On two occasions during CNN’s live coverage Monday night previewing the sixth Republican presidential debate, CNN political commentator Michael Smerconish attempted to paint the issue of climate change and the deal reached in Paris as posing a “down ballot concern” for the GOP and causing “brand damage” since the party has largely rejected the ideal and declined to embrace the issue as a whole.
In questioning Republican National Committee (RNC) Communications Director Sean Spicer on AC360, Smerconish wondered if he was at all concerned “about brand damage harming down ballot” considering “the fact that last weekend, front-page of newspapers all across the country, 195 nations buying into doing something about climate change” and there was “frankly not a peep from Republican leadership.”
Smerconish then paired that issue with Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims and badgered Spicer about whether or not “all of these questions [will] catch up with the GOP come fall.”
Spicer immediately returned fire by calling out the liberal media bias and their constant disconnect with what voters actually view as significant: “So, look, Michael, I think there’s a big difference between what sometimes the mainstream media defines as important issues and what voters pick.”
When Smerconish tried to claim that voters overall care about climate change (even though Gallup reported that “the environment” is only at three percent and below decline in religion and unemployment), Spicer again zinged: “I understand that elites believe in a certain agenda, but at the end of the day, when you look at our candidates and what we do as a party, we have won up and down the ballot.”
Upon highlighting Republican successes over the past few elections on the state level and holding majorities in both houses of Congress, Spicer determined that “our party is doing very well with reaching out and winning elections, so I appreciate the concern from the media about what issues that we’re not fully embracing, but I think we're doing really well.”
Roughly 90 minutes later near the start of CNN Tonight, the liberal Pennsylvanian doubled down on his claim about there being cause for concern and “disconnect” in the GOP due to their climate change opposition:
There's a down ballot concern. I mean, last weekend, you looked at the front page of The New York Times and it was about 195 nations buying into and wanting to do something about climate change. That comes at a time when no Republicans have said a word about that deal. Six in ten in Iowa of the GOP, they think it's a fraud, so there's a huge disconnect between what's going on in the nation and what's going on with this incarnation of the Republican Party.
Of course, this comes as little surprise to this writer as Smerconish raved about how the first Democratic debate on October 13 was “an adult debate” compared to Republicans and attacked Carly Fiorina following the second GOP debate for not smiling enough (which caused colleagues to fire back at Smerconish for what they felt were sexist remarks).
The relevant portions of the transcript from December 14's AC360 and CNN Tonight can be found below.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360
December 14, 2015
8:33 p.m. Eastern
MICHAEL SMERCONISH: Do you worry about brand damage harming down ballot? I’m mindful of the fact that last weekend, front-page of newspapers all across the country, 195 nations buying into doing something about climate change? Frankly, not a peep from Republican leadership. This week, on that issue, Iowa Republicans — six in ten think that’s a fraud. You take a look at Donald Trump wanting to keep Muslims out of the country. Half Republicans agree, but two-thirds of the country disagree. My question: Do all of these questions catch up with the GOP come fall?
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR SEAN SPICER: So, look, Michael, I think there’s a big difference between what sometimes the mainstream media defines as important issues and what voters pick.
SMERCONISH: Climate change not an issue?
SPICER: But you just cited the polls that voters in Iowa and around the country don’t necessarily agree with that —
SMERCONISH: Republican voters.
SPICER: I understand that elites believe in a certain agenda, but at the end of the day, when you look at our candidates and what we do as a party, we have won up and down the ballot. We have 66 of 99 legislatures, the majority of governors, the majority of secretaries of state, the second largest in the House of Representatives, the majority in the Senate, our party is doing very well with reaching out and winning elections, so I appreciate the concern from the media about what issues that we’re not fully embracing, but I think we're doing really well and that’s what matters most and when you look at brand damage, you look at someone like Hillary Clinton who’s at the top of their ticket, she is horrible for their ticket. She is unbelievably untrustworthy, people don’t like her, they think she has a separate set of rules, so I’d be more concerned as a Democrat running as Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket.
(.....)
CNN Tonight
10:05 p.m. EasternSMERCONISH: There's a down ballot concern. I mean, last weekend, you looked at the front page of The New York Times and it was about 195 nations buying into and wanting to do something about climate change. That comes at a time when no Republicans have said a word about that deal. Six in ten in Iowa of the GOP, they think it's a fraud, so there's a huge disconnect between what's going on in the nation and what's going on with this incarnation of the Republican Party.
