Wednesday’s CNN Newsroom did not directly say that President Biden lied during his State of the Union address when he claimed that Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare, but they strongly implied it wasn’t true. Still, the Republican reaction to that claim garnered more condemnation from the assorted cast than the claim itself with co-host Jim Sciutto go so far as to wonder “what lesson it teaches to our children about how to respond to points that they disagree with.”
After playing a clip of Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Fox recalling that he told Biden himself Social Security and Medicare cuts are off the table, Congressional Correspondent Jessica Dean reporter, “The president appeared to be referring to a proposal by Florida Senator Rick Scott that would sunset all federal legislation including Medicare and Social Security, that is something that the House Speaker has said will not be included in these cuts.”
Moving on from the actual facts, Dean recalled, “it was a unique moment watching that play out, the back and forth, the president back and forth with the House GOP members who were yelling at him, and it's also worth noting that several years ago, it just shows how far the decorum has eroded here, several years ago when Republican Joe Wilson called then-President Obama a liar, you will remember he was rebuked by the House for that.”
Forgetting everything that happened in-between Wilson and Tuesday night, such as Nancy Pelosi ripping up Donald Trump’s speech and booing from Democrats, was not unique to Dean who then departed the segment as Sciutto portrayed Biden’s falsehood as a simple disagreement between the parties, “I wonder what lesson it teaches to our children about how to respond to points that they disagree with. I always think in those terms.”
Hopefully it will teach them not to lie about others to boost your future re-election campaign.
After introducing S.E. Cupp and Natasha Alford, Sciutto hyped the former’s allegedly conservative credentials as he declared, “That was a bad moment” and asked, “It was -- it was just ugly, right? And, again, as Jessica said, some of this is just the nature of the way our political discourse is today, but a lot of shouting going at a sitting president that even the Republican Speaker was uncomfortable with. Was it a good political look for Republicans?”
Again, this is about the reaction to Biden’s lies, not the lie itself.
For her part, Cupp responded by declaring the GOP’s reaction was simply meant to appease the base, “I think it was inside their base, right? I mean, I think this Republican Party, especially under Trump, really conditioned voters to want a politics of revenge where they are yelling out and breaking with the traditional rules.”
The “conservative” of the group was practically indistinguishable from the progressive as Alford hyped Biden’s lying as some genius political move, alleging Biden “kind of tricked them into doing what he wanted them to do, right, which is basically committing to go saying that they won't attack Social Security and Medicaid, it showed a mental fitness, it showed, you know, a willingness to go off script and there are a lot of folks who think that, you know, Joe Biden’s, just scripted, he’s kind of being controlled by other people and he showed, in that moment, a real command.”
Or he just cynically lied. It’s really not that complicated.
This segment was sponsored by Progressive.
Here is a transcript for the February 8 show:
CNN Newsroom
2/3/2022
9:07 AM ET
JESSICA DEAN: It's that Social Security and Medicare argument, Jim and Erica, that got everyone all riled up, those House Republicans and Senate Republicans riled up, Kevin McCarthy there behind him, kind of, shaking his head no. The president appeared to be referring to a proposal by Florida Senator Rick Scott that would sunset all federal legislation including Medicare and Social Security, that is something that the House Speaker has said will not be included in these cuts, but, again, it was a unique moment watching that play out, the back and forth, the president back and forth with the House GOP members who were yelling at him, and it's also worth noting that several years ago, it just shows how far the decorum has eroded here, several years ago when Republican Joe Wilson called then-President Obama a liar, you will remember he was rebuked by the House for that. At this point it was unexpected, we don't see that a lot, but also in a way, Jim and Erica, somewhat expected, right?
ERICA HILL: Yeah.
JIM SCIUTTO: Jessica Dean, you know, I wonder what lesson it teaches to our children about how to respond to points that they disagree with. I always think in those terms. Thanks so much. With us now CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp and Natasha Alford, vice president of digital content and senior correspondent for TheGrio. Good to have you both on. We won't shout at each other, I promise that.
I wonder, S.E. Cupp, you're conservative, you and I and us together have watched a lot of State of the Union speeches, good moments and bad. That was a bad moment. It was -- it was just ugly, right? And, again, as Jessica said, some of this is just the nature of the way our political discourse is today, but a lot of shouting going at a sitting president that even the Republican Speaker was uncomfortable with. Was it a good political look for Republicans?
S.E. CUPP: I think it was inside their base, right? I mean, I think this Republican Party, especially under Trump, really conditioned voters to want a politics of revenge where they are yelling out and breaking with the traditional rules. So don't be surprised, Kevin McCarthy, when you invite disruptors into Congress that you get disruption. I thought his shushing of his own conference to be remarkable, both because I didn't expect it from him, he hasn't done much to discipline those rowdier members of the House, in fact, he's elevated them, but also because it's so symbolic, right, of his long journey ahead, maybe short journey ahead, as Speaker. Having to deal with this unruly faction inside his own House, a faction that might indeed get in the way of an agenda he has that by his own admission includes working with President Biden.
…
NATASHA ALFORD: So those off script moments where he was jarring and, kind of, you know, going back and forth with Republicans and actually kind of -- kind of tricked them into doing what he wanted them to do, right, which is basically committing to go saying that they won't attack Social Security and Medicaid, it showed a mental fitness, it showed, you know, a willingness to go off script and there are a lot of folks who think that, you know, Joe Biden’s, just scripted, he’s kind of being controlled by other people and he showed, in that moment, a real command.
