MSNBC network contributor and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart said Friday that while President Donald Trump motivates his base with the same intensity of emotion, he motivates Democrats “who want to rid themselves of this man.”
Anchor Katy Tur said, “Let’s talk about Georgia. The Republicans want to retain those two seats. Democrats need the two seats to regain the majority in the Senate. I wonder how is Donald Trump’s presence in that race, his physical presence he is going to be there on Saturday, does that benefit the Republicans or does that benefit the Democrats?”
Capehart said, “Or does it benefit both of them. President Trump, if anything, is a lightning rod for emotions. On the right, he is seen as a hero, he is seen as their guy, he is seen as the reason to be politically active, never minds reason they are following him is based on lies, misinformation, and a whole lot of other things that go against the character of this country. But he is also a magnet for the passions on the left among Democrats, among people in the Democratic Party, and others who want to rid themselves of this man from American political life. And a way to do that is to go to the polls and to vote.”
He continued, “Look, if the two Senate seats are retained by the Republicans, Mitch McConnell remains as Senate majority leader, Republicans remain in control of the Senate, and President-Elect Joe Biden’s agenda is, you know — we can pretty much predict that it will be stalled. If Jon Ossoff and Reverend Warnock are able to take those seats, put them in the Democratic column and give the Democrats the slimmest of majorities but still a majority in the Senate, then-President-elect Biden’s agenda in the first two years stands a chance of getting through. And that is why President Trump is headed down to Georgia to whip up his base.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN