During CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, CNN analyst Scott Jennings was the only guest on the panel segment that dared to push back on his co-panelists who were trashing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for punishing Disney over their support for grooming children.
“Republicans are really unhappy with some of these corporations in Georgia, in Florida, and elsewhere who weighed into these issues with aggressive stupidity. And that CEOs of these companies, who call up like Ron DeSantis, like the CEO of Disney did, they haven't read the law,” Jennings shrewdly pointed out. Noting that Disney simply parroted talking points provided to it by the left.
Jennings expressed some reservations about the government punishing a corporation but quickly noted that, “somebody needs to be taught a lesson here because what they portrayed the Florida law as was not at all what it really does.”
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms butted in and asked Jennings if “there should be criticism of a voter law that says you can't hand out water in 90-degree weather when people are standing in line to vote in Georgia?”
After repeating that old tired myth that Georgia banned handing out water to people waiting in line to vote, Jennings corrected her that it’s “easier to vote in Georgia than it is in Delaware than it is in New York than it is in all these other states.” He then went off on the leftist media for lying about both the Florida anti-groomer law and the Georgia voter integrity law:
The way the voter law was portrayed in Georgia by the media, the way this so-called “Don't Say Gay” bill was portrayed in Florida, was a complete lie. It was a farce. It was a narrative. And these CEOs got into a situation that then got out of their control. And I would think they would use this as a learning experience.
CNN political commentator Alyssa Griffin disagreed with Jennings, she advised the GOP to focus on inflation and other economic issues in the midterms because that “brings out the broadest swath of voters.”
Jennings made the point that DeSantis “has all the right enemies” and wondered aloud “if it’s by luck or smarts. But it doesn’t matter because he has picked all the right enemies. And this is the right enemy for him.”
The truth is conservatives are capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. They can campaign on both fiscal and social issues and be successful in November.
This segment was made possible by Ensure. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
CNN’s State of the Union
4/24/2022
9:48:56 a.m. EasternSCOTT JENNINGS: Republicans are really unhappy with some of these corporations in Georgia, in Florida, and elsewhere who weighed into these issues with aggressive stupidity. And that CEOs of these companies, who call up like Ron DeSantis, like the CEO of Disney did, they haven't read the law. They buy into the narrative about a law, just like Delta and Coca-Cola, and MLB, whoever bought into the narrative about the Georgia voting law, but they didn't bother to listen to their people or whoever about what's actually in the law. So I’m of two minds. I'm a little nervous about conservatives using government to punish people, but at the other end of it, I think somebody needs to be taught a lesson here because what they portrayed the Florida law as was not at all what it really does, and the CEO of Disney kicked open the saloon door here and started shooting from the hip and winged the bartender and the piano player without realizing where he was. And Ron DeSantis, the Sheriff came in, and said, not in my town. I'm sympathetic.
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS: But you don't think there should be criticism of a voter law that says you can't hand out water in 90-degree weather when people are standing in line to vote in Georgia?
JENNINGS: It is easier to vote in Georgia than it is in Delaware than it is in New York than it is in all these other states. The way the voter law was portrayed in Georgia by the media, the way this so-called “Don't Say Gay” bill was portrayed in Florida, was a complete lie. It was a farce. It was a narrative. And these CEOs got into a situation that then got out of their control. And I would think they would use this as a learning experience.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: But I will say, I think it’s the wrong focus for Republicans. The culture wars are undoubtedly very animating for a certain segment of the base. But we have inflation to run on, high fuel prices under President Biden, an economic struggle that the entire country is feeling. That’s where we should be focused. That brings out the broadest swath of voters.
JENNINGS: But if you’re Ron DeSantis, where he’s an expert. This man has all the right enemies. I don’t know if it’s by luck or smarts. But it doesn’t matter because he has picked all the right enemies. And this is the right enemy for him.
[crosstalk]
DANA BASH: We're going to have to leave it there. We have a lot more to talk about. We’ll get back next week.
