CNN Commentator Calls Out ‘Radical’ Dem Position on Abortion

December 12th, 2017 9:25 PM

As the results were starting to come in from Tuesday's closely watched Alabama Senate election, a CNN discussion during Anderson Cooper 360 got heated when Republican commentator Amanda Carpenter pointed out how Democratic candidate Doug Jones was in jeopardy because of his position on abortion.

Carpenter was talking to liberal CNN commentator Bakari Sellers who was gloating about how good a candidate Jones was for Democrats. “Let's give Democrats the benefit of being able to breathe -- if we win, we will just have joy on the hills. If we lose, we will have lost with a great horse,” he enthusiastically declared.

But doesn't it concern you as a Democrat, the fact that you can face a candidate with all of these problems and you're still not going to win this race outright,” Carpenter shot back. She went on to point out that because of the Democratic Party’s “radical” position on the right to life, it completely alienated many voters who had to side with Moore:

 

 

Will you be willing to find a candidate that would be willing to moderate their positions on things like abortion? Because right now, the Democratic Party has gotten radical, extreme on this and it has made the idea of voting for a Democrat a complete non-starter for all Republicans. That is why they will vote for someone like Roy Moore over any Democrat outright.

Seller’s fell back on the defense that if Jones lost it would be because of they were in a conservative state and nothing else. “I love the high ground that Republicans are taking on the issue of abortion because the most amazing thing is all of a sudden Republicans care about babies when they're in the womb, but they don't care about teenagers because they vote for Roy Moore,” he smeared.

Carpenter then demanded to know if Democrats would be willing to become more flexible on the abortion issue. “Look, I’ve been very vocal against Roy Moore. But what I’m saying if you want to beat candidates like Roy Moore are you willing to give something, SOMETHING to Republican voters,” she argued.

Transcript below:

CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
December 12, 2017
8:37:09 PM Eastern

(…)

BAKARI SELLERS: The fact of the matter is, when you look at this race, there hasn't been a clearer dichotomy of two candidates we've seen in recent history. You have someone, to be polite tonight, racist tendencies versus someone who prosecuted the bombers of the 16th street Baptist church. You have someone who gave justice to little girls versus someone who preyed on them. I mean, there is no clearer contrast than what we're talking about. When we're talking about what would happen to Roy Moore in the United States Senate with all of his problems. Let's give Democrats the benefit of being able to breathe -- if we win, we will just have joy on the hills. If we lose, we will have lost with a great horse.

AMANDA CARPENTER: But doesn't it concern you as a Democrat, the fact that you can face a candidate with all of these problems and you're still not going to win this race outright? Will you be willing to find a candidate that would be willing to moderate their positions on things like abortion? Because right now, the Democratic Party has gotten radical, extreme on this and it has made the idea of voting for a Democrat a complete nonstarter for all Republicans. That is why they will vote for someone like Roy Moore over any Democrat outright.

SELLERS: If we lose this race, there are a couple of things. We're in the fifth most conservative state in the union. We're in Alabama. That's first. And second, I love the high ground that Republicans are taking on the issue of abortion because the most amazing thing is all of a sudden Republicans care about babies when they're in the womb, but they don't care about teenagers because they vote for Roy Moore?

CARPENTER: Look, I’ve been very vocal against Roy Moore. But what I’m saying, if you want to beat candidates like Roy Moore are you willing to give something, SOMETHING to Republican voters?

JEN PSAKI: Well, first of all, I think this is not all Democrats or all of the Democratic Party. There is a division within the Democratic Party and there are litmus tests that shouldn't be there because we are never going to win if we do.

(…)