In what amounted to a televised strategy session with Democratic National Committee senior advisor Cedric Richmond Wednesday night, CNN’s Don Lemon promoted the party’s new election strategy of doubling down on the last failed cycle. “[The] idea about calling Republicans extremists, is that the way to go?” the Don Lemon Tonight host wondered.
“Absolutely. Because we have to call it for what it is and they are extreme,” Richmond unashamedly answered.
Both Lemon and Richmond align with the Democratic Party game plan that is quick to claim the current GOP is “not your father’s Republican party.” This stems from Biden’s declaration in late April in which he claimed the party had shifted to a MAGA (Make America Great Again) or even “Ultra-MAGA” stance.
Circling back to the talk on Wednesday night, Richmond stated, “This Republican Party is extreme. Anyone who speaks the truth and calls out President Obama is banished.[ed],” referring to the January 6 witnesses and testimonials.
Therefore, we cannot call them extremists. Don Lemon of NewsBusters stated in a recent blog that journalist’s goal is to make Republicans accountable. He suggested there was an “intermingling and fusion between extremists and the GOP, and I really see the GOP as an extremist entity now.”
Jeff Zucker’s network was founded on the principle of fairness. This is a strong legacy.
Whether you can agree or not, the labeling is ridiculous, especially when these ‘journalists’ claim to be speaking the truth. Then again, Lemon claimed in the same blog that if the media is fair to the GOP, then journalists aren’t going to do their jobs.
As Richmond continued with his smears against the GOP, Lemon probed at his passion for the cause, “Cedric, where has this fire been?” Going so far as to say, “you weren’t this fiery when you were working at the White House, it’s good to see you unleashed at least.”
Fueling this fire of disunity and name-calling, Lemon proclaimed, “There needs to be more people with fire like you.”
Richmond stated that the President’s goal is to keep moving in the right direction and to continue working with those who will work with him. He stated, “we continue to call people extreme, we’re going to work with the people that are willing to do it.”
CNN Politics released a story earlier Wednesday with the headline, “Fearing a wipeout, Democrats try to unify around a simple midterm message: Republicans are extremists.’”
This is all just a plot to avoid losing power. While Richmond held that this “premature expectation that Republicans can win is just absolutely wrong,” why does he still feel the need for the name-calling?
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For a complete transcript click on “expand”.
CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight
07/27/22
Eastern 10:33.37
CEDRIC RICHMOND (DNC senior advisor): And come November of this year I think that you will see Americans make a choice between one extreme party and another party that’s actually looking to make corporations pay their fair share, reduce the deficit and help families. This is number 1. For the president’s reelection campaign, he is not against the powerful, but against the alternatives.
If you take a look at the party, it is the extreme alternative. We will be able to do a lot of things that Congress has not done through executive orders or the infrastructure bill. By the way, where we are going to eliminate contaminated drinking water from 10 million households in this country and 400,000 daycares.
We are going bring broadband access to rural America. And we will invest like never before in community violence intervention. With a complete model that empowers individuals to achieve their highest potential. That’s an incredible record that we can run every single day.
LEMON: It sounds like you are still at the White House, by the way. You’re probably at the DNC right now, I am sure. Listen, but you also mentioned that you spoke of extremes. Right? Some strategists believe that Democrats will win the midterm elections by calling out Republicans and calling them extremists.
It sounds very similar to the recent Biden actions. We’ll listen and discuss.
(…)
Eastern, 10:35:40
LEMON: Is it possible to call Republicans extremists?
RICHMOND: Absolutely. Because it’s extreme. You start to talk about turning it upside down Roe v. Wade 50 years. Then you attack women’s reproductive liberty. It’s all about choice. You’re attacking voting rights. These are all things you do that are contrary.
By the way they like to say that they are pro-law enforcement, and they love law. They won’t call out President Obama and his lawless acts on January 6, and they were there when I was. This was not a tourist trip. It was an uprising. This was a violent uprising and was carried out at President Trump’s direction.
So, it seems that we should be able to call out the extreme party and demonstrate how it has changed. I believe it will work for us. And, it’s a good thing that it’s possible. And, President Biden is proving that he tells the truth, and that people are aware of that fact.
So, let’s talk about the extreme Republican Party of President Trump. He still isn’t aware that he won by nearly eight million votes. It’s clear that most people understand it. People are able to see the direction that they would like this country go.
LEMON: Please listen. I think that most people agree with what you have to say. There are some Republicans. You know the Kinzingers, and the Cheneys, but they are few and far between. They are difficult to understand. The President is being called out by them. They say that it was not a violent rebellion, which shouldn’t have happened.
RICHMOND – They’re paying the price. Because they’re honest, the Republican Party exiles them.
LEMON: Keep going. Keep going.
RICHMOND – into claiming the president lost the election as well as that the President incited the insurrection. When we speak about the Republican Party, the President said that it is not the Republican Party of your father. Extremists are the hallmark of this Republican Party. Anybody who lies, or calls out the President’s incompetence is dealt with and exiled.
LEMON: BUT, YOU SHOULD NOT —
RICHMOND – You see this happening.
LEMON: Wouldn’t President Biden know that since day one, people had been telling him the following, you said. And this is not your father’s Republican Party. Even when he was vice president, people have told him that it isn’t the Republican Party.
Now he realises that this party isn’t your father’s Republican Party. This has been going on for many years. Does he now seem to be in synch with his predecessors, who were out of tune for many years.
RICHMOND, Absolutely. Let me tell you, even though the Republican Party can be extreme, we still find ways to cooperate with the people who care about America’s best interests and put America first. So, we passed the infrastructure bill. So, we can replace the lead pipes and bridges that are deteriorating and also levies to protect homeowners. We’ll continue doing that with partners who are willing.
LEMON: Right.
RICHMOND – And we’ll do what we can by executive order, like the George Floyd justice and Policing or voting rights executive orders.
LEMON: Okay.
RICHMOND – And, I think the President of America, not just the Democrats has the ultimate goal to keep the ball moving and collaborate with all who will.
LEMON: Cedric, it’s all right
RICHMOND – to collaborate with him. As he continues calling people extreme, we will work with those people willing to accept it.
LEMON: Cedric where is this fire? You weren’t that fiery while you worked at the White House. It was a mistake. You were probably a little too controlled when you visited the White House. But it is nice to be able to experience the Cedric Richmond from New Orleans.
RICHMOND, No. That, Don. There has been a fire always. But…
LEMON: Okay. You are the one who needs more people to light fire.
RICHMOND – What I’d just like to say with Don is that my children and my child will be fine at the end. While many people would agree that our children will be fine, there are still children that we do not know. It is our responsibility to not lose sight of the task at hand and continue working hard.
LEMON: OK.
RICHMOND, And that is what President Obama is doing. And now I am not in the White House. I will be feigning more enthusiasm as we aim to win the midterms. If you don’t win, it’s impossible to govern. This is a false assumption that Republicans will win.
LEMON: Cedric Richmond, we are grateful. I hope you will return. I appreciate your candor. Thanks. Thank you.
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