Radio host Mark Levin said it best Wednesday night when he noted that “the Democrat Party will sell its proverbial soul for 10,000 votes.” Much was the case on that evening’s edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, when Tapper took on the role of party campaign strategist to urge the Biden administration to abandon Israel in its war against genocidal Hamas terrorists in order to secure pro-Hamas voters in Michigan and Wisconsin.
In an interview with Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Tapper was in a panic over the 46,000 pro-Hamas voters who cast “uninstructed” protest votes against President Biden earlier in the week.
Tapper was particularly concerned that those protest votes would carry over to November, hurting Biden in the general election and possibly handing former President Trump the victory. He warned Wikler that those people could vote for a third-party candidate; and with a rhetorical but rather obvious wink-wink-nudge-nudge, Tapper declared that “privately” he and Wikler were on the same page:
So, let me posit another theory, maybe there's 46,000 people, because they are super engaged, they would turn out and vote basically a protest vote, even though President Biden is going to be the nominee, they didn't need to do that, but there are motivated and they're engaged as you say.
Let's say they go and they vote for Jill Stein or Cornell West or Robert Kennedy Jr. I take your point they're not going to vote for Trump, but I if I were you and I'm sure you're very smart guy and well-respected. I'm sure. Privately, you agree with me, at least. These 46,000 or not necessarily going to vote for Joe Biden.
“Oh, no one’s saying anyone's necessarily voting for anyone. I don't think any candidate should take any voter for granted,” Wikler stated. “So, there's absolutely work to do to show voters that their voices are for being heard. And most importantly, addressed the wrenching humanitarian crisis that's playing out before our eyes on CNN and everywhere else.”
Later in the show, Tapper praised far-left extremist and CNN colleague Nina Turner for her radical analysis that Biden needed to abandon another Middle East ally to terrorists:
Let's talk about that because former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner today posted on X regarding the Wisconsin primary and what I was talking with Mr. Wikler about.
Yesterday, she wrote, “Over 47,000 voters in Wisconsin went to the polls and voted uninstructed.” That's 47,000 Democratic voters, we should note. “President Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by a little over 20,000 votes. This president must decide if loyalty to Netanyahu is worth delivering Trump the election in November. He must decide.”
“I love her,” he proclaimed. “She's a firebrand, she's a progressive. But there are moderate Democrats saying that privately, too.”
Tapper also suggested that the Biden campaign should be courting Never Trump Republicans and former GOP candidates and have them join him on the campaign trail. “Um, shouldn't the Biden campaign and the White House be going after people like Liz Cheney and like I understand, you know, and saying I know you don't agree with me on 99 percent of these issues, but you agree with me on democracy,” he argued.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s The Lead
April 3, 2024
5:06:28 p.m. Eastern(…)
JAKE TAPPER: So, let me posit another theory, maybe there's 46,000 people, because they are super engaged, they would turn out and vote basically a protest vote, even though President Biden is going to be the nominee, they didn't need to do that, but there are motivated and they're engaged as you say.
Let's say they go and they vote for Jill Stein or Cornell West or Robert Kennedy Jr. I take your point they're not going to vote for Trump, but I if I were you and I'm sure you're very smart guy and well-respected. I'm sure. Privately, you agree with me, at least. These 46,000 or not necessarily going to vote for Joe Biden.
BEN WIKLER (Wisconsin Democratic Party, chair): Oh, no one’s saying anyone's necessarily voting for anyone. I don't think any candidate should take any voter for granted. So, there's absolutely work to do to show voters that their voices are for being heard. And most importantly, addressed the wrenching humanitarian crisis that's playing out before our eyes on CNN and everywhere else.
The thing that will bring voters together is changed on the ground in Israel and Palestine.
(…)
5:09:24 p.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Um, shouldn't the Biden campaign and the White House be going after people like Liz Cheney and like I understand, you know, and saying I know you don't agree with me on 99 percent of these issues, but you agree with me on democracy. I mean, isn't there a case to be made?
MATT GORMAN (fmr. Tim Scott pres. Campaign advisor): It would seem natural in a way. Jonathan Martin's piece might have blown it a little bit because now he has to wait a little bit. He can't go right afterwards because it's like, well, I'm taking cues from Jonathan Martin. But I think it would probably be a smart thing. I don't think it would be receptive if Nikki Haley did it or if it was two Nikki Haley per se, Chris Christie. Liz Cheney, on the other hand, maybe so.
(…)
5:10:28 p.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Let's talk about that, because former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner today posted on X regarding the Wisconsin primary and what I was talking with Mr. Wikler about.
Yesterday, she wrote, “Over 47,000 voters in Wisconsin went to the polls and voted uninstructed.” That's 47,000 Democratic voters, we should note. “President Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by a little over 20,000 votes. This president must decide if loyalty to Netanyahu is worth delivering Trump the election in November. He must decide.”
Nina Turner, I love her. She's a firebrand, she's a progressive. But there are moderate Democrats saying that privately, too.
(…)
