On Monday morning’s CNN Newsroom, two CNN pundits determined that Hillary Clinton reading Fire and Fury at the Grammy Awards might not have been smart, but the far-left politicization of award shows shouldn’t be condemned and instead taken to heart due to the “damage” President Trump has caused to “the Republican brand.”
To his credit, host John Berman noted that Michael Wolff’s salacious Trump gossip book “is not without controversy” and contains “things...that are simply not true,” including the “unsubstantiated and, frankly, scurrilous rumors” that imply that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been having an affair with the President.
CNN political commentator and establishment Republican Doug Heye played his part in footnoting that such a move was “why Hillary Clinton lost,” but pathetically switched gears.
“[T]his shows the absolute disconnect that Republicans have and the damage that Trump has caused the Republican brand,” Heye argued.
Earth to Doug Heye — you served in the Bush administration. Therefore, you should remember that this far-left, anti-Republican bashing at award shows was going on both then and during the Obama years. Would you have said then that “the Republican brand” was in trouble?
Anyway, Heye continued:
If you're a young voter, if you're a millennial, you have turned away in droves from the Republican Party, and what we saw last night is a reason why and it’s not because of celebrification...it’s because of what we’ve seen from the rhetoric from this White House and from a lot of other extremist Republicans who have turned young people away from the party.
CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein did the same shtick, claiming that “it was probably an overreach to include Hillary Clinton,” but then blamed the right.
Brownstein whined that it “obscure[d] the real point here, which was that every figure, celebrity, artist from the stage who referred to Donald Trump in any way, however obliquely, portrayed him as racist and xenophobic.”
He continued to lay waste on Republicans, chastising anyone who was upset about the politicization of award shows like the Grammy’s as refusing to acknowledge that this is something that they must address:
[Y]ou can say, well, they're celebrities, who cares, you can say in Trump country, they don't want to hear from these voices, but the fact is these are artists who both speak to and reflect in the diversity that they embody on stage, the millennial generation and the post-millennial generation who are rising in the electorate....There is a real risk to Republicans in the way that Donald Trump is stamping the party in the eyes of these diverse younger generations...and to kind of dismiss it as just a bunch of celebrities mouthing off....I think it is a bury your head in the sand about something that is very real.
The problem with this claim is the left is never satisfied and won’t be until all opponents kowtow to their viewpoints. But sure, guys, the ratings for the Grammy’s fell 21 percent from last year to an all-time low. But tell me again how all millennials are represented by award shows.
Here’s the relevant transcript from January 29's CNN Newsroom with John Berman and Poppy Harlow:
CNN Newsroom with John Berman and Poppy Harlow
January 29, 2018
10:27 a.m. Eastern
JOHN BERMAN: Overnight, the trolling heard around the world. Hillary Clinton at the Grammy’s doing a dramatic reading from the controversial book Fire and Fury.
[GRAMMY CLIPS]
BERMAN: Joining me now, Ron Brownstein, senior political analyst and CNN political commentators Joe Trippi and Doug Heye. Joe, I want to start with you, know, you know, funny or fail here? Look, Fire and Fury is not without controversy. This is a book — it does quotes Steve Bannon and obviously that had great effect but there are also things in the book that are simply not true.
(....)
BERMAN: You know, it is interesting, Doug, because I have seen responses from Republicans and conservatives going as far as saying this is why Hillary lost, thinking that what she said was of that magnitude and then also what Nikki Haley said, you know, the former Governor of South Carolina, ambassador to the United Nations, who said: “I have always loved the Grammys, but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it. Don't ruin great music with trash. Some of us love music without the politics thrown into it.” You know, Nikki Haley’s gripe might be that Fire and Fury, spread, you know, unsubstantiated and, frankly, scurrilous rumors about her. What do you make of it, Doug?
DOUG HEYE: Well, I’m of two minds about it. One, I think this is why Hillary Clinton lost. The aura of celebrity that surrounded her campaign meant her campaign was often bereft of issues. I also think it shows last night shows, and unfortunately I'm going to be blatantly stealing from a Ron Brownstein tweet that I retweeted last night or earlier this morning, this shows the absolute disconnect that Republicans have and the damage that Trump has caused the Republican brand. If you're a young voter, if you're a millennial, you have turned away in droves from the Republican Party, and what we saw last night is a reason why and it’s not because of celebrification, it’s not because of Hollywood or, in this case, Madison Square Garden, it’s because of what we’ve seen from the rhetoric from this White House and from a lot of other extremist Republicans who have turned young people away from the party.
BERMAN: We happen to have Marshall McLuhan with us. Ron Brownstein, you know, right now, please go and make the point yourself here. Whether or not you’re arguing about Hillary, you see something that will have an impact going forward.
RON BROWNSTEIN: I think it was probably an overreach to include Hillary Clinton, but that can obscure the real point here, which was that every figure, celebrity, artist from the stage who referred to Donald Trump in any way, however obliquely, portrayed him as racist and xenophobic and you can say, well, they're celebrities, who cares, you can say in Trump country, they don't want to hear from these voices, but the fact is these are artists who both speak to and reflect in the diversity that they embody on stage, the millennial generation and the post-millennial generation who are rising in the electorate. The millennials are going to be biggest share of eligible voters for first time in 2018 and you’re looking at polling there. Donald Trump — I’ve see polling where 75 percent of millennials say he does not reflect their values. There’s a poll out today, John, where 19 — his approval rating among millennials is at 19 percent. There is a real risk to Republicans in the way that Donald Trump is stamping the party in the eyes of these diverse younger generations as one that is racially intolerant and to kind of dismiss it as just a bunch of celebrities mouthing off from what you saw last night, I think it is a bury your head in the sand about something that is very real.
BERMAN: Alright, given all of this, Joe Trippi, and you’re — go ahead.
JOE TRIPPI: I was just going to say, I take that even a little bit further. Younger Republicans, Republicans under 45, are moving away from this part of the party. I mean, that's what happened in Alabama. That was a group that Doug Jones when he won — won a considerable number of votes under 45 within the Republican Party, not just Democrats and independents and I think that what Ron is pointing to is creating problems across the board in that generation.
