On Wednesday morning far left Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was declared the winner of the Michigan Senate primary race, and almost immediately, many in the liberal media went to work, turning their attention to attacking the GOP and their candidate former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers and his ads. That was the case on CNN's The Arena, where host Kasie Hunt focused on the GOP's regrettable "line of attack."
From the outset, Hunt made clear what she considered to be the headline in the aftermath of the election.
HUNT: One of the biggest Senate races of the year is set as progressives notched their most significant win yet, and Republicans prepare their attacks.
Hunt then played a clip of El-Sayed's victory speech given earlier that morning, before refocusing on the Republican spin:
HUNT: Already, the Republican line of attack coming into focus. in a statement this morning, Rogers said this, quote, "Abdul isn't just another liberal. He's an extremist," end quote. President Donald Trump, echoing that message.... describing El-Sayed as a, quote, "communist loser."
And if you thought those attacks on El-Sayed were too rough, Hunt had saved her outrage for last.
HUNT: The NRSC really? Running with that theme, as it releases its first attack ad going after El-Sayed.
CLIP OF NRSC AD: Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed the most radical Senate candidate in America.... Abdul El-Sayed too radical, too dangerous wrong for Michigan.
So what was it that so bothered Hunt about the ad?
HUNT: Using El-Sayed full name there, a not so subtle reference to President Trump's own racially charged attacks using President Barack Obama's middle name, which is Hussein.
Whether or not this was any kind of "reference" to how Trump would refer to Obama is open for debate. Her calling Trump's words "racially charged", which many on the left have done over the years, speaks to Hunt's own bias.
Many conservatives enjoyed using Obama's middle name, since he has a Muslim father who he barely knew. The New York Times promoted how Obama fans in 2008 tried to start a fad that added Hussein to their own names, and in 2009, school children were making a pro-Obama video chanting "Mmm mmm mmm, Barack Hussein Obama!"
Hunt soon welcomed in Democrat state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who had previously dropped out of the Senate race, and brought up a quote to her from Jewish Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who recently said she doesn't feel like she'd be welcomed at the state's Democrat Convention.
HUNT READING QUOTE FROM NESSEL: "I don't want to get chased around. I don't want to get harassed. I don't want to get yelled and screamed at. I don't want to get booed off the stage.... And I believe that if I go, that's what will happen because it's been happening to me."
Hunt then shared what Nessel had said in a clip that she had viewed, "She doesn't feel like it's because people care that she's a woman or care that she's gay, but they care that she's Jewish." She then asked McMorrow, "Are Jews no longer welcome in the Democratic Party in Michigan?" Her initial response was revealing.
McMORROW: We have seen rising anti-Semitism. And I even said at our last Convention, my husband, who is Jewish -- I'm in an interfaith marriage -- an anti-Semitic slur was screamed in his face when he was with my five year old daughter. We have some healing to do here.
But instead of pinning any blame on El-Sayed and his anti-AIPAC and anti-Israel rhetoric, McMorrow went on to praise him.
McMORROW: And on a personal note, I really want to give some credit to Abdul here, who, after I stepped back in the race, reached out. We've had a lot of conversations and we talked about our daughters and the fact that Michigan is a really special place where my daughter, who is half Jewish, his daughters who are Muslim, can grow up together.
McMorrow's praise of El-Sayed is to be expected. She's s a politician. The Dems need the Senate seat. But what's Hunt's excuse? Did she forget her July 2nd interview segment with El-Sayed on Israel, where he refused to say Israel has a right to exist? You can watch that video below.
That was July. On Wednesday, not a single word about it, or about El-Sayed and Jews. Did Hunt forget that El-Sayed has been hanging around with Hasan Piker, who has a long history of verbally attacking Jews, supporting terrorist groups, and claiming that America deserved 9-11? Doubtful. In July confronting El-Sayed might have helped Haley Stevens, who many felt had a better shot at the seat in November. But now, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is all that the Dems have left. This is CNN!
