MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell teamed up with Politico White House correspondent Eugene Daniels to reduce the integrity of women’s sports to GOP “red meat” with Daniels taking it a step further, accusing Republicans of villainizing people and implying such bills lead to suicides.
Mitchell’s “red meat” remarks about Republicans playing to their base came as she simultaneously condemned them for not doing what the Democratic base and the media—but we repeat ourselves— want, “And Eugene, Republicans today also passed a transgender sports ban for schools. Now, this is red meat for the base, but it’s going to be vetoed, you know, if it got through the Senate. Meanwhile, they are not doing anything about guns or a lot of other issues.”
Daniels began by agreeing, “this is red meat, this is something they know wasn’t going to be passed, something that Republicans have been doing for months and months, years now, right? trying to find, use—”
Perhaps realizing that he is supposed to be a journalist and not an activist, Daniels shifted to the “activists say” genre of reporting, “and if you talk to Democrats and most importantly, you talk to LGBTQ+ activists and advocates, they would say this is using trans people as both a cudgel and also as the boogeyman and woman and them of America, right? Talking about it, looking at them as so different.”
A boogeythem? Anyway, Daniels claimed, “This is very similar, they point you to what happened and how gay people were villainized for years by elements of the Republican Party and that this is another layer of that, right? And this was a concern that folks had after same-sex marriage came through and went through and now everyone’s kind of used to it, that what is the next thing?”
Daniels then played the suicide card, “And when you talk to these advocates, this is what they were worried about and most importantly, I think they are worried about the numbers, the vast numbers, disproportionate numbers of young trans people who either kill themselves or feel scared living in this country as folks try to pass bills like this and so it’s red meat for the base, it’s not going to go anywhere and also it’s—it’ll will be interesting how the politics of this plays out in general elections, right?”
Ignoring that public opinion is on the GOP side, Daniels concluded, “People don't typically--have not gone to the ballots in strong waves against transgender people, that is something Republicans have been trying to do but it doesn't seem like it will try to work. So how they do that as it moves forward in a presidential when you have Democrats painting this Republican Party as extremists and pretty extreme on this issue in particular.”
Mitchell would follow up by agreeing, telling USA Today’s “I'm not sure it has the constituency” to win a general election.” Meanwhile, MSNBC’s position polls in the twenties and thirties.
This segment was sponsored by Subway.
Here is a transcript for the April 20 show:
MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports
4/20/2023
12:26 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: And Eugene, Republicans today also passed a transgender sports ban for schools. Now, this is red meat for the base, but it’s going to be vetoed, you know, if it got through the Senate. Meanwhile, they are not doing anything about guns or a lot of other issues.
EUGENE DANIELS: I don't think it's going to get picked up in the Democratically held Senate and you're right even if it were, President Biden has already made very clear he would veto that. And this is red meat, this is something they know wasn’t going to be passed, something that Republicans have been doing for months and months, years now, right? trying to find, use – and if you talk to Democrats and most importantly, you talk to LGBTQ+ activists and advocates, they would say this is using trans people as both a cudgel and also as the boogeyman and woman and them of America, right? Talking about it, looking at them as so different.
This is very similar, they point you to what happened and how gay people were villainized for years by elements of the Republican Party and that this is another layer of that, right? And this was a concern that folks had after same-sex marriage came through and went through and now everyone’s kind of used to it, that what is the next thing?
And when you talk to these advocates, this is what they were worried about and most importantly, I think they are worried about the numbers, the vast numbers, disproportionate numbers of young trans people who either kill themselves or feel scared living in this country as folks try to pass bills like this and so it’s red meat for the base, it’s not going to go anywhere and also it’s—it’ll will be interesting how the politics of this plays out in general elections, right?
People don't typically--have not gone to the ballots in strong waves against transgender people, that is something Republicans have been trying to do but it doesn't seem like it will try to work. So how they do that as it moves forward in a presidential when you have Democrats painting this Republican Party as extremists and pretty extreme on this issue in particular.
MITCHELL: Susan, I don't know if you have a take on—if you have a take on how it plays in a general election because unlike other issues, other cultural issues that like Ron DeSantis is trying to play up in Florida, this issue, I'm not sure it has the constituency.
