If you watch and listen long enough, you might hear the truth even on an establishment media network.
On Tuesday in New Hampshire, Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota told CNN that the Democrats have it wrong when it comes to former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
“My party is completely delusional right now,” Phillips said.
At first glance, one might approach the congressman’s comments with skepticism. After all, he has immediate political ambitions.
Last summer, Phillips began sounding the alarm on President Joe Biden’s unpopularity and even suggested alternative candidates.
Then, in late October, he announced that he would challenge Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Last week, Phillips exposed his own party’s anti-democratic hypocrisy, including primary-rigging shenanigans designed to protect Biden from competition.
Thus, one might interpret Phillips’ comments as the sort of anti-establishment posturing in which political challengers often engage.
Nonetheless, Phillips said things about the GOP front-runner and especially Trump’s supporters that CNN’s few remaining viewers seldom hear.
In an admission that must have raised liberals’ eyebrows, Phillips began by revealing he attended a recent Trump rally.
“I saw the line of people waiting in the cold for hours. And I thought, ‘What the heck?’” the congressman said.
Surely he encountered bigotry and fascism, right?
“Met probably 50 Trump people waiting in line — every single one of them thoughtful, hospitable, friendly — all of them so frustrated that they feel nobody’s listening to them but Donald Trump,” Phillips said.
OK, but then he encountered a bunch of white nationalists, too, right?
“A diverse crowd — people who had never been to a Trump event before,” the congressman continued.
Then came the “completely delusional” comment, which fits the Democratic Party now more than ever.
One can only imagine how CNN viewers reacted to such kind words about Trump supporters.
Have you been to a Trump rally?
After all, establishment media audiences have come to expect denigrating comments that depict the former president’s voters as hayseeds and terrorists.
Phillips, on the other hand, has seen the phenomenon up close. And he told the truth about it on CNN. So he deserves credit for that.
Furthermore, the latest polls show Trump leading Biden by nearly 3 percentage points in a presumed head-to-head presidential election match-up in November.
Thus, Phillips also showed clear-eyed judgment about the electorate’s present mood.
