Reid mentioned the attack on Paul Pelosi by someone she described as having "sort of (a) right-wing conspiracy theory mind."
Clinton followed the leftist’s lead:
"I don't see Republicans running for the Congress or governors in many other different positions taking down their violent ads, or I don't see them curbing their rhetoric," she said:
"You played something from Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was calling for the death, because of treason, for Speaker Pelosi.
"The level of just plain crazy, violent hate rhetoric coming out of Republicans -- you played something from the candidate, the Republican candidate for governor in Arizona. I want viewers, I want voters to stop and ask themselves, would we trust somebody who is stirring up these violent feelings, who is pointing fingers, scapegoating, making a joke about a violent attack on Paul Pelosi?
"Why would you trust that person to have power over you, your family, your business, your community? So, I want to take this a step further away from the incident, that terrible incident with Paul Pelosi, and broaden it out, because what we have with the rhetoric coming from the Republican candidates, from their party right now is so disturbing.
"I didn't see a big outpouring on the part of elected officials to stand with Nancy Pelosi, the way she has stood with Republicans, as well as Democrats, in times of real terror, like on January the 6th.
"And so ask yourselves, please, why would you entrust power to people who are either themselves unable to see how terrible it is that someone would be attacked in their home or don't really care because they think it will somehow get them votes that will get them elected? This is a real threat to the heart of our democracy."
Point of clarification: Republican Kari Lake, running for Arizona governor, did not make a joke about the attack on Paul Pelosi, although liberal media outlets accused her of "mocking" the attack.
In remarks about school safety at a campaign stop in Scottsdale, here's what Lake said:
"Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in D.C. — apparently her house doesn’t have a lot of protection," Lake said, stating the obvious.
Lake’s audience laughed, and that gave rise to reports that Lake was "joking" about the attack on Pelosi. Lake continued: "If our lawmakers can have protection, if our politicians can have protection, if our athletes, then certainly the most important people in our lives — our children — should have protection."
'Whole' Republican Party is 'dangerous'
At the start of the interview, Joy Reid described House Speaker Pelosi as "a full-time hate object of the right." She asked Clinton to "tell me how the attack on Paul Pelosi struck you? And what did it tell you about the state of the right in this country and the hate toward a powerful woman?"
"Well, I think your question kind of answers itself, Joy," Clinton responded:
"There's always been a streak of violence, of racism, misogyny, antisemitism, as you have said. But I think what we're seeing today -- and it has certainly been thrown into very high relief by the horrific attack on Paul Pelosi, is not just an aberration, where one or two people or a small group engage in that kind of violent rhetoric and urge people to take action against political figures like her, like me, like others.
"We're seeing a whole political party and those who support it, those who enable it, those who run under its banner engaging in behavior that is so dangerous and I find, frankly, disqualifying for people who are running for office.
"This midterm election, we have seen a lot of ads by Republicans running for everything touting crime. Crime is the issue. But when an 82-year-old man is attacked by an intruder in his own home, they don't seem to be too bothered by that, because that person is married to the speaker of the House, who's of a different political party.
"I just want your viewers, and, really, I would like every American just to stop and think about that. This is the kind of violent rhetoric that leads to violent action that props up authoritarians. And that's, unfortunately, what we see the Republican Party today supporting."
Clinton said she hopes voters start to "focus" on what's at stake in the midterm elections:
"If you have someone running who voted in the House, as the vast majority of the Republicans did, to turn back the clock on women's rights, to turn back the clock on Social Security and Medicare, then why on earth would you vote for that person?
"So, let's clear away the smoke and the noise and try to focus on what's in your interests. The Republicans have talked a lot about inflation. They have done nothing about it. It's President Biden who has gone after corporate profits that seem to be way out of whack, particularly for the energy industry, the oil and gas companies.
"It's President Biden who is trying very hard to inject new energy into our economy. And it's working. Here in New York, where I'm talking to you from, two huge announcements that were in many ways promoted because the Congress, the Democrats finally passed something called the Inflation Reduction Act.
"So the Republicans talk a good game, but they rarely do anything, other than try to take away your freedoms, undermine the quality of our life, make our political discourse violent, instead of bringing people together.
"Why reward that behavior? You have a chance between now and next Tuesday to send a very clear message. We want people who don't laugh at a hammer being hit on someone's head. We want people who will help us solve our problems. And we sure don't want anybody getting elected who's going to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block."
(Note: Even the Washington Post has said Republicans do not plan to end Social Security, giving the "false claim" four Pinocchios.)