New York Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney had a mini-meltdown on national television after MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pressed him on how Democrats should handle Republican attack lines about “socialism” and “defund the police,” reverting to attacking the host for spreading a “Republican talking point.”
Scarborough, on Friday, asked Maloney, who is chairman of the House Democrats’ national campaign arm, how he and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will handle Republican attacks that many analysts thought contributed to Republicans making gains in 2020 House races.
“Democrats lost 25 of 25 contested house races in 2020. And I think most analysts believe, at least in the House races, Democrats badly underperformed expectations,” Scarborough said. “It’s not the question that I’m asking. It’s the question that Republicans will continue to ask: Do Democrats support defunding the police?”
“The answer is no. And you are asking the question, and you’re repeating a Republican talking point for reasons I don’t know,” Maloney said.
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Scarborough shot back: “I’ll tell you why I’m repeating it: Because you all did such a damn poor job of answering that, such a poor job of answering socialism questions, such a poor job about answering cancel culture questions,” Scarborough said. “Are you going into 2022 with eyes wide open?”
“As my friend Maxine Waters said to Jim Jordan, ‘You’re ranting again,'” Maloney responded, referencing a heated exchange the California Democratic had with the Ohio Republican representative in a hearing on Thursday.
Maloney added: “If your point is that we need to communicate better, well fair enough. But do me a favor. Please also acknowledge that when you echo and amplify these talking points of the Republican Party, you give them life.”
Though former President Donald Trump lost reelection and Republicans lost Senate seats in 2020, it was a different story in the House. Republicans added 11 seats to their ranks as a result of the 2020 elections, causing the Democratic Party to have the slimmest House majority since the 1930s.
It was not only analysts who recognized the effectiveness of “defund the police” attacks.
“If we run this race again, we will get f—-g torn apart again in 2022,” centrist Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia reportedly said in a Democratic conference call days after the November election, blaming Democrats who called to defund the police for giving fuel to Republicans.
Maloney and Scarborough, a Republican House member from Florida from 1995 to 2001 who has since become bitingly critical of his old party, exchanged pleasantries on Twitter following the tense exchange. “We all enjoyed the back and forth and I value his fighting spirit,” Scarborough said.
Maloney seemed to blame his Irish heritage for the temper: “I’m the youngest of 5 Irish brothers — and the best fights are with the ones you love.”
I’m the youngest of 5 Irish brothers — and the best fights are with the ones you love @JoeNBC ! Keep asking the right questions. ???? https://t.co/dfso7rbkVk
— Sean Patrick Maloney (@RepSeanMaloney) April 16, 2021
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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee narrowly out-raised the National Republican Campaign Committee in the first three months of 2021, $34.1 million to $33.7 million.
