MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle on Thursday worried about “breaking traditions” and “seeing norms being absolutely eroded” in order to get Donald Trump’s court nominees approved. This came in the wake of Mitch McConnell ignoring the objections from New York Democratic senators as the 2nd Circuit’s Joseph Bianco was confirmed.
Ruhle opened the segment by fretting that the Senate Majority Leader is “is breaking tradition this week by moving forward” on Bianco “despite the objection of both of his home state senators.” She acknowledged, “Yes, they're both Democrats, but this is only the third time happened in the 230-year history of the Senate.”
Of course, for all the concern about norms, Ruhle made no mention of the fact that it was Harry Reid who changed norms and eliminated the filibuster for lower court nominations. At that time, MSNBC loved it:
“I agree with you about this being an affirmative win for democracy. If that is the case, why do we still have the filibuster for legislation?”
— Host Chris Hayes on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes, November 21, 2013.“And you know what? Democrats just decided they had had enough. After years of fighting about this and pleading and promising and fuming and plotting and threatening over and over and over again, that they would do something about this if Republicans kept it up, today, Democrats finally actually did something.
— Host Rachel Maddow on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, November 21, 2013.
(For more examples, go here.) On Thursday, Ruhle, of course, turned to a Democrat, strategist Matt Bennett, for reaction. She worried about the “unethical behavior” and the death of norms in order to accomplish confirming conservative judges.
Ruhle also offered what amounted to a back-handed accomplishment about how effective Trump and McConnell have been.
So everything you can be saying, you are saying, is true, we are seeing norms being absolutely eroded, absolutely unethical behavior. But this right here, what the President delivered to his voters, could this not be the number one feather in his cap in his reelection tour?
Bennett fumed, “It shows how important this election is. In addition to replacing what Democrats, regard as the worst president in American history, the future of the courts for decades, for my kids' life times, are being determined now.”
A transcript of the segment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
MSNBC Live
5/9/19
9:28
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is breaking tradition this week by moving forward on the federal court of judge Joseph Bianco of New York, despite the objection of both of his home state senators. Yes, they're both Democrats, but this is the only — the third time happened in the 230-year history of the Senate, with the other two instances happening under Mitch McConnell and Mitch McConnell. Joining me now, Democratic strategist and former White House deputy assistant under President Clinton, Matt Bennett. Matt, Bianco is Trump's 38th confirmed circuit court judge. That means one in every six seats on the nation’s circuit court is now filled by a Trump nominee. Now, if you pare that with two Supreme Court nominations, this is a clear, massive success for the President and his supporters. How do Democrats handle this on the trail?
MATT BENNETT (Democratic strategist): It shows how important this election is. In addition to replacing what Democrats, regard as the worst president in American history, the future of the courts for decades, for my kids' life times, are being determined now. And, of course, one of those Supreme Court vacancies trump was able to fill is filled because Mitch McConnell pulled all of the shenanigans he did after the death of Justice Scalia.
RUHLE: Legally.
BENNETT: Legally, you know, but in a unprecedented way as you were just saying about what he's doing now. So what we are seeing is continued erosion of norms in Congress that has been driven by the erosion of norms in the White House. And it's really bad and it’s really dangerous.
RUHLE: Matt doesn't realize anyone who said unprecedented on this show has to pay me two dollars. It was your first offense. We will let it side. But here's the thing: According to an 2016 exit poll 75 percent of Trump voters said the Supreme Court was either an important or the most factor in their vote for president. So everything you can be saying, you are saying, is true, we are seeing norms being absolutely eroded, absolutely unethical behavior. But this right here, what the President delivered to his voters, could this not be the number one feather in his cap in his reelection tour?
BENNETT: It absolutely could.
RUHLE: So, how can you balance those two things?
BENNETT: When you're talking to the core, you're talking to your base and the other base. Voters in the middle don't normally vote on the court. They vote mostly on economic issues. I believe Trump won in 2016 when you put out a list of people for the U.S. Supreme Court because it shored up the religious right and people who vote focus mostly on things like abortion and focus mostly on Supreme Court nominees. When our candidates talk about the court, they are talk base as well. We have to do it but mostly what we have to do is talk about
what's going on in their lives economically.
