Two of Fox News’ veteran journalists set Donna Brazile straight on Tuesday after the FNC contributor told Republican Party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to “Go to hell.”
The incident happened during Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” earlier that morning.
Co-host Sandra Smith asked Brazile to respond McDaniel’s prediction that Democrats would likely have a brokered convention this July, “which will be rigged against Bernie [Sanders] if those superdelegates have their way on that second vote.”
“To that you say what Donna?” Smith asked.
Brazile answered, saying that Republicans should, “Stay the hell out of our race.”
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“I get sick and tired … of listening to Republicans tell me and the Democrats about our process,” she continued.
Donna Brazile tells Ronna McDaniel Romney to go to hell. On Fox News. Twice.pic.twitter.com/OvijcG9Np8
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 3, 2020
“First of all, [Republicans] don’t have a process,” Brazile charged. “They are canceling primaries. They have winner-take-all. They don’t have the kind of democracy that we see on the Democratic side.”
The 60-year-old next honed in on McDaniel.
“For people to use Russian talking points to sow division among Americans, that is stupid,” Brazile said. “So Ronna, go to hell!
“Woah,” Fox News co-host Ed Henry interjected.
Brazile doubled down: “No, go to hell! I’m tired of it!”
During a Super Tuesday election night panel, Fox News political anchor Bret Baier asked Brazile to address her harsh words toward McDaniel.
“I just want to say that your tone has changed a little bit,” Baier said. “You came in here a little bit hot and bothered, and you were spicy today.”
“And you had a little dust-up with Ronna McDaniel. Can you just explain that?” he asked.
“I’m a forgiving kind of person,” Brazile began, which was kind of an odd response, given McDaniel really should be considered the aggrieved party.
“I want to thank Chris Wallace and Brit Hume and Juan Williams. Yes, all three men,” she continued.
“Juan gave me the fist bump. Chris gave me the talk. And Brit reminded me that, you know, sometimes you don’t, you shouldn’t call people out right.”
However, the former interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman did not promise to do better in the future.
“But let me just say this, as long as I’m alive, I’m going to speak truth to power,” Brazile said.
“And I want to make sure that the chairwoman, I know what her job is like, but I want her to understand, to respect the process on the Democratic side. He knows, Karl [Rove] and I talk about this all the time. Democracy is messy, but do not tell the world that the Democratic Party is trying to rig it for one candidate. We’re trying to make sure everybody gets a delegate.”
According to Democratic Party rules, if no candidate gets the requisite 1,991 of the 3,979 pledged delegates from primary elections needed to secure the nomination during the first round of voting at their convention in Milwaukee in July, a second ballot will follow.
Newsweek reported that at that point, 771 superdelegates will be added in the mix and the pledged delegates become free up to vote for another candidate.
The vote then continues until a candidate wins the majority of the 4,750 delegates.
Superdelegates are party leaders and elected officials who are also able to vote for whomever they please.
McDaniel addressed the Brazile controversy on Fox News late Tuesday night.
“Politics is a contact sport,” she said. “I think Donna was out of line with her response. Of course, we all recognize that the Democrats did put the thumb on the scale for Hillary Clinton in 2016, because of Donna, because of the book she wrote.”
Brazile wrote in her 2017 book “Hacks” that the DNC was fully under the control of the Clinton campaign.
“This isn’t Russian talking points,” McDaniel added, regarding a potential effort from the Democratic establishment to keep Sanders from being the nominee. “This is something that The New York Times has said recently as they interviewed 93 superdelegates.”
“This isn't Russian talking points— This is something that ‘The New York Times’ has said recently as they interviewed 93 superdelegates.” –@GOPChairwoman pic.twitter.com/jK32z1IkYr
— GOP (@GOP) March 4, 2020
The Times reported last week that it interviewed 93 superdelegates following Sanders’s win in Nevada “and found overwhelming opposition to handing the Vermont senator the nomination if he arrived [at the convention] with the most delegates but fell short of a majority.”
“So I felt very in my lane saying that this is happening,” McDaniel explained. “I don’t think it’s something that we can’t discuss. And, I think her response was a little out of line, and disproportionate to my comments earlier today.”
Right on, Ronna, for the perfect response to Brazile’s temper tantrum.
Now, it is good and right for Fox News to put guests on the air from both the Republican and Democratic perspectives.
However, that privilege, particularly from a paid FNC contributor, comes with the responsibility to keep the political dialogue focused on the issues, without the personal attacks.
In light of that, thank you Chris Wallace and Brit Hume for reminding Brazile her job is to raise the political discussion, not lower it.
Story cited here.