On MSNBC’s The ReidOut, host Joy Reid spent much of her show on Monday night obsessing over the January 6 riots at the Capitol. She attempted to tie it in with the rise in political violence in the United States and the “attack on democracy” which conveniently left out any leftist political violence that we’ve seen lately aimed at pro-life clinics and the assassination attempt against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
During her discussion with liberal Republican strategist Matthew Dowd, she asked him for advice for the media in dealing with Republicans who she described as violent “MAGA Republicans.”
Reid laughably claimed the “media did mainstream the Tea Party” which is news to members of the Tea Party movement who were active in 2009 and 2010 when the movement was viciously attacked by the leftist media on an almost daily basis.
Not to let the facts get in the way, she claimed the media “doesn't want to be in a war with the Republican Party. Let's just be clear. In general, the media does not want to be at war with the Republicans.”
Regular NewsBusters readers know that is a lie.
Dowd demanded that the media not be neutral. He wailed that we can’t sit by and say “the Republicans stand for autocracy and Democrats stand for democracy and let's see how this game plays out”
Continuing his demands that the media should treat half the country like a threat to democracy, Dowd wailed:
It is we have to tell the voters what the threat is just like we do, Joy, we tell them about inflation and we tell them about job growth and we tell them about a hurricane and we tell them about tornadoes and we tell them about wildfire, we have to treat this assault just like we have to tell them about the assault on democracy.
Reid then jumped in and made the laughable claim that “Adam Kinzinger is as conservative as it gets. If he and I sat down we would agree on literally nothing politically. He’s getting death threats to his little kid and his wife.” While nobody should be getting death threats, to say that Kinzinger is as conservative as it gets when he’s recently come out in support of gun control is delusional.
This divisive segment was made possible by Liberty Mutual. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript, click “expand”:
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
6/20/2022
7:41:50 p.m. EasternMATTHEW DOWD: So the first thing the Democratic Party has to do is realize we're in an entirely different time and a different scenario and their old plans of talking about 22 different policies and what's their plan on X, Y, and Z they ought to throw it out. We're not in the normal time. They have to realize that a culture war and a war for America has been launched and it's been launched for 10 or 15 years and the Democrats keep trying to think they’re gonna organize the kitchen at the barracks while this war is going on. Democrats have to step up and believe and talk like this, this is a war for the soul and heart of America. That's what they have to realize. It's not about whatever rate on education or a tax rate, it's not about any of that. It is about the heart and soul of America and Democrats have to run that campaign just like the Republicans do, not the violence and obviously rational thought but they have to realize they're in a war and you have to come to the war with that understanding.
JOY REID: And do you think that -- I mean, give us some advice for the media because, you know, again, the media did mainstream the Tea Party and wants to -- doesn't want to be in a war with the Republican Party. Let's just be clear. In general, the media does not want to be at war with the Republicans. They want to treat both sides the same but both sides are not the same, right? At this point, you were a Republican strategist. I've been a lifelong Democrat we agree on all of this. How do we get us all out of this, both sides sort of trajectory?
DOWD: Well, I mean I think that's the fundamental choice and that the fundamental choice is if -- you're a person in the media that covers the news it can't be, oh, the Republicans stand for autocracy and Democrats stand for democracy and let's see how this game plays out because as part of democracy is free– is media. Part of democracy is freedom of the press and the media has to -- I actually thought of one thing I thought that the media should do a better job of, which is how do people in the media conduct themselves in an autocratic country? The ones that believe in free media. We need to think more like that in the media and less like this is just A and B and let the voters decide. That's the point we have to give up. It is we have to tell the voters what the threat is just like we do, Joy, we tell them about inflation and we tell them about job growth and we tell them about a hurricane and we tell them about tornadoes and we tell them about wildfire, we have to treat this assault just like we have to tell them about the assault on democracy.
REID: Adam Kinzinger is as conservative as it gets. If he and I sat down we would agree on literally nothing politically. He’s getting death threats to his little kid and his wife. That's where we are. The monster is eating itself, Matthew Dowd, thank you.
