The special election for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district between Rick Saccone (R) and Connor Lamb (D) is two days away and the liberal media is set for it to be a victory in their favor. A top story on each of ABC’s and NBC’s Sunday morning news programs was dedicated to playing up the possibility that the Democrats could beat out Republicans in their own district, which would help take back control of the House of Representatives in what they were calling a “blue wave.”
“Republicans throwing a whopping $9 million at the election fearing, that if they lose a safe seat in Congress, it's a downward spiral to the 2018 midterms,” Tara Palmeri condescendingly reported during ABC’s Good Morning America.
Palmeri also tried to fact-check President Trump in her report and totally whiffed. At a rally in the district over the weekend, Trump said he won the district “like by 22 points,” clearly not knowing the figure off the top of his head. With the same condescending tone, she asserted it was actually 19 points and claimed Trump was wrong in describing the Democratic candidate as a solid left vote because “he's running as a moderate.”
But Palmeri’s fact check was soon proven inaccurate by her ABC colleague Jon Karl who noted President Trump won the district by “20 plus points.” Yet he too hyped the possibility of a Democratic “blue wave” when he was teed up by co-anchor Paula Faris, who asked: “Some are saying that it could be an indicator what might happen in November’s midterms when the Democrats are going to try to flip 24 seats to regain the House. Is this race really that important?”
“Well, it would be a disaster for the Republicans to lose this,” Karl responded. “The fact that there's even a race here is a troubling sign for the [Republicans]. But [Democrats] seem to have put together almost the ideal candidate. They made this very close.”
Meanwhile, on NBC’s Sunday Today, anchor Willie Geist and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd seemed just as excited. “Never want to extrapolate too much, but what could it mean if a Democrat won there in Pennsylvania-18,” Geist asked Todd appearing to feign his hopes.
“I think that sends shivers down the spine of Republicans in even more House districts because this is essentially Trump country, if you will,” Todd proclaimed. “But a favorable district to supposedly to Trump and if you're a Republican struggling and Trump can't bail you out in a district he carried by 20 points, then Katie bar the door.”
Todd argued that if the Saccone couldn’t win with Trump’s endorsement, we would see Republicans fleeing from the President in droves as the 2018 midterms drew closer. “He couldn't save Roy Moore of Alabama either,” Geist ridiculously added. By making that comment, he was asserting that Trump should have been able to get Republicans out to support the man accused of molesting girls that were underage.
While they were busy hyping their so-called “blue wave,” they failed to note all the polls that were showing a possible Republican victory. According to RealClear Politics’ poll average for the district, (even though it’s categorized the race as a toss-up) out of the five polls, only one showed a Democratic win and it had one of the smallest sample sizes and one of the largest margins of error. So, these liberal media outlets are getting way out in front of their skis.
The relevant portions of the transcripts are below, click expand to read:
ABC
Good Morning America
March 11, 2018
8:05:26 AM Eastern(…)
TARA PALMERI: Returning to a state he said feels like home after helping him win the election, this time to endorse Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone. Days ahead of a close special election.
DONALD TRUMP: They're all watching because I won this district like by 22 points.
PALMERI: He won that district by 19 points. But it's an unusually tight race for Saccone.
RICK SACCONE: Are you going to help me on Tuesday? Let's close this deal.
PALMERI: Republicans throwing a whopping $9 million at the election fearing, that if they lose a safe seat in Congress, it's a downward spiral to the 2018 midterms. Trump dubbed the Democratic candidate, Connor Lamb, Lamb the sham claiming he would vote along party lines even though he's running as a moderate.
(…)
8:08:04 AM Eastern
PAULA FARIS: So, let's dig in more on this Pennsylvania special election. Some are saying that it could be an indicator what might happen in November’s midterms when the Democrats are going to try to flip 24 seats to regain the House. Is this race really that important?
JON KARL: Well, it would be a disaster for the Republicans to lose this. Remember, as Trump himself pointed out in his rally last night, he won this district by 20 plus points in November of 2016. The fact that there's even a race here is a troubling sign for the Democrats [Republicans?]. But they seem to have put together almost the ideal candidate. They made this very close. It will be interesting to see if the Democrats blow it after coming so close. Whether or not there will be any second guessing of that Dan mentioned, Connor Lamb not talking to the media at all, seems a strange approach for a new candidate for Congress.
DAN HARRIS: He's talking to the local media though and this race will be interesting. A lot of people are going to look at this race as maybe the sign of a beginning of a blue wave.
(…)
NBC
Sunday Today
March 11, 2018
8:07:54 AM EasternWILLIE GEIST: Let's talk, Chuck, a minute about why actually President Trump was in Pennsylvania.
CHUCK TODD: Yeah.
GEIST: You would be okay to forget what he was doing there because he was talking about his own work, but it was for that Pennsylvania-18 special election in a district President Trump won about 16 months ago by 20 points, now has some polling the Democrat with a slight edge, but pretty much neck and neck there.
TODD: Sure.
GEIST: Never want to extrapolate too much but what could it mean if a Democrat won there in Pennsylvania-18?
TODD: I think that sends shivers down the spine of Republicans in even more House districts because this is essentially Trump country, if you will. It's not as -- as significant of a Trump district as some other rural parts of Pennsylvania, but a favorable district to supposedly to Trump and if you're a Republican struggling and Trump can't bail you out in a district he carried by 20 points, then Katie bar the door. I think that's why the President is going because I think he thinks he's got a magic touch with Pennsylvania. He did it before for himself so he thinks I can go in and save this guy.
But I tell you, a loss here, Willie, I think it has more Republicans running from being seen near him in many, many, many districts in this country.
GEIST: He couldn't save Roy Moore of Alabama either. Okay, Chuck Todd, looking wide awake and ready for action today.
