Despite Donald Trump’s assassination attempt still fresh, along with the media’s pleas for unity and ending divisive rhetoric, MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace released some pent up aggravation on Monday night's Deadline: White House when it came to Trump’s selection of Sen. J.D. Vance to be his running mate how he compares to current VP Kamala Harris.
Political strategist Basil Smikle joined Wallace and other panelists to discuss the events of the Republican National Convention, including Vance’s selection. He portrayed Trump and Vance as being opposed to racial equality, “[Gen X] we are children of white flight. We're the children of the Civil Rights Movement…And what we've seen over the course of the last several years particularly as a backlash to the Obama presidency…is leading to this incredible divide that certainly J.D. Vance and Donald Trump have worked to exploit in many ways.”
Smikle expressed anger with his party and the way they have been discussing the potential ticket, stating, “Look, there are a lot of people that were calling for Joe Biden to step down and in the same breath were not saying that the person next should be Kamala Harris. And I wonder why.
Bringing the conversation back to Vance, Wallace added, “Let me just say this, as someone who's covered her, if anyone has watched -- I've watched all of her speeches for the last two weeks. I thought she was fantastic four years ago. Anyone that hasn't watched -- I hope that J.D. Vance today challenges Kamala Harris -- to some debates because she would wipe the floor with him. For whatever – I will stay out of whatever the Democrats decide to do - - at the top of the ticket. But if they make a change, Kamala Harris should be the top of the ticket.”
As no one on the panel actively disagreed with her, and Smikle affirmed her every word, it seemed a strange outburst to say the least, not unsurprising for the liberal media, which has praised the VP every step of the way.
The spectacle continued as Wallace stated:
Well, you know, have them call me because -- let me just say this. I have only covered her -- and this is where -- if you haven’t covered her and you watched her dismantle Bill Barr. How many people can say -- like you put your list of accomplishments together and if you can put on it, destroyed Bill Barr, made fun of Mike Pence and the fly on his head without saying a word, and have hit the campaign trail with enough vigor to carry the whole ticket for the last 16 days. She's ready.
A comical show by the progressive network and overzealous host, taking advantage of another opportunity to smear Republicans.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
MSNBC Deadline: White House
(...)
7/16/2024
5:12:51 PM ESTBASIL SMIKLE: If I could just say really quickly, Mara's point there’s something I want to build off of. Because I'm a Gen X-er, if you think of Gen X-ers and millennials, we were the ones -- we are children of white flight. We're the children of the Civil Rights Movement. It was sort of our job working across the aisle and across race and ethnicity to try to -- as somebody said earlier, implement all that was done before us into our neighborhoods, into our institutions.
And what we've seen over the course of the last several years particularly as a backlash to the Obama presidency, but even before that, is just a deepening and a hardening of positions where there is no incentive, a disincentive, in fact, to have the kinds of conversations that we were talking about. And so I. just even as a person that does a lot of education policy, even the fact that we could be dealing with this in K-12 education, in civics classes, and debate classes, and we don't is partly what led -- what is leading to this incredible divide that certainly J.D. Vance and Donald Trump have worked to exploit in many ways. And that's why over the past week I've been saying if you're a Democrat you have to come to this fight with your chest out and your back straight. This is about, as you were saying earlier, signs of strength. You know, how are we going to fight this? How is that going to get pushed back? And it doesn't happen by having these broad conversations you shouldn't be having out in the open. But having said that –
NICOLE WALLACE: Like what? Like what? Say more.
SMIKLE: Well, no, just that -- look, there are a lot of people that were calling for Joe Biden to step down and in the same breath were not saying that the person next should be Kamala Harris. And I wonder why. Because if many ways --
WALLACE: Who did that? Who did that?
SMIKLE: I think most of the people who came out to talk – to say Joe Biden should step down did not come right out and say Kamala Harris should be next. And my feeling –
WALLACE: Kamala Harris should be next if anyone thinks Joe Biden should step –
SMIKLE: Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris should be next.
WALLACE: Let me just say this, as someone who's covered her, if anyone has watched -- I've watched all of her speeches for the last two weeks.
SMIKLE: She is fantastic –
WALLACE: – I thought she was fantastic four years ago. Anyone that hasn't watched -- I hope that J.D. Vance today challenges Kamala Harris –
SMIKLE: Absolutely right.
WALLACE: – to some debates because she would wipe the floor with him.
SMIKLE: Absolutely.
WALLACE: For whatever – I will stay out of whatever the Democrats decide to do –
SMIKLE: That’s right.
WALLACE: – at the top of the ticket. But if they make a change Kamala Harris should be the top of the ticket.
SMIKLE: Absolutely right. And I don't mean to bring up something that seems to be this upsetting but --
WALLACE: No, no , we got to work it all out, and we got to do it on TV. Keep talking.
SMIKLE: The reality is, and I’ve said this, that I don't know if my party knows even how to defend her when the attacks come. And they will come. And they will come.
WALLACE: Well you know, have them call me because -- let me just say this. I have only covered her and I think this is where my disc-- if you haven’t covered her and you watched her dismantle Bill Barr.
SMIKLE: That’s exactly right.
WALLACE: How many people can say -- like you put your list of accomplishments together and if you can put on it destroyed Bill Barr, made fun of Mike Pence and the fly on his head without saying a word, and have hit the campaign trail with enough vigor to carry the whole ticket for the last 16 days. She's ready.
