MSNBC Analyst Accuses Republicans of Using Covid to ‘Kill as Many People as Possible’
MSNBC’s Anand Giridharadas on Thursday accused Republicans of “using” Covid-19 to “kill as many people as possible” while trying to make those who survive “suffer economically and beyond,” singling out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the president for blame.
“The country is awash in pain right now,” Giridharadas said during a segment of MSNBC host Craig Melvin’s morning program. “We’re having these technocratic conversations about committees, this and that. I understand that. The real blame is Mitch McConnell, the Republicans, the president, a party that does not want to help people, that is working, on one side, to actually make sure the pandemic kills as many people as possible.
“That seems to be the logical sequence of their policy,” he added. “And to make sure all of the people who manage to survive it, despite their policy, suffer economically and beyond.”
The remarks came during a segment on U.S. jobless claims. New claims exceeded 853,000 for the week, according to numbers released by the Labor Department, a 19.1 percent increase from the previous week and more than the 730,000 that had been expected.
Congress has grappled with passing a stimulus package, with bipartisan support for measures such as an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program for small business loans. The Trump administration and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have also indicated support for passing a second round of direct, $1,200 payments to some Americans.
McConnell this week proposed Congress abandoned issues under contention in order to pass a package with consensus, but Democrats led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) have expressed opposition to any package that fails to include federal money for state and local governments. Failure to reach agreement by the end of the year could mean an end to unemployment benefits for up to 12 million Americans.
Giridharadas fumed that Democrats were not showing the “muscularity” needed to pass a package.
“It is also the case that Democrats are not meeting this moment with the muscularity required, even the rhetorical muscle required,” Giridharadas said. “Why aren’t we hearing thundering speeches from Joe Biden, from Pelosi, from Schumer, making this case in a way that bends public opinion, forces Republicans into a corner?
“This is not about, you know, do we reduce our footprint of the empire around the world,” he added. “This is emergency relief in the worst crisis since the Great Depression. And we’re having this little Washington committee talk instead of talk of muscularly dealing with the restoration of some balance in people’s life.”
Watch above via MSNBC.
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