Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Sinema censure, Biden presser and hot mic moment

Judy Woodruff:

After Senate Democrats were unable last week to change the Senate rule the filibuster to make it possible to pass voting rights legislation, Arizona's state Democratic Party censured Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

She, along with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, made up the only two Democratic holdouts on that major vote. The move in Arizona is part of a growing trend of political parties taking on their own members over key issues.

To help us make sense of this and other news brewing in politics, I'm joined by our Politics Monday duo, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Hello to both of you.

Let's pick up on this, Tam. It is starting — as we said, starting to be a trend. The Republicans have been going after their members who voted to impeach former President Trump. Now we're seeing the Democrats do that. What do these kinds of moves say about the parties? Do they end up helping them politically? Do they end up healing? I mean, what are we seeing?

Tamara Keith, National Public Radio:

Yes, as you say, this is primarily been a Republican trend.

In particular, Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump have been targeted by their state parties. And now Sinema — Senator Sinema being censured by her party, the Arizona Democratic leadership in that party believes that voting rights is one of the existential issues. And so they are censuring her. She isn't up for reelection this year.

What this signals is she is out of sync with at least part of her party. And, certainly, the state parties, whether it be Republican or Democrat, that is where you're going to find the activists. That is the most active activists. They're the people who are volunteering their time and being part of these state parties. And they are expressing frustration.

Judy Woodruff:

Amy, is there a cost to the parties for doing this? Does it end up strengthening them? How has it worked out?

Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report:

Well, Judy, that's a great question, because I think there is a cost, in some cases, for the party, and there is also a cost for the way that Congress works, or, in this case, doesn't work very well.

Arizona is a great example of this, right? This is a 50/50 state. We had Donald Trump narrowly win there in 2016, and, in 2020, Joe Biden narrowly wins in that state. It is a true purple state. The last three elections there for senator, John McCain, Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly this last year, they all narrowly won.

But all three outperformed the presidential nominee of their own party. In other words, they got voters to cross over and support them who didn't support the presidential candidate. So, you would get a Trump and a Kelly voter. You could also get a voter who voted for Hillary Clinton, but also voted for John McCain.

By the way, Arizona is also a state that has censured three of its last four Senate candidates — or members of the United States Senate, not Mark Kelly, but two Republicans, and then, of course, Sinema.

So it is completely out of step with where the state is. The state, you win by attracting independent and crossover voters. So I don't know that it is particularly good politics. But, to Tam's point, the parties now have become really just about what the activist basis wants, much more than whether or not this is the kind of candidate who can win in that state, number one, and a candidate who can deliver for the state on the most important issues to people there.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, we will see how this plays out at some point down the road.

But I do want to bring up something that — in fact, first, I was going to ask you about something President Biden said at his news conference last week about a change in approach, but I have to bring you a little bit of breaking news from the White House this afternoon.

President Biden was meeting — having a meeting the East Room talking about the economy. And I guess, as the room — as the press was leaving, FOX News reporter Peter Doocy asked the president — a question about inflation.

This is one of those "I didn't know I was on live mic" moments. But here it is.

President Joe Biden:

That's a great asset, more inflation.

What a stupid son of a bitch.

Judy Woodruff:

So, I don't know if you could hear the whole thing, but Peter Doocy was asking if inflation — the fact that inflation keeps going up is an asset. And you heard the president's answer.

Tam, I'm reminded of Ronald Reagan, "We're going to start bombing in five minutes." Every — I think every president, every politician has done it.

Do these kinds of things matter or not? I'm told that Peter Doocy laughed it off on the air later.

Tamara Keith:

He did.

And former vice president, then Vice President Joe Biden, also had a hot mic moment with an even naught naughtier word when Obamacare passed. And that became part of his signature. I'm not sure that is where this is headed.

But President Biden said right before that, I don't want to answer a bunch of questions about Russia because I don't want to distract from this event that I'm doing about inflation. Then he has this hot mic moment that is absolutely going to distract from the event he is doing about inflation.

The critique that the Biden White House is trying to respond to that has come through in focus groups from voters is that the president is not directly addressing the issues they care about most enough. The White House has tried to remedy, including with this event. And now we're talking about Peter Doocy and a bad word.

Judy Woodruff:

Amy, a quick thought on this before I ask you about something else?

(LAUGHTER)

Amy Walter:

No, I agree with that.

And, also, I think you're going to hear some frustration, especially in conservative circles, that, look, President Trump said bad things about the press all the time. He was rebuked for it. This is following a behavior that the then-candidate and newly elected President Biden said he wouldn't engage in.

So I think, again, lowering the temperature was supposed to be his calling card and unifying the country. He's got to do more to convince voters that he's doing both of those things.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, speaking of convincing voters, one of the things the president spoke about, talked about in that news conference last week that went on for almost two hours was talking about how he hopes next — this year to get out and connect more with voters.

Here's what he said.

President Joe Biden:

Part of the problem is, as well, I have not been out in the community nearly enough. I've been here an awful lot.

I find myself in a situation where I don't get a chance to look people in the eye, because of both COVID and things that are happening in Washington, to be able to go out and do the things that I've always been able to do pretty well, connect with people, let them take a measure of my sincerity, let them take a measure of who I am.

Judy Woodruff:

Tam, so does the White House think — I mean, is it thought that getting out more, talking to voters could make a difference in how the president is seen?

Tamara Keith:

Every president believes that, if they could just get out and talk to voters more, give more speeches, they could convince them.

But this White House also realizes that the last three months or so have been completely consumed by negotiating with Democrats, negotiating with their own party in Congress, trying to get legislation done that they haven't yet gotten done.

And there has been a widespread perception among voters expressed through polls and focus groups that the president isn't talking about the things that they care about most, because they were so focused on these legislative negotiations.

And so President Biden is probably going to keep calling senators, but the White House is now insisting they are not going to tell us about every conversation, in hopes that, if they don't talk about it, if you don't talk about Bruno, you don't talk about the calls to the senators, then maybe people will pay attention to something else.

Judy Woodruff:

Amy, what do you — what's your take? Can this kind of thing make a difference?

Amy Walter:

So, in talking to Democrats up next year myself and then watching this weekend Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who's in a very competitive district outside of Detroit, what they will tell you is, we need something tangible, just one or two things for the president to focus on that we can pass.

Make it something that voters understand and that it relates to their lives, whether it's about child care, prescription drugs, were the two things that Congresswoman Slotkin pointed to. That's what they're desperate to see of this president.

The challenge for the president right now, in looking through some of the polls that have come out in these last few days marking the year anniversary of his presidency, is that voters have essentially lost confidence, not in his ability to be effective on certain issues, but they have lost confidence in him to actually do his job effectively, to actually be an effective president on issues like being a good commander in chief or being able to do a good job handling a crisis.

He's dropped significantly among voters on those issues. He's got to show an ability to get some wins on those fronts.

Judy Woodruff:

And that's the kind of thing that takes more than traveling around the country.

Amy Walter:

That's right.

Judy Woodruff:

Amy Walter, Tamara Keith, we thank you both.

Amy Walter:

You're welcome.

Tamara Keith:

You're welcome.