Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Monday's Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, New York Times columnist and frequent CNN guest Tom Friedman called on the media to obsessively stigmatize Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and other Donald Trump allies in retaliation for siding with the President in challenging some of the electoral votes for Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.
After referring to his own history of likening American democracy to a delicate Faberge egg, he accused Trump supporters of throwing it on the ground, and then preposterously urged the Republican party to split apart over the issue of challenging the election:
And I hope -- I have two hopes ... One is that principled Republicans will finally understand that, the morning after this, they can't be in the same party with these people. You cannot accuse someone in your party of putting Donald Trump before the Constitution and, the next day, be in the same party with these people. I hope they will break up -- the principled Republicans -- and start their own party ... because imagine, Anderson, if just five of them split off -- center-right Republicans -- it would completely crush the others. They would then be irrelevant.
He then called on the media and, presumably, also members of the public, to be even more stridently biased against Trump supporters by obsessively labeling them as "coup plotters" for the rest of their lives, and even to "politely" hector them in publicly places:
And the second thing I hope is that CNN and the New York Times and all of us will combat this big lie with a big truth. ... Every time one of these people wants to come on CNN or the New York Times, we'll identify them as "Ted Cruz, coup-plotter," "Josh Hawley, coup-plotter." If you see them on the street, if you see them hailing a cab, if you see them in a restaurant, if you see them on your college campus, politely, respectfully, come up to them and say, "You're the guy who put Donald Trump in front of the Constitution."
He added: "Shame them because only shame and only if everyone sees that if you do that, you are shamed forever -- that your name forever -- your name forever will be associated with "coup plotter," that's the only hope I think for next time because someone otherwise will try this again."
He soon derided them as "crackpots" and suggested that they might be open for bribery by Russia, China or Iran:
It is amazing to me ... that people are ready to abase themselves -- to sell out their country to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year and free parking at Reagan National Airport. Please, God, I hope the Russians, the Chinese and the Iranians are not watching how cheaply these people will sell out their country. The second thing I would say is: Do you think Donald Trump is going to endorse Josh Hawley over Donald Trump Jr.? Over ivanka Trump? Do you think he's going to pass it on to any of these crack pots -- Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley?
This episode of Anderson Cooper 360 was sponsored in part by Clear Choice. Their contact information is linked.
Transcript follows:
CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
January 4, 2021
8:29 p.m. Eastern
TOM FRIEDMAN, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: I never dreamt that four years later, Anderson, that we would actually drop it (the Faberge egg of democracy) by our own volition. I thought it might be out of division, but that one faction of our party would be willing to throw that Faberge egg on the ground to advance themselves is truly shocking. And Wednesday is going to be a historic day in American history. It will be the first time in our history that we will see a legislative attempt at a coup d'etat in the United States of America.
ANDERSON COOPER: That's really what it is? A legislative attempt at a coup d'etat in America?
FRIEDMAN: That is what it is. And what makes it so troubling -- and you alluded to this -- is the cynicism of these coup plotters because they know they're going to be eventually saved by responsible Democrats and by principled Republicans. So what they're doing is to curry favor -- to get one last lick in on Donald Trump's boots in hopes of winning his supporters should he not run in 2024. They are going to undermine the integrity of our last election and introduce doubt forevermore in the integrity of our election. The cynicism of it is just breathtaking. It so recalls the biblical injunction, "For what does is profit of the man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" What does it profit these people if they gain Donald Trump's endorsement but lose their country and its Constitution? It is disgusting.
And I hope -- I have two hopes, Anderson, if I can say. One is that principled Republicans will finally understand that, the morning after this, they can't be in the same party with these people. You cannot accuse someone in your party of putting Donald Trump before the Constitution and, the next day, be in the same party with these people. I hope they will break up -- the principled Republicans -- and start their own party -- the Lincoln Party, the Liberty Party, whatever they want to call it -- because imagine, Anderson, if just five of them split off -- center-right Republicans -- it would completely crush the others. They would then be irrelevant. And they would become the swing vote in the Senate in between Biden and any majority no matter what happens in Georgia. They would have enormous power.
And the second thing I hope is that CNN and the New York Times and all of us will combat this big lie with a big truth. And the big truth is to play by Donald Trump's rules -- repeat, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, rinse. Every time one of these people wants to come on CNN or the New York Times, we'll identify them as "Ted Cruz, coup plotter," "Josh Hawley, coup plotter." If you see them on the street, if you see them hailing a cab, if you see them in a restaurant, if you see them on your college campus, politely, respectfully, come up to them and say, "You're the guy who put Donald Trump in front of the Constitution." Shame them because only shame and only if everyone sees that if you do that, you are shamed forever -- that your name forever -- your name forever will be associated with "coup plotter," that's the only hope I think for next time because someone otherwise will try this again.
COOPER: I mean, some of these Senators -- these Congresspeople -- they know better -- they know what the truth is, and they clearly want Trump's support or his base's support, but it's a losing game. I mean, Trump will turn on them six months from now if they say something he doesn't like. You're basically selling yourself into indentured servitude.
I mean, I don't understand what they're actually thinking. Yes, they have to hang out with, you know, they've created this alternate reality, and know they actually have to live in it because their supporters are now actually believing this stuff. So I guess they're just more afraid of their supporters than they're afraid of subverting democracy.
FRIEDMAN: Well, a couple of things come to mind, Anderson. One is, it is amazing to me -- and you've expressed this astonishment -- that people are ready to abase themselves -- to sell out their country to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year and free parking at Reagan National Airport. Please, God, I hope the Russians, the Chinese and the Iranians are not watching how cheaply these people will sell out their country.
The second thing I would say is: Do you think Donald Trump is going to endorse Josh Hawley over Donald Trump Jr.? Over ivanka Trump? Do you think he's going to pass it on to any of these crackpots -- Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley? There's not a chance of that. So they are sacrificing their country -- their reputations -- I think in utterly vain hope, and I just don't understand it.
COOPER: I mean, Donald Trump, the thing that I find the most realistic thing is he's sitting around laughing about Ted Cruz. I mean, if I'm Donald Trump, I'm thinking, "I insulted the guy's wife, and he's still licking my boots." I mean, it's incredible.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, I guess that's just the astonishment that we all have that people are just ready to give up their integrity so easily to a man who wouldn't sacrifice an iota for them -- who would not sacrifice one wit for them. And that's the threat to security because how do we save this democracy? Because our kids are watching, the world is watching, and you think like Kevin McCarthy -- I just want to ask him, "Do you live on some offshore island you call home at night? What do your kids say? What do you say to your kids?" "Honey, today I put Donald Trump ahead of the Constitution.
COOPER: Tom Friedman, I appreciate it as always. Thank you.
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