Logic was in limited supply on Monday’s edition of The 11th Hour on MSNBC as journalism professor Jason Johnson argued that an NBC News poll showing Republicans leading in the generic congressional ballot is proof that voters love abortion, which the “illegitimate Supreme Court” took away from them.
Guest host Alicia Menendez set the table, “Just a few months ago, the midterms did not look good for Democrats but the momentum may now be swinging in their favor. In the latest NBC News poll, Republicans have a narrow lead in congressional preference.”
The poll showed the GOP with a 47-45 lead, but despite Menendez’s spin that momentum is of Democrats, the previous NBC poll in May showed a 46-46 tie.
Menendez, whose father is Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, then hyped the idea that “Democrats have also narrowed the enthusiasm gap, 68% of Republicans surveyed say they will have a high level of interest in the upcoming midterms versus 66% for Democrats.”
After introducing Johnson and David Jolly, she then asked the former, “what do you think it is that's actually moving those numbers?”
Johnson claimed, “it's two things: abortion, abortion, and abortion. Oh I guess that's three. That's what it is. Like, objectively, it is the concern about the overturning of Roe v. Wade that has moved what were previously probably were going to be unenthusiastic or sometimes despondent Democratic voters.”
After arguing that, before Roe’s demise, Democrats viewed President Biden as “stuck in the water,” but “now that the Republican Party has achieved their 40-year goal of overturning Roe v. Wade with an absolutely illegitimate Supreme Court, it has galvanized voters and the biggest change that I've seen is not just all that enthusiasm but it's enthusiasm, Alicia, at the local level because you had senators who had no chance of being in the lead, leading now an important states, while at the same time Joe Biden is still underwater on his approval ratings.”
MSNBC's concern about norms and rhetoric only goes one way. Meanwhile, Democrats may be more motivated now than before, but according to NBC’s poll, which was the topic of conversation, it is not enough to save them from defeat which suggests voters are not nearly as interested in abortion on demand with no limits as Democrats and MSNBC are.
This segment was sponsored by Discover.
Here is a transcript for the August 22 show:
MSNBC
The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
11:24 PM ET
ALICIA MENENDEZ: Just a few months ago, the midterms did not look good for Democrats but the momentum may now be swinging in their favor. In the latest NBC News poll, Republicans have a narrow lead in congressional preference. While threats of democracy has now moved ahead of cost of living as the top issue for voters. Democrats have also narrowed the enthusiasm gap, 68% of Republicans surveyed say they will have a high level of interest in the upcoming midterms versus 66% for Democrats.
With us tonight Jason Johnson, a politics and journalism professor at Morgan State University, he’s also an MSNBC political contributor, and David Jolly, a former Republican and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s now chairman of the Serve America movement, and he's also an MSNBC political contributor.
Gentlemen, it is good to see both. I’m going to pose the same question to both of you and Dr. Johnson, I’m going to begin with you, what do you think it is that's actually moving those numbers?
JASON JOHNSON: Well, it's two things: abortion, abortion, and abortion. Oh I guess that's three. That's what it is. Like, objectively, it is the concern about the overturning of Roe v. Wade that has moved what were previously probably were going to be unenthusiastic or sometimes despondent Democratic voters.
You can go back to March or April of this year and the primary concerns were not just the economy but Joe Biden's failure to do anything about police brutality, the administration's failure to do anything about voting rights. There were real concerns that this administration was already stuck in the water a year, 18 months into this term. But now that the Republican Party has achieved their 40-year goal of overturning Roe v. Wade with an absolutely illegitimate Supreme Court, it has galvanized voters and the biggest change that I've seen is not just all that enthusiasm but it's enthusiasm, Alicia, at the local level because you had senators who had no chance of being in the lead, leading now an important states, while at the same time Joe Biden is still underwater on his approval ratings.
