MSNBC is getting nervous Democrats will lose control of Congress in the 2022 midterm election. On Wednesday’s MTP Daily, host Chuck Todd declared that “Democrats are sounding an alarm that they risk losing the House next year if they don’t find a winning economic message” and fretted that “the 2020 message of not-Trump” wouldn’t cut it in anymore.
“NBC News reports that the Democratic Congressional Campaign chairman...Sean Patrick Maloney, delivered this warning to Democrats in vulnerable districts, showing that new polling suggests that if the midterms were held today, they’d likely lose control of Congress,” Todd worried. Turning to congressional correspondent Sahil Kapur, Todd wondered why Maloney had now changed from his previous message of “Remain calm, all is well.”
Kapur explained: “Chuck, this looks like it was an attempt to raise the alarm among Democrats that they need to sharpen up their economic message heading into the 2022 midterm elections.” While the reporter claimed that internal Democratic Party polling “found several aspects of President Biden’s economic agenda are very popular,” he noted that it wasn’t clear if parts of that agenda, like infrastructure, were actually going to be implemented.
In addition, Kapur feared that Biden and the Democrats might not be able to continue bribing Americans with taxpayer dollars:
But, of course, that only emphasizes, Chuck, the importance of Democrats being able to pass the President’s economic agenda here on Capitol Hill because you can’t brag about infrastructure unless it becomes law. You can’t brag about the child tax credit unless they extend it in this reconciliation package, because as is, those payments are set to stop next year before the midterms. And of course, you have to tax the rich before you can sell that. So if Democrats are able to get this done, it gives them a message. But, if not, they are in trouble.
Todd even doubted that the strategy of Democrats using President Trump as a cudgel against Republicans would work with voters: “...the Democratic Party doesn’t seem to be united on what the message is....they’re running on the 2020 message of not-Trump or beware of Trumpism or let’s fight Trumpism, whatever version of it, it is. It sounds like Sean Patrick Maloney is basically saying, look, that certainly – you can do some of that, but you need another message.”
He continued to voice his skepticism: “Is this part of the problem, that there’s a disagreement on how much to sort of bank on the Trump messaging as being their ‘get out of this box free’ card?” Kapur admitted:
...the marginal Democrat in the House who has to win in probably a suburban district, you know, upscale, affluent, has a lot of voters who used to be Republican but flipped to Democrat....And that requires turning on their base, that requires holding on to the swing voters that were repelled by Donald Trump in the last four to five years. Now, of course, tying the party to Trump and Trumpism is still a part of Democrats’ strategy, but it’s not going to be enough.
Though the reporter was still convinced that smearing the GOP would be essential: “Democrats are also trying to tie Republican candidates to the most unpopular elements of their party, including anti-vaxers and, you know, the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. But they need to press that message to try to win over swing voters and hold onto them.”
Clearly the liberal media are very worried about the electoral prospects of the Democratic Party, that’s why supposed “journalists” like Todd and Kapur hold these on-air political strategy sessions to try to help their side figure out a better campaign message.
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Here is a full transcript of the August 4 segment:
1:45 PM ET
CHUCK TODD: Amid COVID’s resurgence and a debate over trillions in new spending packages, Democrats are sounding an alarm that they risk losing the House next year if they don’t find a winning economic message. NBC News reports that the Democratic Congressional Campaign chairman, the person in charge of the House campaign side of things, Sean Patrick Maloney, delivered this warning to Democrats in vulnerable districts, showing that new polling suggests that if the midterms were held today, they’d likely lose control of Congress.
Sahil Kapur is on Capitol Hill for us. So, Sahil, you know, it’s interesting, these – sometimes these leaks are done on purpose because it’s about raising money, sometimes it’s about getting people focused, and sometimes it just is what it is and it accidentally leaked. Where do you put this? You know, three months ago, the public stance of Sean Patrick Maloney was, “Remain calm, all is well.” So where do things, where are things now and what was the point of this leaking out, do you think?
SAHIL KAPUR: Chuck, this looks like it was an attempt to raise the alarm among Democrats that they need to sharpen up their economic message heading into the 2022 midterm elections. Now, Democratic sources who are familiar with the DCCC’s polling say they’ve done a deep dive and they found several aspects of President Biden’s economic agenda are very popular, not only among their base, who they need to turn out of course, but among swing voters.
That includes infrastructure. The bill that is moving through the Senate right now and has not passed. That includes the child tax credit. That includes, interestingly enough, the tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations. They want Democratic lawmakers to focus on that because there’s a fear that that message isn’t breaking through.
But, of course, that only emphasizes, Chuck, the importance of Democrats being able to pass the President’s economic agenda here on Capitol Hill because you can’t brag about infrastructure unless it becomes law. You can’t brag about the child tax credit unless they extend it in this reconciliation package, because as is, those payments are set to stop next year before the midterms. And of course, you have to tax the rich before you can sell that. So if Democrats are able to get this done, it gives them a message. But, if not, they are in trouble.
TODD: You know, it’s interesting, Sahil, there seems to be, also, the Democratic Party doesn’t seem to be united on what the message is. Look at Gavin Newsom and Terry McAuliffe, they’re running on the 2020 message of not-Trump or beware of Trumpism or let’s fight Trumpism, whatever version of it, it is. It sounds like Sean Patrick Maloney is basically saying, look, that certainly – you can do some of that, but you need another message. Is this part of the problem, that there’s a disagreement on how much to sort of bank on the Trump messaging as being their “get out of this box free” card?
KAPUR: Well, of course, Chuck, we have to keep in mind that Gavin Newsom is running in deep blue California. You know, Virginia is also a blue-trending state. Those governors are looking at – or those candidates really – are looking at different electorates than the marginal Democrat in the House who has to win in probably a suburban district, you know, upscale, affluent, has a lot of voters who used to be Republican but flipped to Democrat. That is the marginal seat in the House at this point. And that requires turning on their base, that requires holding on to the swing voters that were repelled by Donald Trump in the last four to five years.
Now, of course, tying the party to Trump and Trumpism is still a part of Democrats’ strategy, but it’s not going to be enough. They are – Democrats are also trying to tie Republican candidates to the most unpopular elements of their party, including anti-vaxers and, you know, the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. But they need to press that message to try to win over swing voters and hold onto them.
TODD: Look, I think one of the most underrated issues is vaccine mandates. This has a huge majority in favor of vaccine mandates, yet the politics makes it look like it’s a 50/50 proposition. Anyway, I’ve got to leave it there, Sahil. Great reporting by you, sir, appreciate that.
