Remember the good ol’ days (relatively speaking, that is) when CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp was a frequent guest on Fox News host Greg Gutfeld’s “Red Eye,” which aired weekly at 3:00 a.m. ET, and when she even regularly guest-hosted the irreverent right-leaning show when Greg was out? That was then.
This is now.
Cupp’s CNN profile describes the political commentator as: “a practical conservative with a searing honesty who brings her distinct outlook to CNN programming and special political coverage.”
Let’s now go to CNN… The Most Trusted Name in News(TM)… for a bit of searing honesty from practical conservative S.E. Cupp and her distinct reaction to a sitting president of the United States calling a former president and his supporters “semi-fascists.”
S.E., what’s your take on Joe Biden calling Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans semi-fascists?
I think he correctly identified a strain within MAGA — MAGA World. I mean, it — there are very few words to describe what Republicans are doing. Like I mentioned, book bans, having students turn in teachers for wokeism. I mean, really chilling stuff. Stuff you see in fascist countries, Republicans have adopted.
So, there’s no real other way to say it. And I think Biden was very careful in his speech yesterday to specify who he was talking about. Say, it’s not all Republicans. It’s not all Trump supporters. Look, you and I know Republicans, Sara. We know Trump supporters. They’re not all attached to this version of Trumpism.
But the party is going in a very bad place. And more and more candidates that are running all across the country for really important positions, like secretaries of state and attorneys general, want to do some really dangerous things.
So, listen, I think he was going to get blamed for, you know, and take some heat for using correct words to describe what’s happening. But he was, I think, courageous to do so.
Alrighty, then. Let’s now go to RedState conservative pundit Mike Miller for his objective take (always guaranteed to result in more than a few hate responses) on S.E Cupp’s take on Biden calling Trump and his supporters semi-fascists. Mike?
So, here’s the obvious thing. Biden referring to half of America as “semi-fascists” was not unlike Hillary Clinton in 2016 smugly calling half the country a “basket of deplorables” — only it’s worse and far more ominous. And Cupp, doubling down, first by agreeing with Biden, then by providing ridiculous “examples” as proof? Please.
“Book bans”? Like Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 book-burning? Or more like banning explicit books for young children in public schools displaying explicit images of “transexual” adult males, and describing in detail various lewd sex acts? If that isn’t wokeism on display, what is it?
And attempting to program young children into believing America is inherently a white supremacist nation, primarily populated by inherently racist white people who were born racist, and must therefore spend their entire lives atoning for their whiteness by sufficiently demonstrating anti-racist behavior? Is that not wokeism, either, S.E.?
Then we have Cupp’s “I think Biden was very careful in his speech yesterday to specify who he was talking about” assertion. Very careful and specific in his (handlers’) choice of words?
This is the same Biden who carefully and specifically lied during his inaugural speech about bringing back “unity” and “a time to heal America” — then proceed on his first day in office to purposely divide America; first by continuing his war on energy by shutting down the Keystone Pipeline project, throwing thousands of hardworking Americans out of work, then threatening to close others?
Or, how in Biden’s January 20, 2021, inaugural address he pledged:
We come together as one nation. Democracy has prevailed. We have much to repair, much to restore, much to build, much to heal-and much to gain. But we cannot do it while divided against ourselves. My whole soul is in this–bringing America together. It is time to end our uncivil war.
How’s that all worked out so far, Joe? I know, those damn semi-fascists are responsible for every bald-faced lie about “unity” and ‘healing America’ you’ve ever told.
Cupp’s reference to “dangerous things” on the minds of political candidates Trump has endorsed was also laughable. Our intrepid practical conservative with searing honesty forgot about Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters doing their damnedest to burn down America’s cities for months in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
She also forgot about Chuck Schumer standing on the steps of the Supreme Court in 2020, raging uncontrollably at Associate Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, “I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” as a crowd of rabid abortion activists cheered.
The same abortion activism that, in 2022, led to an attempt to assassinate Kavanaugh at his home, threatening Amy Coney Barrett-the activists knew where her young kids attend school-and spewing unprintable racist epithets about Clarence Thomas.
Yet, Trump-endorsed political candidates, Cupp fears, might likely do “dangerous things.” Yep, not delusional at all, S.E. Please continue sharing your searing honesty with us.
The bottom line:
My colleague Susie Moore in August summed up Donald Trump, thusly:
It would be hard to argue that there’s a more polarizing figure in modern history than Donald Trump. He has his most devoted supporters and his most determined detractors. Over the course of the past seven years, we’ve largely divided ourselves into Trump camps – ya love him or ya hate him, and the people who feel the opposite? Well, they are the worst.
This is neither an indictment of Trump, nor a defense of him. It’s an observation – and a reflection on us. Too many have allowed their sentiments on one man – or, truthfully, what he represents to them – to steer most everything they say and do. And whether they’re operating under blind allegiance or blind hatred, they’re still flying blind.
Which is why it’s critical to fix your sights on principles, not people.
I could not have written Susie Moore’s observation any better — and certainly not as eloquently. To deny there aren’t extremes on both sides of Trumpism is to deny reality. Navigating the two extremes as a pundit is a guarantee that you’ll be attacked by both sides — just one side at a time.
Trust me; I speak with a tremendous amount of relevant experience.