The vocally liberal hosts of The View sparked debate Thursday when Sunny Hostin compared white women voting Republicans to “roaches,” Joy Behar called the GOP a “cult” and said Sara Haines, every Republican candidate in the midterms be a refuser.
The women discussed the upcoming election and key issues including abortion, crime and inflation, as Hostin – a devout Catholic who opposes abortion but thinks it should be legal and unrestricted – pointed to a poll showing how many white women are increasingly voting Republicans.
“The abortion issue. I read a poll that white suburban women will now vote Republican. It’s almost like cockroaches voting for raid. They vote against their own interests. Do you want to live in Gilead? Do you want to live in The Handmaid’s Tale?’ She said.
The studio audience cheered in agreement. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who previously worked in the Trump administration, tried to balance the scales.
“It is an insult to voters. Do we love democracy or not? People make decisions about what is right for their families.
“The idea that you should have a say in everyone else’s vote… They had a different view of abortion not that long ago,” Hostin challenged.
“The abortion issue. I read a poll that white suburban women will now vote Republican. It’s almost like cockroaches voting for raid. They vote against their own interests. Do you want to live in Gilead? Do you want to live in The Handmaid’s Tale?’ said Sunny Hostin
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, a Republican, said Hostin’s hiring was “an insult to voters.”
Hostin shot back, “I have that view. I am Catholic. That’s my belief. I believe abortion is wrong – for me. There is a separation between government and church.
“I don’t have the right to tell anyone else. They vote against their own self-interest.”
THE VIEW HOST’S COMMENTS ON REPUBLICANS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER 8 INTERIM
Sunny Hostin on abortion and inflation
“The abortion issue. I read a poll that white suburban Republican women will now vote to vote Republicans. It’s almost like cockroaches voting for raid. They vote against their own. selfishness. Do you want to live in Gilead? Do you want to live in The Handmaid’s Tale?’
People don’t educate themselves about it. Domestic inflation is due to corporate greed.
Joy Behar at the GOP
You don’t vote for Republicans, you vote for a cult! Remember it. It’s a cult. They are no longer Republicans!
Inflation fluctuates, democracy does not. I feel like people don’t understand the seriousness of what’s going on.
Sara Haines on “election deniers”
“It used to be just Donald Trump, now everyone’s running on the Republican side.
“It scares me more than anything. Women’s rights also come second to me.”
The conversation continued, with Sara Haines bemoaning the Democrats for not being successful enough in allaying voters’ fears of crime and admitting that Republicans are putting more emphasis on messaging.
“I would say the Republicans are [winning the messaging battle.] I tend to be independent and left-wing voting.
“That’s what’s frustrating me right now… the problems we see the most are inflation – that’s low hanging fruit, every party that’s in control during a bad economy is blamed for it – but then it is Crime and abortion are the other two top issues.
The trouble with crime is all the left is saying is, “It’s a right-wing topic of conversation, it’s nothing.”
“I don’t think the Left disdains crime, but what people say does matter to them. You can’t fire her.
“If they say there is crime, it doesn’t matter what the statistics are, if they feel unsafe, you have to respond. The left is not exactly criminal.
“Only extremely progressive people might believe in alternatives to the police and all that weird stuff, but the majority of moderate and left-wing people aren’t exactly criminals.
‘Answer the question, but don’t say, ‘The law invents it,’ say, ‘I hear you, and I will.’
She went on to say that the main issue for her, along with women’s rights, is “election deniers.”
“It used to be just Donald Trump, now everyone’s running on the Republican side.
“It scares me more than anything. Women’s rights also come second to me.”
Behar then jumped in: “You’re not voting for Republicans, you’re voting for a cult! Remember it. It’s a cult. They’re not Republicans anymore!’
Sunny forgivingly admitted, “Well, there are some Republicans like Alyssa.”
A source close to the show dismissed the notion that Thursday’s debate was one-sided, telling : “It was a robust conversation, with the women all hearing each other’s viewpoints.
“That’s what The View is about. You all sit down at the table.’
Sara Haines said the main problem for her is “election deniers”: “It used to be just Donald Trump, now everyone’s running on the Republican side. That scares me more than anything
Joy Behar said, “You don’t vote for Republicans, you vote for a cult! Remember it. It’s a cult. They’re not Republicans anymore!’
The show has been criticized in the past for what some past viewers have condemned as consistently one-sided comments. columnist Meghan McCain left the show after routinely falling out with Joy Behar.
In a particularly brutal exchange, Behar told Meghan that she didn’t miss her during her maternity leave.
Alyssa Farah Griffin was brought onto the show to take Meghan’s place in August. She and Ana Navarro were included as “co-hosts”.
The panel’s bias was shown to full effect last week during Ted Cruz’s guest appearance on the show.
He was vandalized by the co-hosts and hassled by protesters in the audience.
Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman is scheduled to appear on the show tomorrow. It remains unclear what, if any, arrangements were made by ABC to caption Fetterman, whose speech was impaired by a stroke in May.
Critics say he is incapacitated because of the stroke, and a Republican candidate with half as many health problems would be raked over the coals.