CNN's 'New Day' Hypes Party-Switching GOPer, Ignored Party-Switching Dem

bradwilmouth | October 11, 2021
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Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog

Since late last week, several CNN shows have taken the time to hype the campaign of a former Republican-turned-Democrat who is running for governor in Oklahoma against incumbent Republican Kevin Stitt, each one interviewing her. But these same shows did not bother to inform viewers when the party switching went in the opposite direction as West Virginia's governor, Jim Justice, switched from Democrat to Republican just over four years ago.

On Monday morning, New Day co-host Brianna Keilar recounted:

She was a lifelong Republican until now. Oklahoma's top education official, Joy Hofmeister, is switching parties and challenging Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in next year's gubernatorial election. A big reason for her decision, Governor Stitt's handling of the pandemic. Like several other GOP governors nationwide, Stitt has targeted local school boards for their mask mandates. Hofmeister has accused him of failing to listen to public health experts...

The CNN host then gave candidate Joy Hofmeister an unchallenged forum to make her complaints about Governor Stitt. Keilar  brought up the issue of mask mandates as she followed up:

KEILAR: What about -- I know masks were a big issue for you. As the top education official, you know, you've been advocating that there shouldn't be rules against mask mandates. How big of a factor was his COVID response?

HOFMEISTER: Well, I would not have signed a law that hamstrung the local school board's ability to mitigate COVID outbreaks in their community as we start a school year -- now our third school year where children are facing disruption due to the pandemic. And it could have been avoided -- 10,000 Oklahoma lives have been lost due to the pandemic and the management by the governor and his toothless health policy.

It is noteworthy that Hofmeister did not push this angle and mainly complained about Governor Stitt not wearing a mask publicly when she appeared on Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN last Thursday night:

ERIN BURNETT: And you say one of the main reasons you're running is because of how Governor Stitt has tackled the COVID pandemic. So he opposes mask mandates. He opposes mandates for the COVID vaccine. He calls them complete disregard for individual freedom and states' rights. You also oppose those mandates, but -- but you say that you may not have needed a mask mandate, but that Governor Stitt could have worn a mask?

HOFMEISTER: We needed a leader. We needed a leader who could have prepared Oklahomans for the pandemic. We have experienced unnecessary disruption and loss of life. It is also one where I believe Governor Stitt does not represent the values of Oklahomans, which is hard work, common sense, and courage.

Weekend anchor Pamela Brown also interviewed Hofmeister on Sunday night without challenge.

By contrast, in August of 2017, after West Virginia's Governor Justice announced that he was becoming a Republican, New Day was too busy covering the anti-Donald Trump Russia investigation to inform its audience. CNN viewers had to either watch Jake Tapper's afternoon show or catch Early Start at 4:39 a.m. Eastern to learn about the development.

This episode of CNN's New Day was sponsored in part by Zales. Their contact information is linked.

Transcripts follow:

CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront

October 8, 2021

7:37 p.m. Eastern

ERIN BURNETT: New tonight, a lifelong Republican official in Oklahoma saying goodbye to the GOP. Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma's top public education official, announcing she is joining the Democratic party, and she will then run against the Republican governor, Kevin Stitt. She claims Stitt is, quote, "running Oklahoma into the ground." Here is part of her first campaign ad.

(Clips of Hofmeister campaign ad)

And state superintendent of public instruction Hofmeister is out front. So, superintendent, lifelong Republican and I know a proud one throughout your life. And now, making a decision not just to leave your party but join the Democratic one. Why?

JOY HOFMEISTER, OKLAHOMA CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Well, first of all, thank you, Erin, for having me. And, you know, this has not been a swift decision, but one where I've had a lot of personal reflection, watching the leadership here in our governor's office, where, really, Governor Stitt has hijacked the Republican party here in Oklahoma. And the extremism and divisive partisanship has really left a lot of Oklahomans behind, and I think there's too much to fight for to simply let that go.

(...)

BURNETT: So, you know, because when you talk about extremism, obviously, and the polarization, certainly, in the past -- now, almost two years, right? -- that has been centered, much of it, in COVID. And you say one of the main reasons you're running is because of how Governor Stitt has tackled the COVID pandemic. So he opposes mask mandates. He opposes mandates for the COVID vaccine. He calls them complete disregard for individual freedom and states' rights. You also oppose those mandates, but -- but you say that you may not have needed a mask mandate, but that Governor Stitt could have worn a mask?

HOFMEISTER: We needed a leader. We needed a leader who could have prepared Oklahomans for the pandemic. We have experienced unnecessary disruption and loss of life. It is also one where I believe Governor Stitt does not represent the values of Oklahomans, which is hard work, common sense, and courage. 

(...)

CNN Newsroom

October 10, 2021

8:17 p.m. Eastern

PAMELA BROWN: A lifelong Republican in Oklahoma is saying good-bye to the GOP. Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma's top education official announced that she's joining the Democratic party and challenging incumbent Republican Governor Kevin Stitt next year. She claims Stitt is, quote, "running Oklahoma into the ground." Here's part of her first campaign ad.

(Clip of Hofmeister ad)

Joy Hofmeister joins me now. Nice to see you. So you say your decision to switch parties came with, quote, "a lot of personal reflection." Why did you decide to do it?

(...)

But I guess, you know, you're switching now to run as a Democratic governor. We are so many months into this pandemic. Why now? 

JOY HOFMEISTER, OKLAHOMA CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Well, this has come at the result of seeing a pattern by Kevin Stitt where there is a disregard for experts that have public health wisdom and those experts even in class rooms, those in locally elected positions. All of us should have been working together, and, instead, Governor Stitt has divided communities to the point of neighbor against neighbor, and family against family. And, really, Oklahomans have had enough of that.

(...)

CNN's New Day

October 11, 2021

6:48 a.m. Eastern

BRIANNA KEILAR: She was a lifelong Republican until now. Oklahoma's top education official, Joy Hofmeister, is switching parties and challenging Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in next year's gubernatorial election. A big reason for her decision, Governor Stitt's handling of the pandemic.

Like several other GOP governors nationwide, Stitt has targeted local school boards for their mask mandates. Hofmeister has accused him of failing to listen to public health experts, and Hofmeister is joining us right now. She is Oklahoma's state superintendent of public instruction... I do want to ask you: Why did you switch parties? What was the final straw?

JOY HOFMEISTER, OKLAHOMA CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Well, ultimately, Governor Stitt has hijacked the Republican party, and there's just been incredible amounts of extremism, divisive partisanship, and, ultimately, ineffective leadership.

KEILAR: What about -- I know masks were a big issue for you. As the top education official, you know, you've been advocating that there shouldn't be rules against mask mandates. How big of a factor was his COVID response?

HOFMEISTER: Well, I would not have signed a law that hamstrung the local school board's ability to mitigate COVID outbreaks in their community as we start a school year -- now our third school year where children are facing disruption due to the pandemic. And it could have been avoided -- 10,000 Oklahoma lives have been lost due to the pandemic and the management by the governor and his toothless health policy.

(...)

On Wednesday morning, there was night a day difference in the way MSNBC and Fox News covered the gubernatorial race in Virginia as Morning Joe bolstered Democratic candidate and ex-Governor Terry McAuliffe as he attacked Republican Glenn Youngkin. Joe Scarborough even went so far as to compare the GOP nominee to an "illiberal tyrant" who is using "anti-Semitism" in his campaign.

By contrast, while faux-conservative Scarborough ignored recent embarrassments hitting the McAuliffe campaign, the same day's Fox & Friends covered the Democratic candidate storming out of an interview, his poor record on crime as governor, and the possibly illegal campaigning in a Virginia church by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Scarborough began the interview by taunting Youngkin for not coming on the show and playing up his allegedly "conservative" credentials to dubiously suggest he would give the Republican an friendly interview:

We keep asking your opponent to come on the show. He won't come on the show -- kind of strange to me. As you know -- you watch this show once in a while -- I'm a small government conservative, I'm a Second Amendment guy, I'm worried about inflation. I'm worried about these big bills in Washington, D.C. You'd think, if he's a real conservative, he'd want to come on and talk about that. Has he been dodging you in Virginia? Is he just scared to speak publicly right now? What's going on with him?

McAuliffe easily hit the softball served to him by accusing his opponent of being afraid to ask questions, and went on about Youngkin being reluctant to debate before eventually admitting that Youngkin did, in fact, debate him. After McAuliffe accused Youngkin of having a "tinfoil hat" for invoking wealthy liberal activist George Soros, it was Scarborough who went even further than his Democratic guest in accusing the Virginia Republican of anti-Semitism:

If he's talking about George Soros, that's the sort of anti-Semitism we see in the United States and across the world. That's what -- that's what illiberal tyrants like (Viktor) Orban do in Hungary. They just lie about a Jew  -- they pick a Jew out -- George Soros is that Jew -- and so he's -- he's -- he's playing that old anti-Semitic trope as well.

The two continued passing the Youngkin-bashing baton back and forth to one another as McAuliffe accused his Republican opponent of "racist dog-whistling" for making an issue of Critical Race Theory being taught in schools. Bolstering his liberal guest, Scarborough responded: "This is interesting. You said Critical Race Theory is not taught in Virginia public schools. If that's the case, why in the world would he bring up Critical Race Theory? I don't understand. If it's not even taught in Virginia schools, that would seem actually to seem nefarious."

The closest thing to a challenge came when Willie Geist asked about the issue of whether McAuliffe thinks parents should have a role in what their children are taught, but the MSNBC regular did not clarify the context that McAuliffe was defending the inclusion of a sexually explicit book in a school library when the Virginia Democrat defended the right of liberal teachers to include such material.

And, even though homicides increased 43 percent under McAuliffe's previous term as governor, the liberal guest's claim that he presided over one of the lowest crime rates in the country went unanswered. In 2013, the year before he took office, the per capita homicide rate was before the national average, but had increased above the national average by 2017. Nationally, homicides had increased 18 percent.

It is also noteworthy that Fox News host Bret Baier has previously stated that he has invited McAuliffe to appear on his Special Report show many times unsuccessfully, demonstrating that the Democrat also turns down tough questioning.

The interview ended with Scarborough challenging Youngkin to let him moderate a debate with McAuliffe that he promised would be "straight down the middle" in spite of the negative tone he had just shown the Republican candidate throughout the segment.

But MSNBC"s competitors on Fox New Channel actually showed video of McAuliffe walking off an interview on Tuesday when he didn't like the questions he was being asked. They also addressed the crime issue, and Vice President Harris's improper campaigning in a church.

MSNBC's campaign gift for the Democratic party was sponsored in part by IHOP. Their contact information is linked.

Transcript follows:

MSNBC's Morning Joe

October 20, 2021

8:37 a.m. Eastern

JOE SCARBOROUGH: So we keep asking your opponent to come --

TERRY McAULIFFE, GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE (D-VA): Hi, Joe.

SCARBOROUGH: We keep asking your opponent to come on the show.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: He won't.

SCARBOROUGH: He won't come on the show -- kind of strange to me. As you know -- you watch this show once in a while -- I'm a small government conservative, I'm a Second Amendment guy, I'm worried about inflation. I'm worried about these big bills in Washington, D.C. You'd think, if he's a real conservative, he'd want to come on and talk about that. Has he been dodging you in Virginia? Is he just scared to speak publicly right now? What's going on with him?

McAULIFFE: Yeah, the guy's scared. First of all, he dodged out on the debates -- the famous debate we've had for 36 years -- he wouldn't debate me. He jumped out of all the debates. And the reason is he doesn't want to get asked tough questions.

(...)

Last night he had a rally. I'm doing meetings with small business to talk about minimum wage, family and medical leave, what we need to do on paid sick leave. He has a rally yesterday -- George Soros who of course is the Trump boogeyman. George Soros and I are somehow running this -- I mean, they're all wearing their tinfoil hats -- it's getting nuttier by the day -- but he's an anti-vaxxer -- he doesn't believe in a woman's right to choose -- and he's dangerous for Virginia.

SCARBOROUGH: Well, he also -- if he's talking about George Soros, that's the sort of anti-Semitism we see in the United States and across the world. That's what -- that's what illiberal tyrants like Orban do in Hungary. They just lie about a Jew  -- they pick a Jew out -- George Soros is that Jew -- and so he's -- he's -- he's playing that old anti-Semitic trope as well.

(...)

McAULIFFE: And Glenn Youngkin's campaign has been nothing but dog whistles -- racist dog whistles from day one. He talks about Critical Race Theory. It is not taught here in Virginia. It is a racist dog whistle. I am sick and tired of it.

(...)

SCARBOROUGH: This is interesting. You said Critical Race Theory is not taught in Virginia public schools. If that's the case, why in the world would he bring up Critical Race Theory? I don't understand. If it's not even taught in Virginia schools, that would seem actually to seem nefarious.

(...)

McAULIFFE: And it's a racist dog whistle. We need to call things out for what they are. And it's sick -- it's sad.

(...)

McAULIFFE: I'll keep you safe. I had the lowest crime rate of any major state in America when I was governor.

(...)

SCARBOROUGH: Your opponent -- again, he's avoiding us -- he's scared to come on the show. I'm not really sure. I want to ask you right now if -- we're going to ask you again if he would debate you. We'll question straight down the middle for both of you guys, If he will accept a debate on Morning Joe, will you come on the show and debate him here?

McAULIFFE: Anytime, anywhere you want to do it, 24/7 special, I'll do it. He's been invited on -- I think I've done six, 10 shows in the last week. Every single show says the same thing in the end. "We invited Glenn Youngkin, but he refused to come on." You are running for governor. He's got to quit hiding. He wouldn't debate me for months. I mean, it is just insane if you're running for governor. How could you not answer a tough question?

(...)

News broke last weekend of a disturbing crime that occurred on a train in Philadelphia in which several passengers allegedly stood by and did nothing to help a fellow passenger while she was being raped. It also turned out that the alleged attacker, Fiston Ngoy, is an illegal immigrant who was released in 2019 by an immigration judge without deportation in spite of a history of serious offenses.

While most liberal news sources have ignored the story, CNN has reported the story a couple of times this week -- mostly recently on Friday -- but without mentioning the illegal immigration angle, while several Fox News Channel shows have fully covered the story.

On Tuesday evening, Fox News host Tucker Carlson broke the news that Ngoy was an illegal immigrant who could have been deported in the past. After informing viewers of the reports that bystanders stood by and did not try to stop the attack, Carlson got to the issue of why he had not been deported: "We can tell you tonight, the 35-year-old Congolese who apparently raped this woman -- his name is Fiston Ngoy -- has a criminal record and shouldn't have been here in the first place. He overstayed a student visa and should have been deported. This should never have happened."

He soon added:

This particular man first came to the United States in 2012. He was on a student visa. Now, that visa ended in 2015 because he was no longer a student. Court records show that Ngoy racked up, quote, "multiple arrests and two misdemeanor convictions," one for controlled substances and one for sexual abuse. Okay, so here's someone in the country illegally, who's convicted of sexual abuse and drugs, but he's still here? So why aren't the people who allowed him to remain here in jail themselves? They certainly should be.

Earlier in the day, before the news of Ngoy's citizenship status was revealed, CNN's New Day show devoted several minutes to discussing the psychology behind why bystanders sometimes do not help victims, and the show has not revisited the story to update viewers. On Friday, CNN afternoon host Ana Cabrera did a similar segment about why no one tried to stop the crime, but did not mention the illegal immigration issue at all even though several Fox News shows have covered this angle since Tuesday.

At 1:51 p.m. Eastern, Cabrera set up the segment:

It's a horrendous act. A woman reportedly raped on a Philadelphia train earlier this month. And now CNN is learning the passengers who witnessed but failed to intervene will not be prosecuted. The details are troubling. Here's what happened according to authorities. The victim was harassed for about half an hour, and, during that time, she tried pushing the suspect away as he starts touching her. The affidavit states, quote, "Throughout this time, the victim is obviously struggling with trying to keep him off of her. According to police, he eventually raped her, which lasted for six minutes before a transit police officer pulled the suspect off the victim."

In spite of the segment running almost four minutes, no mention was made of the broken immigration deportation system.

On Wednesday night, Dan Abrams notably also covered the issue of the broken illegal immigration system as he also took a jab at Fox News by suggesting that the right-leaning network would portray all illegal immigrants as "evil" even though no one Fox has said any such thing.

The episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight was sponsored by Servepro. Their contact information is linked. Let them know how you feel about Fox covering such important issues that the more liberal news networks suppress.

Transcripts follow:

Fox News Channel's Tucker Carlson Tonight

October 19, 2021

8:13 p.m. Eastern

TUCKER CARLSON: We can tell you tonight, the 35-year-old Congolese who apparently raped this woman -- his name is Fiston Ngoy -- has a criminal record and shouldn't have been here in the first place. He overstayed a student visa and should have been deported. This should never have happened. He should not have been here, and the only reason he was here is because he and a lot of people like him have been invited here and allowed to stay by people who run the country but don't ride the train.

This particular man first came to the United States in 2012. He was on a student visa. Now, that visa ended in 2015 because he was no longer a student. Court records show that Ngoy racked up, quote, "multiple arrests and two misdemeanor convictions," one for controlled substances and one for sexual abuse. Okay, so here's someone in the country illegally, who's convicted of sexual abuse and drugs, but he's still here? So why aren't the people who allowed him to remain here in jail themselves? They certainly should be.

Now, this guy was put into immigration detention back in January 2018, but he never got deported because the immigration legal system decided he should receive a special stay of removal. Oh. So he got what's called a "withholding of removal" from an immigration judge two years ago back in 2019. According to court documents, that decision came after, quote, "the Board of Immigration Appeals found that the petitioner's misdemeanor sex offense was not a," quote, "'serious crime'" -- just a minor sex offense -- and therefore he was "ineligible for withholding from removal."

(...)

CNN Newsroom

October 22, 2021

1:51 p.m. Eastern

ANA CABRERA: It's a horrendous act. A woman reportedly raped on a Philadelphia train earlier this month. And now CNN is learning the passengers who witnessed but failed to intervene will not be prosecuted. The details are troubling. Here's what happened according to authorities. The victim was harassed for about half an hour, and, during that time, she tried pushing the suspect away as he starts touching her. The affidavit states, quote, "Throughout this time, the victim is obviously struggling with trying to keep him off of her. According to police, he eventually raped her, which lasted for six minutes before a transit police officer pulled the suspect off the victim."

Joining us now is Dominic Packer. He is a professor of psychology at Lee University. He's also the co-author of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony. Dominic, you just co-wrote a piece titled, "What Motivates Bystanders to Intervene in an Attack?" Now, you research human behavior. In a situation like this, why wouldn't someone intervene, especially when there could be strength in numbers?

(...)

CNN's Smerconish

October 23, 2021

MICHAEL SMERCONISH: An estimated tens of thousands of migrants are assembling in the southern Mexico area in the mother of all caravans that may head north as soon as this weekend. And this follows the news that U.S. Border Patrol arrests have soared to the highest ever totals recorded. During the 2021 fiscal year, U.S. authorities detained more than 1.6 million migrants along the Mexico border according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Although illegal crossings began rising last year, they have skyrocketed since President Biden took office.

(...) 

What if anything do you know of the caravan to which I just referred?

BRANDON JUDD, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: What we know is that we have large numbers that are coming up. These people are not just from one specific country. When you look at the numbers that we're dealing with right now, and look at it from a historical standpoint, we're dealing with people from countries that we just haven't seen before in the past -- Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Senegal, Bangladesh, you know, we're dealing with people -- we're dealing with countries from around the entire world...

SMERCONISH: What accounts for that? You're telling me there's almost like a magnet approach now of people from all around the globe viewing this as their shot to get into the United States? And they're assembling in Mexico or Central America?

JUDD: Well, the main magnet that we constantly deal with is what we dub as the catch-and-release program. When people cross the border illegally, we do not properly enforce the law -- that we release them into the United States pending a future court appearance. That is the magnet that draws so many people across our border illegally. And that's what we're dealing with today. And so if -- when you look at when we hit 45-year lows, just over two years back, it was simply because we were holding every single person who crossed the border illegally or we were having them wait in Mexico pending their asylum or deportation proceeding. The moment you cut that magnet off, people stop coming. But if there is a reward for violating our laws, then the message is sent around the world that, if you cross our borders illegally, you will be released into the United States, and that's what's happening today.

(...)

SMERCONISH: Are there significant tangible differences between the approach under President Trump and President Biden? Or is it a matter of perception on those people who are coming into this country or seeking to that it's going to be an easier attempt to make?

JUDD: No, there's an absolute tangible difference between this administration and the last administration.

SMERCONISH: What is it? What is it?

JUDD: This administration abolished every single immigration policy that president trump put in place, such as the remain in Mexico program. Once that was abolished that was an invitation for everybody to start crossing our borders illegally. That was the main issue that we're dealing with. You must hold people in custody pending their asylum or deportation proceedings. If you do not do that, they will continue to come.

(...)

SMERCONISH: I thought the most interesting think he had to say is, these are not just those people coming from those countries Vice President Kamala Harris was charged with addressing the root cause, right? Instead, it's become a global magnet. People are viewing this as their chance to get into the USA without playing by the rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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