Giddy CNN Swoons Democrats Are Giving ‘Testier’ Gorsuch ‘A Run for His Money

Newsbusters.org ^ | March 21, 2017 | Curtis Houk

[Kaslin]

During the second break in day two of Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing Tuesday afternoon, CNN detected some wind in their sails as they swooned and congratulated their Democratic allies for supposedly giving the “testy” Gorsuch “a little bit more of a run for his money.”

CNN found nothing to object to in the first break around lunchtime, so it was inevitable that they would concoct some sort of liberal spin to give Senate Democrats a boost.

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/giddy-cnn-swoons-democrats-are-giving-testier-gorsuch-run-his-money

CNN Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic could barely contain her enthusiasm, gleefully hyping that Gorsuch was “getting a little testier” and praised “Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, and Klobuchar” (all Democrats, of course) for “mixing it up” with Gorsuch.

“He seemed defensive about a couple of things. He did just fine, but you could feel that it was no longer — he was sweating on a couple points they were raising because they were able to come back with further questions,” Biskupic proclaimed as if she were taking her cues from Chuck Schumer.

Ignoring the fact that liberal groups circled the wagons and ginned up the base for Merrick Garland and Justices Kagan and Sotomayor, Biskupic touted Whitehouse’s backroom vision of groups supporting Gorsuch as shady:

For example, Senator Whitehouse made the point that you keeping saying that you’re completely divorced from politics. He made the point about various interest groups that are supporting million dollar campaigns. You know, for better or worse, I mean, this is all standard stuff, in many — many nomination battles. 

“But it's the kind of thing he really didn't want to answer, he didn’t want to be pressed on certain precedent and I think that these Democrats, for this second round, gave him a little bit more of a run for his money,” she concluded.

Chief political analyst Gloria Borger took a similar line, giving kudos to Democratic Senator Dick Durbin (Ill.):

I think he got, you know, a little testy with Senator Durbin on the gender bias issue because there was a question of whether in teaching a class, he had raised the issue of maternity leave in the wrong way and he got really testy when Durbin seemed to be impugning him on that particular issue and you got to see the other side of the sort of Jimmy Stewart-like judge and I don't think that hurt him at all, by the way...I think he came out of that exchange just fine but it was a very kind of human moment because it was very clear that Durbin wanted to get under his skin to a degree and he did.  

What’s particularly rich about all this was how, surprisingly, chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin didn’t engage in this chicanery. Toobin spoke first to Wolf Blitzer when the break began, observing that Gorsuch is “doing well” and “knows more constitutional law than anyone who’s asking him these questions.”

“There have been some interesting exchanges. I just think he’s — obviously — he's got some charm. He’s got a lot of intelligence and he's doing fine,” Toobin added.

Here’s the relevant portions of the transcript from the second break in the Gorsuch hearing on March 21:

CNN Newsroom March 21, 2017 3:22 p.m. Eastern

JEFFREY TOOBIN: He's doing well. He knows more constitutional law than anyone who’s asking him these questions. I think, picture, you have to think there are 52 Republican senators here. Is there anything that would cost him the support of any of those Republican senators? Not even close. There have been some interesting exchanges. I just think he’s — obviously — he's got some charm. He’s got a lot of intelligence and he's doing fine.

WOLF BLITZER: And the American Bar Association says he's qualified. He clearly is showing that qualification —

TOOBIN: Highly. They said he's highly qualified.

BLITZER: — highly qualified. Joan, how do you think he’s doing?

JOAN BISKUPIC: Well, I think it's getting a little testier. I don’t think he’s risking anything, but certainly questioning under Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, and Klobuchar, you know, he was mixing it up. He seemed defensive about a couple of things. He did just fine, but you could feel that it was no longer — he was sweating on a couple points they were raising because they were able to come back with further questions. For example, Senator Whitehouse made the point that you keeping saying that you’re completely divorced from politics. He made the point about various interest groups that are supporting million dollar campaigns. You know, for better or worse, I mean, this is all standard stuff, in many — many nomination battles. But it's the kind of thing he really didn't want to answer, he didn’t want to be pressed on certain precedent and I think that these Democrats, for this second round, gave him a little bit more of a run for his money.

(....)

3:25 p.m. Eastern

GLORIA BORGER: I think he got, you know, a little testy with Senator Durbin on the gender bias issue because there was a question of whether in teaching a class, he had raised the issue of maternity leave in the wrong way and he got really testy when Durbin seemed to be impugning him on that particular issue and you got to see the other side of the sort of Jimmy Stewart-like judge and I don't think that hurt him at all, by the way.

BLITZER: I think he came out of that exchange fine.

BORGER: I think he came out of that exchange just fine but it was a very kind of human moment because it was very clear that Durbin wanted to get under his skin to a degree and he did.

[I want the USA back]

It’s all going to fail, and the dems will get desperate. That’s when they pay someone to lie about Gorsuch. Will it be coke bottles?

[MeganC]

The Dems are getting desperate. Look for them to have some sort of unified talking points tomorrow that call Gorsuch “extreme” or “racist” and then they’ll all ask questions loaded with their buzzwords of the day.

[taxcontrol]

Oh please. Dems in an echo chamber think they are making “points” and think they are better at “the game”. Real Americans like what they are hearing from Gorsuch.

[TexasFreeper2009]

please please please... liberals... piss Gorsuch off :) then he can spend his entire life getting even while on the bench :P

[Kaslin]

They are getting very desperate.

[CMailBag]

They should have never put TV cameras in the hearings.

It is just an opportunity for gasbag Democrats to grandstand.

[RightGeek]

Show us your bitch face!

[RoosterRedux]

I caught only a moment of the Durbin inquisition. I thought Gorsuch was going to hold Durbin in contempt and then give him a bitch slap he would never forget.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Is there ANY doubt what CNN stands for..or what they have always stood for..The Commie News Network has always fitted them perfectly..nothing but a bunch of Jew Hating Commie LEFTISTS..Gorsuch was BRILLIANT today he made the Dems look like the fools we all know they are

[Terry Mross]

I’d get real testy. I’d say “Is you calling me a racist worse than me calling you a moth.. f...er? Or a sh.t eater? ‘Cause I’ve heard those things about you democrats.”

[tiki]

“Testy” Talking point of the day. Let’s see if it makes the written stories.

[sappy]

all i saw was a one sided a$$ whoopin from Gorsuch to the scumbag leftists feigning concern for the American public.

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

While they may be ‘giddy,’ soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch has slapped them around pretty good. That is especially true of Al Franken.

[House Atreides]

CNN is absolutely delusional. I’ve been home sick in bed today and watched almost all of the questioning live on Fox. The ‘RATS were unable to lay a glove on Gorsuch and he was completely unflappable and was very impressive. He was well prepared for everything.

[Baynative]

[PittsburghAfterDark]

I, unfortunately, saw Leaky Leahy do some questioning.

The guy is so mentally out to lunch it’s scary his state keeps electing him.

I don’t mean looney tunes on his views, he’s always been that. I mean when I go have Sunday brunch with my dad in a retirement community we are sometimes seated with other residents whose faculties are not all there. They’re nice but... just not there.

Leahy is just not there anymore.

[adorno]

Gorsuch getting “testy”?

Just like Trump got testy in the final weeks of the campaign? He was going to lose, and Hillary was a sure thing.

Trump lost, BIGLY!

But, what he lost is a trip back to being “just Trump, the real-estate magnate”.

Hillary won, a trip back to irrelevance.

Gorsuch is a certainty for the SCOIUS, and democrats want to create the slightest bit of “hope” they can imagine from the hearings. Someone should create a trophy or plaque for liberal losers, just so they don’t go to bed with their feeling hurt.

[Reily]

Remember the also elect Sanders and he might be the “sane one!”.

[samantha]

If I had a name that sounds like a tooth,or a cat barfing a fur ball, I would keep a low profile.