Eager to celebrate Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate and do the Democratic Party’s bidding, on Wednesday, NBC’s Today show brought on another member of the presumptive Democratic nominee’s short list, Susan Rice, to hail the choice. The former Obama hack also was teed up to dismiss criticism of the left-wing California Senator as examples of “racism and sexism.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie of course started off with a helpful softball to begin the fawning segment: “What do you think Kamala Harris brings to the table?” Rice gushed: “She’s a great choice. She’s going to make a tremendous running mate for Joe Biden. I’m very confident that the Biden/Harris ticket will be a winning one, which is what our country so needs right now.”
Wanting to make sure that Harris was properly cheered, Guthrie noted: “Well, let’s recognize the history that was made yesterday. She’s the first black woman to be on a U.S. major party ticket for president. What impact do you think that will have on the race?” Rice was giddy:
I think that’s so exciting, Savannah. I mean, it’s past time. Black women are the backbone of this nation, not just of the Democratic Party. We have been here doing the hard work for decades and generations, and this is a moment to celebrate....And I want to congratulate Senator Harris and Vice President Biden for this historic choice, which I think is energizing, it’s exciting, and it’s historic.
Despite wanting the party to continue, Guthrie feared that Harris would be a victim of racist and sexist attacks: “You know, there is a flipside, unfortunately, to that history. Hillary Clinton was very blunt, saying that she feels that sexism was one of the contributors to her loss in 2016. Do you worry about racism and sexism affecting this race with Kamala Harris on the ticket?”
That question provided Rice with the perfect opportunity to trash President Trump:
Look, this ticket is gonna win. And yes, there will be those that employ racism and sexism. Look at Donald Trump yesterday, you know, calling her nasty. He would have done that to any person that Joe Biden selected on the ticket, and that’s the undertone. There are those who will not retreat from that kind of divisiveness and hatred, and Donald Trump exemplifies it.
Next, Guthrie lamented how “Republicans have seemed to settle already on one line of attack, that’s that she is far left, radical left, more liberal, much more liberal than Joe Biden.” Looking to help the Democratic ticket, the morning show anchor invited Rice to knock down the accurate ideological label: “Do you think she is more progressive or liberal than Joe Biden?”
Rice jumped at the chance to dismiss the valid criticism of Harris:
You know, the Republicans, and Donald Trump in particular, have nothing to run on, except attacks. They have set up to position their assault on whoever was to be the vice presidential select as left and socialist. It’s not true. That is not who Kamala Harris is. It’s not who Joe Biden is. So let them hurl their baseless attacks, it’s all they’ve got.
Guthrie finally managed to ask a couple challenging questions about Harris’s ability to campaign and her shifting positions on various issues:
> Well, let’s talk about Kamala Harris, because of course she is a U.S. senator, but she also ran for president. Her campaign had a lot of fanfare at the start, 20,000 people at her opening event, she raised money, but it fizzled. The campaign was accused of mismanagement from the inside, and she dropped out before one vote was even cast. If that’s how she ran her campaign, why should people have confidence about her being at the top of the ticket?
> Sorry to jump in, but one of the issues for her in the campaign was that she was kind of all over the place on the major issues of the day, such as health care, Medicare for All, whether private insurance should be abolished, she gave several different answers on that over the course of the campaign, so there was a feeling that she was kind of floating with the wind. How do you expect her to take on that issue, that criticism?
Rice tried to brush aside both critiques.
Wrapping up the exchange, Guthrie sympathetically wondered if Rice was “disappointed” by not getting picked as the VP and if the former United Nations Ambassador would have a role in a Biden administration:
Madam Ambassador, I have to ask you, and it is a little awkward, but it was widely reported that you were on the short list. Some said you were even in the top two finalists, that he considered you to be his vice presidential running mate. So I ask you, if you’re disappointed? You’re obviously here this morning, but are you disappointed? And when he called you to give you that news, did you talk about serving in a Biden administration?
Rice replied: “I’ll do everything I possibly can to help Joe Biden become the next President of the United States, and to help him succeed in governing in whatever form or fashion he wants.”
In order to run defense for the newly-minted Biden-Harris ticket, NBC immediately rushed to bring on a Democratic Party shill like Rice to boost the campaign.
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Here is a full transcript of the August 12 segment:
7:07 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We are joined now by Susan Rice, who was a finalist on Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, she also served as U.N. Ambassador and National Security Adviser during the Obama administration. Ambassador Rice, good morning to you. Were you surprised by the choice? What do you think Kamala Harris brings to the table?
SUSAN RICE: Well, good morning, Savannah. She’s a great choice. She’s going to make a tremendous running mate for Joe Biden. I’m very confident that the Biden/Harris ticket will be a winning one, which is what our country so needs right now. We have so much work to do to put our country back on track to recover from this pandemic, to revive our economy, to restore our standing in the world and our national security, and they’re a great team to do it. And I’m glad that I’m gonna be able to support them and do my utmost to help elect Biden/Harris and help them govern when the time comes.
GUTHRIE: Well, let’s recognize the history that was made yesterday. She’s the first black woman to be on a U.S. major party ticket for president. What impact do you think that will have on the race?
RICE: I think that’s so exciting, Savannah. I mean, it’s past time. Black women are the backbone of this nation, not just of the Democratic Party. We have been here doing the hard work for decades and generations, and this is a moment to celebrate. It’s a moment for young women and young men, frankly, all over this country, to be able to see that any door is open to them. And I want to congratulate Senator Harris and Vice President Biden for this historic choice, which I think is energizing, it’s exciting, and it’s historic.
GUTHRIE: You know, there is a flipside, unfortunately, to that history. Hillary Clinton was very blunt, saying that she feels that sexism was one of the contributors to her loss in 2016. Do you worry about racism and sexism affecting this race with Kamala Harris on the ticket?
RICE: Look, this ticket is gonna win. And yes, there will be those that employ racism and sexism. Look at Donald Trump yesterday, you know, calling her nasty. He would have done that to any person that Joe Biden selected on the ticket, and that’s the undertone. There are those who will not retreat from that kind of divisiveness and hatred, and Donald Trump exemplifies it. But look, I believe this nation is ready to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I have every confidence that she’ll be tremendous on the trail. And frankly, you know, we’re gonna have to just bust through these barriers, Savannah. You and I, and all the women watching this, understand that is the challenge we face every day. But it’s time, and I think we will do it, and I think when we do it, it is gonna be an extraordinary breakthrough.
GUTHRIE: Well, the Republicans have seemed to settle already on one line of attack, that’s that she is far left, radical left, more liberal, much more liberal than Joe Biden. Do you think she is more progressive or liberal than Joe Biden?
RICE: Well, first of all, Joe Biden is at the top of the ticket, and it’s his policies and his approach that’s gonna set the tone. But I think they’re very compatible and I think their positions are very close to one another. You know, the Republicans, and Donald Trump in particular, have nothing to run on, except attacks. They have set up to position their assault on whoever was to be the vice presidential select as left and socialist. It’s not true. That is not who Kamala Harris is. It’s not who Joe Biden is. So let them hurl their baseless attacks, it’s all they’ve got. Meanwhile, this country is struggling. We’ve lost over 160,000 Americans to Donald Trump’s incompetence and his disregard for the well-being of the American people, putting his own political interests first, over the economy, over our students who need to go back to school, and it’s just horrific. So they will – they’ll go in that direction, but Kamala is gonna be great and I don’t think it’s gonna work.
GUTHRIE: Well, let’s talk about Kamala Harris, because of course she is a U.S. senator, but she also ran for president. Her campaign had a lot of fanfare at the start, 20,000 people at her opening event, she raised money, but it fizzled. The campaign was accused of mismanagement from the inside, and she dropped out before one vote was even cast. If that’s how she ran her campaign, why should people have confidence about her being at the top of the ticket?
RICE: Look, Kamala Harris is tested. She’s won in the largest state in the union at statewide level three times. She’s a sitting U.S. senator, she sits on the Intelligence Committee, on the Judiciary Committee. She’s been a leader in the Senate on issues of criminal justice, and many other issues that are so important to the American people, and she’s going to be a tremendous vice president. And I think Joe Biden understands that, you know, he did extremely well in a very talented field of candidates, not just Kamala Harris, many others who performed extraordinarily well, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar. And so, Biden emerged because he was the best candidate in the field, but he’s going to make a phenomenal President of the United States and in Kamala Harris, I think he’s made a great –
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Sorry to jump in, but one of the issues for her in the campaign was that she was kind of all over the place on the major issues of the day, such as health care, Medicare for All, whether private insurance should be abolished, she gave several different answers on that over the course of the campaign, so there was a feeling that she was kind of floating with the wind. How do you expect her to take on that issue, that criticism?
RICE: Well, Savannah, I don’t think that’s a well-placed criticism. I think, you know, she has been, she has a track record, she has a voting record, she’s been quite clear. And she will be on this ticket in support of Joe Biden. It’s not her who’s top of the ticket, they’re a team. Joe Biden leads that team, and Joe Biden’s policy positions are the ones that we’re all committed to supporting. So that’s where we need to keep the focus, and as I said, I think their perspectives are highly compatible, and I think any efforts to suggest otherwise are frankly misplaced.
GUTHRIE: Madam Ambassador, I have to ask you, and it is a little awkward, but it was widely reported that you were on the short list. Some said you were even in the top two finalists, that he considered you to be his vice presidential running mate. So I ask you, if you’re disappointed? You’re obviously here this morning, but are you disappointed? And when he called you to give you that news, did you talk about serving in a Biden administration?
RICE: Look, I am happy to have been part of this process. I’m honored and humbled to be among an extraordinary group of women who were considered. I’ve known Joe Biden for many years, we’ve worked very, very closely together. He’s a wonderful man, he’s a friend, and I have said from the outset, I’ll say it again, I’ll do everything I possibly can to help Joe Biden become the next President of the United States, and to help him succeed in governing in whatever form or fashion he wants. So I’m ready to serve, I’m excited about this, and I just want to be sure that we take this opportunity to turn our country around, provide hope and a future for the American people, and restore the integrity to our democracy, which has been so badly damaged.
GUTHRIE: Real quick, because I just want to get an answer, did you talk about serving in a Biden administration, should he be victorious?
RICE: I’ll let Joe Biden answer that question, but let me say I’m proud to serve him in any way he’d like.
GUTHRIE: Ambassador Rice, thank you for your time this morning. Thank you so much.
