MSNBC host Joe Scarborough ripped into Congressional Democrats for pushing ahead with the largely-symbolic vote to “codify” the provisions of the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, arguing that they should be focused on getting things done rather than “virtue-signaling.”
Scarborough said that a majority of Americans supported at least some access to abortion — but that the Democrats had pushed ahead with the Women’s Health Protection Act that would expand access and guarantee a woman’s right to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy and for virtually any reason.
Broadening the bill to expand abortion access, Scarborough argued, was what had guaranteed its defeat — and he wondered why Democrats wouldn’t have adopted a more moderate stance in order to broaden its appeal. He argued that might have kept Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) — the lone Democrat “no” vote on the WHPA — on board as well as attracting some Republicans like Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
“I guarantee you, you put together everything that’s in this bill, it ain’t 70%. It’s not supported by 70%. You know, but again, Roe, we know it has that 70% support. Why not have a bipartisan bill? Why not have a bill that 70% of Americans support?”
John Heileman asked whether it might have been a strategic move, noting that the Senate could push a more moderate bill with bipartisan support closer to the midterm elections in November.
“The story of this Democratic Congress, thus far, is wildly overshooting the mark. And getting nothing from it,” Scarborough complained.
“Well, they want to know where people stand,” co-host Mika Brzezinski replied, pointing out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s reasoning for forcing the vote.
“You know, the time for virtue-signaling is over. They don’t have many legislative days left,” Scarborough pushed back, arguing that a vote they knew was doomed from the start was a waste of valuable time.
“They could go to Joe Manchin and say, we need a $1.75 trillion bill. Joe Manchin said, ‘I’ll give you a $1.75 trillion bill.’ I want to — and nobody ever says this because they always like sticking horns on Joe Manchin who, by the way, Democrats should all, like, send him, like, I don’t know — a box of chocolate, perhaps, for standing in the way of a $6 trillion bill, flooding this inflation, like, torn economy with a $6 trillion or $3 trillion,” Scarborough continued.
“It is never enough,” Scarborough continued. “When the Republicans are saying, yeah, we’ll sign on to this. Good is never good enough. Again, Democrats are left with nothing, and they’re running out of time.”