Screenshot via CNN.
Comedian and former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) sparred with GOP consultant Scott Jennings on CNN over election denying candidates on the ballot this year, and it all wrapped up with a classic Saturday Night Live reference.
Jim Acosta had the two on Sunday’s edition of CNN Newsroom to talk about the last few weeks before the 2022 midterms, starting with a report about a voter intimidation complaint being filed in Maricopa County, Arizona after at least two “uniformed vigilantes” wearing tactical gear and masks and carrying weapons were reportedly spotted in the vicinity of early voting ballot drop boxes. Both Franken and Jennings denounced this tactic; even the Republican Jennings said people who were considering doing a such a thing should “find something else to do today.”
Franken responded by rhetorically asking Jennings if instead his advice should be for Republicans “to stop foisting this ‘Big Lie’ that the election was stolen.”
“That’s why we’re seeing this, that’s why we’re seeing an armed guy outside of voter booths,” said Franken, because of the many Republicans who were saying the 2020 election was stolen — including some GOP candidates running for secretary of state positions. “That’s the threat. And you need to say that. You need to say the election wasn’t stolen.”
After a few seconds of silence, Acosta piped up. “Scott, do you want to reply to that?”
“Yeah, sure,” said Jennings, noting that he was “long on the record” as opposing the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Unlike a number of Republican elected officials and candidates who have ducked the issue in their TV hits, Jennings didn’t hesitate to expressly state, “I don’t believe the election was stolen. I believe Joe Biden won the election.”
Still, Franken pressed, there were “an amazing number” of Republican candidates who were saying the election was stolen, and that was “dangerous, if we’re electing people, especially to administer our elections” who were “spouting the Big Lie.”
The view that the election was stolen was a “widespread belief,” said Jennings. “It’s not a correct belief, but it is a widespread belief.”
Franken wanted to know if Jennings were in Arizona whether he would vote for Kari Lake for governor, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate who is an election denier. Jennings sidestepped the question to address a video clip that Acosta had just played but the issue came up again a few minutes later.
“I want to ask Scott again,” said Franken. “Would you vote for her? Would you vote for someone for governor who denied that the election was legitimate? It’s a simple question!”
“Scott?” Acosta nudged him to reply.
“Yeah, I generally vote Republican, when I cast my ballot,” Jennings replied. “I’m not an Arizona voter, but I generally vote Republican.” He then asked Franken if he would vote for Stacey Abrams, the Democrat challenging Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) in Georiga.
“She denied that she lost her election,” Jennings pointed out.
“Not in the same way,” said Franken. “She didn’t say it was a rigged election. She said that as secretary of state –”
“She did!” Jennings interjected with a laugh.
“No,” Franken insisted, there was a “distinction,” and Abrams had criticized Kemp in his previous role as secretary of state for using “a lot of different ways in which to prevent people from voting, that’s a very different thing than saying that the election was stolen in the way that so many candidates have across the country.”
“They are all saying that [the election] was a fraud, and you now for sure that it wasn’t,” said Franken. “And yet you would still vote for them?”
The panel then discussed the Democrats’ messaging strategy, and Jennings dropped a reference to Franken’s Stuart Smalley character on SNL, who was well known for repeating his personal mantra, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”
Republicans “have an advantage in this election,” said Jennings, “because they’re running on the issues that all the polls tell us the most people care about: inflation, economy, crime.” The Democrats, by contrast, were “fishing off the wrong pier” by “making their entire bet” on abortion, which was not as important to voters.
“I can read a poll,” said Jennings, “and right now what I’m seeing in the polls is that voters don’t think that the Democrats are good enough or smart enough and doggone it, they just don’t like them. I mean, that’s the bottom line.”
Acosta and Franken both grinned as they recognized Jennings’ Smalley reference.
“I don’t know what that’s a reference to,” Franken deadpanned. He thanked Jennings for the “shout out for Stuart Smalley” and then the two debated back and forth a bit over whether the Republicans were indeed threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare before Acosta thanked them both and wrapped the segment.
Later during the hour, Acosta commented that his staff had fact checked the segment and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “did say that if Republicans win control of the house, the GOP may use raising the debt limit as leverage to force spending cuts. That could include Social Security and Medicare.”
Watch the video clips above, via CNN.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
For more latest TV News Click Here