Seriously? Joy Reid Asks Harris, How Do You Fight Against Right, Politicizing Vaccine?

MSNBC host Joy Reid hates Republicans so much she wants them to be excluded from the politicians getting the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

During a pre-recorded interview with Kamala Harris on her ReidOut show Monday night, Reid baited the Vice-President Elect to agree with her that “Trump enablers” shouldn’t be at the “front of the line” for the vaccine.

Amazingly, she also asked Harris how she was fighting the anti-vaccine “propaganda” from the right, completely ignoring how Harris herself spread anti-vaccine propaganda before the election.

After starting off the interview with a gooey question: (“Have you had the opportunity to even take it in, the history that you have now made?”) Reid immediately dove into what she does best, bashing Republicans. She began by attacking Republican politicians getting the vaccine:

But there’s a lot of question, a lot of anxiety out there that people who stood with Donald Trump when he messaged against taking precautions, when he modeled bad behavior and they followed him right down the rabbit hole. Pushing to the front of the line and getting the vaccine. You know, the Marco Rubios of the world, that people that enable the bad behavior. How do you feel about some of the Republican politicians being at the front of the line for the vaccine? 

Instead of taking the bait to bash Republicans, Harris instead echoed Joe Biden’s approach to reach across party lines, saying she hoped everyone got the vaccine, including Republicans: “Honestly, I want that everyone gets it,” she began.

Reid tried again, this time, accusing the right of politicizing the virus and spreading propaganda:

…[Y]ou have a block of Americans who again following the current president have even in some cases violently resisted any measures to stop the spread. The basics, wearing a mask, distancing. They are just absolutely refuseniks on it. How do you fight that kind of propaganda, that kind of it’s hard to imagine that people would actually make a vaccine into a political issue but people have. How do you fight that? 

This question was even more obnoxious because Reid completely ignores all of the Democrats who have “politicized” this virus, from the all the governors’ who put draconian measures on their constituents while excluding themselves from their own rules, to Andrew Cuomo telling ABC he would keep President Trump from distributing the vaccine, to Harris herself spreading anti-vaccine misinformation before the election, only to flip the script after she and Biden won (which you can read about here and here.)

Harris didn’t admit she was part of the “propaganda,” but began her answer with, “Well, we have to model better behavior, frankly. That’s about everything that we have been doing.” 

Besides coronavirus, Reid also invited Harris to attack Republicans for giving Democrats “PTSD” from the Obama years, “which felt like the 1950s” due to Republicans’ filibusters. She asked if the next administration would be in a “constant war” with Republicans in the Senate, which again, Harris shot down:

REID:  I think for a lot of Democrats, a lot of Democrats have a lot of PTSD about the eight years in which Barack Obama was President of the United States. And the parts of the administration where Mitch McConnell was majority leader, he was essentially bound and determined to destroy the Obama presidency. And he did do it even when he was minority leader. The amount of filibusters that almost felt like the 1950s was happening again. The amount of filibusters that were waged. Are you going into this administration preparing to basically be in a fight to be in a constant war with Mitch McConnell and the Republicans whether they are majority or minority? 

The ReidOut is sponsored by Gold Bond and Olay products, you can contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page here.

Read the relevant portion of the transcript, below:

The ReidOut

MSNBC

12/21/2020

JOY REID: I have to ask you to start off. Have you had the opportunity to even take it in the history that you have now made that you will be making as the first woman, first black woman, first woman of color, first Asian American woman to be Vice President of the United States? Have you taken it in?

 

(…)

 

REID: …You have served obviously in the United States Senate. In a Mitch McConnell universe. You know what that’s about. President-Elect Biden knows what it’s like to be Vice President in a Mitch McConnell universe. What difference will it make pragmatically. We just–you know You’ll vote tonight on a bill that people feel is not enough. $600. Even Jon Osoff has said $600, not enough. What practical difference will it make if Democrats control the United States Senate come January? 

 

(…)

 

REID:  I think for a lot of Democrats, a lot of Democrats have a lot of PTSD about the eight years in which Barack Obama was president of the United States. And the parts of the administration where Mitch McConnell was majority leader, he was essentially bound and determined to destroy the Obama presidency. And he did do it even when he was minority leader. The amount of filibusters that almost felt like the 1950s was happening again. The amount of filibusters that were waged. Are you going into this administration preparing to basically be in a fight to be in a constant war with Mitch McConnell and the Republicans whether they are majority or minority? 

 

(…)

 

REID: I feel like if those two senators or senate candidates win in Georgia you’ll be breaking a lot of ties. You’ll be president of the senate full-time, maybe we’ll see what happens….

People want you to get the vaccine. They want to see the incoming administration get it because you’ll be going to be moving into what is essentially a sick building. A White House that’s a hot spot. But there’s a lot of question, a lot of anxiety out there that people who stood with Donald Trump when he messaged against taking precautions, when he modeled bad behavior and they followed him right down the rabbit hole. Pushing to the front of the line and getting the vaccine. You know, the Marco Rubios of the world, that people that enable the bad behavior. How do you feel about some of the Republican politicians being at the front of the line for the vaccine? 

 

KAMALA HARRIS:  Honestly, I want that everyone gets it. And we can talk about where they have been on the issue. But I hope and I believe that anybody who is in a position of leadership right now should be urging all Americans. Again, regardless of their party affiliation, should be encouraging them. And when it is their time that they get the vaccine. And they get vaccinated…

 

REID: …There are a lot of people of color, black people, brown folks, people who really suffered under this pandemic who are nervous about the vaccine. What do you say to people who are reticent about getting the vaccine? 

 

HARRIS:  Well let me say first, I love Dion Warwick. Listen we have to always speak truth. The fact is that America has a history on the issue. That is a history that includes black people being treated very badly. And we have to remember that history. We have to listen to people when they remember that history. And we have to address it. And do it in an honest way. This vaccine, these vaccines. Pfizer, the Moderna, the two out right now will save lives. They will save lives. And I urge everybody. when we look at particular when we’re talking about the racial demographic in terms of the impact, black folks, Latinos, our indigenous brothers and sisters, they are so many more times likely to contract COVID and die from it. And this vaccine again it will save their lives. And so, I’m going to put as much as I can into helping people trust what the public health experts are telling us. That’s why I’m taking it. I’m going to to be taking it next week. My husband is going to take it. Because I trust the public health experts on this. I urge everybody to do the same. 

 

(…)

 

REID: Let’s talk about the other bucket of resistance. Because you know, President-Elect talked about doing this 100 day push. This war against the vaccine. You both talked about how important that is. You have a block of Americans who again following the current president have even in some cases violently resisted any measures to stop the spread. The basics, wearing a mask, distancing. They are just absolutely refuseniks on it. How do you fight that kind of propaganda, that kind of it’s hard to imagine that people would actually make a vaccine into a political issue but people have. How do you fight that? 

 

HARRIS:  Well, we have to model better behavior, frankly. That’s about everything that we have been doing. You have seen the President-Elect Biden has been modeling the behavior he’s asking of the American people, that he’s pleading with the American people. You know, In previous times in our country, be it World War II. The Great Depression. Real leaders said to the people let’s join together. We’re going to have to sacrifice. But let’s do it in the sake of the strength of the country and each other. So modeling good behavior a real leader models by asking the American people to take those steps that are necessary. To strengthen our country and save lives. So that’s why Joe Biden is saying first 100 days just please everybody wear a mask. There’s not going to be any punishment. It’s not about penalty. It’s saying if we value the essence of love your neighbor. It’s the right thing to do. And Joy let me just tell you something.  I got my mask here. I have my other mask. I have so many masks. Nobody likes wearing masks. 

But it’s what we need to do. It’s what we have to do right now. When millions and millions of people are contracting this. People are dying. We’re coming onto the holiday season. How many families are not going to have their — as Joe talks about, there’s going to be an empty chair at the table. We can get through this. We really can get through this but everyone has to be a part of it. This disease again, it doesn’t know the difference between who we are in terms of our ideological perspective or our party affiliation. We each have some power. We each have some power.