President Joe Biden's reelection campaign has gotten desperate with the narratives it's using and the messengers it's trotting out to promote Democratic talking points. There's the Kennedys – surely meant to stick it to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. running as an Independent – plus Mitch Landrieu, and now, Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL). The Biden reelection campaign isn't giving up the grift any time soon.
Making the propaganda even more significant is that Pritzker was speaking to CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union," who is particularly favorable to Democrats.
Pritzker had just been in Michigan, the top battleground state to watch. Former and potentially future President Donald Trump leads by +3.3, according to RealClearPolling. RFK Jr. also just qualified for the ballot there, though Pritzker expressed it's "going to have little effect on the ultimate result."
Sidestepping the issue of pro-Hamas voters in the state, Pritzker launched into discussing Democrats' pet issue of abortion and how Biden is "standing up for working families," despite how the president is underwater on the economy and inflation, with Trump having a massive lead on that issue.
As Bash and Pritzker argued about whether the election is "a binary choice," Pritzker claimed, "I'm not suggesting there aren't other names on the ballot," before he did. Adding, "I'm suggesting simply that, when people go to the ballot box in November, they're going to see that there are really only two choices because it's throwing away your vote if you're a Democrat and you vote for someone else on the ballot other than Joe Biden."
He went on to browbeat people into voting for Biden. "And I believe that people will see that contrast of values that I'm talking about and understand that they have got to vote for Joe Biden if they want to make sure that the United States does not fall into the hands of someone who is, frankly, a sociopath, that has been indicted 91 times, and is someone who would take this country backward," he continued.
“When people go to the ballot box in November, they're going to see that there are really only two choices.”
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 21, 2024
Democratic @GovPritzker downplays RFK JR qualifying for the ballot in Michigan, telling @DanaBashCNN it will “have little effect on the ultimate result.” pic.twitter.com/BoOITG81Wg
Bash didn't offer any pushback. It was then that pro-Hamas voters were mentioned, as the DNC will take place in Chicago this August, just as it did in 1968. More recently, as Bash mentioned, protesters blocked the highway to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
"The divisions in your party over Gaza and other issues are really raw," Bash told Pritzker, putting it politely. "How worried are you that 2024 Chicago, that convention could look a lot like the infamous 1968 one, which, of course, overshadowed what happened inside?" she asked.
Pritzker ignored the question and launched into his pro-Biden talking points about the Israel-Hamas conflict. "Well, again, let's start with the stark contrast that people are going to be faced with and just understand that Joe Biden is fighting for peace in the Middle East, is fighting to end the hostilities between Israel and Gaza, and make sure that we're providing humanitarian aid there," he claimed.
Biden has been promoting and even prioritizing "humanitarian aid" to Gaza, despite how that aid has been taken over by Hamas and received by ungrateful residents.
"You can imagine the complexities that are faced by this administration in the Middle East with one of our most difficult enemies in Iran firing missiles at Israel and with the challenges that Russia is posing in the Middle East as well," he went on to say. Pritzker neglected to point out how these conflicts have taken place after Biden came into office. "So, when you think about the protests, it's Joe Biden that's standing for peace, and a lasting peace, at that, and it's the Republicans that, frankly, would stoke the flames of war in the Middle East," he claimed.
It's one thing for the administration to promote Biden visiting war zones, and to say he's doing an "A+" job on foreign policy, but Pritzker didn't back up his claims, and he didn't receive any pushback. Instead, he was allowed to defend how the protests and protesters were being handled.
"Look, we believe in free speech, and we're going to allow people to protest and say whatever it is they want to say. But the reality is, we're also going to make sure that people have ingress and egress and that they're safe in our state," Pritzker offered. Doubling down, he also spoke positively of the 1996 Chicago convention, he added, "I think we're going to see something more like that. And, of course, we in the Democratic Party, we support people's right to protest and have their voices heard."
The conversation then returned to abortion. What Pritzker did get right is that Biden's "talking about it virtually everywhere he goes." He then went on to spew lies unchecked. After promoting the pro-abortion Democratic Party, and claiming "that freedom [to abort one's child] is hugely important," he attacked Republicans using false narratives. "It's the Republicans that are trying to take away your right to IVF, that are trying to take away your right to contraception, your right to an abortion. It's Democrats that are standing up for those rights. And I think, again, that contrast is clear to people," Pritzker claimed.
Bash offered no pushback; she even changed topics, and to one which reminded viewers how much of a Democratic operative she conducts herself to be.
Polls show that Biden already has an edge on abortion. Democrats face little to no pushback on the issue; Bash had actually asked if Biden was being "aggressive enough on the issue" and asked Pritzker, "Do you want him to go even further?" Further, if "that contrast," even if it's a lie, is so "clear to people," why do they need to keep furthering it? Likely because they can, thanks to the pro-abortion media.
Earlier this month, Trump released a statement declaring support for IVF and states' rights on abortion. The Biden HQ X account reacted by taking his remarks out of context to claim otherwise and have lied and fearmongered nonstop. Both Biden HQ and Pritzker failed to point out that following the Alabama Supreme Court decision that raised concerns about access to IVF, Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed a bill protecting IVF.
Bash moved on by bringing up the Trump trials. "Biden is deliberately avoiding talking about Trump's legal issues on the trail because he doesn't want to play into the claims that he's orchestrating the political prosecution, which I guess I should say again that there's no evidence of," she offered. "But just as a political strategic matter, do you think ignoring it is a mistake, or should Biden be reminding voters at every turn that the Republican nominee is currently on--involved in a criminal trial?" she went on to ask.
Especially with regards to the current trial Trump is facing over hush money payments, it is a "political prosecution."
Trump was indicted by a grand jury in late March of last year and arraigned last April on 34 charges. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is charging Trump with felonies in the case when he could have brought charges as misdemeanors and using an untested legal theory after the statute of limitations expired. His predecessor, and even Bragg himself, declined to bring charges previously.
Polls have shown that the American people believe the charges, especially those brought by Bragg, are politicized. A poll from AP-NORC shows that just 35 percent of Americans believe Trump acted illegally in this case. Forty-four percent are not confident, including 30 percent who say they're "not at all confident" he'll be treated fairly by New York prosecutors.
The federal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith are also relevant. Back in April 2022, with that story recently gaining more attention, reporting from The New York Times highlighted how Biden "has said privately that he wanted Mr. Garland to act less like a ponderous judge and more like a prosecutor who is willing to take decisive action over the events of Jan. 6."
"Well, when your opponent is dropping in the polls, when your opponent is creating challenges for himself, you don't want to get in the way of that," Pritzker offered. Polls still show a rather close and competitive race, with still over six months to go. RealClearPolling also has Trump up +0.3 overall. Pritzker claimed Biden "is handling it perfectly," adding that "he is talking about Trump," though it's worth reminding he's doing so by repeating false and debunked narratives at length.
"He's just talking about all of the other things about Donald Trump. People aren't going to want him to be president of the United States for the next four years -- four years, because they saw what he did during the four years when he was president," Pritzker said. Polls also show voters feel more positively about Trump's presidency than Biden's.
"Again, Joe Biden is the one who's created millions and millions of jobs," Pritzker claimed, repeating a talking point that Biden and others have mentioned, despite how it's been fact-checked multiple times before.
.@GovPritzker tells @DanaBashCNN that President Biden is handling Trump’s legal issues “perfectly”: “He is talking about Trump. He's just talking about all of the other things about Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/VjA40OfgVR
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 21, 2024
To end the segment, Bash asked about a debate between Biden and Trump, asking, "Would you encourage Joe Biden to debate Donald Trump?"
"Look, I think we're used to having debates. There's no doubt," Pritzker responded, which isn't an answer. He then went on to complain about Trump, in that "I will say that whenever I look at Donald Trump's debating style, he lies and lies and lies. And it's so hard to respond to that in the middle of a debate." Perhaps as a way to justify the possibility of no debates, he also noted, "You only have 30 seconds or 60 seconds to respond. Do you talk about what you want to do for the future or do you respond to the lies that have come out of Donald Trump's mouth every minute?"
"So I'm concerned about that, just to be honest with you," he acknowledged, before going on to say, "But I also think that Joe Biden is a terrific debater. He understands the issues. Donald Trump doesn't read, doesn't understand any of these issues. And so he will just prevaricate the entire time, while Joe Biden is actually showing people a great future for the United States."
.@GovPritzker tells @DanaBashCNN that he’s “concerned” about President Biden having to fact-check Trump during a debate but adds that Biden “is a terrific debater” pic.twitter.com/nNmkZc0zyb
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 21, 2024
