The journalists at MSNBC are desperate to help the Democratic Party pull out of the midterm death spiral it’s in. So host Katy Tur on Friday openly plotted strategy about selling the confirmation of soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Talking to White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, Tur approached the disastrous 2022 gently:
It has been a tough few months, frankly. The war in Ukraine is bringing bad news, and inflation is on the rise. Even though wages are up, it's not quite as high as inflation so people can feel like they are not making as much money as they were. The economy is doing well. We have added jobs, but the President's poll numbers don't seem to reflect that. So, I wonder in this moment, in getting this confirmation, how is the White House planning to capitalize on it?
That’s nicer way of saying, “You’re at 41 percent in polling and we’re worried about November.” After Bedingfield absurdly claimed that “This is not a moment for politics,” Tur remained fixated on making sure everyone
Listen, I know it's a historic day. I think politics you can't brush it aside in any presidency, and this is something he ran on and it's a promise he fulfilled. I find it hard to believe that the White House doesn't see this as a win and wouldn't be going out there and saying, “Hey, listen, you voted for us and you put Democrats in the Senate, especially in Georgia, and this is what comes of that.”
Earlier, NBC News Digital correspondent Shannon Pettypiece lamented that the Supreme Court nomination has not (thus far) prompted a bump for the unpopular Biden:
Usually a Supreme Court justice confirmation hearing is one of the biggest stories in Washington, yet it has had to compete with one of the biggest conflicts in Europe in a generation. It's had to compete with rising gas prices, inflation, COVID now appearing to make a bit of a resurgence in D.C., certainly among a lot of high-profile officials. So the White House didn't necessarily get the moments they had been hoping for out of this at the start of it but they are getting one today with an event like this.
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A transcript of the segment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Katy Tur Reports
4/8/022
2:13 PM ETKATY TUR: It has been a tough few months, frankly. The war in Ukraine is bringing bad news, and inflation is on the rise. Even though wages are up, it's not quite as high as inflation so people can feel like they are not making as much money as they were. The economy is doing well. We have added jobs, but the President's poll numbers don't seem to reflect that. So, I wonder in this moment, in getting this confirmation, how is the White House planning to capitalize on it?
KATE BEDINGFIELD (White House Communications Director): Well, Katy, this is not a moment for politics. This is a moment to celebrate an incredibly historic and historically qualified nominee.
...
TUR: Listen, I know it's a historic day. I think politics you can't brush it aside in any presidency, and this is something he ran on and it's a promise he fulfilled. I find it hard to believe that the White House doesn't see this as a win and wouldn't be going out there and saying, “Hey, listen, you voted for us and you put Democrats in the Senate, especially in Georgia, and this is what comes of that.”
BEDINGFIELD: Well, we see it as a win for the country. No question.
1:17 PMSHANNON PETTYPIECE They [The White House] remembered how, back in February, when this nomination was made, how the White House was really hoping that this was going to be a moment they could leverage with Democrats and the Democratic base. So much, though, has happened in that past month and a half, though, that, you know, usually a Supreme Court justice confirmation hearing is one of the biggest stories in Washington, yet it has had to compete with one of the biggest conflicts in Europe in a generation. It's had to compete with rising gas prices, inflation, COVID now appearing to make a bit of a resurgence in D.C., certainly among a lot of high-profile officials. So the White House didn't necessarily get the moments they had been hoping for out of this at the start of it but they are getting one today with an event like this.
CHUCK TODD: Shannon, the war is the war and that's going to consume more time from that west wing than perhaps politically the Democratic party wants it to happen but that's the job that they signed up for. But what does the White House hope is next on the domestic front? Do they have a next before November?
