The left is notorious for dodging questions when they don’t want or know how to answer.
A prime example of this comes from Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan, who was given many chances by CNN anchor Dana Bash to deny his support for abortion up until birth, but refused to do so.
On the Sunday morning CNN segment, the chryon read: “Abortion Rights Shape Up To Be Important Midterm Issue,” since Roe v. Wade was reversed this past summer.
Despite CNN’s previous commitment to push the pro-abortion narrative, Bash gave Ryan numerous opportunities to deny his support of NO restrictions for abortions.
“You’re criticizing your Republican opponent for not supporting abortion exceptions. So, I want to ask about your position. What restrictions, if any, do you believe there should be on abortion?” Bash asked.
After his beat-around-the-bush type answer, if you want to call it that, Bash pushed back with, “Well, but, as a legislator, you have to have some idea of what you want to do when you’re not a doctor. So should there be some restrictions when it comes to the law of the land?”
On his third (failed) attempt to answer the question, Bash insisted, “So, that means — it sounds like you’re saying no restrictions.”
To which Ryan again responded with filler words and no direct answer.
It was shocking to see CNN push a Democratic candidate to think for once. Normally the network does whatever it can to promote the left no matter what.
The RNC summed up the conversation perfectly on Twitter.
Q: "What restrictions, if any, do you believe there should be on abortion?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 28, 2022
OHIO DEMOCRAT TIM RYAN: ......
Q: "So should there be some restrictions?"
RYAN: ......
Q: "It sounds like you're saying no restriction."
RYAN: "Well..." pic.twitter.com/JTac0jk1qA
Sadly, this rope-a-dope may be wise on Ryan's part. The Dobbs decision handed the Democrats an issue that, combined with other factors, has helped them regain some polling ground. Not once did Ryan advocate for life, but instead repeatedly insisted that abortion decisions at any point are at the discretion of the mother and doctor. This is what the outraged hardcore abortion enthusiasts want to hear.
Ryan is and has always been a major advocate of abortion. LifeNews pointed out that he “is an original co-sponsor of legislation that would effectively codify a right to abortion on demand until birth into federal law and nullify pro-life laws in Ohio and across the country,” as well as the fact that he received an "F" on the Susan B Anthony List’s National Pro-Life Scorecard for his pro-death opinions and record.
What was surprising was Bash's persistence, not Ryan's idiotic attempts to dodge her questions.
In regards to the exchange, other accounts put their own spin on the situation. The State of the Union Twitter page pointed out the one section where Ryan claimed that he doesn’t support “abortion at the end of term” and then added a few words that explained that he actually does.
On #CNNSOTU, @RepTimRyan tells @DanaBashCNN that "we don't support abortion at the end of term, unless, of course, there is an extraordinary circumstance." https://t.co/C2XodZ6ARM
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 28, 2022
CNN itself tweeted about the situation and highlighted Ryan's assertion that abortion should be between a woman and a doctor, but was silent about Ryan's support for no restrictions on abortion.
"Ultimately this needs to be a decision between a woman and her doctor."
— CNN (@CNN) August 28, 2022
Rep. @TimRyan (D-OH) speaks to anchor @DanaBashCNN about his position on abortion restrictions.@CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/zMCBwCA5GB
Bash herself received some heat from Twitter users claiming that she shouldn’t have pressed Ryan so hard. Bash retweeted those last two tweets herself to undoubtedly cover her own back.
Kudos to Bash for that one exchange where she actually challenged someone on the left. Doubt we’ll see it again, to be honest.