ABC’s This Week was on a roll Sunday during their so-called “Powerhouse Roundtable” as they showed off just how much of a propaganda outlet for the Democratic Party they are. Between news analyst Matthew Dowd suggesting the Republican Party was “team autocracy” and fill-in host Martha Raddatz claiming there was no evidence of wrongdoing from Hunter Biden, the panel discussion was packed with nonsense.
After Dowd had whined about the Trump administration stepping all over the good news of the Pfizer COVID vaccine getting approved by the Food and Drug Administration and getting shipped out, Raddatz wanted to “really, truly,” know, “what happens now to those Republicans who support[ed]” President Trump’s legal challenges to the 2020 election: “How dramatically has the Republican Party changed?”
According to Dowd (a former Republican), the GOP had become the party of autocracy in the United States. He also claimed he saw the first signs of the transition back in 2000 during his time working for President George W. Bush:
I've watched the changes, you know, you worked for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. There was a struggle in the party among the people that were much more on the line with where the Republicans normally dealt. I think the Republican Party has become, basically the autocratic party in America.
“It’s almost as if there's team democracy versus team autocracy in this country,” he proclaimed, with the Democrats being the party of freedom and liberty.
Adding: “It’s not Donald Trump that’s changed the Republican Party. Donald Trump represents what the Republican Party’s changed. So, the defeat of Donald Trump isn't going to fundamentally change this because the Republican Party itself, over the last 20 years, has moved to this position.”
A few minutes later, Raddatz looked to New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker to “quickly get to this Hunter Biden investigation.” Downplaying the fact Hunter was recently subpoenaed by federal investigators looking at his taxes, Raddatz tried to twist the focus of the news to be about Trump and Attorney General William Barr:
The President has not yet named an AG but he's clearly furious with Bill Barr right now after The Wall Street Journal reported that Barr knew about this investigation of taxes into Hunter Biden. There's no proof of anything done wrong yet. We should make that clear. Do you think Barr could be on the chopping block?
Baker was more than happy to play along. “Well, Barr has been on the chopping block basically since Election Day. Everybody’s been counting the days and the hours, expecting at some point or another the President might go ahead and fire him,” he said, completely avoiding the main crux of the story.
While Raddatz insisted there was no evidence “yet” of wrongdoing by Hunter, we know that the investigation into his business dealings had been ongoing since the Spring.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s This Week
December 13, 2020
9:50:59 a.m. Eastern(…)
MARTHA RADDATZ: And we’ve talked about the good news [COVID vaccines being shipped]. But I want to talk to Susan's point about the Republican Party, and what I asked Chris Christie about as well. Really, truly, what happens now to those Republicans who support this? How dramatically has the Republican Party changed? Matthew, that's to you.
MATTHEW DOWD: Oh. I mean, it’s drama -- I've watched the changes, you know, you worked for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. There was a struggle in the party among the people that were much more on the line with where the Republicans normally dealt. I think the Republican Party has become, basically the autocratic party in America.
It’s almost as if there's team democracy versus team autocracy in this country. It’s not Donald Trump that’s changed the Republican Party. Donald Trump represents what the Republican Party’s changed. So, the defeat of Donald Trump isn't going to fundamentally change this because the Republican Party itself, over the last 20 years, has moved to this position.
(…)
9:56:14 a.m. Eastern
RADDATZ: And Peter, I want to quickly get to this Hunter Biden investigation. The President has not yet named an AG but he's clearly furious with Bill Barr right now after The Wall Street Journal reported that Barr knew about this investigation of taxes into Hunter Biden. There's no proof of anything done wrong yet. We should make that clear. Do you think Barr could be on the chopping block?
PETER BAKER: Well, Barr has been on the chopping block basically since Election Day. Everybody’s been counting the days and the hours, expecting at some point or another the President might go ahead and fire him.
He's upset about the Hunter Biden thing. He’s upset that the Attorney General said after the election that he saw no widespread fraud that would have overturned the election; disrupting the entire thesis of the President's challenge to the November 3rd vote.
(…)
