Filling in for moderator Whoopi Goldberg because she had COVID again, ABC co-host Joy Behar was close to flying the American flag upside down on Thursday’s edition of The View. She was distressed by the growing list of Democrats speaking out against President Joe Biden by revealing their experiences with his mental decline and calling for him to exit the race.
“President Biden is fighting right now for his political future,” Behar lamented at the top of the show. She was particularly irritated with actor George Clooney for exercising his First Amendment right to speak out via his New York Times op-ed:
George Clooney wrote an op-ed in The New York Times claiming that after he saw Biden's condition at the recent fundraiser he doesn't think he's up for the gig. George Clooney! Couldn't he tell them that in person, for God's sake? He has to write an op-ed piece?
“And Obama’s former speech writer Jon Favreau claims he's not the only one. Watch!” she exclaimed ahead of clip of CNN; so angry she slapped her hand on the table (included in embedded video).
“I don't think they understand what's at stake yet. I really don’t,” she vented after the clip. “When you see that these two people, Trump, the convicted felon is neck and neck with a man who actually saved the economy. The World Bank said last month that the U.S. economy under Biden is boosting up the entire global economy right now. Why doesn't George Clooney mention that in his op-ed piece?!”
A few minutes later, staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) agreed with Behar’s outrage at Clooney, insisting that criticism of Biden should be done outside of public view.
“I don't like that George Clooney did this. I don’t like that George Clooney aired this dirty laundry to the world,” she declared. “I think that these conversations are happening. I think they should be happening because our democracy is at stake, but they should be happening privately with the commander-in-chief, who we should have the utmost respect for.”
Hostin argued that Biden deserved to have the criticism hidden because, “This is a man who saved the soul of our country and this is the man who has a record that he can stand on.” She then whined that the media supposedly wasn’t attacking Republicans enough.
Behar’s temper flared in an argument versus the tag team of pretend independent Sara Haines and faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin after they expressed resentment of the put-your-head-down-and-shut-up attitude of Democrats like Behar:
HAINES: As a Democrat – Well, actually, as an independent who votes Democrat mostly I'm ashamed that they're telling us to put our head down and shut up. I think it's disgusting.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Anti-democratic.
BEHAR: Well, but there's this pile-on about the guy. Let's say he does run. They'll use all of these negative attacks on him in their stupid ads that they’re going to start running.
FARAH GRIFFIN: It's democracy. He should be able to win and defend it.
BEHAR: It harms the guy. It harms him a lot.
“You know what people don’t understand? You're not just voting for a president; you’re voting for a Supreme Court. You're voting for an administration,” Behar shouted. “Biden is dragging the entire ticket down,” Farah Griffin warned.
From there, the conversation descended into a cacophony of crosstalk and then a commercial break.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
July 11, 2024
11:02:42 a.m. EasternJOY BEHAR: President Biden is fighting right now for his political future. Democratic National Committee chair Jamie Harrelson
ANA NAVARRO: Harrison.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Harrison.
BEHAR: I know. Harrison, of course. Is still in Biden’s corner but he’s losing more high-profile support. George Clooney wrote an op-ed in The New York Times claiming that after he saw Biden's condition at the recent fundraiser he doesn't think he's up for the gig. George Clooney! Couldn't he tell them that in person, for God's sake? He has to write an op-ed piece? And Obama’s former speech writer Jon Favreau claims he's not the only one. Watch! [Slaps the table in frustration]
[Cuts to video]
JON FAVREAU: Every single person I talk to at the fundraiser thought the same thing except people working for Joe Biden, or at least they didn’t say that.
(…)
11:03:56 a.m. Eastern
BEHAR: People don’t – I don't think they understand what's at stake yet. I really don’t. When you see that these two people, Trump, the convicted felon is neck and neck with a man who actually saved the economy. The World Bank said last month that the U.S. economy under Biden is boosting up the entire global economy right now. Why doesn't George Clooney mention that in his op-ed piece?! I'm mad at George Clooney right now even though we dated. I wish.
(…)
11:08:30 a.m. Eastern
SUNNY HOSTIN: I don't like that George Clooney did this. I don’t like that George Clooney aired this dirty laundry to the world. I think that these conversations are happening. I think they should be happening because our democracy is at stake, but they should be happening privately with the commander-in-chief, who we should have the utmost respect for.
[Applause]
BEHAR: And that goes to all of them. That goes for all of them.
HOSTIN: Right. This is a man who saved the soul of our country and this is the man who has a record that he can stand on. I will also say this; what the media is not talking about is the Republican platform.
(…)
11:32:48 a.m. Eastern
SARA HAINES: As a Democrat – Well, actually, as an independent who votes Democrat mostly I'm ashamed that they're telling us to put our head down and shut up. I think it's disgusting.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Anti-democratic.
BEHAR: Well, but there's this pile-on about the guy. Let's say he does run. They'll use all of these negative attacks on him in their stupid ads that they’re going to start running.
FARAH GRIFFIN: It's democracy. He should be able to win and defend it.
BEHAR: It harms the guy. It harms him a lot.
FARAH GRIFFIN: But it's not our job to protect him.
BEHAR: You know what people don’t understand? You're not just voting for a president; you’re voting for a Supreme Court. You're voting for an administration.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Biden is dragging the entire ticket down.
[Crosstalk]
(…)
