It feels like CNN’s John King really learned some things during his trip out to Iowa.
After the debate, King explained to his fellow CNN panelists why so many Republican voters have taken issue with seemingly endless funding for Ukraine.
The moment came on the heels of the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee, as CNN panelists attempted to make sense of a confrontation between Vivek and Nikki Haley. The prevailing theory seemed to be that Ramaswamy had objected to about continued funding for Ukraine because he was simply trying to be contrarian.
King, however, stepped in with this more lucid explanation:
On this Ukraine question, Nikki Haley is arguing Ronald Reagan’s positions, she’s arguing John McCain’s position, she’s arguing George W. Bush’s position, she’s arguing Marco Rubio’s position, but she is losing. That is not the winning position with the base of the party right now. When I was out in Iowa, I was struck by so many Republicans — and It’s not so much about Putin. It’s not about ideology. It’s not even about America’s leadership in the world. It’s that they feel that they’re getting screwed by Washington, and yet Washington sending money to other places, not them.
That’s more what it’s about. It’s like, “We have been ignored, and we keep sending our money in other places.” So she’s trying have an American leadership in the world, against the communists, against a murderer, against a thug. On the facts, she’s right. But it rings hollow with a lot of Republican voters who just think, “You’re another politician. What about my community?”
This astute analysis was met with murmurs of agreement from the panel, who quickly pivoted back to talking about Donald Trump.
