One of the easiest ways to tell that many in the mainstream media are consummate bubble dwellers is their steadfast inability to “read the room” when it comes to Republican voters. In their eyes, anyone with an “R” behind their name has automatically earned the unquestioning allegiance of right-leaning voters. Perhaps that’s how it works for Democrats and left-leaning voters, but conservatives can be a stubborn lot with a solid independent streak, and most on the right broke up with the GOP’s establishment wing a long time ago. CNN’s Dana Bash appears not to have gotten that memo, however.
Bash had Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) as a guest on Sunday morning’s “State of the Union” and laid out the case for why former Vice President Dick Cheney’s recently announced endorsement of Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris ought turn some heads on the right. Cotton deftly swatted that notion away.
Dana Bash: You don’t think Dick Cheney’s endorsement is going to make a difference?@TomCottonAR: I really don’t. Some of this is probably because Donald Trump beat his daughter by 39 points. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uwJ74szNqT
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 8, 2024
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From their exchange:
BASH: Dick Cheney was vice president of the United States for eight years. He was a senior member of the House. He was chief of staff to Gerald Ford. He worked tirelessly to advance Republican policies for a long time. You don’t think his…endorsement of a Democrat with that kind of pedigree is going to make a difference with swing voters?
COTTON: No, Dana, I really don’t —
BASH: Or Never-Trump voters who weren’t sure about Harris?
COTTON: Well, I mean, some of this is probably that Donald Trump beat his daughter in her last election by 39 points.
I think most Americans are going to look at this race and compare the records they have. Again, it’s a very unusual race when you have a president who served in office, who brought good times to America, and you have Kamala Harris, a San Francisco liberal, who has brought to America exactly what you see in San Francisco, as well.
Despite the attempt to frame the Cheney endorsement as impactful, Cotton adroitly burst Bash’s bubble on that notion and shifted the focus where it belongs: on the candidates’ respective records.
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Cotton, once again proving his skill as a Republican surrogate, also nailed the issue of election interference when Bash raised the issue in light of the DOJ’s recent announcement regarding Russian meddling.
COTTON: People should not knowingly take money from the government of Russia, Iran, or China, or any other adversarial nation to try to influence the election. But I also think it’s fair to say that a few memes or videos in the vast sea of political commentary is not going to make much of a difference in this election — nor has it in past elections, as well.
What did make a difference in the last election is the lies about Hunter Biden’s laptop that more than four dozen former intelligence officials lied about in the middle of that campaign. And most networks, including this one, bought that lie hook, line, and sinker. That did make a difference in the election. But I think a few videos or commentaries, which again, you shouldn’t do if you’re out there in the business of commentating on elections, is not going to make a difference in the vast sea of commentary you see.
Cotton’s right — on all counts.
