On Sunday’s State of the Union on CNN, panelist Scott Jennings wiped the floor with the leftists he was debating during the panel segment of the show. Once the direction of the panel drifted toward how in many Republican primaries, voters have nominated what some claim are weak or radical candidates, Jennings turned it around on them and noted how the Democrat Party has been propping up these candidates.
“Let me just say. We’ve heard a lot of names here this morning. Cox, you brought up the Maryland guy, Lake, Arizona, Mastriano, Pennsylvania. What do all these people have in common?” Jennings asked rhetorically. “Trump is for them and the Democrat Governors Association has spent millions of dollars to get them their nominations. It is the height of cynicism and hypocrisy!”
The panel immediately erupted into chaos. “Cox had no chance except for three million dollars spent by Democrats” Jennings noted, referring to Dan Cox who recently won the Republican nomination for governor of Maryland.
What followed was this testy exchange:
AMANDA CARPENTER: Doug Mastriano was taking that on his own before Trump endorsement…
BAKARI SELLERS: A hundred and forty-two thousand people voted for Cox.
JENNINGS: If you’re proud of Democrat donor money being spent to elect people who you say are destroying America say it this morning!
[crosstalk]
CARPENTER: Do you think Republican voters are making the wrong decision?
JENNINGS: Yes!
CARPENTER: Do you think Donald Trump should not endorse them?
Host Jake Tapper then went around the table to ask each panelist if they believe Democrats are playing with fire by meddling in Republican primaries.
CNN commentator Bakari Sellers when asked by Tapper if Democrats are playing with fire said “there’s no doubt we’re playing with fire” but tried turning the tables around on Republicans by claiming “what Scott didn’t mention is all of these other people who are Trump acolytes who actually win primaries who are terrible candidates and Democrats have nothing to do with propping them up.”
Democratic strategist Lis Smith when asked tried to dodge the question by whining “it is the Republican base that is voting for people who deny the results of the last election, want to criminalize abortion, and will only make sure that the people they support for President win the next election.”
Never Trump Bulwark columnist Amanda Carpenter jumped in to essentially agree with the point Jennings made earlier despite her trying to argue with him: “If you believe that Trump represents some kind of crisis to democracy, you can’t in good faith make those ads and then still ask center-right Republicans to believe you that you are 100 percent true on this.”
Democrats should be careful what they wish for. During the 2016 Republican primaries, Democrats were begging for Trump to be the nominee because they thought he would be the easiest to beat. We all know how that turned out.
This segment was made possible by Ensure. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
CNN’s State of the Union
July 24, 2022
9:56:41 a.m. EasternSCOTT JENNINGS: Let me just say. We’ve heard a lot of names here this morning. Cox, you brought up the Maryland guy, Lake, Arizona, Mastriano, Pennsylvania. What do all these people have in common? Trump is for them and the Democrat Governors Association has spent millions of dollars to get them their nominations. It is the height of cynicism and hypocrisy.
[crosstalk]
JENNINGS: Cox had no chance except for three million dollars spent by Democrats.
[crosstalk]
AMANDA CARPENTER: Doug Mastriano was taking that on his own before Trump endorsement…
BAKARI SELLERS: A hundred and forty-two thousand people voted for Cox.
JENNINGS: If you’re proud of Democrat donor money being spent to elect people who you say are destroying America say it this morning!
[crosstalk]
CARPENTER: Do you think Republican voters are making the wrong decision?
JENNINGS: Yes!
CARPENTER: Do you think Donald Trump should not endorse them?
JAKE TAPPER: But let me ask you, is it not Democrats playing with fire?
SELLERS: Oh no doubt!
TAPPER: Because polls in Pennsylvania
SELLERS: But it’s politics
TAPPER: You are correct. Mastriano was winning even before Josh Shapiro the Democratic nominee started running ads about him. But, is it not playing with fire when the Democratic Governors Association boosts these election deniers?
SELLERS: There’s no doubt we’re playing with fire. But also we’re talking about the DGA, but what Scott didn’t mention is Hershel Walker. What Scott didn’t mention is all of these other people who are Trump acolytes who actually win primaries who are terrible candidates and Democrats have nothing to do with propping them up.
TAPPER: What do you think? Is it playing with fire?
LIS SMITH: Eh oh, I’m gonna..look…
SELLERS: It’s a yes or no question
SMITH: Yes, it is! Ok, look are they playing with fire? Sure. But it is the Republican base that is voting for people who deny the results of the last election, want to criminalize abortion, and will only make sure that the people they support for President win the next election.
CARPENTER: Here’s why it’s bad politics. If you believe that Trump represents some kind of crisis to democracy, you can’t in good faith make those ads and then still ask center-right Republicans to believe you that you are 100 percent true on this.
