On today's Morning Joe, MSNBC reporter Ali Vitali twice used the d-word, for "despair," to describe the mood of congressional Democrats over the dilemma as to whether Biden should remain the nominee or step aside.
Vitali's very first words set the tone:
"I haven't talked to anyone who's a [Dem] staffer, who is an operative, who's an elected, who doesn't say some form of this sentence, "I love Joe Biden, but." . . . There was just a real sense on the Hill yesterday of despair."
Vitali sounded the d-word again in her closing comments:
"There is such a sense of despair that has been hanging over the Capitol as I've been working the halls the last few days."
Presumably, Obama didn't order Vitali to say this, in contrast to Mika's suggestion yesterday that Obama arranged for George Clooney to write his op-ed calling on Biden to quit.
So what does Vitali's report say not only about the mood among Dems, but the mood in the liberal media? Is the Democrat/MSM complex coalescing to kick Biden out? Throughout today's show, the point was repeatedly made about the overwhelming importance of beating Trump, given the threats that he supposedly poses.
And although Vitali gave a reasonably straight-up report, she tipped her hand as to where her politics lie when she described Democrats worried about "the role Trump has played, and takes credit for stripping women of abortion protections and reproductive health care access."
That's not the language a straight-down-the-middle reporter would use. Abortion is the precise opposite of a "protection" -- for the unborn.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/12/24
6:20 am EDTWILLIE GEIST: What else are you hearing in the hours after the press conference last night?
ALI VITALI: I think this conversation for the last 20 minutes hits on something that's so central to the main point on Capitol Hill. Which is, I haven't talked to anyone who's a staffer, who is an operative, who's an elected, who doesn't say some form of the sentence, "I love Joe Biden, but."
Those electability concerns are so palpable. This panic has been so protracted. There was just a real sense on the Hill yesterday, I think, of despair. Both with the people who have come forward, like Senator Peter Welch, to say, I think he needs to step down, all the way to members who have privately expressed their concerns but don't want to come forward publicly. Either because they don't think that it's going to be persuasive to the president, so why bother, or because they don't know if they're there yet.
They have such concerns about who, if not Biden, can beat Donald Trump. Because, again, all roads lead to Democrats stressing the need to avoid a second Trump presidency. Because of things like Project 2025. Because of the role Trump has played and takes credit for on stripping women of abortion protections and reproductive health care access.
. . .
GEIST: As we've been saying this week, Ali, this is people of good faith who want one thing in the Democratic party.
VITALI: Exactly.
GEIST: And that is to beat Donald Trump. Congressman Himes is a guy we respect a lot. Obviously, a very smart guy. Comes on our show all the time. He doesn't believe Donald Trump can be defeated by President Biden. Others say, well, Joe Biden's the guy who beat Donald Trump, and he can do it again, despite all the shortcomings that we see out in the open.
So is there some moment, and who is the person? Is it Hakeem Jeffries? Is it Nancy Pelosi? Is it former President Obama behind the scenes? Are there meetings? Are there conversations? Is there a moment where the party comes together and says, "this is our decision, this is the plan. We're either standing with the president, or the vast majority of us believe he should step aside?" Does that moment ever come?
VITALI: It really needs to. But I think the goalposts and the timeline keeps moving. Because first, it was, all right, his first appearance after the debate, let's see how that goes. Then it was the Stephanopoulos interview. Then it became, let's see how the press conference goes last night. Now it's become, all right, well, the RNC, the Republican convention is next week. Democrats come back to the Hill. Certainly by then, if Democrats haven't said all they need to say by then, then we'll have to see what happens.
There is this moving goalpost and this moving metric, and I think the thing that's so hard is, it is an unquantifiable thing. Every lawmaker that I have talked to, I have asked the same question that you're asking me. Which is, okay, when you say, do more, what does that mean? When you need to see something, what does that look like?
And there's no tangible answer to this because really what you're solving for here is vibes, mood. People don't feel good. There is such a sense of despair that has been hanging over the Capitol as I've been working the halls the last few days. And that is not something that you can solve by data. It's not something that makes -- it's a feeling. It's not a fact.
