Just days before Christmas and it appeared the federal government was headed for another shutdown after President Trump changed his mind and demanded funds for border security in the form of “metal slats.” In response, the liberal broadcast networks took out their frustrations on conservatives for getting to the President’s ear. They lashed out Thursday evening, labeling them as “far-right” and describing them like animals.
During her report on the CBS Evening News, congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes commented that “[t]he President's about-face sent lawmakers scrambling as the chances of a shutdown shot up.” “The Senate passed the bill unanimously last night, but then the President started to get an earful from the far-right,” she suggested.
Cordes’s examples of those “far-right” voices? Here were a few:
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): No way!
LAURA INGRAHAM: The wall, the wall, the wall has to be built.
REP. MARK MEADOWS (R-NC): This is a fumble. [Flash] If we’re not going to fight now, when are we going to fight?
Keeping with the liberal media’s designated messaging, ABC congressional and anti-GOP reporter Mary Bruce similarly noted during World News Tonight that: “Just when it seemed President Trump was preparing to sign a bill that would keep the government running, but would not fund his border wall, tonight, a dramatic about-face.”
“It came after a conservative revolt. Outraged that the President might be backing down from his signature promise,” she added, playing these soundbites:
JEBEDIAH BILA: This turnaround that looks like he just caved.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Not funding the wall is going to go down as one of the worst, worst things to have happened to this administration.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: It looks like a lot of people's worst fears may be realized.
“It seemed the President was listening,” Bruce chided.
Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson seemed to describe those conservatives as animals. “It seemed like the President would still sign it until the roar from typically ferociously loyal conservatives,” she declared before playing clips of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Rep. Mike Walker of North Carolina, and Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas.
Now, to be fair, the CBS Evening News later did a full report on the gofundme campaign (organized by wounded Iraq War veteran Brian Kolfage) to raise $1 billion to help build the border wall. “If Congress won’t fund the border wall, Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage says he will, along with more than 100,000 supporters and counting,” correspondent Tony Dokoupil touted. “Kolfage, who lost three limbs during his second deployment to Iraq in 2004, says he does support immigration, if it's legal.”
Jackson also noted the campaign but it was more of an off-hand notation during her report. “One supporter, an Iraq War veteran, has his own solution, try to raise $1 billion for the wall off the internet. Up to 7 million dollars so far.” As of the publishing of this piece, the campaign had raised over $9 million.
Surely, a Democratic president’s base would not be described as “far-left.”
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
December 20, 2018
6:35:40 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Also breaking at this hour, it appears there could very well be a government shutdown after all. Just days before Christmas. And the President is now saying he will not sign a spending bill without money for his border wall. ABC's Mary Bruce on the hill with new reporting tonight.
[Cuts to video]
MARY BRUCE: Just when it seemed President Trump was preparing to sign a bill that would keep the government running, but would not fund his border wall, tonight, a dramatic about-face.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We need the wall. The Democrats know it. Everybody knows it.
BRUCE: It came after a conservative revolt. Outraged that the President might be backing down from his signature promise.
JEBEDIAH BILA: This turnaround that looks like he just caved.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Not funding the wall is going to go down as one of the worst, worst things to have happened to this administration.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: It looks like a lot of people's worst fears may be realized.
BRUCE: It seemed the President was listening, summoning House Speaker Paul Ryan and top Republicans to the White House.
(…)
BRUCE: Back on Capitol Hill, the President's move sending his own party into a tailspin. House Republicans now scrambling to vote on a short-term fix to keep the government open and provide $5 billion for the President's wall. What happens when that vote fails?
(…)
CBS Evening News
December 20, 2018
6:34:43 p.m. Eastern [1 minute 15 seconds]JEFF GLOR: And we move now to the shutdown showdown. Just when it appeared a deal to fund the government was imminent, the President said today he won't sign it unless it includes funding for more border security. Funding for a quarter of the government will run out tomorrow at midnight, impacting the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and NASA, among other agencies. Nancy Cordes is following this.
[Cuts to video]
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I've made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security.
NANCY CORDES: The President's about-face sent lawmakers scrambling as the chances of a shutdown shot up.
(…)
CORDES: The Senate passed the bill unanimously last night, but then the President started to get an earful from the far-right.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): No way!
LAURA INGRAHAM: The wall, the wall, the wall has to be built.
REP. MARK MEADOWS (R-NC): This is a fumble. [Flash] If we’re not going to fight now, when are we going to fight?
CORDES: By this morning, no one was quite sure where he stood.
(…)
6:47:16 p.m. Eastern [1 minute 42 seconds]
GLOR: A wounded Air Force veteran believes he's come up with a way to pay for the controversial border wall-- crowdsourcing on social media. Tony Dokoupil reports donations are pouring in.
[Cuts to video]
TONY DOKOUPIL: If Congress won’t fund the border wall, Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage says he will, along with more than 100,000 supporters and counting.
BRIAN KOLFAGE: People put their money where their mouth is and they're standing up and that's why it exploded so fast.
DOKOUPIL: Since Sunday, his gofundme campaign has raised more than $8 million with donations ranging from $5 to $50,000.
(…)
DOKOUPIL: I don't mean this to be flip, but I thought Mexico was going to pay for the wall.
KOLFAGE: [Laughing] I think we thought a lot of people were going to pay for the wall. I think we're all just kind of sick of waiting around, and we want action. We want to take action.
DOKOUPIL: Kolfage, who lost three limbs during his second deployment to Iraq in 2004, says he does support immigration, if it's legal.
KOLFAGE: We need the wall for our national security. We need to enforce the laws, and we need to uphold the laws.
DOKOUPIL: I don't mean this in a flip way either, but how would you feel if Hillary Clinton supporters ran a campaign to tear down whatever wall you raise money for.
KOLFAGE: Well, you know, this is America and if that's what they want to do and they can pull it off, that's their right to do it.
[Cuts back to live]
DOKOUPIL: Ain’t that America. Gofundme says this is the largest goal ever started on the site. And if it's not reached, the billion dollars will go back to all the people who donated, according to Kolfage. He has a pace of about $1 million a day, Jeff. But that pace is picking up. If it's $1 million a day, it will be reached some time in a second Trump term.
GLOR: What a story. Nice job, Tony, thank you.
NBC Nightly News
December 20, 2018
7:05:20 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: There is much more drama we're watching in Washington this evening as key parts of the U.S. government could shut down late tomorrow after President Trump rejected a compromised funding deal to avoid a holiday shutdown. Our Hallie Jackson has details.
[Cuts to video]
HALLIE JACKSON: The shutdown scrambles back to square one.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Any measure that funds the government must include border security, has to.
JACKSON: That torpedoes the short-term fix the Senate passed overnight, which did not include money for the wall.
(…)
JACKSON: It seemed like the President would still sign it until the roar from typically ferociously loyal conservatives.
MIKE HUCKABEE: I think the President should dig in his heels.
REP. MIKE WALKER: This is a hill that we should be willing to die on.
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT: Help our president build the wall like we said.
JACKSON: By midday, message received.
(…)
JACKSON: No matter what, the President will break a campaign pledge. He said Mexico would pay for a wall but now he wants taxpayers to, threatening a shutdown if Congress doesn't agree. One supporter, an Iraq War veteran, has his own solution, try to raise $1 billion for the wall off the internet. Up to 7 million dollars so far. Hallie Jackson, NBC News the White House.
