CNN set a possible new low for themselves Sunday morning when their Inside Politics panel of liberal journalists obnoxiously complained that Vice President Mike Pence didn’t shake the hand of Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister and the head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department. “South Korea views this as a major milestone and a chance, a chance to see if an Olympics detente can bring a broader diplomatic opening, but the Vice President sees it as propaganda period,” bemoaned host, John King.
After playing a clip on Pence talking with NBC anchor Lester Holt and taking a strong stance against North Korea, King came back and seemed frustrated that the Vice President wasn’t playing nice with the regime that starves its own people and recently killed an American:
The Vice President has returned, but it is a remarkable few days, South Korea clearly believes, “Let's try this, let's have the athletes together." Kim Jong-un’s sister, the first member of the regime to come into the south since the war. And the United States is essentially saying to its ally, “no, no, no, no.”
Politico’s Seung Min Kim marveled at the different messages being sent from the United States and North Korea via their actions at the games. “North Korea is using the public attention and spotlight of the games to promote some sense of normalcy, where you have the sister attending the opening ceremony. We’ve seen the images of the North Korean cheerleaders cheering on their athletes,” she said. “And the Vice President has been very stark and very firm over the last several days saying, ‘Look, this is complete propaganda.’”
“And the Vice President kept trying to make the point that there is no space between the United States and South Korea. But is there not? Wasn't that evident to us that there’s at least tone space,” King chided in a question to New York Times White House Correspondent Julie Hirschfeld Davis.
Davis proceeded to whine about how Pence wasn’t playing along with the South Korean attempts for the two countries to be seen cooperating in some way. “Well, I mean, the South Korean president wanted Vice President Pence to shake the hand of Kim Jong-un's sister and he very poignantly did not do that,” she lamented. “The South Koreans thought that would be an important symbol of the United States’ willingness to potentially take a path that doesn’t involve a military option but instead involves negotiation and talking to each other.”
Washington Post Congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian chimed in at one point to parrot ridiculous liberal complaints that Pence should have at least stood up when the North Korean athletes came out with the South Koreans during the opening ceremony. “Maybe he could have stood up and not clapped when just out of respect that there are athletes walking in that worked really hard to be at the games. He has been criticized for that,” she argued as she joked about the South Koreans “having fun” putting Pence and Kim in awkward situations.
Conservative Mary Katherine Ham was one of the few people on the largely liberal panel speaking any sense when she appeared to chastise the others. “[Kim Yo Jong is] literally, I think, the director of Propaganda and Agitation for a terrible, terrible regime. So, yeah shaking her hand would be a problem,” she expertly stated. “The moral clarity is actually pretty good, bringing Fred Warmbier. And that is something we beat up on them in other areas, so I want to applaud them for it.”
To the cackling laughter of the rest of the panel, Ham slammed the liberals who would side with the woman who glorifies public executions and would fawn over the cheerleaders threatened at gunpoint all because they detested Pence:
And I also think it is really important for both activists who don't like Pence or don’t like this White House, and media to be pretty clear about the fact that she is literally doing PR for public executions in gulags. That’s her job. And these cheerleaders, who we get all “slay queen, slay” –
[laughter]
--they are prisoners of their countries and they are trained at gunpoint to cheer. So let's not get too excited because we happen to disagree with Pence on gay marriage. This is a bad, bad look and it is a propaganda victory for them.
To end the discussion, King actually admitted that they would not take the Vice President’s position until they saw results: “And we will cede to the Vice President’s points if anything comes of this after or if North Korea goes back to its traditional ways.” This loathsome panel discussion came the day after the news outlet published a disgustingly gooey puff piece about the North Korean gulag queen "stealing the show" at the Olympics. This is CNN.
Transcript below, click expand to read:
CNN
Inside Politics
February 11, 2018
8:41:55 AM Eastern [5 minutes]JOHN KING: Vice President Mike Pence lead the U.S. delegation to open up the Winter Olympics and had an up-close look at a remarkable moment. Athletes from the North and South Korean marching on the same team and waving reunification flags. More history just a few seats away. Kim Jong-un's sister right there behind the Vice President. She’s on hand for the Olympics as well. South Korea views this as a major milestone and a chance, a chance to see if an Olympics detente can bring a broader diplomatic opening, but the Vice President sees it as propaganda period.
(…)
KING: The Vice President has returned, but it is a remarkable few days, South Korea clearly believes, “let's try this.” Have the athletes together. Kim Jong-un’s sister, the first regime manage to come to the south since the war, and the United States is essentially saying to its ally, “no no no no no.”
SEUNG MIN KIM: It has been such a stark contrast to watch. North Korea is using the public attention and spotlight of the games to promote some sense of normalcy where you have the sister attending the opening ceremony. We’ve seen the images of the North Korean cheerleaders cheering on their athletes. And the Vice President has been very stark and very firm over the last several days saying, “Look, this is complete propaganda.” And he has sent that in every action that he did over the last several days.
In Asia, you had him inviting Fred Warmbier the father of Otto Warmbier to sit with him at the opening ceremony. He was meeting with North Korean defectors when he was in Japan. He touted the aggressive sanctions against North Korea. So there was a very clear message that he was sending at a time when North Korea kind of trying to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States especially in these Olympic games.
KING: And the Vice President kept trying to make the point that there is no space between the United States and South Korea. But is there not? Wasn't that evident to us that there’s at least tone space?
JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: Well, I mean, the South Korean president wanted Vice President Pence to shake the hand of Kim Jong-un's sister and he very poignantly did not do that. The South Koreans thought that would be an important symbol of the United States’ willingness to potentially take a path that doesn’t involve a military option but instead involves negotiation and talking to each other. But President Trump was very adamant and certainly, the Vice President got the message that that was not going to happen. And they did not want to hand the North Koreans what would have been a PR coup at this kind of sensitive time in the conflict.
ING: And so you had a debate about that, that some people said the Vice President should at least acknowledge her and say, “Okay, I'm willing to say this is good, but.” But but but. And you have others who say, “No. No no no no no. The North Korean regime starves its own people they are among, if not the most, despicable regime on Earth. So just ignore them and if take heat for that whoop dee doo.”
MARY KATHERINE HAM: She’s literally, I think, the director of Propaganda and Agitation for a terrible, terrible regime. So, yeah shaking her hand would be a problem. I think the policy from this White House is debatable and we can have that discussion. The moral clarity is actually pretty good, bringing Fred Warmbier. And that is something we beat up on them in other areas, so I want to applaud them for it. And I also think it is really important for both activists who don't like Pence or don’t like this White House, and media to be pretty clear about the fact that she is literally doing PR for public executions in gulags. That’s her job. And these cheerleaders, who we get all “slay queen, slay” –
[laughter]
--they are prisoners of their countries and they are trained at gunpoint to cheer. So let's not get too excited because we happen to disagree with Pence on gay marriage. This is a bad, bad look and it is a propaganda victory for them.
KAROUN DEMIRJIAN: The problem with the Olympics is that it’s supposed to be this wonderful moment of unity. And watching the unified team walk in was a moment. There are still protests happening outside and other meetings happening right now between North and South Korea officials. It is also -- nothing about the Olympics that is not political propaganda in some way for everyone involved.
So in a way, Pence can’t do anything differently. Maybe he could have stood up and not clapped when just out of respect that there are athletes walking in that worked really hard to be at the games. He has been criticized for that, and the South Koreans are having fun with the seating arrangements right now trying to work him into every possible awkward position they can. But he has to, in a way, in order to not abandon the United States’ face, because you know the North Koreans will take anything and blast it all over the state media.
KING: And we will cede to the Vice President’s points if anything comes of this after or if North Korea goes back to its traditional ways.
