At 9:00 AM, she was interviewed by Jaime Harrison of the Democratic Party. ET MSNBC hour show Monday morning, anchor and Democratic Party hack Stephanie Ruhle was in full panic mode over President Biden’s plummeting poll numbers and told DNC chair Jaime Harrison that he just needs to sell all the Biden administration’s “massive wins” in order to stave off huge electoral losses in the 2022 midterms. She later whined about how “misinformation and nonsense is impacting how people vote.”
“But coming up next, right here, a massive infrastructure bill passes over the weekend and yet President Biden’s approval ratings are hitting a new low. So how does the President and Democrats make sure Americans see this as a win?,”Ruhle teased viewers before the commercial, saying she would toss Harrison that softball.
Coming back from the break, Ruhle cheered the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and imagined her fellow Democrats wielding “powerful weapons” heading into the midterms: “The President’s $1.2 trillion hard infrastructure bill, along with the October jobs report and the drop in COVID numbers, give Democrats powerful weapons ahead of the 2022 midterms. The question is, do they know how to use these weapons?”
She gushed to the leader of the Democratic National Committee. “Jaime, you guys have been racking up massive wins. Two hundred million vaccinations, five million jobs created, a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, wages are up, the Dow is up.”Ruhle was then bitter: “Yet your poll numbers are down. How do you square these two things?”
Harrison replied: “Well, part of what we have to do is we have to double down on selling all of these achievements…” With Ruhle nodding along, the left-wing party boss launched into a vile tirade against the GOP:
Delivering is about putting out what you’ve delivered, and making sure that you contrast it with Republicans. Although you might think the Republicans would rather have infrastructure, it seems that they would prefer rebellion. In some ways, this party is built on fear, lies, and fascism.
Ruhle then expressed concern that Democrats weren’t being political crass enough. “I understand that Democrats don’t want to seem insensitive to people who are still struggling, but those same people you’re fighting for will gain absolutely nothing if you lose power. Why not celebrate the win?”
Harrison promised that she would hear plenty of propaganda from him: “Well, Stephanie, you will hear so much about this bill over the course of the next few days and weeks and months that you’re gonna have me come back on and say, ‘Jamie, I’m tired of hearing about the infrastructure bill, I’m tired of hearing about Build Back Better.’”
Ruhle still feared that voters wouldn’t appreciate all the government stuff Democrats were giving them:
I’m with you – I hear you 100%, but it’s that rural voter that has turned red in a deep way. You’re not just offering broadband, you’re offering clean drinking water, better public transit. These are things that are going to help that forgotten American who’s turned on the Democratic Party and really became Trump’s base. How do you communicate with them that you’re delivering? Because they’re the same people who keep talking about culture wars, and you’re delivering them hard results.
In her final question, Ruhle alluded to the role issues like education and Critical Race Theory played in Republican Glenn Youngkin winning the Virginia governor’s race. She bitterly complained about “misinformation and nonsense” impacting the campaign:
Before you head out, Do you have to address these cultural war problems head-on? This is misinformation and nonsense. I have heard it before. But, misinformation is influencing how people vote.Is it possible to use a new approach to fight this?
Harrison ranted: “We have to. The lies must be exposed for what it is. And they’re bald face, put them in a box, lies. And that’s what the Republican Party feeds on.”
Clearly Ruhle is desperate to make sure Democrats win in 2022, but claiming the Biden administration has a long list of “massive wins” and dismissing legitimate concerns from parents of schoolchildren as “nonsense” shows she is completely disconnected from a large share of the American people.
The DNC Strategy Session between Ruhle & Harrison was presented to viewers by Dell & Liberty Mutual. These advertisers can be contacted to let them know your opinion about sponsoring this content.
This is the complete transcript from the Nov. 8 segment.
9:43 AM ET TEASE
STEPHANIE RUHLE: But coming up next, right here, a massive infrastructure bill passes over the weekend and yet President Biden’s approval ratings are hitting a new low. How can the Democrats and President Biden make this a victory for Americans? We’ll ask DNC chair Jaime Harrison about that next.
(…)
9:47 AM ET SEGMENT
STEPHANIE RUHLE: The President’s $1.2 trillion hard infrastructure bill, along with the October jobs report and the drop in COVID numbers, give Democrats powerful weapons ahead of the 2022 midterms. But do they really know how to use them? Jaime Harrison is available to talk to me. He’s the chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Jaime! You guys have had some huge victories. There have been two hundred million immunizations and five million job creations. A trillion-dollar infrastructure bill has also been passed. The Dow is rising. Your poll numbers are still down. What can you do to reconcile these two points?
JAMIE HARRISON: Well, part of what we have to do is we have to double down on selling all of these achievements, and you’re right. Stephanie, on top of all that, I’d add that childhood poverty has fallen. And very, very soon, we’re going to see bridges go up, we’re gonna see roads get fixed and paved, we’re gonna see dirt roads paved, we are going to see water that is clean because of new pipes. So I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to do.
And you know, I’ve been on your show a number of times and I’ve said that the message that I want for Democrats going into 2022 is that Democrats deliver. That’s what this “D” on my lapel stands for. Delivering is about delivering. You have to put out what you’ve delivered, and make sure that you contrast it with the Republicans. It would be reasonable to assume that Republicans prefer infrastructure. But it appears they favor insurrection. In some ways, this party is built on fear, lies, and fascism. But the Democratic party has to be built on delivering for the American people and making sure that we let the American people know what we’ve done.
RUHLE: They may prefer infrastructure, but they didn’t get it done. But let’s be honest, if Trump – if he got even one of these accomplishments done, there would be a massive PR push, prime-time addresses, parades, and I can’t imagine what else. I understand that Democrats don’t want to seem insensitive to people who are still struggling, but those same people you’re fighting for will gain absolutely nothing if you lose power. Celebrate the victory!
HARRISON: Well, Stephanie, you will hear so much about this bill over the course of the next few days and weeks and months that you’re gonna have me come back on and say, “Jamie, I’m tired of hearing about the infrastructure bill, I’m tired of hearing about Build Back Better.” And then we’re gonna double down even more. So we already have ads that are gonna go up, we’re gonna be billboards all over the place, selling this accomplishment. Because it’s big! It’s huge! And it’s really, really significant. I mean, I just take one sliver of this – in rural areas, for the first time, you are going to get broadband expansion. For, you know, months and years, people have had to have their kids sit out in a parking lot at McDonald’s just to do their homework because they don’t have broadband in their community. This bill is a substantial increase.
RUHLE: But then why – I’m with you – I hear you 100%, but it’s that rural voter that has turned red in a deep way. You’re not just offering broadband, you’re offering clean drinking water, better public transit. These are things that are going to help that forgotten American who’s turned on the Democratic Party and really became Trump’s base. How do you communicate with them that you’re delivering? Because they’re the same people who keep talking about culture wars, and you’re delivering them hard results.
HARRISON : Stephanie, it is necessary that we go to those areas. The Democratic Party used, unfortunately, to also be the party in rural America. Because we realized the high-paying opportunities of only going to urban areas, where hundreds of thousands could be accumulated in votes, we decided not to go into these communities. These communities must be re-visited.
And I want to dispel a myth – rural does not just equate to white. Rural also – rural communities are just as diverse as urban communities. We have to get into these communities. You have to get out there and listen to their challenges. You’ve got to make sure that they know that we see them and we’ve got to continue to fight for them. And that’s what we’re gonna do.
Jamie: People often ask me what kind of Democrat you are. I’m not a progressive or a conservative, I’m a dirt road Democrat. My family grew up in a rural area. Knowing about hogs, corn, and pigs is something I am very familiar with. And so we’ve got to go back into those communities and one of the things that I’m going to do as chair is very soon, we’re gonna announce a rural outreach tour, where we’re going all across rural America, talking about the achievements of this administration and how we have actually delivered when the Republicans have just obstructed.
RUHLE – Do you have to tackle more culture wars before you head off? Most people believe that this misinformation or nonsense is true, and I have heard it many times. This misinformation and nonsense are affecting how voters vote. Is it possible to use a new approach to fight this?
HARRISON : It is our duty. The lies must be exposed for what they really are. And they’re bald face, put them in a box, lies. And that’s what the Republican Party feeds on. The only way to get power is to scare the American people. They invented all the dog whistles, boogie men and other nonsense. They think someone is hiding in their closet. That is what they – that is what they rely upon. But Democrats have to call out the lies, and we have to be bold in calling them out, and we’ve got to make sure that we paint a contrast. Make sure people are aware of what we did for them.
Jaime, it’s okay, RUHLE. Please come back soon.
HARRISON: Will do.
Jaime Harrison: Always a pleasure to meet you.
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