When you hear someone publicly state that they are a "lifelong Republican" followed by an explanation why the person is voting Democrat, there is a very good chance that the person was definitely not a Republican. Such was the case on Tuesday when CNN ran an interview by its correspondent, Ryan Young, with a self-declared "lifelong Republican" in Georgia who presented a litany of liberal reasons as to why he was voting for a Democrat senatorial candidate supposedly for the first time.
Here is the interview in which the "lifelong Republican" sounds remarkably like an extreme liberal Democrat as he hopes for enacting President Biden's policies. Of course, not a bit of skepticism on the part of CNN, which labeled him on its website as a "lifelong Republican."
Georgia voter: "I have been a lifelong Republican. This is the first time I've ever voted for a Democratic candidate just because there are issues regarding our environment, regarding taxation, regarding diversity issues and so forth that I think need to be addressed." pic.twitter.com/MNHQM185uQ
— The Hill (@thehill) January 5, 2021
Yeah, a "lifelong Republican" who according to him voted for Trump and Republicans all his life wants higher taxes and is concerned about "diversity." CNN, green flagged that interview to appear on its website but observers on Twitter couldn't help but mock what seems to be an obvious case of a liberal pretending to be a "lifelong Republican." Leading the skepticism was Mollie Hemingway, senior editor of The Federalist:
So he didn't vote for Biden or Warnock or Ossoff in November, but now he is voting Democrat because as a "lifelong Republican" his top 3 issues are increased taxes, environmental regulation and government mandated .... diversity? That seems .... a tiny bit difficult to believe.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 5, 2021
Some more entertaining skepticism...
Memo to the legacy media: If you're gonna try to falsely pass someone off as a "lifelong Republican", make sure their top three priorities aren't the environment, taxation, and diversity issues.
— AdamInHTownTX (Eagle Fang Karate Student) (@AdamInHTownTX) January 5, 2021
"I've been a lifelong Republican, but I have incredibly progressive values"
— Everybody's Pal Jim Rhys (@JimRhysToday) January 5, 2021
CNN identified the voter simply as "Joe Swaney," like he was just another voter in Smyrna, Georgia. A little Googling shows a Joe Swaney of Smyrna, Georgia on Facebook who was "Former Director, Public Relations at Cartoon Network Adult Swim." In other words, a former PR man for another Turner network (okay, now an AT&T network). There's nothing really political on the Facebook page, but he's not just another man on the street to interview. It feels more like "Astroturf" than "grass roots."
