Dr. Jason Johnson: Biden/Harris Ticket Is 'Laziest Prediction In The World'

By Aliza Worthington — May 13, 2019

Hallelujah, Praise Jesus, Joseph and Mary, Fly Me To The Moon, and Slap my A$$ and Call Me Sally! ANOTHER "Road Warrior" interview on MSNBC wherein they interview a white voter who is not only NOT a drooling Trump zombie, she isn't even in love with Joe Biden! In New Hampshire, where the former VP is *ahem* pumping the flesh *ahem* with potential primary voters, the reporter spoke to a woman who was not all that impressed with him as a candidate. When asked who she was gravitating towards, the voter — a registered Independent — spoke highly of Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren! GO FIGURE. Women with experience and policy ideas and brains. Who'da thunk. But could the people on MSNBC let that exist as it was? Nooooo. Of course not.

After the informed and resolute female voter explained in detail the issues that mattered to her (none of which were Biden's strong points) and why she liked Harris and Warren best so far, the reporter just had to ask about a potential Biden/Harris ticket. Because apparently we just cannot seem to let the idea of a White Man President go. The voter said she loved him, but he wasn't progressive enough, and it was obvious that ticket wasn't her first choice.

Hallie Jackson came back to her panel and asked them about the idea of folks warming up to a Biden/Harris ticket for the Democrats, and specifically, she asked Dr. Jason Johnson about his off camera reaction to that part of the interview. She couldn't tell if he was laughing or agreeing, and with whom. He didn't let her stay confused for long.

JOHNSON: It is the laziest prediction in the world. It's like sitting here and saying, Susan Lucci is going to win something, or the Patriots are going to win next year. No, no, no, no, no. First and foremost, I can say this from speaking to people in the Harris campaign. The Harris campaign is in this to win. She is not running to be vice president. She is running to be the nominee. The second thing is, if you look at it historically, over the last 30, 35 years you've only had two front runners, you've only had two nominees who picked someone to be their VP out of the collection of people they ran against. That was Kerry picked Edwards, and Obama picked Biden. The vast majority of time people don't do that. So, I think people, they're gonna float Kamala Harris' name, they're gonna float Stacy Abrams' name, whatever generic Black woman they can find, and I think it's a silly idea because Joe Biden isn't even guaranteed to win this thing.

JACKSON: Tell me how you really feel.

JOHNSON: It's the truth. I think it's a silly speculation this early.

Seriously, can the media even IMAGINE a president who isn't a white male? It has not been THAT long since Barack Obama left office. Can we allow people, when they say Harris or Warren is their choice, to let that sit, settle and bake without throwing a white male in front of their names to relegate them to second place?

Then Jackson and Jake Sherman moved to discussing what I've heard so many calling Biden's impressive "discipline" in having avoided any major gaffes so far. (Seriously? This is the bar? That sounds an awful lot like the bar for the president we're trying to throw the f*ck out of office.) Hallie Jackson made the point by asking if this was even an issue, given the person Biden was running against, should he earn the nomination. The panel seemed to ponder, stumped, why Trump seems to "just blow past most gaffes he makes" and talk about whatever he pleases, while the Democrats actually apologize for their mistakes and find themselves having to explain themselves.

Once again, Dr. Jason Johnson to the rescue, having to reiterate to grown-ups that this isn't that hard. Republicans don't care that Trump talks like a functionally illiterate criminal con man. Democrats care when their candidates screw up.

SHERMAN: I mean, here's the difference. Donald trump is able to just blow past most gaffes he makes and talks about whatever he wants. Whereas other candidates get caught flat footed and have to spend days explaining what they meant.

JACKSON: Why is that?

SHERMAN: I don't know the answer to that, but Trump has a unique ability to talk past gaffes.

JACKSON: He's teflon, man.

JOHNSON: WHOA. No, no. It's because he has a base that doesn't care. That's what the difference is. He has a base that doesn't care and unfortunately, sometimes we're complicit in this. Occasionally the media is so entertained by his antics that he's not held accountable. We run around and we chase after whatever nickname he comes up with, we run after whatever sort of attack he makes, instead of saying, "No, this is WRONG," and holding him accountable."

Thanks, Dr. Johnson, for your lessons in History, Civics, and Journalism 101, all in the space of two minutes.