With the midterms fast approaching, the Monday edition of ABC’s The View looked to seize on apparent bickering within the Republican Party to try and drive a wedge, with co-host Whoopi Goldberg pushing for the party to split, forming a third party, and cementing Democratic Party supremacy. Surprisingly, there was some pushback from unlikely members of the panel but one of the so-called “Republican” co-hosts admitted she’s willing to swing for Democrats.
This conversation was spurred on by comments from Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) over the weekend where she declared: “I'm going to make sure Donald Trump – I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he's not the nominee, and if he is the nominee, I won't be a Republican.”
After the wildly liberal and masked studio audience was done cheering, Goldberg pressed the two “Republican” co-hosts Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin on the idea of a mass exodus from the party. “Is that what it's going to take to sort of get this straightened out? Is it going to take people saying to the party, I'm out if you can't get your act together?” she wondered.
Navarro was up first and after initially praising Cheney as “a woman who has no damns left to give,” she pushed back on the notion of leaving the party:
When you grow up in a party, it's somewhat like growing up in a church. It's your beliefs, it's your traditions, it's your habit, it's your family. It's your circle of friends. It's what you grew up believing. And even if you have radical disagreements, you somehow want to be part of the solution in getting it fixed.
I deeply believe that we need two healthy parties competing for our votes and offering bipartisan solutions.
Goldberg was a bit blunter with Farah Griffin, asking pointedly, “is it time for a third party?” A move that would only serve to help Democrats as the opposition would be split.
Eager to please her new liberal paymasters, Farah Griffin initially agreed, saying, “it might be” time to split the GOP because “we don't elect the most qualified people. We elect the people who cater the most to the base…”
“The Donald Trump Party is not a conservative party. It's a populist nationalist right-wing party that I have about as much in common with that I do Bernie Sanders,” she continued. And she finally admitted that she’s willing to support a Democrat over a Republican. “As far as supporting Democrats, I’d be open to it on a case-by-case basis. I would have to look at their policies. And that’s kind of where I am,” she said.
Back in June, Farah Griffin let slip her intention to back Democrats when she accidentally asked the cast for their preferred 2024 nominee. “I’m curious. Like who are the Dems going to run? Where is like the Obama energy that we could bring?” she asked at the time.
After a commercial break, pushback to Goldberg came from an unlikely source in Sara Haines, who suggested current GOP lawmakers weren’t representing their constituencies, according to polls. She insisted: “Well we need two robust parties. Anybody who agrees with the way this country has gone, you need to have two parties that are strong, and that's the problem here is one is not being represented.”
With the changing of the breeze, Farah Griffin thought it was a good time to walk back her earlier support for splitting the party. “By the way, I'm not for the third party in the way it currently exists because it would kind of end up sinking the other party,” she said. Adding: Our system is not there, but it should actually happen.”
Of course, so-called “Sunny Hostin” (a fake name) wallowed in her racism again by whining about the existence of Latino Republicans. “He [Donald Trump] is the party now and that is the party of white supremacy. It's a party of fascism. It's a party of all the things that are counter to our democracy,” she ranted.
Nearing another commercial break, Goldberg used Hostin’s rant to press Navarro and Farah Griffin again to leave the party and gave them no time to respond:
Your party is right now being painted as the party that Sunny was referring to. So my question is, rather than have to constantly fight and say, “those are not my values,” is it smarter to find like-minded people to talk about maybe creating the Republican Party as you remember it and want to see it? That's what I'm talking about.
As Navarro was trying to argue for reforming the party from within, Goldberg inexplicably declared she was “running out of time” to do that then joked that they had no time since they were up against the break.
Goldberg’s eagerness to split the GOP was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from the ASPCA and Angi. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
September 26, 2022
11:02:49 a.m. EasternWHOOPI GOLDBERG: All right. So this weekend, outgoing Congresswoman Liz Cheney was at the Texas tribune festival with a message for Republican voters about the power struggle within her party.
(…)
11:03:28 a.m. Eastern
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I'm going to make sure Donald Trump – I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he's not the nominee, and if he is the nominee, I won't be a Republican.
[Cuts back to live]
[Applause]
GOLDBERG: You know. You know, as much as our politics don't jive, I have to say I'm starting to, like, dig her for just saying -- no. For just saying this is wrong and I'm not going to stand for it. Thanks, Liz. She even said she – wait a minute. She even said she would campaign with Democrats to stop the GOP candidate and election denier Kari Lake from becoming governor of Arizona.
So, is it going to take more voters? I mean, I'll ask the two of you [gestures to Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin] because, is that what it's going to take to sort of get this straightened out? Is it going to take people saying to the party, I'm out if you can't get your act together?
ANA NAVARRO: Frankly I don't think the Trump base cares if people like Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger or frankly myself are out. If any thing, think they would like us out. Which is part of what keeps me in. Look, Liz Cheney – I like to be an irritant. Liz Cheney obviously is a woman who has no damns left to give, and she's unfiltered.
GOLDBERG: Nice way to put it. Nice way.
NAVARRO: She's being absolutely honest. But, I think, look. And this is something you and I talk about all the time. When you grow up in a party, it's somewhat like growing up in a church. It's your beliefs, it's your traditions, it's your habit, it's your family. It's your circle of friends. It's what you grew up believing. And even if you have radical disagreements, you somehow want to be part of the solution in getting it fixed.
I deeply believe that we need two healthy parties competing for our votes and offering bipartisan solutions.
(…)
11:05:57 a.m. Eastern
GOLDBERG: But is it time for a third party?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I think it might be because I think that the way the parties are structured now in the primary system, we don't elect the most qualified people. We elect the people who cater the most to the base which is the minority of both parties rather than people who are most likely to want to get things done, to work across the aisle.
I’ll say this, I agree about halfway with Liz Cheney. I will full stop never support an election denier. I still want to work from within with the Republican Party. I believe politics is cyclical and the Donald Trump moment which has consumed all of us for so long will eventually come to an end and I hope to influence the party from within.
The Donald Trump Party is not a conservative party. It's a populist nationalist right-wing party that I have about as much in common with that I do Bernie Sanders. But I want to get back to something where we are pro-free trade, pro-globalization, for legal immigration into the country, securing the border but with legal immigration, and that's just not where we are now.
As far as supporting Democrats, I’d be open to it on a case-by-case basis. I would have to look at their policies. And that’s kind of where I am.
(…)
11:07:49 a.m. Eastern
SUNNY HOSTIN: He [Donald Trump] is the party now and that is the party of white supremacy. It's a party of fascism. It's a party of all the things that are counter to our democracy.
(…)
11:17:15 a.m. Eastern
SARA HAINES: Well we need two robust parties. Anybody who agrees with the way this country has gone, you need to have two parties that are strong, and that's the problem here is one is not being represented.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And I’m actually – By the way, I'm not for the third party in the way it currently exists because it would kind of end up sinking the other party.
HAINES: It would split a party.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Our system is not there, but it should actually happen. Many Americans identify as moderate, as independent. Most Americans aren't extreme -- as extreme as the base of either side and those are often not the people who are represented in our electoral – And I would notice just this: Democrats are guilty of it too. They denied Bernie Sanders the nomination in favor of a more moderate Joe Biden because that's who they wanted to have.
GOLDBERG: But that's not the point – that's not the thing. Your party is right now being painted as the party that Sunny was referring to. So my question is, rather than have to constantly fight and say, “those are not my values,” is it smarter to find like-minded people to talk about maybe creating the Republican Party as you remember it and want to see it. That's what I'm talking about.
NAVARRO: But I’m thinking people are wanting to do that from within the party because doing it third party—
GOLDBERG: But you’re running out of time. Like me. We’ll be right back.
