ABC News's political director Rick Klein appeared briefly on The View Thursday to talk about the controversies surrounding freshman Democrats and to tout the Green New Deal proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While co-host Abby Huntsman expressed concern that Democrats were veering too far left, Klein and fellow co-host Joy Behar shut her down, claiming that most Americans supported Democrats’ radical and infeasible policy proposals.
Huntsman began by asking Klein if Democrats should be “concerned” about the leading 2020 candidates supporting the Green New Deal, since it is a “far left” proposal. Her co-host Joy Behar rejected that insinuation.
“81% of voters agree with the Green Deal,” she touted. Behar was referring to a study done back in December by a liberal activism program centered on climate change at Yale, which calls into question its legitimacy.
But Huntsman worried that the radical left was going to rise up like the “radical" Tea party.
“Does Nancy Pelosi need to take on a bigger role there in reining this back in? There's a concern that the Tea Party movement that we all saw with the Republican party may happen on the democratic side,” she gushed to Klein.
Klein assured her that Pelosi would make sure everyone understood what was in the bill before voting on it (oh, the irony.) He then claimed that most people would support the Green New Deal if they understood it (what?!):
You uttered two key words, Nancy Pelosi and in talking to party strategists and even some of the potential candidates they point to her as someone who can rein in some of the impulses, make sure that a vote on a Green New Deal doesn't happen until people know what it is. Because Joy’s right, people might support it if they understand what it is.
Even more absurd, Klein, who is the political director for the news network, not an uninformed talking head, claimed that the criticism the bill has faced so far was unfounded and “inaccurate.” He complained that the radical bill didn’t call for exactly what it did call for:
"And if you don’t have a name attached to it and you don't misconstrue it. If they’re not taking away your hamburgers, or your cars or your planes, you have to --- if you present it accurately, maybe there's an argument," Klein argued.
To end the segment Hostin gushed about the pressing “problem” of climate change, and Behar made one more peer pressure push:
“But the majority of Americans agree with a lot of it. 76% agree with taxing the very rich,” she gushed. As Meghan McCain started to press back, they cut to commercial.
Read the transcript below:
The View
2/14/2019
ABBY HUNTSMAN: Even Democrats seem to be concerned about this far left. I'm all for new faces and new voices but polling even some of the candidates that we're seeing run in 2020, so far left and they're saying, look, this should be a slam dunk for Democrats in 2020. There's an article today in The Washington Post, an op-ed from a liberal saying Democrats need to be aware of their looney left. We've heard the president on the campaign trail saying Democrats are going to turn this country into Venezuela. He talks about the Green New Deal which most of the candidates running on the democratic side have in their own way endorsed this. Should Democrats be concerned?
JOY BEHAR: 81% of voters agree with the Green Deal.
HUNTSMAN: They don't even know -- the lawmakers I don't think understand fully what's in this deal. But should Democrats be concerned? Does Nancy Pelosi need to take on a bigger role there in reining this back in? There's a concern that the Tea Party movement that we all saw with the Republican party may happen on the democratic side.
RICK KLEIN: You uttered two key words, Nancy Pelosi and in talking to party Strategists and even some of the potential candidates they point to her as someone who can rein in some of the impulses, make sure that a vote on a Green New Deal doesn't happen until people know what it is. Because Joy’s right, people might support it if they understand what it is.
JOY BEHAR: And if they leave Ocasio’s name out.
KLEIN: And if you don’t have a name attached to it and you don't misconstrue it. If they’re not taking away your hamburgers, or your cars or your planes, you have to --- if you present it accurately, maybe there's an argument. But I had an interesting conversation earlier this week. Sherrod Brown, the senator from Ohio, was asked about the Green New Deal. He said look, just because someone has a good idea, these great energetic freshman, that's nice, maybe it's something I do but I don't have to chase that as a presidential candidate.
HUNTSMAN: Why are they doing that then?
KLEIN: I think it becomes a new standard for everyone and do you want to be the democratic candidate who's against the Green New Deal when you realize there's energy in the party for it?
SUNNY HOSTIN: And especially because climate change is real. And it’s a real problem.
KLEIN: And a motivating issue for Democrats.
BEHAR: But the majority of Americans agree with a lot of it. 76% agree with taxing the very rich.
