Memoli Previews 2022: ‘Voting Rights Really in Jeopardy’

Mike Memoli (MSNBC White House correspondent) joined MTP Daily Kristen Welker, guest host on Monday will preview 2022. Memoli believes that the beginning of 2019 will be dominated by Democrats pushing for voting rights because these are in “really jeopardy” throughout the country.

Welker asked about the whole of President Biden’s stalled agenda and just how important the specific issue of voting bills are to the White House, “And I guess the question is how high of an issue is voting rights, of course, against the backdrop of Build Back Better all as we approach the anniversary of January 6th?”

Memoli took time to respond. At first, he hyped Biden’s so-called Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan as evidence that the White House is “focusing on literally kitchen table issues.” Memoli noted that Biden will be meeting on Tuesday with his COVID team before getting to Welker’s initial question.

Memoli observed that Democratic congressional leaders are looking to tie voting rights to January 6th’s 1 year anniversary.

This is an opportunity for the President to really get back to what was the core issue of his 2020 presidential campaign, the idea of the soul of America being at stake here. This is a moment with voting rights really in jeopardy. So many challenges to the right to vote in state legislatures across the country for the president to weigh in on that. It’s also worth noting, Kristen, that Vice President Harris who has, of course, voting rights as part of her major portfolio, will be speaking at the Capitol as well. So, that’s I think a real signal of what the White House’s priorities are as we head into this year. 

Memoli concluded his remarks and moved to Building Back Better. “It’s all an audience, one,” he stated. “Can you get Joe Manchin back on board even as progressives in the party are really urging the president to consider more executive actions, if, to try to really jump start the conversation as well?” 

Memoli’s words are an indication of what will remain the same in 2022.

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Below is the transcript from January 3, 2009:

MSNBC’s MTP Daily
February 3, 2022
12:00 PM ET

KRISTEN WELKER: And I guess the question is how high of an issue is voting rights, of course, against the backdrop of Build Back Better all as we approach the anniversary of January 6th? 

MIKE MEMOLI: Well Kristen, I’m going to start 2022 by quoting Joe Biden, quoting his father which is to say you want to see what he values? Look at his budget or in this case, look at his schedule. I find it really interesting that the first presidential event at the White House of 2022 is about what they’re calling the Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan. Now, that might sound like a rather obscure issue, but it’s a signal by the White House that as we begin what is obviously an election year with control of Congress at stake, the White House is focusing on literally kitchen table issues. The price of chicken, the price of pork, the price of steak. What people are putting on their table and inflation, we know, is a big concern for Americans, the economy typically a big election issue. Tomorrow we know the president is going to be dealing with COVID, having a meeting with his COVID response team. 

Obviously this is a White House that wishes the pandemic was in the rear-view mirror as we start another calendar year with cases now at an all-time high. The president needs to continue showing the American people he’s on top of that urgent crisis, but then you look at what will probably be the first major presidential address of 2022, and that’s on Thursday at the U.S. Capitol when he’ll talk about the anniversary of the insurrection. And that is really important signal as we see Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill signaling they want to use this moment, in part, to really jump start the conversation about voting rights in an election year, it should be noted as well. This is an opportunity for the president to really get back to what was the core issue of his 2020 presidential campaign, the idea of the soul of America being at stake here. This is a moment with voting rights really in jeopardy. So many challenges to the right to vote in state legislatures across the country for the president to weigh in on that. It’s also worth noting, Kristen, that Vice President Harris who has, of course, voting rights as part of her major portfolio, will be speaking at the Capitol as well. So, that’s I think a real signal of what the White House’s priorities are as we head into this year. But, you mentioned really the Build Back Better legislation, what — whether or not the president can really restart those conversations, can find common ground with Joe Manchin will be, sort of, the real early legislative test for this president and we know those conversations were expected to be continuing, even behind the scenes, over the course of the president’s time in Delaware. All it takes is one audience. Can you get Joe Manchin back on board even as progressives in the party are really urging the president to consider more executive actions, if, to try to really jump start the conversation as well?