The 2020 Democratic primary is a little bumpier than Bernie Sanders likely thought it would be.
The Vermont senator, who polls in second place, faces bad press stemming from his campaign’s reluctance to meet staffers’ demands for higher wages. However, arguably worse than headlines suggesting Sanders preaches one thing about wages while practicing another is the hostility between his campaign and MSNBC, the friendliest place on cable news for the kind of liberal politics championed by the senator.
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“[O]fficials in Sanders’ campaign contend that leading up to the 2020 election, the network is one of several cable news outlets directly contributing to a media climate where false claims go unchecked and requests for liberal voices on-air are frequently turned down,” the Daily Beast reports.
The national co-chairwoman of Sanders’ campaign, Nina Turner, told the Daily Beast: “More often than not these commentators are injecting their opinion without any policy discussions. They’re not there to tell the gospel truth.”
An example of the type of analysis Sanders’ team takes issue with includes the moment when MSNBC contributor Mimi Rocah said the Vermont lawmaker makes her “skin crawl” and that he’s not a “pro-woman candidate.”
“Bernie Sanders makes my skin crawl,” she said. “I can’t even identify for you what exactly it is. But I see him as sort of a not pro-woman candidate. So, having the two of them there — like, I don’t understand young women who support him. And I’m hoping having him next to her will help highlight that.”
Nodding along in silent approval at these comments was guest panelist Zerlina Maxwell, the same woman who condemned Sanders’ 2020 campaign launch by stating falsely that he “did not mention race or gender until 23 minutes into this speech.” (He most certainly did).
Sanders’ team was quick to punch back against Rocah.
“It takes a certain kind of woman to ignore that education, healthcare, and the economy are women’s issues too. #privilegedmuch? This is not what intersectional feminism looks like. It’s corporate feminism at its finest. Full stop,” said Sanders’ national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray.
The senator’s Latino press secretary, Belén Sisa, added elsewhere, “Here we go again. It is so belittling to constantly tell young women that they HAVE TO vote for someone JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE A WOMAN. Mam, we have brains, we’re voting on policy and a candidates vision + work, not their sex. This is #WhiteFeminism at its finest.”
Rocah’s remarks do not represent an isolated incident of anti-Sanders commentary at MSNBC. Elsewhere on the network, morning host Joe Scarborough said of the senator’s presidential ambitions, “My God if you’re afraid to say you’re a capitalist. Let me let you in on a little secret. If that is a crisis for your party, you’re gonna lose in 2020.” MSNBC guest Donny Deutsch added to Scarborough’s remarks, saying, “a socialist candidate is more dangerous to this country as far as the strength and well-being of our country than Donald Trump.” Then there is Joy Reid, whose brand of anti-Sanders criticism deserves an article of its own, especially considering she used to be a big fan of the senator when he was not running as competition to Democrats she likes better.
Interestingly enough, the Sanders campaign has responded to what it considers to be open hostility from MSNBC by being more aggressive in getting campaign surrogates booked on the left-wing cable network, according to the Daily Beast.
MSNBC, of course, does not see anything wrong with how its guests, contributors, and hosts discuss the Vermont senator’s campaign.
“A presidential campaign complaining about tough questions and commentary speaks for itself,” a spokesperson told the Daily Beast. “Our anchors and analysts are doing their jobs: discussing day-to-day developments that have an impact on the race.”
