Former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss her book and a potential 2020 White House run. The panel did not spend time asking why she still will not concede or even what she thinks about various issues, but instead fawned over her and actively encouraged her to run for higher office.
"You should jump in," co-host Mika Brzezinski told the failed gubernatorial candidate. Abrams said she was "thinking about it" but was determining whether or not to run for the Senate first.
MSNBC Elise Jordan anaylst then heaped copious praise on Abrams' book, former Democratic Senator from Missouri Claire McCaskill jumped in to tell Abrams, "I think you're an amazing leader and I am so proud of who you are and what you've accomplished." Like Beto O'Rourke, Abrams' top rated political accomplishment was losing an election.
Instead of running for president, McCaskill encouraged Abrams to run for Senate, "The difference between leadership in the United States Senate between David Purdue and Stacey Abrams is night and day. I mean, he is a sycophant for Donald Trump." The idea that Stacey Abrams is some sort of moderate who would not be "a sycophant" for Chuck Schumer or a potential Democratic president is not supported by any facts. McCaskill concluded by telling Abrams that, "I'm proud of your ambition" and that Democrats could take back the Senate in 2020, "but maybe not without you."
Whether or not Abrams will actually run is an open question, for as an NPR review of a Bernie Sanders book said, "[Books written by politicians] are not books in any meaningful sense of the word, but tools to generate publicity and 'Is he or isn't he running?' speculation in the press."
Here is a transcript for the April 4 show:
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7:38 AM ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: That’s an audience at the National Action Network convention yesterday, responding to former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams when she said she didn’t know what oath was coming up next, as she weighs a bid for the U.S. Senate, the White House or perhaps a rematch for governor. And Stacey Abrams as you can see joins us now. She’s the author of the book entitled "Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change." We’re going to talk about the book, no worries there, but are you considering a run for the White House? You should jump in.
STACEY ABRAMS: I, I am thinking about it, I truly am. The timing for me is first deciding about the Senate, because I do think you cannot run for an office unless you know that's the job you want to do. I don't think you use an office as a stepping stone. So my first responsibility is to determine whether a senate right for me and the next conversation for myself will be, if it's not the Senate, then what else?
…CLAIRE MCCASKILL: Let me weigh in on that. I think you've got a really hard decision. I think you're an amazing leader and I am so proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. Say that first. But the difference between leadership in the United States Senate between David Purdue and Stacey Abrams is night and day. I mean, he is a sycophant for Donald Trump. He is always things Trump. He's not even thoughtful about it. And I really do think that it will be very hard for us to what we want to do in this country as long as Mitch McConnell is running the United States Senate, so I want you to do whatever your ambition and your planning leads you and by the way I use the word ambition because I'm proud of your ambition.
BRZEZINSKI: Absolutely
MCCASKILL: I think women need to own their ambition, I think your ambition is terrific
ABRAMS: Thank you
MCCASKILL: I want to, I just to, and I know that’s the pressure your feeling. I remember when I didn’t want to run for the Senate and I was having chuck Schumer calling me and saying “It's about America” and we took the Senate that year. And we took the Senate by three narrow races, in Virginia, Montana and Missouri. And that was in 2006. I think we could repeat that in 2020, but maybe not without you.
