressive speakers were a slate of former Democratic staffers and journalists. Former Democrat aides Adam Jentleson (for Harry Reid) and Ron Klain (for Barack Obama) were present. Jonathan Alter from the Daily Beast, Dahlia Lithwick from Slate, and Jess McIntosh from progressive Shareblue Media likewise spoke. And while there were also a number of journalists from center-Left publications, such as David Maraniss from The Washington Post, there was not a single writer from a conservative publication.
For those watching MSNBC on Monday night, instead of the news viewers saw a carefully curated exhibition of the Left and their criticisms of an otherwise qualified nominee.
