CNN’s so-called Reliable Sources has become a home for nutty pontificators. Host Brian Stelter has welcomed unethical shrinks who have claimed President Trump was the most prolific killer in human history, a former cult member who claims Trump was a “destructive cult” leader, and Dan Rather. During Sunday’s latest edition, he had on New Yorker editor David Remnick, who proclaimed in all seriousness that the “future of the Earth” hung on Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.
In talking about what he hoped would change after impeachment, Remnick said he wanted people to understand how high the stakes were when removing Trump from office. According to him, it was larger than one man; the future of democracy and the world were hanging in the balance:
Because we've seen the Republicans stuck where they are. Their illusions about Trump remain, and you're right to describe it as a flat line. Here's what I hope that we understand. That the -- the stakes here are immense. It's just -- it's not just about the political future of one man, Donald Trump. It's about the future of democracy and democratic process and this is a -- a trend throughout the world. It's about the future of the Earth. We have a party that has decided to be disbelieving about climate change. It's about issues as essential as that.
Stelter just sat there and listened like a good media suck up. Remnick may have accidentally outed his host as a leftist when he lamented their ineffectiveness in manipulating the public in impeachment:
And right now you have a country that is split, and to great frustration of people like you and people like me, we don't somehow understand. We don't understand why the evidence of things, why facts don't penetrate so many of our brothers and sisters in the United States of America. And this is a source of great frustration for the press.
Apparently, people like Remnick and Stelter don’t understand and were greatly frustrated by people having different political opinions than them? That’s interesting because just last week, New Yorker columnist Masha Gessen was on with Stelter and said she was horrified by the idea that “reasonable people can disagree” on impeachment.
In response to his guest, Stelter teed up Remnick to lash out at Republicans by claiming they no longer relied on reason, facts, and ethical judgment:
STELTER: In your new column on newyorker.com you write, the shock of Trump's election three years ago obscured, what you call a tragedy of equal moment, the eclipse of reason, fact, and ethical judgment in the Republican Party.
REMNICK: Let’s not be diluted here. It's not as if reason and fact and truth-telling were pervasive in any political party much less the Republican Party. But things have gotten markedly worse.
If more evidence was needed that Remnick was a left-wing activist and not a journalist, he decried how the GOP continued to back their President throughout the partisan impeachment process. “This is not exactly profiles and courage time,” he chided. “These people are -- people are themselves lacking character and courage. And it has to be said straight up.”
Yeah, CNN was totally all about news and not opinion peddling. Right, Brian? This is CNN, unreliable sources.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Reliable Sources
December 22, 2019
11:02:47 a.m. EasternBRIAN STELTER: So, my question this Sunday is, what did we learn if anything in the past week? With me to discuss that and much more is the editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick. He's been running the magazine The New Yorker since 1998. The last time there was an impeachment all over the news. David, thank you for being here. Great to see you.
DAVID REMNICK: Great to see you, Brian.
STELTER: Did anything change this week?
REMNICK: Well, I'll tell you what I think I hope changes. That I think is more important. Because we've seen the Republicans stuck where they are. Their illusions about Trump remain, and you're right to describe it as a flat line. Here's what I hope that we understand. That the -- the stakes here are immense. It's just -- it's not just about the political future of one man, Donald Trump. It's about the future of democracy and democratic process and this is a -- a trend throughout the world. It's about the future of the Earth. We have a party that has decided to be disbelieving about climate change. It's about issues as essential as that.
And right now you have a country that is split, and to great frustration of people like you and people like me, we don't somehow understand. We don't understand why the evidence of things, why facts don't penetrate so many of our brothers and sisters in the United States of America. And this is a source of great frustration for the press.
STELTER: For the press.
REMNICK And for anybody who’s thinking about these issues that are so important.
STELTER: In your new column on newyorker.com you write, the shock of Trump's election three years ago obscured, what you call a tragedy of equal moment, the eclipse of reason, fact, and ethical judgment in the Republican Party.
REMNICK: Let’s not be diluted here. It's not as if reason and fact and truth telling were pervasive in any political party much less the Republican Party. But things have gotten markedly worse.
(…)
So much of the Republican Party, their candidates, their leadership know the score. Everybody in the Senate and the House knows this is a man of low character, of ethical – of ethics run amuck. This is not -- nobody in the Republican Party thinks this is a good and decent man. These are people who are looking to their political advantages. They think if they act against him somehow or speak against him, they'll lose their seats. So, the only people speaking against him are people set to retire.
(…)
REMNICK: This is not exactly profiles and courage time. And John Meacham, by the way, is right to point out that if you look historically at the cost of opposing your president within the party, the price is not that high. These people are -- people are themselves lacking character and courage. And it has to be said straight up.
(…)
