Conservatives In Chaos! Your Sunday Shows Roundup

We watch so you don't have to.

A lot happened since last week.

But before we bask on some highlights of Democrats enjoying this momentum, let’s look at some flailing from conservatives (and bad journalism).

Taking Trump Fascism Seriously AND Literally

Donald Trump, co-star of 1989’s Ghosts Can’t Do It and temporary occupant of the White House, spoke this weekend to religious conservatives at a Turning Point USA event and tried to get them excited by promising they wouldn’t have to bother with voting again if they elect again.

Unless you’ve just fallen out of a coconut tree, it’s not hard to realize that statement sounds like Trump is promising to get rid of elections once he’s in power. When you take it in the context of all Trump has said (“Day One Dictator”) and what came before (wanting to shoot protestors, admiring dictators who also happen to get rid of elections), it’s a legitimate concern.

But that didn’t stop Republicans from trying to minimize this.

On CNN’s “State Of The Union,” Arkansas GOP Senator Tom Cotton tried:

COTTON: I think he's obviously making a joke about how bad things have been under Joe Biden and how good they will be if we send President Trump […] For four years, things were good with President Trump.

Oh yes, the “good times.” Kids in cages, impeachments, global pandemics, lackluster hurricane responses … we were living in a conservative utopia!

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said a similar thing on ABC’s “This Week” with zero pushback from host Martha Raddatz.

RADDATZ: Governor, what the heck did he mean there?

SUNUNU: Well, I think -- I think that was a classic Trump-ism, if you will. I think he’s just trying to make the point that this stuff can be fixed. You know, obviously, it’s -- we want everybody to vote in all elections. But I think he was just trying to make a hyperbolic point that -- that it can be fixed as long as he gets back into office and all that. But, you know, classic Trump right there.

RADDATZ: OK. And just days -- let’s -- let’s turn to President Biden and Kamala Harris.

No follow-up question, no pushback, no attempt to have Sununu explain this at all? We now just take the suggestion of getting rid of elections as light banter, despite Trump’s anti-democratic history?

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, was on CBS’s “Face The Nation” when he made a similar statement.

GRAHAM: He's trying to tell the Christian community and anybody else who's listening, the nightmare that we're experiencing will soon be over, give me four more years, and I'm going to right this ship called America, and pass it on to the next generation. […] But what President Trump is trying to tell people: I did it once, I can do it again. These problems can be solved.

I love that Lindsey Graham accidentally highlighted Trump’s age by mentioning “the next generation” in his attempt to advocate for him.

But this attempt to paint the Trump years as idyllic years we can return to is ridiculous. To prove it, let’s take a look at when this bullshit gets debunked by an expert.

Pete Buttigieg Is The Best There Is At What He Does

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put on a master class on “Fox News Sunday,” as he so often does.

SHANNON BREAM: There are blue states, governors and mayors who say every state is a border state. Now that’s Democrats.

BUTTIGIEG: And now they’re saying, but what the false message of the RNC was that this was leading to an increase in crime. And I think it’s really important that we talk about. […] Trying to make people think that crime is up when crime is down under Joe Biden and crime was up under Donald Trump. Now, I don’t know how often that gets reported on this network. So, if you’re watching this at home, do yourself a favor and look up the data. […] So if you look this up at home, you will know that crime went down under Biden and crime went up under Trump.

BREAM: Certain categories!

BUTTIGIEG: And I think the violent crime for sure. So I think the really important thing to ask is, why would America want to go back to the higher crime that we experienced under Donald Trump?

Bream also tried to run cover for Republicans tanking a bipartisan border bill at the behest of Trump, and Buttigieg called her out on it.

BREAM: [T]here were a number of provisions that Republicans including Mitch McConnell ended up in the final product felt that there was something they could not vote for there and they could not move forward …

BUTTIGIEG: Come on, we know why they didn't move forward. They DIDN’T move forward because Donald Trump swooped in, he said I don't want Joe Biden to get a win.

BREAM: … it was a flawed piece of legislation, had too many loopholes and other things they couldn't support…

BUTTIGIEG: It was transparent what happened.

We still believe Fox News letting Buttigieg embarrass them must be some type of humiliation kink.

Tim Walz Doesn’t Give A Fuck!

Jake Tapper asked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on CNN’s “State Of The Union” about Democrats like himself being labeled “ultra-liberal,” and he had the perfect response:

WALZ: What a monster. Kids are eating and having full bellies, so they can go learn, and women are making their own healthcare decisions. And we're a top five business state, and we also rank in the top three of happiness. […] Democratic governors across the country executed those policies, and quality of life is higher, the economies are better, all of those things. Educational attainment is better. So, yes, my kids are going to eat here, and you're going to have a chance to go to college, and you're going to have an opportunity to live where we're working on reducing carbon emissions. Oh, and, by the way, you're going to have personal incomes that are higher, and you're going to have health insurance.

So, if that's where they want to label me, I'm more than happy to take the label.

In other words:

Have a week.

Follow Michael Mora on Bluesky and Threads. (If you are still on Twitter, I’m also HERE)