At NewsBusters, we use the term "MSNBC Republican" to describe people who were once actual Republicans but can now be reliably counted on to criticize their supposed party and generally toe the liberal line o' the day.
Michael Steele, the former RNC chairman turned member of the disgraced Lincoln Project, is the epitome of the kind of Biden-voter Republican MSNBC uses. Even so, his performance as co-host on the network's show The Weekend on Saturday morning could have constituted a first: an MSNBC Republican rapping the Dems . . . for not being partisan enough!
We were treated to the spectacle of Steele—ostensibly still a Republican—chiding New York Democrats . . . for not gerrymandering the state's congressional map hard enough in their favor!
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As the screen displayed the headline of an article in the leftist Slate magazine entitled "Democrats Blew Their Big Opportunity to Make New York Winnable in 2024," Steele challenged Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.):
"I get that Democrats have this thing about redistricting. But do you really want to redistrict yourself out of the opportunity to take the five seats in New York that would largely shift control in the House? What do you say about the political dynamics of the party that seemingly makes it more difficult for itself to actually gain ground on Trump and Republicans in this upcoming race?"
Note: Meeks tried to suggest that Dems didn't gerrymander to the hilt because they're more fair-minded than Republicans. In fact, in 2022 Democrats devised a redistricting map that was so grossly gerrymandered in their favor that even New York's Democrat-controlled highest court threw it out!
Meeks also boasted that the Democrat had won the recent special election in New York's 3rd congressional district, despite the fact that "a lot of folks did not think we were going to win that election." That was the election to fill the seat from which disgraced Republican George Santos had been expelled by the House. And Biden had carried the district easily in 2020. So it was hardly a surprise that Democrat Tom Suozzi, who had represented the district in the past, won it back last month.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
The Weekend
March 2, 2024, 8:21 am ETMICHAEL STEELE: Congressman, I wanted to, you, bring up the politics a little bit more. You talk about the politics, and it does play a role. Policy right now is also front and center.
I want to call your attention to an interesting story out of the New York Times [actually, Slate] in which they talk about the Democrats blowing the opportunity to actually make New York winnable for them in 2024, by noting the vote to confirm the new maps, the redistricting maps in the state that were signed by the governor. The result, the number of Trump-won districts in the state has officially increased from five to six.
I get that Democrats have this thing about redistricting. But do you really want to redistrict yourself out of the opportunity to take the five seats in New York that would, would largely shift control in the House?
What do you say about the political dynamics of the party that seemingly makes it more difficult for itself to actually gain ground on Trump and Republicans in this upcoming race?
GREGORY MEEKS: Look, we have a New York Constitution. But, we could not do, and I don't believe it was the right thing to do, what North Carolina did. You know, North Carolina just obliviated any type of fairness at all.
Our Constitution, that the people voted for in New York, prevented that from happening. It had a, we had to have an independent redistricting commission that's came together. And they came up with the plan. And as a result, the state legislature looked at it.
And I think that what we're gonna do in New York, as exhibited by what we did in New York-3, you know, a lot of folks did not think we were going to win that election. We won it. They it would be close. We won it by eight points. I see -- so we picked up one already, which by the way, puts it down to just a two, two vote difference in the House right now.
But also, I believe that we can win. We can win in New York. We'll win in New York-4. I think we can win in New York-1. We can win in New York-22. We can win in New York-17.
So, I think that you'll see that Democrats will pick and win back those seats that we lost, and that we may even add on a seat or two, even with these lines.
And I think that that's clear, because New Yorkers understand that what we're trying to do is work together for the benefit of the people, and not do nothing, as we've seen the leadership of the Republicans do for the last three years.
