Moments before the second day of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearing began on Tuesday morning, the panel during NBC News special coverage eagerly touted comparisons between the left-wing Supreme Court nominee and an “Olympic athlete who has been training for this…her whole life.” In addition, expected tough questions from Republican lawmakers were preemptively dismissed as “performative” efforts about “playing to their base.”
“What we shouldn’t miss is history in the making here. The first black female Supreme Court justice to be nominated to the highest court,” TodaySavannah Guthrie, co-host of Savannah Guthrie’s show, declared that she was as Nightly NewsSpecial report hosted by Lester Holt, anchor. Guthrie then hoped “the temperature is a little lower than it might otherwise be” given that Jackson’s nomination “will not alter the ideological balance of the Court.”
Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor replied: “It’s gonna be a little lower…but this is still history in the making and this is still a time where a lot of the Republicans on the committee are looking to 2024.”Then, she fell in love with Jackson. “So we can imagine that as she leans into the history of being the first black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court and also double-downs on the idea that she loves this country, loves this Constitution.”
Alcindor hyped up moments later: “I was texting with one of her closest friends today and they told me yesterday was very, very emotional, but that they believe that their friend is like an Olympic athlete who has been training for this their whole – her whole life.”
Guthrie cheered and happily took up the analogy. “Well, that athlete is about to enter into the hearing room. And if that’s the athlete, she’s been to several prior Olympics, having and faced several confirmation hearings.”
Eugene Robinson (left-wing columnist and political analyst) was Eugene’s next stop. He warned, like Alcindor about the GOP.
I think the Republican senators who frankly would like to run for president some someday – Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton – I think you’ll hear them kind of ask performative questions, just to be blunt about it. You know, they’re playing to their base. I’m not sure how much serious inquiry we’ll get.
After Jackson had finished her opening speech at Monday’s first hearings on Monday, NBC and ABC rushed to declare that the nominee was immune from Republican criticism. Holt went so far as to ask: “…how Republicans will go after her? Will they hold back and realize this is not the hill maybe they want to die on?”
Jackson seems to be the judicial equivalent of Simone Biles and Michael Phelps according to NBC.
During the NBC News special, there weren’t any commercial breaks.
The March 22 panel discussion transcript is available here:
9:00 AM ET
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SAVANNAH GUTHRRIE: This is our panel. We’re joined now by NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor and NBC News political analyst Eugene Robinson. As we both watch, welcome to you.
What we shouldn’t miss is history in the making here. First black Supreme Court female justice was nominated to this highest court. And it’s interesting, Yamiche, I wonder what your reporting tells you because every Supreme Court confirmation hearing is high stakes by its nature. It will not change the ideology balance on the Court, and it could mean the Court is feeling a little cooler than usual.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It’s gonna be a little lower in that there’s not gonna be, as you said, this balance of the court at stake, but this is still history in the making and this is still a time where a lot of the Republicans on the committee are looking to 2024.
We can picture her looking back at the history of becoming the first woman from Africa to be elected to the Supreme Court. She also doubles down on the fact that she loves America and the Constitution. That’s what she said yesterday. She’s also going to be on the defense here. Yesterday was an easy day. Today, she’s going to be having to talk about whether or not she sees race as having a role to play in the law. She’s asked and answered that question before, she said that that’s – she doesn’t see race as being a place where she – where it impacts her decisions on the law.
But we can also expect the Republicans not only to go after her on those – as Pete Williams said – those child pornography issues and her defending them pretty clearly. We can also expect they will be talking about whether or not she believes in adding people to the Supreme Court, whether or not she might recuse herself when it comes to Affirmative Action cases because she’s on a board for Harvard.
I was texting with one of her closest friends today and they told me yesterday was very, very emotional, but that they believe that their friend is like an Olympic athlete who has been training for this their whole – her whole life.
GUTHRIE : The hearing room is now open to the athlete. And if that’s the athlete, she’s been to several prior Olympics, having and faced several confirmation hearings.
Eugene! I am turning to you. One of the most important hot-button topics of today is abortion. The Court will be hearing it. That case would be heard by her. Right now, that case is under litigation. The Court is currently hearing affirmative action cases. All these topics are crucial right now.
ROBINSON – They are. And so – however, the temperature will be lower this time just because it doesn’t change the ideological balance. I think the Republican senators who frankly would like to run for president some someday – Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton – I think you’ll hear them kind of ask performative questions, just to be blunt about it. You know, they’re playing to their base. I’m not sure how much serious inquiry we’ll get. We should get it.
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