Having been laid off in December 2022 from CNN, Chris Cillizza has been free to look elsewhere, be a part of Substack, and…come to his senses? That appears to have been the case extra just lately with one instance having come Wednesday night time on NewsNation as he admitted he was exasperated at Democrats being prepared to die on the hill of saving the federal paperwork from Elon Musk.
On Stability host Leland Vittert set the desk in his Why It Issues Memo with the admission that “Democrats are combating – actually dying on the hill of saving three-letter businesses that everyone in America hates” regardless that “[n]obody exterior of Washington as soon as enterprise as common in Congress” and definitely not that “saving federal jobs is the civil rights motion.”
Noting the left is “staking out such objectively unpopular opinions,” Vittert introduced as a foil a Well being and Human Companies researcher who spoke at an anti-Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) rally to decry her work accumulating “higher information to create higher medical pointers for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex folks” with most cancers.
“[H]alf of the nation proper now could be residing paycheck to paycheck. Learn the room. Gender identification research in most cancers care does not play effectively in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin, Clark County, Nevada, Cobb County, Georgia, Erie, Pennsylvania,” he added.
Cillizza excused members of Congress who symbolize the larger D.C. space like Jamie Raskin (D-MD), however these few members apart, “the typical one who does not dwell in and round Washington has no concept what these items are and why you would not need to minimize a number of the waste from them.”
He continued to dish out the reality (one thing we noticed little of at CNN):
I believe it is a basic reality of how Democrats are positioning themselves whether or not deliberately or unintentionally. They only have a blind spot with Trump. No concept he proposes may be even a good suggestion. It – once more, if it was proposed by James P. Public, Republican president, they’d like, okay, effectively, possibly. However as a result of it’s him and since the loathing is so – and it’s – I do not use that phrase properly, however they hate him. Each concept is – is a foul concept and I simply assume it leads some poor strategic conclusions in case your objective is, as Democrat’s objective ought to be, getting some energy again as a result of they’re out of energy at each single stage on the state and federal authorities.
He famous the Democrats not solely misplaced the White Home, however each homes of Congress and, other than hating Trump, they “don’t have a message” and “apparent management.”
This cued Vittert as much as word journalists ought to discover authorities waste probably the most fundamental operate of their jobs, however that appears to have dried up. As an example it, he had Cillizza react to his former longtime colleague Brianna Keilar berate White Home Deputy Chief of Workers Stephen Miller in a single clip about authorities layoffs whereas commiserating in one other with a laid-off HHS employee.
Surprisingly, Cillizza didn’t again down from scoffing at this double commonplace. He went onto cite the Pennsylvania limestone mine for paper copies of presidency personnel recordsdata as one thing a former colleague at The Washington Put up uncovered over a decade in the past (click on “develop”):
CILLIZZA: I imply, it is geared toward a sure form of viewer. I imply, you recognize, like – I do not assume it is a – I do not assume I must go to det – detailed media critic to know that. Like –
VITTERT: The New York – no, like, journ – journalists will not be good media critics, however The New York Instances Every day did this entire episode at the moment. That is your morning podcast about how, you recognize, purge is hurting all of those federal employees in there’s not been one important query of asking any Democrats, like, do we actually want all of those applications that you simply’re now championing?
CILLIZZA: – I – once more, I believe that if it was even Chris Cillizza or Leland Vitter, president, God forbid that be terrified, particularly me. You, I might dwell with.
VITTERT: Oh!
CILLIZZA: If – we if we had that they usually stated, you recognize what? The federal paperwork is just too large. It does not work. Nicely, everyone is aware of this. It is outdated. It is – it isn’t technologically introduced. I believe you’d get 90 p.c approve – folks like yeah! Like, the entire limestone mine the place they retailer the information – Elon Musk talked about this – my good friend and colleague David Fahrenthold wrote – wrote about this in 2015 or 2016 when he was at The Washington Put up. He’s at The New York Instances now. Like, sure, anybody who reads that’s like, wait. We’re holding these paper recordsdata in a limestone mine underground in Pennsylvania? Like, that does not really feel 2025. So, like, that to me is the difficulty.
VITTERT: It is all about Trump.
As an alternative, Cillizza, argued, even issues just like the limestone mine aren’t factors of settlement due to “[t]he Democratic blind spot for Trump” that’s “value them considerably” to the purpose they’re refusing to “say we screwed up” or really “look at” why they misplaced.
As for the examine on the sexual orientation of most cancers sufferers, he stated whereas he’s not precisely “ridiculing that,” if you happen to think about “the precedence set of the typical particular person, that is not high 5” and as an alternative “am I placing meals on the desk” and hoping your automotive doesn’t break down.
Vittert closed with an astounding take a look at there being little distinction in scholar take a look at scores and skyrocketing ranges of Division of Schooling spending (click on “develop”):
VITTERT: I’ll get you another and that is, I believe, individuals are underestimating it. What’s my children schooling like? And you concentrate on the Division of Schooling as a result of that is the place that is going, proper? That is what Trump desires to ax subsequent.
CILLIZZA: Yep.
VITTERT: That is what’s coming. The Division of Schooling is answerable for a 1,200% enhance in spending because it was created in 1980. However over that point, take a look at scores have risen roughly two p.c. The one constituency the Division of schooling has his trainer unions.
CILLIZZA: Yep.
VITTERT: And you recognize what? I’ll predict the Democrats are going to die on this hill as effectively.
CILLIZZA: I simply – sooner or later, I say this about my very own work. The numbers are the numbers. You’ll be able to say like significantly better than this particular person or that particular person. But when that particular person has 180,000 subscribers and you’ve got eight subscribers, the numbers are numbers sooner or later, proper? You’re what your document says you’re. And I believe while you say 1,200-point enhance in spending, it is similar to the well being factor we talked about with RFK Jr. I believe RFK Jr., candidly, has received a variety of beliefs the place I’m like ehhhhhhh! However when he says issues like we spend probably the most per capita on well being on this nation and well being is our – our general well being is drastically reducing, as an affordable human, I’m like, sure, that doesn’t make sense. We received to cease throwing unhealthy cash – good cash after unhealthy, determine what can we do higher and once more, I say this all time. Donald Trump was not – he didn’t say elect me and I’ll – I’ll do principally the identical stuff. No, he stated elect me and I will shake it up. Now –
VITTERT: Nicely, I used to be going to say – no, he didn’t say I’m going to shake it up. I’m going to take a sledgehammer –
CILLIZZA: Sure.
VITTERT: – after which I am gonna burn no matter is left –
CILLIZZA: So, he’s taking a sledgehammer –
VITTERT: – and that’s what he’s doing.
CILLIZZA: – to it and individuals are like, huhhh? And I’m all the time such as you may be sad with it. That’s your proper. You disagree with a number of the issues do. And, frankly, I disagree with a number of the issues he’s doing, however you’ll be able to’t be shocked as a result of he’s saying what he’s doing.
To see the related NewsNation transcript from February 19, click on right here.
