MSNBC's Morning Joe invited Illinois Congresswoman and chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Cheri Bustos to talk about the Democratic strategy for 2020 in a segment that involved in Bustos receiving some free advice from co-host Joe Scarborough.
The segment started off with footage of Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee and his floor charts during yesterday's Senate vote on the Green New Deal. Fellow co-host Mika Brzezinski was not amused that Lee mocked a mockable proposal, "That was-- that's so bad." Brzezinski rejected the idea that the 57-0 vote rejecting the GND, with 43 senators voting present, "was a show vote, 'cause that's insulting show votes."
It was then that Scarborough introduced Bustos, explaining that he believed health care would be a winning issue for Democrats in 2020, but that President Trump will try to make Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar the face of the party. He was worried that the socialist musings of AOC might cost Democrats in 2020. "Do you think Democrats, especially some of your freshman members need to be a little more careful with that they say, so they don't give the President political ammunition going into 2020?" he asked Bustos.
Bustos was grateful for the question, "Well, you use the right word, Joe: distract, it is distraction, its distraction, its distraction. That's what the President does."
After President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass asked about the DCCC's reaction to talk of potential primary challengers, Scarborough took time to lecture the more progressive-wing of the party by saying that they are not helping: "You don't undercut your own members who are trying to hold on to their seats while you're trying to gain addition seats."
Once again, Bustos was thankful for Scarborough's comments, interjecting with a "Thank you."
Here is a transcript for the March 27 show:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7:46 AM ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: That was -- that's so bad. I –
JOE SCARBOROUGH: That was Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah…
BRZEZINSKI: Wow
SCARBOROUGH: …Trying to poke fun at the Green New Deal yesterday. The Senate failed to advance the measure…
BRZEZINSKI: That's all you got?
SCARBOROUGH: With most Democrats voting present to protest what they said was a politically motivated show vote by Republicans --
BRZEZINSKI: Please don't say it was a show vote ‘cause that's insulting show votes.
SCARBOROUGH: It was a show vote. Let's bring in Cheri Bustos of Illinois, she’s the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Congresswoman, thank you for being with us. Now, I understand Democrats for good reason are going to want to talk about health care. It’s certainly going to be a huge advantage for them in 2020 like that was in 2018. But you're thinking about Donald Trump using some statements that have been made by people in your freshman class, he's trying to use the Green New Deal statements by AOC, some anti-Semitic remarks, and also talk of socialism, loose talk of socialism to actually distract from that. Do you think Democrats, especially some of your freshman members need to be a little more careful with what they say, so they don't give the President political ammunition going into 2020?
CHERI BUSTOS: Well, you use the right word, Joe: distract, it is distraction, its distraction, its distraction. That's what the President is an expert at. In the meantime, we have had 11 hearings on making sure that we address the cost of health care, the price of prescription drugs, we have had another ten hearings on transportation, rebuilding our country, the things that we ran on going into November of 2018, we are doing that. I got asked yesterday when we left one of our meetings by a reporter saying “Are you now going to pivot since the Mueller report is out there”, and I'm, like, “We don't need to pivot because we have been having these hearings, we have been talking about health care, we have been talking about rebuilding our country,” so this is ongoing, and it is not even behind the scenes, this is in full view of anybody to see. The problem is we -- inside the beltway, especially, there is an obsession with all of the distractions that you mentioned earlier.
…
SCARBOROUGH: I'll tell you what, nothing new to see here, because if when I was in Congress, there was a vendor that was helping somebody trying to primary me, boy, everybody up and down the line would be hearing about it. You don't undercut your own members who are trying to hold on to their seats while you're trying to gain additional seats. Nick Confessore…
BUSTOS: Thank you.
