During CNN’s Republican Nation Convention coverage leading up to Wednesday’s lineup of speakers, CNN commentator and radio host Michael Smerconish smeared the GOP. Smerconish slammed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s speeches as a “problem” for the party. In his comments about Christie’s speech Smerconish equated Hillary Clinton to Jesus, “I call it the Good Friday Speech that he delivered, because it was everything except crucify her that was uttered from the dais.”
The pundit also ran with the classic Clinton family defensive talking point to bash the convention and its speakers, “They're running the risk of overplaying their hand.” That line has been used to try and discredit Republican arguments about Clinton’s E-Mails, and actions during and after the Benghazi terror attack. Smerconish noted that people who called into his show on Wednesday were put off by Governor Christies indictment of Clinton:
On radio, as I solicited calls from across the country today, and not from people decidedly one way or the other, middle America undecided who heard that thought it really was in poor taste and that it went too far.
Transcript below:
CNN
America’s Choice 2016
July 20, 2016
6:50:51 PM Eastern
MICHAEL SMERCONISH: Can I say something about this attack dog role? I think it's almost an irrelevancy relative to her [Hillary Clinton] pick. And that the problem with the GOP that I've seen in the last two nights both with mayor Giuliani's presentation and with Governor Christie’s. I call it the Good Friday Speech that he delivered, because it was everything except crucify her that was uttered from the dais. They're running the risk of overplaying their hand. That chant list night, I tell you. On radio, as I solicited calls from across the country today, and not from people decidedly one way or the other, middle America undecided who heard that thought it really was in poor taste and that it went too far.
