No, that’s not a typo or a headline from the Babylon Bee. In the build up to Tuesday’s first presidential debate, MSNBC co-host Rachel Maddow boasted that Hillary Clinton must posses “some kind of magic ball” due to what Maddow claimed were accurate predictions about President Trump’s accepting of election results, Russia, and taxes.
“Looking back at it now, it is weird. It is like she had a crystal ball or something. I mean, we lived through it four years ago in the moment. But now with just four years in hindsight, it does look like uncannily accurate fortune telling,” Maddow began.
After a series of clips from 2016 debates, Maddow reiterated: “Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did have some kind of magic crystal ball in 2016. We just didn't know it at the time.”
If Hillary did have “some kind of magic crystal ball,” did it tell her that she was going to lose the election?
Maddow also gave Clinton an open forum to evaluate whether there were “lessons learned form your experience” by Democrats since 2016 and if “we” (which one could loop in the media) have “developed a sense of best practices for staying within your own ethics and your own approach and also fending...off” Trump attacks.
Later, Maddow went to break by teasing the declassified letter from Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and fretting that Trump “has tried to bring you and your 2016 campaign back into this.”
If Trump’s doing that, what have the media been doing since the 2016 election? Spoiler alert: They’re not accepting the fact that Hillary lost.
After the break, Maddow wouldn’t bring up how the Clinton-funded Steele Dossier was a Russian disinformation campaign, but said the claim (based in part on notes from former CIA Director John Brennan) was a Russian disinformation campaign (click “expand”):
MADDOW: Meanwhile, here's the top headline tonight at Politico.com. Believe it if you must. “Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel” as in the Trump appointed U.S. Intelligence director tonight, hours before the first debate, released Russian disinformation to the public to smear Hillary Clinton. Politico’s Andrew Desiderio reporting tonight that this Russian material “was previously rejected by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee as having no factual basis.” But sure, let's get it out there any way. Tonight seems like a good time. They're literally trying to create a new news story the night of the first debate that the Russian collusion was a Hillary Clinton plot. In releasing this information hours ahead of tonight’s debate, Trump's intelligence director explicitly admits that the intelligence community “does not know the accuracy of this allegation.” But sure, put it out there anyway and make sure that it makes headlines as the President takes the debate stage. Joining us once again is former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Madame secretary, thank you again for being here. I almost hesitate to ask you your reaction to them doing this, [CLINTON LAUGHS] but I must.
CLINTON: Sure, why not? I mean, it is a sign of such desperation by the Republicans and it also is a reminder that President Trump knows that the Russians helped him win in 2016.
Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace went next and continued this vile liberal media quest to label Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) as a Russian agent. In response, Clinton thanked her for the way she goes about the news (read: put her TDS diagnosis on blast) (click “expand”):
WALLACE: I mean, the truth is, Ron Johnson's committee in the Senate is trafficking in what President Trump's own intelligence folks describe as Russian disinformation about his current opponent, Joe Biden. We also know from a blur of new books that have all debuted on Rachel's show that, one, the counterintelligence investigation into Donald trump never proceeded at the Mueller probe. Peter Strzok said yesterday the tax story makes Donald Trump a current counterintelligence threat. And I just wonder what you think right now today as we sit here, the current threat to our country's national security is from Donald trump and all of his debt and all of these unresolved investigations?
CLINTON: Nicolle, thank you for asking that, and thank you for always raising it on your show. Because you know very well, given your experience that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the national security of our country.
Closing out the interview, ReidOut host Joy Reid bemoaned the idea that Trump would criticize Hunter (while we presume Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump are fair game in their minds).
Why?
Well, it’s because Biden loves his family:
What do you expect tonight? Because his negative obsession suspect so much as with Joe Biden as it is with his son. And Joe Biden's family means so much to him. He's had so much loss and he's so emotional about his family. What advice would you give to Joe Biden in dealing with somebody who’s going to take out that negative obsession and that nastiness, not so much necessarily on Biden himself, but on his — his sole surviving son?
Talk about a snowflake.
This continued lamenting and refusal to accept the 2016 election results was made possible by Humira, LegalZoom, Qunol, Swiffer. Follow the links to the MRC's Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcript from September 29, click “expand.”
Debate Pre-Show on MSNBC: Cleveland, OH
September 29, 2020
8:23 p.m. EasternRACHEL MADDOW: Looking back at it now, it is weird. It is like she had a crystal ball or something. I mean, we lived through it four years ago in the moment. But now with just four years in hindsight, it does look like uncannily accurate fortune telling.
[CLIP SOF 2016 DEBATE ON ACCEPTING ELECTION RESULTS AND TAXES]
MADDOW: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did have some kind of magic crystal ball in 2016. we just didn't know it at the time. We're less than an hour away now from the first presidential debate of 2020. Nobody knows better — literally, no one on Earth is in a better position than Hillary Clinton to know what Vice President Joe Biden will be facing tonight when he steps on that stage. Hillary Clinton is our former secretary of state, former senator, first lady, presidential candidate. Her new podcast debuts today on iHeart Radio. It’s called You and Me Both. Madame secretary, thank you for being here with us tonight. We're happy to have you here.
HILLARY CLINTON: Oh, thanks, Rachel. It’s good to talk to you again.
MADDOW: Can you bring yourself to watch this tonight, or as soon as you're done with us are you going to turn off the TV for the night? [LAUGHS]
(....)
8:26 p.m. Eastern
MADDOW: Do you feel like there were sort of Democratic candidate lessons learned from your experience going up against him three years ago? I mean, we've been talking about how the one thing that President Trump has proven to be good at is being on TV and debates, to a certain extent, to the tens of millions of Americans tonight, it is going to be something they watch on TV as a bit of a political TV show. Engaging him on ths substance is hard. He looks to get personal and petty in the way he tries to unnerve his approach. Have we developed a sense of best practices for staying within your own ethics and your own approach and also fending some of that off?
(....)
8:28 p.m. Eastern
NICOLLE WALLACE: I wanted to ask you about just that, the impact of four years of telling lies, because you took the debate stage three times with — and you did a lot of the fact checking yourself. You didn't wait for the moderators to do it. You did the pushback and you had the facts on your side. He's now told upward of 20,000 lies to the American people. His numbers are unchanged from the first year as President. What do you think the impact is of four years of having the most powerful person in the Republican Party and everybody around him nod their head along with the lies? How does Joe Biden debate somebody like that?
(....)
8:32 p.m. Eastern
MADDOW: Secretary Clinton, you mentioned the penchant here for settling scores and crazy allegations. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the Trump administration has tried to bring you and your 2016 campaign back into this today, just hours before the debate. If you wouldn't mind talking with us about that, we need to take a break as we watch the president arrive at Case Western. We’d like to talk to you about that when we come back, if you can stick with us.
(....)
8:37 p.m. Eastern
MADDOW: Meanwhile, here's the top headline tonight at Politico.com. Believe it if you must. “Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel” as in the Trump appointed U.S. Intelligence director tonight, hours before the first debate, released Russian disinformation to the public to smear Hillary Clinton. Politico’s Andrew Desiderio reporting tonight that this Russian material “was previously rejected by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee as having no factual basis.” But sure, let's get it out there any way. Tonight seems like a good time. They're literally trying to create a new news story the night of the first debate that the Russian collusion was a Hillary Clinton plot. In releasing this information hours ahead of tonight’s debate, Trump's intelligence director explicitly admits that the intelligence community “does not know the accuracy of this allegation.” But sure, put it out there anyway and make sure that it makes headlines as the President takes the debate stage. Joining us once again is former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Madame secretary, thank you again for being here. I almost hesitate to ask you your reaction to them doing this, [CLINTON LAUGHS] but I must.
CLINTON: Sure, why not? I mean, it is a sign of such desperation by the Republicans and it also is a reminder that President Trump knows that the Russians helped him win in 2016.
(....)
8:40 p.m. Eastern
WALLACE: I mean, the truth is, Ron Johnson's committee in the Senate is trafficking in what President Trump's own intelligence folks describe as Russian disinformation about his current opponent, Joe Biden. We also know from a blur of new books that have all debuted on Rachel's show that, one, the counterintelligence investigation into Donald trump never proceeded at the Mueller probe. Peter Strzok said yesterday the tax story makes Donald Trump a current counterintelligence threat. And I just wonder what you think right now today as we sit here, the current threat to our country's national security is from Donald trump and all of his debt and all of these unresolved investigations?
CLINTON: Nicolle, thank you for asking that, and thank you for always raising it on your show. Because you know very well, given your experience that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the national security of our country.
(....)
8:43 p.m. Eastern
JOY REID: So I have a question more about, sort of, you know, you have the advantage or maybe the disadvantage of having known President Trump for quite some time. You debated him three times and so you're in a very unique place to sort of speak to this issue. You know, Donald Trump has typically worked from the point of view of negative obsession. Obviously as you mentioned, a negative obsession with you, a negative obsession with President Obama and that he's able to pivot off of that and sort of use that as his way of attacking. What do you expect tonight? Because his negative obsession suspect so much as with Joe Biden as it is with his son. And Joe Biden's family means so much to him. He's had so much loss and he's so emotional about his family. What advice would you give to Joe Biden in dealing with somebody who’s going to take out that negative obsession and that nastiness, not so much necessarily on Biden himself, but on his — his sole surviving son?
