Reacting to a new poll showing 65% of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers support the Green New Deal, on MSNBC Monday afternoon, Politico’s Jake Sherman found it “absolutely stunning” that the policy proposal from left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was enjoying so much support among the party’s liberal base.
After fill-in anchor Chris Jansing touted the poll during the 3:00 p.m. ET hour, Sherman hailed the results: “...the fact that the Green New Deal has the support of 65, or whatever it was, 67% of caucus-goers, is absolutely stunning.” Referring to Ocasio-Cortez, he proclaimed: “I mean, this is a plan that was put together by a member of Congress that has been in office for two months.”
“I mean, 67% is an incredibly high level of support for somebody who’s barely registered a blip kind of in the long arc of Congress, somebody’s who’s only been here for a couple months, and that’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” the reporter excitedly continued. Sherman repeated: “So I want to be clear, that, to me, is stunning.”
He also found it “stunning” that liberal Democrats were in favor of hiking taxes: “You’re seeing a shift, obviously, in the party to taxing the ultra-rich, people with $50 million in assets.” One more time he expressed his astonishment at support for the radical Green New Deal: “...just absolutely stunning, to see the mark that it’s made on the party and in the presidential nominating process.”
Jansing chimed in: “Well, and AOC also got people talking about taxing the very wealthy.”
Beyond all the fawning over Ocasio-Cortez and her far-left ideas, Jansing turned the conversation to gushing over South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 contender Pete Buttigieg. The anchor specifically celebrated him attacking Vice President Mike Pence in a recent interview: “I thought also interesting, Mayor Pete [Buttigieg] was at the bottom with one percent support in that Iowa poll, but a lot of buzz....Did he have a moment? And how big a moment could it be for him?”
PBS NewsHour White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, reporting from the South by Southwest festival where Buttigieg and other 2020 Democrats spoke, cheered:
It could be a big moment....Talking about a popularity contest, people are just starting to get to know this mayor of South Bend, Indiana. And as a result, what you have is people starting to say, “Hey, I kind of like the fact that he’s blunt.” Yesterday he talked about the fact that he said, “I have Christian values, but my values make me question why Mike Pence would – Vice President Mike Pence would support a quote, “Porn star presidency,” talking about President Trump in those terms.
It seems that everything Democrats do just amazes and impresses journalists.
Here is a transcript of the March 12 exchange:
3:28 PM ET
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CHRIS JANSING: According to a new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, former Vice President Joe Biden is the first choice of likely Iowa caucus-goers, followed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Now when it comes to the issues that likely caucus-goers want the candidates to talk about, we’re talking about health care, climate change, and income inequality at the top of the list. Immigration, race relations, student debt, criminal justice reform following. Impeachment is at the bottom.
The poll also showed the level of support for major issues among Democratic voters two thirds of likely caucus-goers support new taxes on people with more than $50 million in assets. The poll also found varying levels of support for the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-all, legalization of pot, free tuition at four-year public schools.
Joining us to take a closer look at this and other presidential campaign headlines, Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and an MSNBC political analyst. Jake Sherman is Politico senior writer and co-author of Playbook, as well as an MSNBC political contributor. So it’s early, and it’s only Iowa, but I thought, Jake, there were some interesting things in this poll. What’s your big take away?
JAKE SHERMAN: A few things. On the individual personalities, it’s basically a popularity contest. Joe Biden was the former vice president, has been in public life for forty-something years, so he’s gonna be a the top. And you kind of see that throughout the poll. These early polls are just that, popularity contests.
Number two, I would even go a step further than you, Chris, and say that the fact that the Green New Deal has the support of 65, or whatever it was, 67% of caucus-goers, is absolutely stunning. I mean, this is a plan that was put together by a member of Congress that has been in office for two months. I mean, this is like – that is a level of support – I mean, 67% is an incredibly high level of support for somebody who’s barely registered a blip kind of in the long arc of Congress, somebody’s who’s only been here for a couple months, and that’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. So I want to be clear, that, to me, is stunning.
And also the tax piece, to me, is stunning. You’re seeing a shift, obviously, in the party to taxing the ultra-rich, people with $50 million in assets. That was not a winning message in the past. It was not a – or whether it was a winning message or not, it’s not something that Democrats focused on intently, I think, in the caucuses, to my recollection.
But the Green New Deal thing is just absolutely stunning, to see the mark that it’s made on the party and in the presidential nominating process.
JANSING: Well, and AOC also got people talking about taxing the very wealthy.
SHERMAN: Yeah.
JANSING: Yamiche, you’re in Austin, South by Southwest Festival. I thought also interesting, Mayor Pete [Buttigieg] was at the bottom with one percent support in that Iowa poll, but a lot of buzz where you are. Did he have a moment? And how big a moment could it be for him?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It could be a big moment. I think the interesting thing, because we’re talking about this in 2020 so early is that even if right now Iowa is saying, “Okay, we like Joe Biden, we like Bernie Sanders,” it’s largely also because they know those people. Talking about a popularity contest, people are just starting to get to know this mayor of South Bend, Indiana. And as a result, what you have is people starting to say, “Hey, I kind of like the fact that he’s blunt.” Yesterday he talked about the fact that he said, “I have Christian values, but my values make me question why Mike Pence would – Vice President Mike Pence would support a quote, “Porn star presidency,” talking about President Trump in those terms.
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