On MSNBC’s MTP Daily Monday afternoon, fill-in anchor Garrett Haake feared that Russia’s expected invasion of Ukraine “has thrown a big wrench in the political plans for Democrats here at home.” While complaining that the international crisis was interfering with Biden administration attempts to “reset their messaging heading into the midterms,” Haake sought optimistic spin from liberal pundits.
“The potential for war abroad has thrown a big wrench in the political plans for Democrats here at home, as President Biden and his party are attempting to reset their messaging heading into the midterms,” Haake fretted at the top of the segment. He then sympathized: “Now, the White House had hoped to use this time ahead of next Tuesday’s State of the Union address to test out a new message and a new tone. But needless to say, things haven’t gone exactly to plan.”
In the midst of him bemoaning the political fate of Democrats, Haake turned to former senior adviser to Vice President Harris turned MSNBC weekend host Symone Sanders and lamented: “How difficult is it to do this reset when you’re trying to steer the country around a potential war in Europe?”
Sanders spun – and she spun hard – trying to claim Biden’s disastrous foreign policy was actually a great success:
Well, Garrett, one could argue that the White House is utilizing this crisis as a real, for lack of a better term, opportunity to demonstrate that they are the adults in the room, right?...you have the White house, a very coordinated effort across the administration, from diplomacy, particularly with Russia and Ukraine. To asserting and reasserting and reassuring our allies across the world, Vice President Harris in Munich this past weekend to the President being very clear with the – not only our allies but the American people on what is happening. This is, you know, a working government really putting its best foot forward, I would argue.
Turning to David Frum, senior editor for The Atlantic, Haake tried to see an upside to impending war in Europe: “On the one hand, it is an opportunity to show presidential leadership as only the president can in a moment of crisis. On the other hand, Ukraine feels very far away, in some ways, from inflation or pocketbook issues here at home.”
Frum was not as optimistic as Sanders:
We may be 48 hours, 72 hours away from real mayhem in international energy markets. If sanctions are imposed, the Russians could retaliate with interruptions to the gas supply to Europe....whoever is writing the [State of the Union] speech had better have a plan B and maybe plan C, and maybe a plan D and E, because everything, from inflation to the price of gasoline to financial markets, could look very different very soon.
Haake’s NBC News colleague and senior congressional reporter Scott Wong agreed:
And as David pointed out, there is a connection here with Ukraine. We could start to see, you know, continued high gas prices, supply chains interrupted again because of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. And so, there is a connection here between, you know, the bread and butter issues that people are facing right now, and this crisis in Ukraine.
Those poor Democrats, just imagine how the Ukrainians feel.
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Here is a transcript of the February 21 panel discussion:
1:48 PM ET
GARRETT HAAKE: The potential for war abroad has thrown a big wrench in the political plans for Democrats here at home, as President Biden and his party are attempting to reset their messaging heading into the midterms. Now, the White House had hoped to use this time ahead of next Tuesday’s State of the Union address to test out a new message and a new tone. But needless to say, things haven’t gone exactly to plan.
Joining me now on set is Symone Sanders, an MSNBC host and former senior adviser to Vice President Harris. David Frum, former speechwriter at the George W. Bush White and a senior editor at The Atlantic. And my NBC News Capitol Hill team colleague Scott Wong.
So Symone, I’ll start with you. How difficult is it to do this reset when you’re trying to steer the country around a potential war in Europe? And you may not use the phrase, “walk and chew gum at the same time.”
SYMONE SANDERS: [Laughs] Well, Garrett, one could argue that the White House is utilizing this crisis as a real, for lack of a better term, opportunity to demonstrate that they are the adults in the room, right? I remember not a couple weeks ago where folks were talking about the pitfalls of some of the COVID messaging, the pitfalls of some of the pull-out of Afghanistan.
And now you have the White house, a very coordinated effort across the administration, from diplomacy, particularly with Russia and Ukraine. To asserting and reasserting and reassuring our allies across the world, Vice President Harris in Munich this past weekend to the President being very clear with the – not only our allies but the American people on what is happening. This is, you know, a working government really putting its best foot forward, I would argue.
HAAKE: David, you have some experience with this, trying to message around a war. On the one hand, it is an opportunity to show presidential leadership as only the president can in a moment of crisis. On the other hand, Ukraine feels very far away, in some ways, from inflation or pocketbook issues here at home.
DAVID FRUM [THE ATLANTIC, SENIOR EDITOR]: It might be about to get very close. We may be 48 hours, 72 hours away from real mayhem in international energy markets. If sanctions are imposed, the Russians could retaliate with interruptions to the gas supply to Europe. Gas is not a globally traded commodity in quite the way that oil is but Russia’s also an important oil supplier.
So whoever – what is very different now, whoever is writing the speech had better have a plan B and maybe plan C, and maybe a plan D and E, because everything, from inflation to the price of gasoline to financial markets, could look very different very soon.
HAAKE: Scott, we were on the Hill together last week when Ron Klain came up and met with Senate Democrats. After he left, there was this notable tone shift. The Senate Democrats came out talking about how they were going to talk about bipartisanship and they were going to talk about this other set of accomplishments they want to go chase. I remember the last eight months on Capitol Hill, there wasn’t a ton of talk about Senate Democrats pursuing bipartisanship. Talk about what you’ve seen in the change in tone, the change in direction, that perhaps will be part of what we do hear from the President next week.SCOTT WONG [NBC NEWS SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER]: Well, I think there’s a real recognition on the part of the White House, the President of the United States, Democratic leaders in the Congress, that people are hurting. That over the last two years, there has been a fatigue from the pandemic, they’re suffering from high gas prices, you know, when they go to the grocery store, the cost of milk and eggs and other things are more expensive.
And so, there’s a real push by the Democrats to show empathy. And so, you’ve heard that message not only from President Obama, who’s been advising congressional Democrats on how to talk on the campaign trail. But we heard that from Ron Klain just last week, talking about, you know, “We have to show empathy with the voters, show that we understand.”
And as David pointed out, there is a connection here with Ukraine. We could start to see, you know, continued high gas prices, supply chains interrupted again because of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. And so, there is a connection here between, you know, the bread and butter issues that people are facing right now, and this crisis in Ukraine.
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