Reviewing the recent Georgia Senate debate between Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock on Monday CNN Newsroom host Poppy Harlow defended Warnock from accusations from Loeffler that he is a "radical liberal."
Speaking with former RNC communications director and deputy chief of staff for communications to Eric Cantor, Doug Heye, Harlow found it odd that Loeffler would describe Warnock is such terms, "I was really struck last night listening to Loeffler over and over again. I think it was 12 times she described Warnock as a radical liberal and it was almost robotic, she did it over and over again, but then she brought up something Senator Schumer has said and I wonder if you think this was effective?"
Harlow then played a clip of Loeffler on Sunday where she said, "Chuck Schumer said "Now we take Georgia, then we change America." We all know what that change would be. They've been very clear. They want to raise taxes on hard-working Georgians. They want to defund the police. They want to open our borders. They want to implement the Green New Deal."
Warnock's radicalness is not exactly a secret. While, he has avoided using "defund the police" rhetoric but in the past has referred to police officers as thugs, gangsters, and bullies, and has associated with those who do claim to want to defund the police. He also has avoided the using the GND label, but also claims to be fighting "environmental racism," whatever that means.
Warnock has also said the country worships whiteness and has cast doubt on whether good Christians can serve in the military.
Despite all that, Harlow claimed, "Okay, so she doesn't have all the facts straight there on in terms of what she laid out in terms of Warnock, but you wrote that Republican and the GOP strategy presenting themselves as a check on Biden is the winning argument for them. Is that effective, what she's doing, by saying Schumer is going to change America if they get these seats?"
For his part, Heye concluded the segment by re-affirming that presenting herself as a check on Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren is Loeffler's best strategy, but lamented that she is limiting her appeal by not being willing to add Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to that list by admitting that they won.
This segment was sponsored by Allstate.
Here is a transcript for the December 7 show. Click "expand" to read more.
CNN
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto
9:38 AM ET
POPPY HARLOW: I was really struck last night listening to Loeffler over and over again. I think it was 12 times she described Warnock as a radical liberal and it was almost robotic, she did it over and over again, but then she brought up something Senator Schumer has said and I wonder if you think this was effective? Let's roll the tape.
BEGIN CLIP
KELLY LOEFFLER: Chuck Schumer said "Now we take Georgia, then we change America." We all know what that change would be. They've been very clear. They want to raise taxes on hard-working Georgians. They want to defund the police. They want to open our borders. They want to implement the Green New Deal.END CLIP
HARLOW: Okay, so she doesn't have all the facts straight there on in terms of what she laid out in terms of Warnock but you wrote that Republican and the GOP strategy presenting themselves as a check on Biden is the winning argument for them. Is that effective, what she's doing, by saying Schumer is going to change America if they get these seats?
DOUG HEYE: It is effective, but it's only partially effective, because what she's doing is she’s laying out the importance of a Republican Senate versus a Democratic Senate, and having Bernie Sanders run a committee or Elizabeth Warren run a committee as a chair as opposed to Republicans, but it also leaves out that second part of the argument which is the Biden-Harris Administration. That's the more compelling argument for voters, running against Chuck Schumer is the best messaging she's capable of doing but that's the problem when you have President Trump right now out there saying you can't acknowledge reality. You can't acknowledge there's a President-Elect Biden that you should be running against and the challenge for Republicans, this is what we saw also in the elections, is and over the past four years is just an, lack of ability to be completely honest, because you're trying to constantly score points with President Trump and Donald Trump does not give points. He only takes them away one at a time, and that's what we're seeing right now Brian Kemp, it’s what we’re seeing with the secretary of state. They have been soldiers for the Trump Administration up until counting votes in Georgia and they haven't done the duty for President Trump, and that's why we're seeing the attacks coming from them right now.
