On Tuesday, MSNBC anchor Jose Diaz-Balart conducted a friendly interview with Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow and teed her up to bemoan the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. However, completely missing from the softball exchange was the host asking the left-wing lawmaker to condemn pro-abortion activists firebombing and vandalizing the offices of a pro-life organization in her neighboring state of Wisconsin.
“I mean, it looks like the Womens’ Health and Protection Act really doesn’t have the votes needed to move forward,” Diaz-Balart lamented, using the Democratic Party’s euphemistic language to describe radically pro-abortion federal legislation its members have been trying to push through Congress. He asked Stabenow, “Why have the vote then in the first place?”
Before even responding to his question, the Michigan Democrat flattered him: “Well, Jose, first of all, thanks for all you do every day, it’s great to be with you.” Diaz-Balart welcomed the praise: “That’s so kind.” Stabenow then launched into this partisan tirade:
And what is so important is that this is real, it’s not a theory anymore. And every single United States senator needs to go on the record whether or not they support a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health decisions.
And we know that Mitch McConnell has been on the march now for 10 years or longer doing everything possible to get to this moment with a right-wing Supreme Court that will take away 50 years of precedent and set women back, and take away our freedoms.
She then quickly turned the topic into a campaign pitch: “And ultimately, this is going to be about the November election and we need more pro-choice members of the United States Senate, which means we need a bigger Democratic majority, and then we can protect a women’s freedom to make her own health decisions.”
Rather challenge his guest on her incendiary assertions, Diaz-Balart instead fretted: “...if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe vs. Wade, as the leaked draft opinion suggests, a 1931 Michigan law [that] bans abortion would go back into effect. A law that doesn’t have exceptions for cases of rape, incest, medical emergencies.”
Stabenow warned: “Well, this is very scary.” She even had the audacity to accuse pro-life conservatives of “extremism” despite knowing full well that pro-abortion activists have been the ones using the tactics of violence and intimidation: “Ultimately, we have to stop the extremism, the right-wingers who are saying to women in this country, ‘We think that the politicians should decide for you, we think government regulation on women is okay.’”
Even after she hurled those accusations, Diaz-Balart still had no interest in calling on her to denounce the abhorrent attack on the Madison, Wisconsin office of the pro-life organization Wisconsin Family Action. Nor did he ask a single question about mobs of pro-abortion activists showing up outside the private residences of Supreme Court Justices.
This was Diaz-Balart’s ironic final question to Stabenow: “And Senator, I know you also chair the Agriculture Committee, which oversees nutrition programs such as food stamps and WIC. What more should Congress, the Biden administration be doing to help ease the shortage of baby formula in our country?”
Despite spending the last several minutes lamenting that fewer unborn children would be killed through abortion, Stabenow declared: “...if you’re talking about babies, you know, this is – baby formula, you know, is essential. I mean, this is a critical part of their capacity, their moms capacity to make sure that these babies thrive and in some cases survive.”
The stunning lack of self-awareness from her and Diaz-Balart on that topic was only surpassed by their joint decision to ignore the pro-abortion extremism across the country.
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Here is a full transcript of the May 10 exchange:
10:44 AM ET
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: And with us now to continue our conversation, is Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. Senator, it’s always a pleasure to see you. So we were just listening to Garrett [Haake], I mean, it looks like the Womens’ Health and Protection Act really doesn’t have the votes needed to move forward. It would essentially be a repeat of February. Why have the vote then in the first place?
SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW: Well, Jose, first of all, thanks for all you do every day, it’s great to be with you.
DIAZ-BALART: That’s so kind.
STABENOW: And what is so important is that this is real, it’s not a theory anymore. And every single United States senator needs to go on the record whether or not they support a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health decisions.
And we know that Mitch McConnell has been on the march now for 10 years or longer doing everything possible to get to this moment with a right-wing Supreme Court that will take away 50 years of precedent and set women back, and take away our freedoms.
And so, that’s what this moment’s about. That’s what the vote is about. Then we’re gonna continue to speak about all the implications of this, in terms of our right to privacy as Americans, and move forward.
And ultimately, this is going to be about the November election and we need more pro-choice members of the United States Senate, which means we need a bigger Democratic majority, and then we can protect a women’s freedom to make her own health decisions.
DIAZ-BALART: So, Senator, I want to kind of bore in a little bit on Michigan because if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe vs. Wade, as the leaked draft opinion suggests, a 1931 Michigan law [that] bans abortion would go back into effect. A law that doesn’t have exceptions for cases of rape, incest, medical emergencies.
The Governor, Governor Whitmer, is trying to get the state supreme court to overturn the law but what happens if the Supreme Court doesn’t?
STABENOW: Well, this is very scary. And in fact, and in addition to Michigan’s 1931 law, there are 26 states across the country, that have laws – state laws that would go into effect. Seventeen of them would not have exceptions for rape and incest.
And so, I’m hopeful the Michigan Supreme Court will – looking at the Michigan constitution, it’s very clear that this is not constitutional. The challenge for us, then, goes back to two things again, which ends up in a November election, and that is we have Republicans in the state house and state senate, Republican majorities in the state, that I’m sure would right away go back and try to pass a new law taking away our freedoms. And so, the fall election becomes important in Michigan for the state legislature.
And here, it’s the same thing. Ultimately, we have to stop the extremism, the right-wingers who are saying to women in this country, “We think that the politicians should decide for you, we think government regulation on women is okay.” And it’s not okay. And so, that’s ultimately what this is about.
DIAZ-BALART: And Senator, I know you also chair the Agriculture Committee, which oversees nutrition programs such as food stamps and WIC. What more should Congress, the Biden administration be doing to help ease the shortage of baby formula in our country?
STABENOW: Right. Well, Jose, this is the worst combination of things. First of all, there was a recall by the FDA in February about contaminated baby formula at an Abbott facility and frankly that should – that recall should have come sooner. I’m very concerned about that and I’m looking into that.
But then you put it with all the supply chain issues that are happening because we have, you know, an economy that basically shut down in the United States and around the world because of COVID. It needed to, but now getting things up and going again, we are seeing all this mismatch in terms of supply chains.
And then you add to it there are very few baby formula companies, so we’ve got consolidation, we don’t have as much competition as we need. So in every area, and this is certainly one, we need more companies doing this, we need local companies, regional companies.
And we’ve got to make sure it’s safe. So this question of the FDA and the recall is absolutely essential. Because if you’re talking about babies, you know, this is – baby formula, you know, is essential. I mean, this is a critical part of their capacity, their moms capacity to make sure that these babies thrive and in some cases survive.
So we’re pushing very hard on every front to make sure that more is available and that it’s safe.
