CBS Asks if ‘Grown-Up’ Kamala Feels ‘Betrayed’ by Manchin

Dienstag, CBS MorningsPreviewed Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan’s exclusive softball sit-down with Vice President Kamala Harris set to air on Sunday. Brennan was shown fretting to the VP about whether West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was “playing fair” or if Harris felt “betrayed” by his opposition to trillions in wasteful spending. Later, co-host Gayle King gushed over the Vice President supposedly being the “grown-up in the room.”

“We now turn to Margaret Brennan’s exclusive, wide-ranging CBS News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris….one day after Senator Joe Manchin said he couldn’t vote for President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a major setback for the President’s domestic agenda,”Nate Burleson, morning show host, was announced.

Brennan was worried as the segment taped played “Do you feel that Senator Manchin is playing fair with you? I mean, he went on television and said ‘no’ pretty definitively.” Harris dodged: “I think the stakes are too high for this to be in anyway about any specific individual.”

Brennan followed up moments after: “So you don’t feel betrayed?” Harris initially denied taking it personally: “No, I don’t feel – I don’t have any personal feelings about this. This is about let’s get the job done.”

However, the Vice President then got quite personal as she suggested Manchin’s opposition to the bill was somehow preventing people from getting “life-saving medication”: “And talk with families who say, ‘I can’t afford to do the basic things that I need to do as a responsible adult, like care for my children, care for my older parents, or afford to get life-saving medication like insulin.’”

Brennan was interviewed in the following clip. CBS MorningsHarris to have a friendly conversation. You can contact Harris to discuss the matter. Face the Nation host admitted that Democrats “need Senator Joe Manchin” and lamented the bad press for the White House: “And it is not a good look, after eight months of infighting, for this to be front page news that they’re having problems wrangling their own party.”

Brennan extolled then how Harris wanted to pass legislation which would constitutionally federalize all elections. This was done in an effort to safeguard Democrats’ defeat at polls.

They need Senator Manchin in order to amend the laws on tax, immigration and climate. This is also a topic I talked with Vice President over. She is passionate about passing two laws on voting rights at the federal level. because of what’s happening in at least 17 – or 18 states – where they are changing how to cast votes.

That was what she called the “biggest threat” to the nation’s security on the national security front, Nate. It was quite interesting. It is the integrity of democracy.So, I expect you’ll hear about changes that could be made to the Senate voting system and its rules of engagement.

Apparently CBS believes that making sure Democrats win elections is now a matter of “national security.”

Gayle King, a reliable Democratic Party donor and co-host of the show, praised Harris after she was treated like a child by her colleague. “Well, she’s certainly being the grown-up in the room in saying this isn’t personal. Because I hear a lot of Democrats, when it comes to Joe Manchin, they’re very angry and I hear a lot of ‘Why I oughta’ with him.”

So simply by not directly attacking Manchin, which the White House already did, Harris gets the “grown-up” label.

This peek at the gift of softball treatment Harris will receive from CBS on the day after Christmas was brought to viewers by Subaru and Macy’s. These advertisers can be criticized for sponsoring this content.   

Below is the transcript for the segment on December 21, 2018.

7:30 AM ET

NATE BURLESON: Welcoming back to CBS Mornings. We now turn to Margaret Brennan’s exclusive, wide-ranging CBS News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The Vice President spoke with Margaret one day after Senator Joe Manchin said he couldn’t vote for President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a major setback for the President’s domestic agenda. You can listen to the comments of Vice President about it.

MARGARET BRENNAN – Do you think Senator Manchin has been fair to you? I mean, he went on television and said “no” pretty definitively.

KAMALA HARRIS : The stakes are just too great to focus on any one individual. We have to – you know, one of the things that –

BRENNAN: It’s a 50-50 Senate, though, so you need him.

HARRIS: It is, I’m the tie-breaker

BRENNAN: Exactly.

HARRIS: There are such high stakes. I refuse to get caught up in the what might be personal politics when the people who are waking up at 3:00 in the morning worried about how they’re going to get by could care less about the politics of D.C.

BRENNAN: So you don’t feel betrayed?

HARRIS: No, I don’t feel – I don’t have any personal feelings about this. This is about let’s get the job done. And talk with families who say, “I can’t afford to do the basic things that I need to do as a responsible adult, like care for my children, care for my older parents, or afford to get life-saving medication like insulin.” We have to extend it.  

BRENNAN : What would you do without Senator Manchin.

HARRIS: You don’t give up, that’s how we do it.

BURLESON: Margaret Brennan, who’s moderator of Face the NationJoin us now, CBS News chief foreign correspondent. Margaret, good morning. Now, the Vice President says they are not giving up on the President’s agenda. Are they looking for a backup plan that will work with the Build back Better plan?

BRENNAN Yes. In our interview the Vice President was clearly trying to reduce the tension because they can’t afford to get angry for too long. They need Senator Joe Manchin unless the White House is able to win the support of some Republicans. To get anything accomplished in a Senate that is 50/50, they need Joe Manchin’s vote. All Democrats are needed. And it is not a good look, after eight months of infighting, for this to be front page news that they’re having problems wrangling their own party.

They need Senator Manchin in order to amend the laws on tax, immigration and climate. This is also a topic I talked with Vice President over long. She feels very passionately about trying to pass two voting rights laws at the federal level because of what’s happening in at least 17 – or 18 states – where they are changing how to cast votes.

She also stressed that the Nate was the greatest threat to the country’s national security. That was quite interesting. It is the integrity of democracy. You will likely hear more about possible changes in the Senate’s voting process and rules of engagement.

GAYLE KING: Well, she’s certainly being the grown-up in the room in saying this isn’t personal. Because I hear a lot of Democrats, when it comes to Joe Manchin, they’re very angry and I hear a lot of “Why I oughta” with him. So it’s very interesting that they’re taking that tactic and it’s probably the best thing to do at this point.

(…)