Sen. Martha McSally went viral yesterday when she responded to a reasonable question from CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju about whether she was willing to consider new evidence in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Instead, she said: “I’m not talking to you, You’re a liberal hack.”
McSally was clearly proud of the moment, tweeting out footage of her brushback and later going on Fox News Blonde Laura Ingraham’s show to dismiss the mainstream media altogether. “As you know, these CNN reporters , many of them around the Capitol, they are so biased. They are so in cahoots with the Democrats. They are so against the president. They run around trying to chase Republicans and asking trapping questions. I’m a fighter pilot. I call it like it is.”
Amusingly, the fighter pilot who calls it like it is then sidestepped the same question from Ingraham. “”I’m not going to tell everyone what my votes are going to be,” she said in her usual evasive manner. (Remember this moment the next time one of McSally’s allies says that her Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly, dodges tough questions.
McSally has sidestepped any and all questions about whether President Donald Trump’s shakedown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was appropriate. Instead, whenever she is asked about the trial, she flips the question and says Democrats are to blame for investigating the matter. And while she has given lip service to the notion that she’s going to be a fair juror who listens to all the evidence in the impeachment trial, there is zero chance that she would actually turn on Trump as that would be political suicide—and if there’s one thing McSally cares deeply about, it’s Martha McSally’s political ambitions.
It’s a standard feature of the 2018 Martha McSally model, which now comes loaded with extra Trumpiness. Unlike the earlier versions, which were critical of Trump and aimed to present the image of a reasonable moderate as she navigated the political currents of a competitive Southern Arizona congressional district, the 2018 McSally model has fully embraced Trump and his brash and insulting style. It likely cost her the 2018 election against Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, but she’s bought her ticket and she’s gonna ride.
It also helped McSally distract from more bad news. As The Skinny reported this week, multiple polls have shown McSally with lousy approval ratings. And yesterday, ahead of her attention-grabbing dismissal of CNN’s liberal hack, more bad news emerged: Her approval ratings continue to dive, according to Morning Consult’s quarterly tracking poll.
The Skinny mentioned this week that McSally has a “meh” rating in the ratings released in October, with 39 percent of surveyed voters approving of the job she’s doing and 37 percent disapproving, giving her a net plus-2-percent positive score . The latest numbers show that she has dropped 5 percentage points, to a negative-3-percent score. According to the survey, 37 percent of voters approved of the job she’s doing, while 40 percent disapproved. The survey showed that she suffered a huge 9-percentage-point drop among Republican voters as she dropped from 49 percent approval to 41 percent approval.
So McSally’s exchange with Raju served two purposes: It distracted from the news of her tumbling approval and it helped her with the GOP base that appears to be souring on her. We’ll find out in November whether it helps her with the independent and female voters who supported Sinema over her in 2018.
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2020.
I don’t know what happened to America that so many today ignore the lessons our founding fathers fought for, as did the fathers, brothers and sons American families sent to Europe to fight fascism during WWII. Forgot that our American ideals and freedom depend on the defense of democracy – defense by a free press and those that will show the courage to stand up to a corrupt and autocratic president.
Cnn the clinton news network is unbias? Ask bernie sanders about that! Zukers stooges went after bernie asking him when did he stop beating his wife at the debate and fawned all over warren giving her wet kisses as the corporate establishment and their running dogs at cnn and msnbc fear bernie will get the nomination so they can no longer ignore him. read the comment above me it tells you how these sanctimonious hacks think about themselves while real journalists telling truth to power are being killed around the world! All this corporate establishment hack will get is some phony journalism award.
I really don’t know why her staff chose to post this. It does not make her look very good here.
Then again, it’s not like she actually tries to represent Arizonans.
woodward and bernstein investigated watergate they did not ask questions at press conferences or run down the isle of congress yelling at people. They did not complain unlike the cnn prima donnas that they can’t get their blow dried mugs on tv at press conferences. I disagree I think it makes her look human.
I like to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but unless the Democratic Party gets their collective sh@t together, I fear four more years of a Trump administration, which brings me to why you should really check out Fox programing to see who’s coming on and doing video interviews for potential positions in the current and future administration to include Martha, who may have her gun sights on a DHS or DoD position.
Regardless of what they say, Fox only has an audience of one that really matters and the parade of potential sycophants is never ending.
Meanwhile, China, Russia, North Korea and multiple non-state-sponsored terrorist organizations continue to plan our social, economic and military demise, as U.S. military personnel, equipment and funding is diverted to the Southern border propaganda art installation and vanity piece know as “The Wall” — not to be confused with the Pink Floyd work of the same name, which was a cautionary musical story of what happens when a little boy is traumatized at a young age, finds a voice through popular music and attempts to foist a fascist vision on the masses while building a mental wall around his vulnerabilities and human emotions …oh wait.
sgsmith:
You nailed it! Comment of the year. We still have 11 & 1/2 months to go though.
McSally’s remark to a reporter who is now a liberal hack says more about her than the reporter: she’s as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside.
Alan derschewitz on anderson cooper tonight schooled his former pupil jeffery toobin the cnn resident law hack on constitutional law. Anderson cooper looked stunned as alan riped toobin a new one! Watch it to see what you in for.
Whose the Russian troll Captain AZ?
Way to go Martha. If it’s CNN it’s a liberal hack. One must never forget how they foisted the Russia, Russia narrative on their loyal liberal faithful.
She’s not a fighter pilot., as she claimed. She flew an A-10 Thunderbolt II, which is an attack aircraft – a light bomber. Martha McSally is a political coward and an empty flight suit. She will lose to Mark Kelly. Good riddance to her. She will probably find a comfy sinecure in the military-industrial complex.
Sorry there Captain Faux, Derschewitz was talking out of both sides of his mouth and seems to have ever shifting rationales, mixing up criminal defense with impeachment. He cited the Federalist Papers but misreads them. When Trump ignores and refuses all legitimate Congressional subpoenas, the only last rememdy is impeachment. In Federalist 65, Hamilton accurately foresaw exactly what would happen and cited, “In many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or on the other and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.” Bingo, Mr Hamilton. Wrong Dershy.
frances did you support bubba’s impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice? The same democrats who denounced bubba’s impeachment as political such as pelosi, schumer, nadler and many more said they would not support impeachment liberal white women of the party didn’t want bubba impeached. some of which publicly offered bubba oral sex! These same profiles in courage now say they have to impeach trump because these now older white women with trump derangement syndrome demand it or they will be primaried. You call names like troll when you can’t refute. frances the remedy as alan pointed out to his former student toobin and you is the courts! that it is why congress put them in the constitution which you ignore.
GREAT NEWS! the navy is going to name a new aircraft carrier after african american war hero Doris Miller! Miller won the navy cross in the attack on pearl harbor. Miller should have been awarded the congressional medal of honor ;but no african-american was awarded the medal honor during world war II. (we all know why they wouldn’t ) When the navy announced the pearl harbor attack medals Doris Miller was listed as an un named negro sailer! The black press had to investigate to get his name and announce it. Sadly Doris Miller was killed in action in 1943 when the carrier liscome bay was sunk by japanese navy.
“You call names like troll when you can’t refute.”
This is at least the second time I’ve read you accusing someone of calling you a name… when they didn’t! I’m not sure what industrial grade narcotics you’re taking craptin, but you need to lay off. That stuff will eventually kill you.
When the Rosemont mine was in its early stage (back in the days when they were touting 200 jobs!…now grown to 500 jobs) there was a character who could be counted on to post pro-mine garbage on every mine article. He posted mostly on the AZ Star (until they went FB sign in) and even posted here on the Weekly. It was clear he was a hired gun.
I see similar patterns now with a certain political poster, although I think this one gets paid by the post. I don’t waste my time reading his drivel & dreck. I see the name..I TD…I move on.
As a tough fighter pilot and my representative (sadly) McSally ought to be able to face any reporter at any time, not just when the questions are scripted. Freedom of and access to the press defines this country and McSally seems to not be able to intellectually be able to face that basic fact of our so called democracy. Pathetic.
This is, after all, the candidate who, as a member of the House, held “stealth” town halls with invited guests, refused to respond to letters, always had a full voicemail box that didn’t take new calls. She may have been willing to put herself in harm’s way as an A-10 pilot, but she sure wanted to duck, dodge and hide as an elected representative. It’s time for her to go through that revolving door and sign on with some sleazy defense contractor.
She doesn’t really seem to enjoy being a politician or be very good at it. Still, I respect her service. CNN is a giant corporate network serving their corporate overlords just like every large news organization today. Let’s not pretend they are anything but.
Of all the CNN reporter types, this diminutive man has never stood out as a “hack” as much as a struggling lower level reporter out in the field. His question was routine; McSally’s attempt-to-be-bold answer was not, and it got her some headlines.
I wrote to our (only appointed) Senator McSally asking about the exact same issue because I do want to hear from these withheld witnesses, and I do want to read all withheld documents. Don’t tell me I am too bored or too stupid to take the time to understand them. As I read through her (staff’s) reply, I said to myself, “This is the response of a typical Washington DC Republican political “hack” who wants to obstruct truth, bury facts and make no real commitments at all.”
So, from both this reported incident and the response from her office, I truly think McSally is so wishy-washy, so lacking in integrity that she can only shout out from deep within a toxic echo chamber of Republican gerbils that Trump has discovered are his to control, insult, intimidate and discard whenever he wants. Political appointee Sen. McSally will never get enough votes by imitating Trump instead of challenging his bizarre behavior with better behavior of her own.