Framing Republicans as a threat to democracy and voicing panic that the upcoming midterm elections could be a time of violence, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace suggested on Monday that it might be time for foreign monitoring of America’s voting.
Wallace in the past has been a voice condemning any alleged Russian interference or collusion on the part of former President Donald Trump, as noted by the Washington Examiner. But on Monday, she offered the idea that other nations might be necessary parts of the American process.
“We’re so focused on our own pretty splendid efforts to destroy our democracy from the Republican Party in this country that we forget that there are foreign actors that represent a grave threat as well,” Wallace said.
Wallace said that based on what she has read, the upcoming elections frighten her.
“The threats to our elections in what, 2.5 weeks, are so pervasive, and they’re so dire, and they include violence,” she said.
“I mean, do you think it’s time to ask for friends and allies to come over and help us monitor our elections? We used to do that in other burgeoning and threatened democracies,” she asked Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, who was her guest on the show.
Himes went partway toward agreeing with Wallace.
“No, Nicolle, I’m not there yet, and I know why you’re asking what you’re asking and you’re not wrong,” Himes said.
Do you think Democrats want foreign governments to ‘monitor our elections?’
“I mean, the kind of intimidation that is threatened around polling places. I mean, you’ve seen the pictures of the guys with assault weapons near boxes — that stuff is intimidating,” he said.
“That used to be the province of, I hate to use the term, but third-world countries that didn’t care about democracy,” he said.
Himes then took his own shot at the GOP.
“But no, look, this is something for us to work out ourselves and, you know, we, at some point the United States is going to need to collectively decide that not only are we going to oppose Russians and Chinese and North Koreans and Iranians messing around with our elections, we’re not going to allow the Republican Party to do it, either,” he said.
“At some point the U.S. is going to need to collectively decide that not only are we going to oppose Russians and Chinese and North Koreans and Iranians messing around with our elections, we’re not gonna allow the Republican Party to do it either” – @jahimes w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/36EeZvcwGF
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) October 24, 2022
Wallace is not the only MSNBC figure who has embraced attacks on Republicans. MSNBC’s Joy Reid recently played the fascism card in a Twitter post.
“It’s terrifying how many Americans will choose literal fascism, female serfdom, climate collapse and the reversal of everything from Social Security & Medicare to student loan relief bc they think giving Republicans the power to investigate Hunter Biden will bring down gas prices,” she tweeted.
A recent Fox News report said that tactic is in keeping with the jargon of MSNBC, which has used the terms “fascist” or “fascism” more than 1,600 times this year, more than three times the level of CNN, which used the label 491 times.
Barrington Martin II, co-national director of the group Our America, pushed back.
“The constant fear-mongering rhetoric that MSNBC puts out is not meant to inform or educate Americans on the issues but to influence, indoctrinate, and radicalize Americans towards radical leftist ideology. Contrary to what MSNBC would have you believe, America is a good country, and they should stop constantly attempting to divide us,” Martin said.
Gabriel Nadales, Our America’s other co-national director, said, “MSNBC is just making a mountain out of a molehill” with its constant repetition of the words.
“Fascism is obviously a dangerous ideology, but these outlets are only using the label as a pejorative to attack regular Americans so their side can win elections,” Nadales said. “But this just shows how out of touch the left-wing mainstream media is with regular Americans.”
