Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Thursday afternoon, CNN host Ana Cabrera argued in favor of the Democrats' federal takeover of elections as she debated CNN contributor and former Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Charlie Dent on the subject.
Viewers got to see a rare time when the normally liberal Republican who has often argued against his own party since he joined the network a few years ago, actually argued against the Democratic push for a federal takeover.
Cabrera introduced the segment by talking up the need for such actions to thwart alleged bad behavior by Republicans:
Now, Democrats say passing voting bills at the federal level is necessary when you consider what is happening at the state level. Take a look. Last year, 19 states -- most controlled by Republicans -- passed laws making it harder to vote, especially for minority voters. The legislation Democrats are fighting for now would override these restrictions by essentially standardizing the way Americans vote.
Dent immediately argued against voters being allowed to vote on the same day they register and other ways Democrats want to tell states how to run the voting process. A bit later, Cabrera noted that Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin had admitted that some of President Joe Biden's rhetoric on the subject was hyperbolic, but she also argued that his strong language was justified:
I know you take issue with the President's rhetoric -- you thought it was too hot -- but I still can't help but think of all of the truly outrageous and offensive things President Trump said that so many Republican lawmakers simply ignored or even defended. And this, of course, is different. This is about fundamental American right to vote -- about every eligible voter having fair and equal access to vote. So if playing nice wasn't getting people to pay attention, was this passion and the fire here warranted?
Dent -- who later recalled that he had supported Biden for President -- admitted that he was offended at some of his public statements. He also complained about the January 6th Capitol riots being exploited as a "pretext" for an overreaction.
But Cabrera pressed on: "But let's be honest -- would it have mattered what the President said as the President tried playing nice with Republicans -- Republicans straight up and Mitch McConnell specifically would say, 'No, we're not going to work with you on this. Period.'"
This episode of CNN Newsroom with Ana Cabrera was sponsored in part by America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses. Their contact information is linked.
Transcript follows:
CNN Newsroom with Ana Cabrera
January 13, 2021
1:03 p.m. Eastern
ANA CABRERA: Now, Democrats say passing voting bills at the federal level is necessary when you consider what is happening at the state level. Take a look. Last year, 19 states -- most controlled by Republicans -- passed laws making it harder to vote, especially for minority voters. The legislation Democrats are fighting for now would override these restrictions by essentially standardizing the way Americans vote.
(...)
1:09 p.m. Eastern
CABRERA: Congressman, I know you take issue with the President's rhetoric -- you thought it was too hot -- but I still can't help but think of all of the truly outrageous and offensive things President Trump said that so many Republican lawmakers simply ignored or even defended. And this, of course, is different. This is about fundamental American right to vote -- about every eligible voter having fair and equal access to vote. So if playing nice wasn't getting people to pay attention, was this passion and the fire here warranted?
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I really do think he was too hot and too partisan. And, again, you know, because somebody disagrees with the President of the United States on same-day registration or publicly financed campaigns, which is in part of the legislation just past today in the House. And that doesn't make you a segregationist or somebody who's sympathetic to Bull Connor.
I mean, I thought it was rather offensive, and I think that he needs to get -- he had an opportunity in Atlanta, I thought, to talk about the John Lewis Voting Rights Act -- how we could get a bipartisan agreement on that. I voted to reauthorize it in 2006 -- I was proud to do so. We could do that again -- and the Electoral Count Act of 1877. That needs to be fixed. And I think he had an opportunity to bring people together.
justine damond -- four consecutive days from july 18-21, 2017
antonio valenzuela -- one day on jun 9, 2020
javier ambler* -- two days from jun 9-10, 2020
erik salgado -- one day on jun 10, 2020
carlos lopez* -- two days on jun 25-26, 2020
michael bell -- one day aug 25, 2020
michael reinoehl -- one day sept 4, 2020
nicolas chavez -- one day sept 11, 2020
valentina orellana peralta -- three days from dec 24 to 29, 2021
adam toledo -- one day on april 16, 2021
philando castile -- four days from july 7, 2016 to jun 26, 2017
stephon clark -- six days from march 23, 2018 and march 5, 2019
alton sterling -- one day on april 2, 2018
antwon rose -- five days from jun 21 to jun 29, 2018
daniel hambrick -- two days from aug 9 to 10, 2018
jordan edwards -- one day on aug 30, 2018
botham jean -- 12 days from sept 10, 2018, to oct 9, 2019
laquan mcdonald -- one day on oct 3, 2018
jemel roberson -- four days from nov 13 to nov 19, 2018
ej bradford -- three days from nov 26 to dec 6, 2018
danquirs franklin -- one day on april 17, 2019
terrence carlton -- one day on jun 13, 2019
eric logan -- two days from june 20 to 24, 2019
eric garner -- two days from july 17 to aug 20, 2019
atatiana jefferson -- three days from oct 14 to 16, 2019
breonna taylor -- nineteen days from may 29, 2020, and april 27, 2021
manny ellis* -- one day on jun 9, 2020
rayshard brooks -- six days from jun 15, 2020, and jun 23, 2020
elijah mcclain* -- two days jun 25 to 26, 2020
jacob blake -- five days from aug 25 to 28, 2020
daniel prude* -- three days from sept 3 to 9, 2020
jonathan price -- one day oct 6, 2020
walter wallace -- three days from oct 27 to 30, 2020
andre hill -- two days from dec 28 to 29, 2020
tamir rice -- one day on dec 30, 2020
dalal idd -- one day on dec 31, 2020
caron nazario* -- one day on april 12, 2021
makhia bryant -- one day on april 21, 2021
daunte wright -- twelve days from april 21, 2021, and feb 21, 2022
andrew brown -- eight days from april 26, 2021 to may 19, 2021
ronald green* -- three days from may 21 to may 25, 2021
amir locke -- one day on feb 4, 2022
And they should -- Democrats should jettison some of this other stuff that, you know, is really just a wish list of the progressives. And they're just kind of using that as a pretext, you know, using January 6th as a pretext. So I think the President, you know, really missed a terrible opportunity. And I understand why a lot of Republicans--
CABRERA: But let's be honest -- would it have mattered what the President said as the President tried playing nice with Republicans --
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Republicans straight up and Mitch McConnell specifically would say, 'No, we're not going to work with you on this. Period."
DENT: Well, Mitch McConnell just said he was prepared to do something on the Electoral Count Act of 1877, which, I mean, there, it's there. I mean, why not -- why not take him at his word? I mean, I just -- I just think that the President just really, you know, he said he was going to unite the country. He was going to be the bipartisan guy. I supported him. But I just did not like that -- that approach.
And, you know, and they're all upset with Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin because they both flip-flopped on the filibuster. All these other Democrats flip-flopped on it -- make statements about it, but when George Bush was President, "Boy, if we got rid of the filibuster, that would lead to extremism and dictatorship." Now, I mean, that's what said then, some of them. Now, here we are, and they're saying that we have to get rid of it, "If we don't get rid of it, we will havr a dictatorship and autocracy."