House Republicans have not even taken the gavels yet and CNN’s Inside Politics warned them Wednesday not step out of line with voters by investigating Hunter Biden or wokeness. If only CNN had this segment when Democrats were pursuing Donald Trump’s taxes.
Addressing Washington Post White House bureau chief Toluse Olorunnipa, host John King declared: “[W]e’re going to see in the next year is most of these House Republicans come from safe Republican districts where they believe they will be supported back home when they take it to the Biden Administration...If you go over to the Senate side where they have to run statewide, they're a little bit more nervous about this and we were just talking during the break about in this midterm election year people were not trying to rock the boat, they more safe than spicy if you will given all the stresses of the last couple years.”
King then asked and answered his own question, “In our exit polls what are the top issues for Republican midterm voters? The economy and inflation: 71 percent, immigration: 9 percent, abortion: 5%. So you see immigration gets a modest number there so you got to understand why the Republicans want to look at border policy.”
Finally getting to Olorunnipa, King asked, “Is there a risk they sound completely out of step, out of touch with what the American people just voted for?”
Naturally, Olorunnipa agreed, “There is a risk and that's in part the challenge that Kevin McCarthy faces in trying to appease so many different parts of his constituency in the Republican caucus.”
After declaring Republicans should stick to inflation, Olorunnipa added, “There are a number of people who are new Republicans, new House members from Biden districts who don't want to be spending all of their time focusing on Hunter Biden and woke policies and whatnot but focus on issues that help the American people, it’s going to be difficult for McCarthy to figure out how to do that.”
The idea that addressing wokeness, especially in schools or the military, doesn’t have an impact on people’s lives is simply wrong. Presenting the choices between inflation and the economy on one hand and wokeness and Hunter Biden on the other is a false one. If Democrats can investigate Jared Kushner, then Republicans should be able to investigate Hunter Biden, especially given the recent Twitter Files.
This segment was sponsored by Subway.
Here is a transcript for the December 7 show:
CNN's Inside Politics with John King
12/7/2022
12:31 PM ETJOHN KING: And so one of the challenges, Touluse, we’re going to see in the next year is most of these House Republicans come from safe Republican districts where they believe they will be supported back home when they take it to the Biden Administration. Pick your issue, but take it to the Biden Administration. If you go over to the Senate side where they have to run statewide, they're a little bit more nervous about this and we were just talking during the break about in this midterm election year people were not trying to rock the boat, they more safe than spicy if you will given all the stresses of the last couple years. In our exit polls what are the top issues for Republican midterm voters?
The economy and inflation: 71 percent, immigration: 9 percent, abortion: 5%. So you see immigration gets a modest number there so you got to understand why the Republicans want to look at border policy. Is there a risk they sound completely out of step, out of touch with what the American people just voted for?
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA: There is a risk and that's in part the challenge that Kevin McCarthy faces in trying to appease so many different parts of his constituency in the Republican caucus.
If you looking at protecting just your majority-makers, some of those moderate Republicans that won in Biden districts then you focus on inflation, you focus on some of the major policies that could actually help people and help their pocketbooks, but if you're talking about folks like Jim Jordan and folks who are some of the flame throwers on the right you got to start talking about Hunter Biden and things the American people aren't as interested in and so Kevin McCarthy is in a very difficult position in trying to appease so many different parts of his constituency and in doing so he may find it difficult to protect the members of his party who need protection going into 2024 because that majority is narrow-thin.
There are a number of people who are new Republicans, new House members from Biden districts who don't want to be spending all of their time focusing on Hunter Biden and woke policies and whatnot but focus on issues that help the American people, it’s going to be difficult for McCarthy to figure out how to do that.
