MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt claimed that the way to put an end to “worrying about character” in politics was to elect a woman.
Hunt made the claim during a Wednesday segment of “Meet the Press Daily” with Chuck Todd, conceding that she knew people might turn around and accuse her of “being sexist in the opposite direction.”
WATCH:
Todd began the segment by asking what Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren could do “to reassure voters that probably would prefer to go with her but believe all of the analysis that says that Joe Biden is more electable?”
Hunt argued that Warren was actually doing a decent job, citing her recovery following initial misgivings after the rollout of her DNA test results. “I’m not saying she’s all the way there, but the strategy that she has employed since, you know, frankly, her entry into the race raised a lot of questions with a lot of people. And clearly this president has been on the attack in a way that a lot of voters fell like, hey, might work. So they’re nervous about it,” she said.
“But she has been out-hustling, out-organizing, outdoing, basically out-working every other candidate in the field, and it is showing up,” Hunt continued. “Suddenly instead of thinking about the DNA test, they’re thinking, oh, she’s the one who’s got a plan for that. That is a remarkable kind of turnaround.”
“That could never be said about Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” Todd cut in. “She didn’t outwork Bernie Sanders. Sanders outworked her. Elizabeth Warren is outworking everybody else. I will say that that is something that the Clinton campaign has to accept.”
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele pointed out that Warren’s issues might come to a head after the primary, considering just how far to the left many of her policies appear to be. “If she gets past the primary, does she communicate in a way that makes voters look past the fact that her policies may be an anathema to them,” he said. “The dislike of Hillary was so great that they withstood a lot of stuff from Trump.”
Hunt jumped back in then, adding, “Can I just say, character-wise? Let’s elect a woman. This nonsense that’s been coming from our male politicians of all parties, like, I’m, no, I’m tired of it! You don’t want to worry about character, elect a woman! Please! Thank you.”
Todd laughed. “There it is. I’ve never understood why that in itself isn’t a reform message. You don’t see women governors getting into these scandals, you don’t see women … you know.”
“I’m sure I will be accused of being sexist in the opposite direction, but you know, the facts are what they are,” Hunt conceded.
“The facts are the facts,” Todd agreed.
But neither acknowledged the fact that being female in no way insulates one from being part of — or even central to — political scandal. (RELATED: Clinton IT Aide Who Defied Subpoena Says He Created A Cryptic Gmail Account And Sent It Nearly All Of Hillary’s Emails)
For example, even as far back as 1829, Margaret “Peggy” O’Neale caused the dissolution of then President Andrew Jackson’s cabinet. O’Neale married Jackson’s Secretary of War John Henry Eaton, but her promiscuity led to the entire cabinet being divided into two camps. Jackson eventually called the whole thing off.
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was no stranger to scandal either, and although some were of her husband’s making, her own involvement left her so damaged that she was weakened as a presidential candidate.