CNN’s resident gem Sally Kohn was a guest on CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello February 22. The political analyst and Daily Beast writer was asked to weigh in on Clinton’s trust with voters. Of course Kohn couldn’t do that without bringing up sexism, how much Trump’s voters hated gay people, and how much the right misleads the media.
When Costello brought up that only 12 percent of Democratic voters at the Nevada caucus said that they trusted Clinton, Kohn visibly bristled and rushed in to defend Clinton by claiming that her trust issues were “smears” and a “story” made up by the right:
KOHN: This is a story. This is a narrative that has been built up about Hillary Clinton. Largely by the right, absorbed by Democrats and the mainstream, including her critics and repeated by the media. And you know, listen, People believe Trump tells it like it is because they keep hearing from people like us that Trump tells it like it is, right? You know, we have to be careful in not sort of repeating these smears.
Fellow panelist, Democratic strategist and CNN pundit Jamal Simmons jumped in to agree with Kohn claiming that voters didn’t care about a candidate’s “past.”
“But, Carol, at the end of the day, no campaign is really about the candidate's past. It's always about the voter's future.”
Surprisingly, Costello pushed back against Kohn’s and Simmons’s dismissal, insisting that Clinton’s trust issues weren’t just an issue with the right but with moderates and independent voters as well. To that, Kohn laughed and shook her head at the notion that any voter who wasn’t conservative would distrust Clinton.
COSTELLO: Yeah, but there are tangible things out there, that independent voters and moderates think about like the e-mail controversy, like even Whitewater. That's hanging out there in the wind, right? Jamal?
KOHN: [shakes her head, guffaws] No!
SIMMONS: I think that's -- that's already baked into the cake. I think people -- this is the benefit about being around for so long.
Kohn went on to say that voters cared instead about “environmental crises” and “disproportionate” money going to the wealthy.
KOHN: American people in general are frustrated that the recovery from the Great Recession has been going disproportionately to the very wealthy and not to the working class and to the poor. I think people are frustrated at the direction of foreign policy, people are frustrated, certainly that we haven't fixed environmental crises and other challenges in this county.
If it sounds like Kohn is out-of-touch with the American public, it’s because she is, and not just on Clinton’s record with voters. Kohn consistently deviates from her role as journalist to take part in heavy-handed activism. In 2015 she took part in the infamous “hands up” stunt on-air in a CNN panel; she has consistently aligned Christians and conservatives with terrorists; and she wrote an article in Elle Magazine admitting she had transgender hopes for her daughter.
See below for the transcript from the CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello segment on February 22.
CAROL COSTELLO: Sally, I'm just curious, because -- I'm just trying to think if the same argument would work with Donald Trump and if people would think he’s all in it for him and if they would fault him for that.
KOHN: Well, look, I mean, there's no question Hillary starts off with a sort of deficit in this area. And if it’s because she’s a well known politician, if it’s because of the different standards that women are judged against men, You know, we can sort of speculate as to why that is, but Trumps a really interesting example. Because Apparently people think he’s--- they trust him a lot because he just says whatever he thinks even though most of the things he says are pretty outrageous and ridiculous, and it makes you think there's an inverse relationship between trust and credentials to actually be a thoughtful, leaderful president of the United States.
COSTELLO: I think people really Donald Trump because they want something different from the establishment, right? It has nothing to do with anything else but everything to do with that. On the issue of trust, though, if you look at the exit, entrance polls rather from the Nevada caucus. They show that just 12% of democratic caucus-goers say Clinton is trustworthy. So whether or not trust really matters, when it comes right down to it, It seems to matter this time around Jamal, or am I wrong? Hillary Clinton obviously is trying to do something about that.
SIMMONS: It's a tricky question, this question of trust. The question is do you trust someone to babysit your kids or do you trust someone to hold your wallet while you go to the bathroom? This thing about trust is different. I think when it comes to politicians, nobody trusts any politicians for the most part. But the question is, among the other people running, do I trust you enough to go into a room and advocate on behalf of me and my family and look out for me, even when I'm not watching. That's the question that Hillary Clinton is trying to get to today by her talking about, you know, it’s the elephant in the room. Am I in this for me or am I in this for you? I'm going to show you I’m in this for you. If I’m on the campaign, I want to also find people who have benefitted from Hillary Clinton’s work for them maybe when he was in the senate or maybe when she was in Arkansas. People who can get up and testify to the fact that they were in need, they went to see her and she helped solve a problem for them.
COSTELLO: So, so is her use of “we” effective, Sally? Bernie Sanders talks like that all the time. He never says “I”?--- he doesn't have a trust issue, by the way.
KOHN: No, but, again, let's also bear in mind he's also far newer to the American public. Look, there's also a sort of optics to this. I wasn't sort of being too glib when I said there's a reality TV sort of dimension that’s entering American politics. Which is, we seem to increasingly like our politicians to be less politician-y right? And to speak off the cuff, and seem more real and authentic. And, again whether that's what you actually want in the White House and in positions of leadership is an interesting question. The other thing is let's be clear. We're doing it right now. This is a story. This is a narrative that has been built up about Hillary Clinton. Largely by the right, absorbed by Democrats and the mainstream, including her critics and repeated by the media. And you know, listen, People believe trump tells it like it is because they keep hearing from people like us that trump tells it like it is, right? You know, We have to be careful in not sort of repeating these smears. And again, let's focus on the issues and what's really at stake.
SIMMONS: But, Carol, at the end of the day, no campaign is really about the candidate's past. It's always about the voter's future. And so Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, any of those candidates that are running, Rubio, they have to be speaking to aspirations of people, understand their anger. I think Hillary Clinton is getting better at showing she understands the anger people have and laying out a vision people can buy into and vote for.
COSTELLO: But aspiration and vision, they're not cutting it this time around, Sally. People are angry. They just want someone to kick the bums out.
KOHN: Yeah. I mean -- look, again, let's be clear of what that anger is. Apparently 31% according to a new poll, 31% of Trump supporters in South Carolina want to ban gay people from entering the united States. So if that's the sort of, quote, on quote, anger being marshalled in this election, I don't think any of us want any of it. Yes, we are frustrated that I think American people in general are frustrated that the recovery from the great recession has been going disproportionately to the very wealthy and not to the working class and to the poor. I think people are frustrated at the direction of foreign policy, people are frustrated, certainly that we haven't fixed environmental crises and other challenges in this county. But you know, the question becomes what are you going to do about it? You need solutions. You need to not just stoke people's anger, make them more afraid. And let’s be clear: Republicans know when voters are more afraid, they vote Republican. So yes, Jamal’s exactly right. Hillary Clinton has to set out a vision and I think using the “we” language is thoroughly appropriate and say, “Where is she trying to take this country?” This isn't about me, this isn’t about my past, This isn’t about whatever you’ve heard about me from the right. This is about a direction for the future and who can get us there.
COSTELLO: Yeah, but there are tangible things out there, that independent voters and moderates think about like the e-mail controversy, like even white water. That's hanging out there in the wind, right? Jamal?
KOHN: [shakes her head, guffaws] No!
SIMMONS: I think that's -- that's already baked into the cake. I think people -- this is the benefit about being around for so long. Hillary Clinton has been in the public eye since I was in college. Right? And so she really understands, and this is like the early 1990s. So people already understand who she is. Now what they want to know is we know who you are. We know you fight for people. Are you fighting for me. She’s got to sort of lay out how she's going to fight for them. I tell you, talk about aspiration.I’ll say something nice about a Republican, which is unusual--- I think Marco Rubio is telling the best story of any campaign that's out there. You know, He's a son of a kid from, you know, humble beginnings, making his way to the top and everybody in America wants to believe that's something possible, if not for themselves then for their children. You’ve got to marshal the anger, show people you get it and then connect that to a vision for the future. That's Hillary Clinton's challenge.
