When a CNN anchor is pleading with the Democratic Party to dial back on their extreme platform, it's clear how far left the field of 2020 candidates have gone. The once-in-a-lifetime moment of humility and brutal honesty coming from a member of the liberal press was delivered by CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Thursday’s Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Reflecting on the Democratic primary debates from earlier this week, Cuomo did not hold back in his condemnation of the radicalization taking hold in the party:
I think this party does not have its head right. I think that -- not a joke, good I'm glad you didn't take it as one-. I have to work on the closing argument. We do the closing argument every night on the show. And I'd love your help, you can go on social media, find me, I'd really love your help. I want to do tonight the questions for the Democrats. My first question is, "Why are you doing this? What is this? What were you doing?" Is it, "I know more about health care that I can title differently than your plan that's almost the exact same as my plan but I won't explain it that way because I'm not really sure what it is?" Is that the why?....So you’re not going to have a granular policy debate. And even if you were, you should still right now be obsessed with convincing Americans that you understand what they are experiencing right now. Why it is unacceptable to them and why they are desperate for better. Two reasons, one, that's what beat your ass the last time, is your inability to do that. And that's what we need as leadership but, I don't see it on the stage. I didn't see it either night and I watched the whole time.
Meyers then had the gall to suggest the lackluster performances of the Democratic candidates was due in part to the questions posed by CNN anchors:
I also watched the whole time and, you know, I did think it got really in the weeds on health care but in their defense -- that was -- right off the bat, those were the questions…You know it does seem like, do you feel as though there should be more room for candidates to debate to talk about what you're talking about as opposed to the fact that it immediately drills down, and, "Hey, now we're talking about this, define your plan versus the other"?
Cuomo then went on a spiel in defense of his network while lecturing the candidates on their failure to connect with Americans during the debates:
...you know what happens a lot? And this is really going to shock you. We ask questions and they don't answer them. So they make the choice. All you do -- look, we're both good friends with Jake Tapper. Who I believe, without question, is one of the smartest people in the business. He was with Dana Bash and this guy named Don Lemon....So, here's the thing, we ask them the question, they do what they will with the opportunity. Jake, Dana and Don, they provide the opportunity. Here's the subject matter. You don't have to go granular on me, you don't have to tell me what the middle class is going to do because you can't know how you're going to get it done….so why be in the extreme of how you'll get something done when you know people don't believe it's going to go that way. You're missing opportunities to connect with them about what their anxieties are. And you're creating something that we can't understand.
Before the night was over, the bashing of the Democratic candidates had to be outweighed by attacks on President Trump. Meyers bemoaned: “You know, I think one thing we do know is going to happen that I feel like Mayor Pete Buttigieg made this point well, no matter who gets the nomination, Donald Trump will say they're a socialist.” Cuomo concurred, “So Pete Buttigieg, who is obviously very smart, is right about that and we see it in the numbers.”
Meyers also took the liberty to accuse President Trump of “playing by back-alley rules.”
To round out the evening, Cuomo offered advice to the Democratic candidates on how to beat “racist” President Trump:
Here's the answer…the goal is, "You call me what you want. I'm talking to them. Yes, I hear him, especially in this coming election, I hear him, he's noise to me. I want to talk to you. This is what you need to know about me, this is what I know about you, this is why I'm doing this, let him say what he wants to say." That's the goal.
It has yet to be seen whether Cuomo’s attempt to save the sinking ship of the Democratic Party will be proven successful.
Transcript below:
NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers
08/02/19
1:15:13 a.m.
SETH MEYERS: It did seem like one of the things people were talking about is how you have your centrist candidates, you have your progressive candidates. And it seemed like last night, Joe Biden to some degree, was defending Obama's record a great deal, particularly in regards to immigration and regards to health care. Do you find that surprising?
CHRIS CUOMO: No, because I think this party does not have its head right. I think that -- not a joke, good I'm glad you didn't take it as one. I have to work on the Closing Argument. We do the Closing Argument every night on the show. And I'd love your help, you can go on social media, find me, I'd really love your help. I want to do tonight the questions for the Democrats. My first question is, "Why are you doing this? What is this? What were you doing?" Is it, "I know more about health care that I can title differently than your plan that's almost the exact same as my plan but I won't explain it that way because I'm not really sure what it is?" Is that the why?
MEYERS: Right.
CUOMO: And if we -- we applaud but it's like, true, you know what I mean? It's like, "Oh, wait that is my new health care plan." Why? When you know that the person that you will take on, if you get the nomination, is the President of the United States, is one of the most fearsome politicians in a generation. And has already said, "I will tell you what my plan is for health care after the election."
MEYERS: Yeah.
CUOMO: So you're not going to have a granular policy debate. And even if you were, you should still right now be obsessed with convincing Americans that you understand what they are experiencing right now. Why it is unacceptable to them and why they are desperate for better. Two reasons, one, that's what beat your ass the last time, is your inability to do that. And that's what we need as leadership but, I don't see it on the stage. I didn't see it either night and I watched the whole time.
MEYERS: I also watched the whole time and, you know, I did think it got really in the weeds on health care but in their defense -- that was -- right off the bat, those were the questions. You know, I think it's very hard when it's immediately framed like, you know, to Kamala, "Joe Biden said this about your health care plan." And then it's, "Joe, Kamala said this about your health care plan." You know it does seem like, do you feel as though there should be more room for candidates at debates to talk about what you're talking about as opposed to the fact that it immediately drills down, and "Hey, now we're talking about this, define your plan versus the other."
CUOMO: Well, two answers, just in case one doesn't work. The first answer is, on your show, you're told very clearly, if you don't answer what Seth tells you, you will never be on this show again.
MEYERS: Very clearly, yes.
CUOMO: We don't do that in my business so you know what happens a lot? And this is really going to shock you. We ask questions and they don't answer them.
MEYERS: Yeah.
CUOMO: So they make the choice. All you do -- look we're both good friends with Jake Tapper.
MEYERS: Yeah.
CUOMO: Who I believe, without question, one of the smartest people in the business. He was with Dana Bash and this guy named Don Lemon.
MEYERS: Yeah, new kid on the block.
CUOMO: Yeah. I'm in a cab in Detroit, this guy turns around and goes, "I recognized your voice, your Chris Lemon." So, at least let me know well, we're not that far away from understanding that black and white can get along because you confused me with a black guy. So, great. So, here's the thing, we ask them the question, they do what they will with the opportunity. Jake, Dana and Don, they provide the opportunity, here's the subject matter. You don't have to go granular on me, you don't have to tell me what the middle class is going to do because you can't know how you're going to get it done. You don't know what the state of play will be. You don't know who the players will be. You don't know if you'll have both houses of Congress or not, so why be in the extreme of how you'll get something done when you know people don't believe it's going to go that way. You're missing opportunities to connect with them about what their anxieties are. And you're creating something that we can't understand.
MEYERS: You know, I think one thing we do know is going to happen that I feel like Mayor Pete Buttigeg made this point well, that no matter who gets the nomination, Donald Trump will say they're a socialist.
CUOMO: Yeah.
MEYERS: How do you as a --
CUOMO: And if he is identified, if he -- this is from the latest cross tabs on the poll. Cross tabs are the explanations behind the numbers that we report. If the President runs against somebody that can be reasonably identified as socialist -- there is no punch line on this, by the way. I know that face, it's not going to be funny.
MEYERS: Oh, it's going to be good.
CUOMO: Then he wins by at least six points. So Pete Buttigeg, who is obviously very smart, is right about that and we see it in the numbers. Make your point.
MEYERS: My only point was how do you defend against -- you're going to run against a person who is not going to make his decision. So he will call Pete Butigeg a socialist just as much as he will call Bernie Sanders a socialist.
CUOMO: Yes.
MEYERS: Even though that they are very far apart, I would think, insofar as how they view themselves. So how do you protect against a guy who basically is playing by back-alley rules?
MEYERS: Here's the answer, well one, that is not new in politics. Labels are very helpful as a point of persuasion and as a point of opposition. But the goal is, "You call me what you want. I'm talking to them." "Yes, I hear him," especially in this coming election, "I hear him, he's noise to me. I want to talk to you. This is what you need to know about me, this is what I know about you, this is why I'm doing this, let him say what he wants to say." That's the goal. Will you be able to achieve that? it's difficult. You will have a harder time doing it if you haven't gotten ready for it. If you want to have a meaningful discussion about race in this country, which is so hard, because what we forgot isn't that we have these problems in this society. It's that we forgot we had been trying to change culture to suppress the animus. That we're not going to give you an audience if you say ugly things. We're not going to play into your division. That's what has returned, not the problems. So if you want to have a meaningful discussion, but people have had to watch months of you almost play the same issues out with your own people, who are supposed to be opposing what is on the other side of it, you don't think there is going to be fatigue? You don't think that when you get to the general, you're not allowing you opponent to say, "But Seth, you call everybody this. You say everybody's a racist. You say everything is racial. When does it end?" Why mitigate the strength of something that matters so much, just for political convenience and advantage right now. I really don't get where their heads are at, hence my closing questions.
