Move over, Joe Scarborough! You're not the only MSNBCer acting as an adviser to Joe Biden. Enter Mike Barnicle!
On today's Way Too Early, airing right before Morning Joe, anchor Jonathan Lemire was clearly worried about the Republicans' edge over Biden on the border issue, and looked to Barnicle for advice on how to reverse it.
Lemire also works for Politico and back on January 29, their Politico Playbook newsletter asked the question "Can Dems flip the border script?" That's what Lemire is asking Barnicle.
LEMIRE: The American people are deeply concerned about immigration. They are. This has been, to this point, a winning issue for Republicans. Do you think, though, the Biden administration can change the narrative and make it one for, at least if not a help, it negates the Republican strength?
BARNICLE: They could perhaps change part of the narrative by, again, if the president went to the border and took action, actually signed something physically, and the border patrol was enhanced with more personnel. If they address it that way. It could change the narrative.
Barnicle went on to say that the problem with the border is that it's a "visible" issue: "The issue is visible to you here in New York City walking around. It'ss visible to you in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Chicago, Illinois. Throughout the country, people can see what the collapse of the border has done to the environment." He mentioned the burden on schools and crime, well, "public safety."
Many liberals would be perfectly happy if millions of illegal immigrants -- AKA undocumented Democrats -- continued to pour into our country. But the disaster that's causing is, unfortunately, visible to the American people. So, to "negate Republican strength" on the issue, it becomes a political imperative for Biden to be seen to be doing something about it.
Note: Lemire began with a little gibe at the 80-year-old Barnicle, saying that he always has his finger on the pulse of America—and that he was thankful that Barnicle actually has a pulse!
Since Lemire is so concerned about helping Biden, should he really be cracking longevity jokes about octogenarians?
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Way Too Early
2/9/24
5:58 am ET
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Mike, I know you always have your finger on the pulse of what American people are thinking. We know that your pulse there, thankfully, I'm glad you have one.
The American people are deeply concerned about immigration. They are. This has been, to this point, a winning issue for Republicans. Do you think, though, that the Biden administration can change the narrative and make it one, for, at least if not a help, at least negates the Republican strength?
MIKE BARNICLE: Well, they could perhaps change part of the narrative by going, again, if the president went to the border and took action, actually signed something physically, and the border patrol was enhanced with more personnel. If they addressed it that way, that could change the narrative.
The problem with the narrative about immigration is, it's a visible issue. The issue is visible to you here in New York City walking around. It'ss visible to you in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Chicago, Illinois.
Throughout the country, people can see what the collapse of the border has done to the environment. And they can witness -- if you've got a young family, you can witness what has happened as more and more children of immigrants are put into public schools across America. The cost to cities to maintain public safety. All of it. All of it. It's right there.
