For the third time in less than a month, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell used her Friday show to spread wild fake news about conservatives. This latest installment of partisan falsehoods came during an interview with Vice President Harris where she asked why Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to ban the teaching of slavery.
Mitchell wondered why DeSantis is legislating about things he allegedly knows nothing about, “Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about black history and the black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?”
DeSantis has said himself that Florida law requires slavery and its aftermath to be taught and that what he rejects is The 1619 Project falsehood that the Revolution was fought to defend slavery. Mitchell and MSNBC would know this if they bothered to do ten seconds of Google research.
For her part, Harris was happy to play along, “I don't know what he knows and what he doesn't know, but I know this -- any push to censor America's teachers and tell them what they should be teaching in the best interests of our children, in partnership with the parents of America is, I think, wrong-headed.”
As if putting the ball on the tee for Harris to attack one potential 2024 rival wasn’t enough, Mitchell then turned to a second possible challenger, “And you said that Nikki Haley was using coded language. What do you think about her suggesting a cognitive test for presidents? For candidates for president?”
Harris responded in her characteristically solemn, yet rambling fashion, “I did not watch her speech. When you present the suggestion that anyone is saying that it is time for a new generation and they're running against the person who is president, and when presented as though it's an attack, I would like to let us all be clear that the attack is misplaced if the point of it is that we need leadership that is strong because we have a strong leader in Joe Biden.”
What they do not have are strong arguments otherwise they wouldn’t have to keep making things up when attacking GOP education policy.
This segment was sponsored by Wayfair.
Here is a transcript for the February 17 show:
MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports
2/17/2023
12:16 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about black history and the black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?
KAMALA HARRIS: I don't know what he knows and what he doesn't know, but I know this -- any push to censor America's teachers and tell them what they should be teaching in the best interests of our children, in partnership with the parents of America is, I think, wrong-headed.
The people who know our children best are their parents and their teachers in terms of the time they spend and the investment they've placed in the brains and capacity of our children who are our nation's future. And it should not be some politician saying what should be taught in our classrooms.
MITCHELL: And you said that Nikki Haley was using coded language. What do you think about her suggesting a cognitive test for presidents? For candidates for president?
HARRIS: I did not watch her speech. When you present the suggestion that anyone is saying that it is time for a new generation and they're running against the person who is president, and when presented as though it's an attack, I would like to let us all be clear that the attack is misplaced if the point of it is that we need leadership that is strong because we have a strong leader in Joe Biden.
