Along with their guests on Friday morning's CNN Newsroom, co-hosts Jim Sciutto and Bianna Golodryga tried to inspire moderate white voters to drop their apathy towards the supposed decline of democracy and emergence of "autocracy and even fascism" in the form of new GOP-sponsored election laws.
Sciutto began with Rev. Adam Taylor of the Sojourners by reading part of his recent Newsweek column that decried democracy being under attack and "fascism" emboldened due to "the complacency and apathy of the white moderates in far too many parts of the church"
Sciutto added that's "a criticism that we have heard on this broadcast from some Democrats," so he invited him to "[t]ell us why you believe that."
Taylor declared that, "it's important to emphasize how much of an assault on our democracy we're seeing and, really, it's the biggest test of our democracy, I would argue, since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965."
While states have passed relatively simple things like voter ID, Taylor fretted:
There's been a lot of denial and downplaying about the impact and the intent of these bills...I think what we're really witnessing here is an effort to derail and to delay the changing demographics in our country, the kind of multiracial democracy we’re increasingly becoming and from a faith perspective, and this is why I really try to emphasize this on Dr. Martin Luther King Day with that article, this represents a real attack on human dignity and on what we describe as the Imago Dei, the belief that every single person, that means every single voter, is made in the image of God. Dr. King had very, very, kind of, tough love to show to white moderates who were, kind of, lukewarm about protecting civil rights and I think this is a moment where we need to see more courage from people of all persuasions and all backgrounds to protect the right to vote which we know is sacred.
Later, Golodryga lamented that the general public's excitement for the 2022 midterms is less than the GOP's, citing CNN's latest poll that found "just 43% of Americans are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for Congress in the midterms" versus "51% for Republicans."
"Given this ongoing threat to democratic values, right, shouldn't voters be more determined to go to the polls and why do you think you're seeing that, that reluctance and the lack of enthusiasm," she wondered
The Brennan Center's Michael Weldman pointed out voter enthusiasm is typically lower in midterms, but he nonetheless tried to assuage Golodryga's fears, "there is also a democracy movement energized by opposition to that big lie and by support for action on voting rights that is starting to really be felt."
At least CNN finally admitted how they want viewers to vote.
This segment was sponsored by Progressive. Their contact information is linked.
Here is a transcript for the February 11 show:
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto
02/11/2022
10:42 AM ETJIM SCIUTTO: Reverend Taylor, if I could begin with you. You wrote in Newsweek recently something that reflects broader points you made in your book, the following, “Arguably the biggest challenge in safeguarding our democracy today has become the complacency and apathy of the white moderates in far too many parts of the church…their silence and complicity embolden efforts to unravel our democracy towards autocracy and even fascism.” I mean this is a criticism that we have heard on this broadcast from some Democrats, aiming particularly at the Justice Department for not aggressively prosecuting or trying to challenge these things in court. Tell us why you believe that.
ADAM TAYLOR: Yeah thanks, well, grateful to be with you. So, I think it's important to emphasize how much of an assault on our democracy we're seeing and, really, it's the biggest test of our democracy, I would argue, since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. There's been a lot of denial and downplaying about the impact and the intent of these bills that we're seeing passed in over 19 states and the Brennan Center’s voting round-up provides really good data on that. But I think what we're really witnessing here is an effort to derail and to delay the changing demographics in our country, the kind of multiracial democracy we’re increasingly becoming and from a faith perspective, and this is why I really try to emphasize this on Dr. Martin Luther King Day with that article, this represents a real attack on human dignity and on what we describe as the Imago Dei, the belief that every single person, that means every single voter, is made in the image of God. Dr. King had very, very, kind of, tough love to show to white moderates who were, kind of, lukewarm about protecting civil rights and I think this is a moment where we need to see more courage from people of all persuasions and all backgrounds to protect the right to vote which we know is sacred.
(....)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA: And in terms of voter enthusiasm, Michael, recent CNN poll shows that just 43% of Americans are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for Congress in the midterms. That compares to 51% for Republicans. Given this ongoing threat to democratic values, right, shouldn't voters be more determined to go to the polls and why do you think you're seeing that, that reluctance and the lack of enthusiasm?
MICHAEL WALDMAN: Well, I think it's a question that we'll see the answer to over the coming year. Midterm elections, of course, usually have lower turnout than presidential years but in the last few elections, we've seen very high turnout. People to surprising degrees are really engaged and for the first time, yes, we know about this movement driven by the Big Lie but there is also a democracy movement energized by opposition to that big lie and by support for action on voting rights that is starting to really be felt and it's an interesting question whether, whether that democracy movement of, of committed and angry people who don't want their rights taken away, whether that will be one of the stories of 2022 --
SCIUTTO: Yeah
WALDMAN: -- as that gets felt at the ballot box.
