On Monday's CNN This Morning, anchor they discussed the challenges Republicans are encountering in electing a speaker. But it grew nasty.
GOP strategist Doug Heye explained that back in the Obama years, with threatened government shutdowns, "we would refer to those as "touch-the-stove moments" to learn (like children) "that they'll get burned if they touch the stove that's hot. The reality is they've been leaning on the stove for a long time and they haven't gotten burned. At this point, they want to take over the oven and the entire kitchen, and it's not clear if they'll be able to do so, yet."
Co-anchor Phil Mattingly then took that patronizing metaphor to a whole new level, asking leftist CNN analyst Natasha Alford:
"They're literally pouring gasoline on themselves and just lighting themselves on fire at this point. And don't seem to be dissuaded by the burns at all. Can you tell people why this matters, from a tangible perspective, beyond the kind of hilarity of the ineptitude and the ridiculousness of the moment?."
Mattingly's pretending the Speaker vote is a "literally" like the "gas fight" scene from Zoolander.
Allford, also a host of a podcast at The Grio, which describes itself as a network focused on the African American community, chipped in with the standard liberal line about Republicans representing a threat to democracy:
"Jim Jordan represents an extreme rightward move of the Republican party. He is aligned with Donald Trump! This is a person who refused to certify electoral votes, right? We're talking about the stakes for democracy right now. This is the face of anti-democratic new norms that are being set."
Mattingly's co-anchor Poppy Harlow literally laughed at the Republican failure to elect a new House speaker, and then realized that was rude. "I laugh, but it's not funny."
I, literally, can't remember the last time a CNN anchor laughed at Democrat troubles!
CNN This Morning co-host Phil Mattingly saying House Republicans are "literally pouring gasoline on themselves and just lighting themselves on fire," was sponsored in part by Bayer, maker of Alka Seltzer, Abbvie, maker of Quilpta, and DirecTV.
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
10/16/23
7:50 am EDTPOPPY HARLOW: House of Representatives still without a Speaker. The House expected to vote on a Speaker, Speaker vote tomorrow. But it doesn't appear at this point, at least, like Republican nominee Jim Jordan has the support he needs to secure the gavel.
Republican strategist, forme RNC communications director Doug Heye joins us, along with CNN political analyst, host of The Grio Weekly, Natasha Alford. Thanks both very much.
Doug, you're the Republican strategist [laughs.] Help us out here. I laugh, but it's not funny, at all. In a moment like this, for there to still be no Speaker, and Jim Jordan doesn't look close, can those votes against him be swayed, or is this going to end up in some sort of, McHenry gets more power, and the Democrats help out?
DOUG HEYE: Well, I apologize Poppy, because I don't know how helpful I can be. Every Republican Member I talk to gives me a different answer or a lack of an answer. They just don't know what's going to happen, not over the next week, but over the next 24 to 36 hours.
Obviously, Jim Jordan is pushing for a floor vote. That does make some sense, but it's not clear that he's going to get there.
And I can tell you from having worked in House leadership back in 2012 through 2014, when we would have things like, defund this and let's shut down this, we would refer to those as touch-the-stove moments. That Republican members needed to touch the stove and learn that they'll get burned if they touch the stove that's hot.
The reality is they've been leaning on the stove for a long time and they haven't gotten burned. At this point, they want to take over the oven and the entire kitchen, and it's not clear if they'll be able to do so, yet.
PHIL MATTINGLY: Natasha, to that point. I mean, they're literally pouring gasoline on themselves and just lighting themselves on fire at this point. And don't seem to be dissuaded by the burns at all. Can you tell people why this matters, from a tangible perspective, beyond the kind of hilarity of the ineptitude and the ridiculousness of the moment?
NATASHA ALLFORD: I mean, Jim Jordan represents an extreme rightward move of the Republican party. He is aligned with Donald Trump! This is a person who refused to certify electoral votes, right?
So when we're talking about the stakes for democracy right now. This is -- this is the face of anti-democratic new norms that are being set. And I think that's why there's so many GOP moderates who are not excited about this option, who are resisting actively, and they're saying, no, we're not going to reward this move to the extreme. You were able to get McCarthy out. Well, we're going to hold our ground. And just as Hakeem Jeffries called him an extremist extraordinaire, I think there are a lot of people on both sides who feel that way.
