The lead moderator for tonight’s Democratic debate, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, has already announced he will not pit candidates against each other and a look at his past statements perhaps reveals the reason why – he caters to liberal candidates while discussing conservatives in the ugliest terms.
The CNN anchor once called the current Democratic frontrunner the “queen of compromise,” but disgustingly depicted Republicans as a political party preoccupied with “teabagging.” And as the Weekly Standard pointed out, Cooper was listed as a “notable past member” on the Clinton Global Initiative’s website.
Cooper will also be joined by his CNN colleagues Dana Bash and Don Lemon. Bash once defended Barack Obama’s extra-constitutional Executive Orders by praising the President as a “constitutional professor” who “speaks with academic knowledge.” On the other hand, Bash actually asked former GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor if he was forced out of office because he was the “only Jewish Republican” and suggested “was anti-Semitism” was involved in his defeat.
Lemon, who is tasked with selecting questions from social media, called Hillary Clinton’s granddaughter a “royal baby,” but dismissed investigations into the former Secretary of State’s mishandling of Benghazi as “pretty partisan” and “just an argument for ideologues.”
The following are some of the worst quotes from Cooper, Bash and Lemon from the MRC’s archive:
Hillary is the “Queen of Compromise”
“Most Americans of course, stand stubbornly in the middle, as has Clinton, at least for the four years she’s been in the Senate. She’s lost the vast right-wing conspiracy rap, changing into a queen of compromise, eager to reach across the aisle – a successful strategy so far.”
— CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper 360, June 7, 2005.
It’s Hard for Republicans to Talk When They’re Too Busy “Teabagging”
CNN analyst David Gergen: “Republicans are pretty much in disarray....They have not yet come up with a compelling alternative, one that has gained popular recognition. So-”
Anchor Anderson Cooper: “Teabagging. They’ve got teabagging.”
Gergen: “Well, they've got the teabagging....[But] Republicans have got a way - they still haven’t found their voice, Anderson. They’re still – this happens to a minority party after it’s lost a couple of bad elections, but they’re searching for their voice.”
Cooper: “It's hard to talk when you’re teabagging.”
— CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, April 14, 2009.
Detecting a Republican “War on Obama”
“The larger question raised by [Senator Judd] Gregg’s about-face, is it a sign that Republicans have no desire for real bipartisanship? Have they, in fact, declared war on President Obama?...Do developments today also speak to something deeper, a war, an insurgency by Republicans against the President, against Democrats in the House and against their agenda?”
— CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper 360, February 12, 2009 talking about Senator Gregg’s withdrawal as a nominee for Commerce Secretary.
Wright’s Rant a Bogus Issue?
“At issue now, a video of a sermon given by Barack Obama’s minister at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago....We’re running it because — like it or not, legitimate or not — it has become an issue....All this seems to have nothing to do with actual issues that the country is facing, which these candidates should be talking about and we probably should be talking about.”
— CNN’s Anderson Cooper introducing a story about inflammatory comments made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Anderson Cooper 360, March 13, 2008.
“Swift Boating” of Barack Obama
“We begin with tough talk on the campaign trail today — tough talk, an apology, a disavowal, and now, questions whether what you’re about to hear is a taste of sleazy campaigning and Swift Boating to come....Clearly, for a two-bit radio host, this is the biggest thing to happen to him in quite a long time.”
— CNN’s Anderson Cooper discussing conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham uttering Barack Obama’s middle name Hussein, on Anderson Cooper 360, February 26, 2008.
Justifying Obama’s Flip-Flop on Executive Amnesty
Anchor Anderson Cooper: “He said he couldn’t do it in the past. He’s now saying he can do it, and should do it and will do it. What’s the White House spin on this?”
Congressional correspondent Dana Bash: “Well, first of all, we should also remind people that he’s not just the President, he also is a constitutional — he was a constitutional professor and a lawyer, so he speaks with academic knowledge.”
— CNN’s AC360, November 19, 2014.
Can We Blame Cantor’s Loss On Conservative Anti-Semitism?
“You are a Jewish Republican, the only Jewish Republican in the House. You started your discussion after you lost, quoting the Old Testament, talking about your Jewish faith. Your district is one-quarter of one percent Jewish. And your opponent, David Brat, really put his Christian faith front and center....Do you think that there was anti-Semitism involved in your defeat?”
— Fill-in host Dana Bash to outgoing House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on CNN’s State of the Union, June 15, 2014.
Lying About Benghazi = Trying to “Control the Message”
“It’s obvious that someone mishandled something. It's obvious, but it is looking pretty partisan when you look at all of the talking points that are being used. And let me ask this question, because the accusation is that the Obama administration in some way tried to change the talking points or water them down. And my question is, and I'm really being honest about this, what administration, Ana, doesn’t try to control the message, no matter what it is?”
— Anchor Don Lemon to GOP strategist Ana Navarro on CNN Newsroom, May 12, 2013.
Benghazi Scandal: “Just an Argument for Ideologues”
Anchor Don Lemon: “The right and conservative media outlets have been going after the administration over reports that CIA leaders denied repeated requests for their people in Benghazi to help in the fight....Do you think that this will have any impact on who wins, or do you think this is just an argument for ideologues here?”
GPS host Fareed Zakaria: “I think it’s the latter, Don. I think this is a highly politicized set of charges and countercharges.”
— Exchange on CNN Newsroom, November 2, 2012.
Slobbering Over the “Royal” Clintons
Co-anchor Don Lemon: “This is kind of our version — any time a politician’s daughter has a child, this is our version of a royal baby, correct?”
CNN host Fareed Zakaria: “Well, particularly the Clintons, it does feel like that.”
— Exchange on CNN Tonight, September 23, 2014.
Mourning the Mistreatment of America’s “Royalty”
“They are America’s First Couple, the closest thing that we have to royalty, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. But speaking to People magazine, according to the Obamas, they're sometimes treated less than like royals, or the First Couple, and more like the help.”
— Anchor Don Lemon on CNN Tonight, December 18, 2014 talking about People magazine’s interview with the First Couple, “The Obamas: How We Deal with Our Own Racist Experiences.”
