Despite all the talk on MSNBC about norms and institutions, Brian Williams used Friday’s edition of The 11th Hour To criticize Democrats for being tough but lacking the guts to pack or alter the Supreme Court, in light of oral arguments before the CourtDobbs against Jackson Women’s Health Organization Earlier in the week
After playing a clip of Justice Sotomayor’s “stench” comments, Williams hyped the remark as a “dramatic point” that has led to “renewed rumblings that Democrats might consider making changes to the Supreme Court. The Washington Post reporting it this way, ‘This week’s Supreme Court argument on abortion has accelerated an urgency among Senate Democrats to fundamentally alter how the court operates fueled in part by lingering anger over Republican confirmation maneuvers that have led to three new conservative justices in the past four years.'”
Williams presented his guests: Don Calloway (Democratic strategist) and Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst, and strategist). Del Percio asked him, “[W]ho thinks that a party that was clowned into putting Kavanaugh and Barrett on the Court, that still acts as if McConnell is in charge of the filibuster, is going to gather the votes, the guts, and the ability to somehow pack or alter in any way the Supreme Court?”
Williams finally stopped calling Del Percio a Republican. It makes no sense. He makes it seem as if Democrats were tricked into confirming Kavanaugh and Barrett, but, in the real world, they opposed both and just did not have enough votes to sink their nominations. Also, he seems to not be aware of the fact that Republicans could do the same in 2025 if Democrats “pack or alter the Court” with their majority.
Del Percio answered by sardonically declaring, “Well, now that I hear there is an urgency from Senate Democrats to do it, I know they will write a strongly worded op-ed for several major newspapers and make their anger known and then do absolutely nothing because there is nothing they can do. That sentence at the beginning of that Washington Post piece could’ve gone to anything, whether it be voting rights, police reform, gun safety reform.”
Her plea to Democrats was “to stop saying we want to break the filibuster, we want to change it this way, because they are not doing it and they are just reminding the public right now how dysfunctional things are. I actually want the Democrats to stay in control because they are governing and they believe in democracy. But they have to stop wanting to face defeat and look for victories.”
It was Mississippi, oddly enough that it was Mississippi who was fighting for democracy as well as the rights of legislators before the Court. And the filibuster is nothing to do Williams’s court packing schemes and Williams.
This segment was sponsored and produced by Kayak.
This transcript is for the December 3rd show.
MSNBC
The 11ThBrian Williams: Hour With Brian
11.31 ET
BRIAN WILLIAMS: To that dramatic point this week from Justice Sotomayor, there are renewed rumblings that Democrats might consider making changes to the Supreme Court. The Washington Post reporting it this way, “This week’s Supreme Court argument on abortion has accelerated an urgency among Senate Democrats to fundamentally alter how the court operates fueled in part by lingering anger over Republican confirmation maneuvers that have led to three new conservative justices in the past four years.” Two of our friends are back with us tonight. Don Calloway, Democratic strategist, founder of the National Voter Protection Action Fund and Susan Del Percio, MSNBC political analyst and a veteran political strategist. We wish you all a very happy evening. Susan, this is a layup shot for you. Let me put it this way, who thinks that a party that was clowned into putting Kavanaugh and Barrett on the Court, that still acts as if McConnell is in charge of the filibuster, is going to gather the votes, the guts, and the ability to somehow pack or alter in any way the Supreme Court?
SUSAN DEL PERCIO: Well, now that I hear there is an urgency from Senate Democrats to do it, I know they will write a strongly worded op-ed for several major newspapers and make their anger known and then do absolutely nothing because there is nothing they can do. That sentence at the beginning of that Washington Post piece could’ve gone to anything, whether it be voting rights, police reform, gun safety reform. You have to — it’s critical that the Democrats now take on the fights they can win. They have to stop saying we want to break the filibuster, we want to change it this way, because they are not doing it and they are just reminding the public right now how dysfunctional things are. I actually want the Democrats to stay in control because they are governing and they believe in democracy. But they have to stop wanting to face defeat and look for victories.
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