PBS News Hour host Geoff Bennett and MS NOW host Jonathan Capehart essentially openly campaigned on Friday on behalf of Democrats by offering up visions of a more affordable America should Democrats win in November.
Bennett led Capehart by simply wondering what Democrats are campaigning on, “Jonathan, what are Democrats offering voters and what would they do if they win the midterms?”
Capehart gleefully answered, “Democrats have been talking about affordability since, what is this, '26, 20—since this time last year. I believe it was last year, maybe it was '24, but preparing people for the health care bomb that Republicans were about to set on the American people. And they have been talking about affordability ever since.”
On DNC err... PBS News Hour, Geoff Bennett asks Jonathan Capehart, "what are Democrats offering voters and what would they do if they win the midterms?"
Capehart gleefully answers, "Democrats have been talking about affordability since, what is this, '26, 20—since this time last… pic.twitter.com/IyJyT6y9wI— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) September 5, 2026
He added, “And on my MS NOW show, when we talk to candidates around the country, and we ask them, 'What are you hearing from your constituents, what is your campaign message?' And, to a one, it is about affordability, the prices at the pump, prices of health care, prices in the stores, inflation. And so that's what Democrats are running on, at least the Democrats I have been talking to over these last few months.”
At no point did Bennett ask the equivalent softball of "What are Republicans offering voters?" Instead, he simply wondered how difficult it will be for Republicans to urge voters to “stay the course.”
The Atlantic staff writer David Brooks wasn’t the helpful conservative side of the panel he should have been. On one hand, he did acknowledge Democrats have made life a little bit easier for Republicans by nominating DSA types, including in Michigan, but on the other, he also praised far-left candidates for offering “big ideas.”
Therefore, PBS News Hour’s transition into becoming DNC News Hour naturally omitted revelations about James Talarico blaming capitalism for climate change and white supremacy as well as any specifics from the DSA candidates or what Brooks considers a big idea.
Here is a transcript for the September 4 show:
PBS News Hour
9/4/2026
7:41 PM ET
GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, what are Democrats offering voters and what would they do if they win the midterms?
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Democrats have been talking about affordability since, what is this, '26, 20—since this time last year. I believe it was last year, maybe it was '24, but preparing people for the health care bomb that Republicans were about to set on the American people. And they have been talking about affordability ever since. And on my MS NOW show, when we talk to candidates around the country, and we ask them, ‘What are you hearing from your constituents, what is your campaign message?’ and, to a one, it is about affordability, the prices at the pump, prices of health care, prices in the stores, inflation. And so that's what Democrats are running on, at least the Democrats I have been talking to over these last few months.
