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CNN NewsNight has become the network’s Thunderdome with far-left host Abby Phillip and two or three liberal panelists squaring off with one or two actual, right-of-center conservatives for an entire hour. Given the fact that actual conservatives (or at least not Harris Republicans) are often brought in, it makes for compelling television. 

Thursday night was the case with conservative populist strategist Ryan Girdusky and CNN political commentator Shermichael Singleton twice took Phillip and her merry band that included Brian Stelter to the cleaners over President Obama’s treatment of journalists and then the state of America’s infrastructure and schools outside elitist bubbles.

The first blowout began when Stelter was screeching in fear about Donald Trump removing CBS from the airwaves if he wins in November.

After Stelter declared it to be “crazy stuff” and Phillip said “he has a history of trying to punish media companies for doing journalism that he does not like,” Girdusky sent the discussion flying off the rails with a simple retort: “But didn’t Obama spy on a journalist?”

“But, Ryan, it’s — hold on — it’s in all caps and it seems funny, it seems wild, so people sometimes dismiss it, even though it’s very serious,” Stelter screeched.

Girdusky kept reiterating that question, but neither wanted to hear it. In fact, Stelter shrugged and blurted out that “no administration is perfect.”

This left Girdusky incredulous: “What? No, I don’t think that — I do not believe that Donald Trump did what Barack Obama did.”

Stelter cited the stealing of classified documents by intelligence contractor Reality Winner that resulted in jail time in 2018, but Girdusky pointed out “that’s not the same thing.”

Brian Stelter: (on Trump going after journalists) “It seems funny, but it’s very serious”

Me: “But didn’t Obama spy on a journalist?”

Stelter: “No administration is perfect.” pic.twitter.com/R7MtitlUeh

— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) October 18, 2024

Nonetheless, Stelter continued screeching about how Trump’s threats are far worse, completely ignoring Girdusky’s point about spying of then-Fox correspondent James Rosen (and the jailing of James Risen). 

Phillip and Stelter demanded Girdusky stand down and kowtow to their childish apocalyptic thinking. When Girdusky held firm and dismissed this as an example of needing to take Trump pronouncements like this figuratively instead of literally, the panel exploded (click “expand”):

STELTER: Donald Trump has threatened every major media company in the United States —

GIRDUSKY: But who did he spy on?

STELTER: — including Fox.

PHILLIP: Wait, but, Ryan, okay, all right, let’s call it what, what you say, I think Brian’s point is Trump is saying he wants to take an entire news organization off the air because he doesn’t like an interview that they conducted.

STELTER: He doesn’t like the editors.

PHILLIP: Can’t you just like, in the real world, acknowledge that’s bad?

GIRDUSKY: I would say that Donald Trump should get a diary instead of Truth Social. That’s my opinion. That is — sometimes you do need a diary, but —

STELTER: There we are. We — we’re now laughing instead of crying.

PHILLIP: I just have to point out, you didn’t answer my question.

GIRDUSKY: — no, cause I don’t think it’s a serious thing. It’s what we talked about last time, literal versus — versus figurative. I don’t think — I don’t think anyone really thinks he’s going to take CBS off the air.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON: I mean, how?

STELTER: But what about the racist attacks!

SINGLETON: How? How?

BOMANI JONES: That doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.

LEIGH MCGOWAN: That doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.

GIRDUSKY: How is he going to try? How is he going to — is he going to —

STELTER: By appointing an FCC chair —

MCGOWAN: By — yes!

STELTER; — who will do it. 

Stelter cowardly tried to change the subject, demanding Girdusky answer for Trump’s “racist attacks” and “the racism…about Springfield, Ohio, saying they’re eating other unspecified animals.”

Girdusky drew even more disgust when he invoked Janet Jackson’s (false) pronouncement that Harris isn’t black.

Following more havoc, far-left pundit Leigh McGowan lectured Girdusky about the “need to take [Trump] and the things he says seriously” because they’re “terrible things.”

Girdusky somehow drew more uproar from the triggered lefties when he asked whether Hillary Clinton ever ended up in jail. Stelter again refused to engage and instead tried to be holier than thou by proclaiming such shouting was “what Trump does to all of us”.

Check out as well how Phillip insisted there was a litany of evidence about Trump wanting to and succeeding in punishing his enemies (click “expand”):

GIRDUSKY: Okay, did Hillary Clinton —

MCGOWAN: You’re doing it again. 

GIRDUSKY: — no, no, no, no —

MCGOWAN: Don’t do it again. 

GIRDUSKY: — did Hillary Clinton go to jail?

MCGOWAN: Don’t do it again.

GIRDUSKY: Did Hillary Clinton go to jail? Did Hillary Clinton go to jail? Because he promised he was going to send her to jail and then he never did.

JONES: This — this is what you do? Like —

PHILLIP: Hold on — alright —

STELTER: This is —

SINGLETON: Abby — Abby —

PHILLIP: — hold on — let me —

STELTER: — this is what Trump does to all of us —

MCGOWAN: This is exhausting.

STELTER: — though. 

MCGOWAN: Exhausting.

STELTER: This is what he’s done to the country. It’s —

PHILLIP: I mean, if anything, this show, I guess, is a little bit of a microcosm of the country, but —

STELTER: — yeah, it is, Abby!

PHILLIP: — I just have to say, Ryan —

GIRDUSKY: Mmhmm?

PHILLIP: — you know that there is a lot of reporting of Trump both attempting and succeeding to direct his government to go after his political enemies. You know that that is true, right?

GIRDUSKY: Which political enemies did he get arrested?

PHILLIP: He tried — he literally —

GIRDUSKY: Wait, which one? I don’t know which —

MCGOWN: He’s talking — he’s talking —

GIRDUSKY: — one did he arrest?

MCGOWAN: — about getting Adam Schiff arrested — 

PHILLIP: — it’s —

MCGOWAN: — once he gets back into office.

PHILLIP: — I’m not — I — I —

MCGOWAN: Shifty Schiff!

GIRDUSKY: I — I get that, but —

MCGOWN: He’s going to get him arrested.

PHILLIP: — but you also don’t —

GIRDUSKY: I get that —

PHILLIP: — you don’t put words, Ryan —

GIRDUSKY: — but he said that Hillary Clinton would go to jail and she didn’t. So —

PHILLIP: Ryan, don’t — don’t put words in my mouth.

GIRDUSKY: — I know! I’m not.

PHILLIP: Don’t say that he got her arrested.

GIRDUSKY: I asked a question.

PHILLIP: Obviously.

GIRDUSKY: Yeah.

PHILLIP: I — I said that he attempted to use the government against his political enemies. That’s — that is true. And so, the idea that he says things and then doesn’t try to do them is not borne out by facts.

GIRDUSKY: Okay?

PHILLIP: He says things and then often tries to do them.

Girdusky injected yet another dose of reality that while many “normal people” think “Trump’s annoying,” but they “like his policies and that’s fine” for them.

Phillip was thoroughly trounced and moved on after she rushed to defend the honor of Barack Obama when Girdusky cited the IRS targeting of tea party groups as having happened on Barack Obama’s watch (click “expand”):

GIRDUSKY: Two things. One, the blovicating, I think, that people sit there and say, all right — normal people are like, I don’t care. Trump’s annoying, but I like his policies and that’s fine. The second thing is that a lot of presidents went for their political enemies using the government. Trump did not get anyone — I mean, that’s the truth. Obama used the IRS against his political enemies, that did happen.

PHILLIP: Oh my God!

GIRDUSKY: But he did, that is — 

PHILIP: No, no, no, no.

GIRDUSKY: — yes, he did.

JONES: I’m trying to figure out why you so comfortable —

MCGOWAN: Ryan —

GIRDUSKY: — in the guardrails around somebody who tried —

STELTER: Trump did it for years.

JONES: — to overturn an election, though?

STELTER: — against many opponents.

PHILLIP: Okay.

JONES: Like, how do you feel so confident in what this —

PHILLIP: Also, okay —

JONES: — man will not do?

PHILLIP: — I —

GIRDUSKY: Because he was president already —

PHILLIP: — I — guys —

GIRDUSKY: — and it didn’t happen.

PHILLIP: — I want to get some other things in, but, again, Ryan, please. Barack Obama was — there’s — you — YOU! — have no evidence that Barack Obama directly used — asked the IRS to go after any political enemy.

GIRDUSKY: They just happened to.

PHILLIP: You have no evidence that Barack Obama was involved in that. You have to acknowledge that because you don’t.

GIRDUSKY: Okay, I don’t. They did, though.

PHILLIP: You — but you —

GIRDUSKY: I don’t have evidence —

PHILLIP: — you said that Barack Obama —

GIRDUSKY: — but they did.

PHILLIP: — used the IRS to go after his political enemies.

GIRDUSKY: His administration —

PHILLIP: That is false.

GIRDUSKY: — administration did this.

PHILLIP: That’s false. But we’re going to move on. We’re going to move on[.]

Singleton’s big moment came just moments later.

During a discussion about foreign policy, he noted that, while he supports Ukraine, it’s perfect legitimate to acknowledge that “a lot of Americans look at how much money we’ve allocated to Ukraine, and a lot of people wonder why are we spending so much money on this conflict” and wonder “when is it going to end when we have a whole host of other issues domestically.”

“[T]hey’re asking themselves, my roads are crumbling, my schools suck, we just had major disasters across the country, FEMA doesn’t have enough money allocated. It’s a problem for a lot of people,” he further explained.

Incredibly, Stelter couldn’t stand this talk, declaring he doesn’t “live in that country” with those problems and “America’s not that horrible.”

The term firebrand or bombthrower or fiery has never been the first words that’d come to mind with Singleton, but he wasn’t going to take this privileged drivel.

After Girdusky twice shouted at Stelter that he’s “very privileged,” Singleton uncorked at Stelter and told him to “get out of New York and talk to regular people.”

Americans see billions going to Ukraine and wonder: Why is our government funding foreign conflicts when our roads are crumbling, schools are failing, and countless domestic issues go unaddressed? Many simply ask: What about us? pic.twitter.com/mtLlLw8q0E

— Shermichael Singleton (@MrShermichael) October 18, 2024

Stelter scoffed that he doesn’t “live in New York” (he lives in rural New Jersey) and instead “a normal city, in a normal town.”

As Singleton tried to get a word in, Stelter claimed the country, from his perch, is just fin and those saying our roads and schools are in disarray are spewing “anti-America” filth: “[R]oads are not — I love New York — but my roads are not crumbling. My schools don’t suck. I just — I just get tired of the anti-America rhetoric.”

Singleton really let Stelter have it by schooling him on how many people are all but trapped in poverty with horrific environments (click “expand”):

SINGLETON: [W]ell, maybe you’re fortunate enough to put your kids in darn good schools, but —

STELTER: I — I —

SINGLETON: — there are a lot — no, no, let me finish here.

STELTER: — public schools — 

SINGLETON: There are a lot —

STELTER: — in a small town — 

SINGLETON: — people in this country —

STELTER: I just think all the — 

SINGLETON: — who aren’t wealthy —

STLETER: — anti-America stuff —

SINGLETON: — who don’t live in great cities —

STELTER: — is so tiring.

SINGLETON: — who do have to send their kids to terrible schools. That is a fact because of their zip codes.

STELTER: True of the Obama years —

SINGLETON: And to sit here arrogantly —

STELTER: — true of the Trump years —

SINGLETON: — say, well, my kids go to great schools.

STELTER: — true of the Biden years.

SINGLETON: I live in a great neighborhood.

PHILLIP: You know —

SINGLETON: That’s your experience —

PHILIP: — I just —

STELTER: “The roads are crumbling?” Like, where?

SINGLETON: — not the experience of most people in this country.

PHILIP: — I mean —

MCGOWAN: If I may —

SINGLETON: Come on, Brian!

STELTER: Most people are in the —

SINGLETON: Come on, Brian!

Phillip eventually stepped in and tried to right the ship for her friend Stelter with the argument that “what Shermichael is saying, I mean, that is — the point that you’re making, Trump has taken that mantle up, but it used to be, to be honest, the Democrats were the ones saying, let’s get out of these wars…Let’s invest in America and inner cities.”

To see the relevant CNN transcript from October 17, click here.