On her Wednesdy MSNBC program, The 11th Hour host Stephanie Ruhle welcomed the Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens and left-wing Prof. Jason Johnson to discuss the state of the nation which included the former accusing the GOP of being a “white extremist party” and the latter accusing the Supreme Court of being “absolutely illegitimate.”
Stevens went first as he was asked by Ruhle, “why do Republicans need to sell a whole lot of crazy? You've spent your career working with, trying to elect major Republicans right? Mitt Romney, George W. Bush. Does the Republican Party no longer have a platform that’s appealing to the American people that they can only exist in a crazy zone?”
After decrying the party’s attachment to Donald Trump, Stevens lamented, “I mean, if you had a gun to my head and said ‘What does it mean to be a conservative America today?’ I’d say ‘shoot me.’ There’s no philosophy of government, they can't articulate a unified theory of coherent policy.”
The reason for this “goes back really to race.” Ignoring not only his own failures as Romney 2012’s main strategist, but also record levels of minority support for the GOP, Stevens absurdly claimed:
The Republican Party failed to attract non-white voters. They never really came up with the policies that were necessary to prove to those who weren’t white, and like themselves, that they could better their lives. And because of that failure, they had two ways to go: either they could keep working and admit it was a failure, or they could just become a white extremist party and make it harder for other, non-white voters to vote.
Ruhle then returned to toss the conversation to Johnson, “Jason, we're now seeing Democrats raise big, big money to target suburban women. Are these, I know you normally don't want to talk about swing voters, but are these the voters that could make a difference in November? Issues like abortion, are these going to get a lot of people who weren’t engaged, weren’t interested, are they gonna get them to show up?”
Johnson took some time before getting to abortion, but when he did he agreed, “The overturning Roe v. Wade by an absolutely illegitimate, rogue Supreme Court is a motivating factor.”
Calling institutions and outcomes “illegitimate” is okay when the left does it. But, Johnson wasn’t done, he next showed a very low opinion of his students and the whole college experience, “And here's a small element of this that I know as a college professor, regardless of how you may feel right now about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, wait until kids, people's kids go to college as far. Wait until those suburban parents’ daughters and sons are in school, this fall.”
Wrapping up his remarks, Johnson parroted Stevens by getting in an obligatory accusation of racism, “I actually don't think this fall, at this point in July, is going to be as bad for Democrats is a lot of people think. All considered with voter suppression.”
Ruhle concluded the whole segment by thanking the duo “for making us smarter tonight.” That makes sense if by “smarter” Ruhle actually meant “dumber.”
This segment was sponsored by Discover.
Here is a transcript for the July 27 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
7/27/2022
11:50 PM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Okay, but—but-- Stuart, why do Republicans need to sell a whole lot of crazy? You've spent your career working with, trying to elect major Republicans right? Mitt Romney, George W. Bush. Does the Republican Party no longer have a platform that’s appealing to the American people that they can only exist in a crazy zone?
STUART STEVENS: Well, the Republican Party, let's talk about that platform. For the first time in its history the Republican Party passed a platform that it is whatever their leader thought it was. I mean--
JASON JOHNSON: Right.
STEVENS: -- you had to be inside these fights [inaudible] platform to realize just how extraordinary that is. Well, okay, we’re wherever Donald Trump wants. There—there-- is no conservative party in America.
I mean, if you had a gun to my head and said “What does it mean to be a conservative America today?” I’d say “shoot me.” There’s no philosophy of government, they can't articulate a unified theory of coherent policy. Now, you know, you talk to Elizabeth Warren, you ask her what she believes in, you may not agree with her, but she has a theory of government, she can articulate it.
And it is a failure ultimately of policy that is at the root of what has happened to the Republican Party and it goes back really to race. The Republican Party failed to attract non-white voters. They never really came up with the policies that were necessary to prove to those who weren’t white, and like themselves, that they could better their lives. And because of that failure, they had two ways to go: either they could keep working and admit it was a failure, or they could just become a white extremist party and make it harder for other, non-white voters to vote.
And that's the choice they’ve made, and it’s—it’s at the verge of potentially ripping America apart.
RUHLE: So I guess Donald Trump on his two visits to black communities saying on the south side of Chicago, vote for me, what do you have to lose was not a winning strategy. Jason, we're now seeing Democrats raise big, big money to target suburban women. Are these, I know you normally don't want to talk about swing voters, but are these the voters that could make a difference in November?
Issues like abortion, are these going to get a lot of people who weren’t engaged, weren’t interested, are they gonna get them to show up?
JOHNSON: I've said all along that when it comes to, sort of, people in the exurbs, first off, we have to expand our definition of the suburbs, right? It's ain’t—it ain’t-- just white women anymore, it's—it’s-- black women, it's—it’s-- Asian women, it’s—it’s-- people of all kinds. So spending that kind of money makes sense to people in the suburbs. There are also people who are policy concerned. They worry about schools, gas prices.
But I'll say this and I’ve pointed this out, and this is why we saw a change in the congressional ballot. The overturning Roe v. Wade by an absolutely illegitimate, rogue Supreme Court is a motivating factor. And here's a small element of this that I know as a college professor, regardless of how you may feel right now about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, wait until kids, people's kids go to college as far. Wait until those suburban parents’ daughters and sons are in school, this fall.
Then that abortion issue is going to become much more, much more pressing in their minds. So yes, I think that spending the money in the suburbs makes sense, those are the kinds of people who would be motivated to vote in midterms when they haven't in the past. And I don't think right now, I actually don't think this fall, at this point in July, is going to be as bad for Democrats is a lot of people think. All considered with voter suppression.
RUHLE: All things considered Jason Johnson, Stuart Stevens, thank you for making us smarter tonight.
