CNN: GOP Is ‘Willing to Villainize’ Idea Of A Black Woman Justice

Tuesday is Here’s What You Need to Know: CNN senior political correspondent Abby Phillip told host Kate Bolduan that the reason some Republicans “are willing to villainize” the idea of a black woman Supreme Court justice is because that is what fires up the party’s base.

Phillip proclaimed: “Race is an incredibly powerful motivator for the Republican Party base right now. It is very effective to use race to rile up their voters who believe that they are themselves, the non-white part of the Republican base [sic], being discriminated against.”

Of course, it was Biden who made the race-based promise in order to win votes, but according to Phillip, “that’s why you see so many Republicans willing to villainize just the concept of putting a black woman on the Supreme Court as if all of the men, you know, white men and others who came before them were not the beneficiaries of preferences.”

She then tried to accuse Republicans of hypocrisy in a desperate attempt to defend Biden: “I also want to just note, what Susan Collins said about Ronald Reagan is just not the case…it’s the exact same thing. He’s promised, in a campaign, he would put a woman on the Supreme Court and he did that, and that’s exactly what Joe Biden is doing here when it comes to black women.” 

They don’t This is exactly The same applies to eliminating 50% of qualified candidates and 94%. However, both fails to take into account the actual beliefs of the nominee, which conservatives discovered the hard way through Sandra Day O’Connor. 

Phillip’s ramblings were triggered by a confused Bolduan asking why Republicans would oppose Biden’s pledge:

…one of the members on the Judiciary Committee is Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz is calling Biden’s promise to appoint a black woman to the court “offensive.” He did this on his podcast. Other than Cruz trying to, I don’t know, just get some attention and get his name in the mix here, speaking out about this, what are he and other Republicans doing here with this, what they’re, what are they doing?

The full context for Cruz’s remarks, that 76% of Americans agree with, was “The fact that he’s willing to make a promise at the outset, that it must be a Black woman, I gotta say that’s offensive. Black women account for 6% in the US, you know. He is telling 94% Americans that he doesn’t care what you think, and you’re ineligible.

Cruz is supported by such a large percentage that people would naturally wonder if it was a valid point. However, CNN does not agree with Cruz.

Sponsored By CarShield.

The transcript of the February 1, 2018 show is available here:

CNN Right Now

2/1/2022

11:00 AM ET

KATE BOLDUAN: Abby, real quick. As Manu was reporting about Biden going to The Hill to talk about his Supreme, his eventual Supreme Court nominee, one of the members on the Judiciary Committee is Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz is calling Biden’s promise to appoint a black woman to the court “offensive.” He did this on his podcast. Other than Cruz trying to, I don’t know, just get some attention and get his name in the mix here, speaking out about this, what are he and other Republicans doing here with this, what they’re, what are they doing? 

ABBY PHILLIP: Race is an incredibly powerful motivator for the Republican Party base right now. It is very effective to use race to rile up their voters who believe that they are themselves, the non-white part of the Republican base [sic], being discriminated against and that’s why you see so many Republicans willing to villainize just the concept of putting a black woman on the Supreme Court as if all of the men, you know, white men and others who came before them were not the beneficiaries of preferences. I also want to just note, what Susan Collins said about Ronald Reagan is just not the case.

BOLDUAN: It’s wrong

PHILLIP: Yeah, it’s the exact same thing. He’s promised, in a campaign, he would put a woman on the Supreme Court and he did that, and that’s exactly what Joe Biden is doing here when it comes to black women.