Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Ex-CNN Analyst Nukes Democrats For Hypocritically Undermining Democracy

Screenshot/YouTube/Chris Cillizza

NewsNation political contributor Chris Cillizza raged against the Democratic Party on his YouTube channel Wednesday for their hypocrisy in claiming they are pro-democracy, while acting undemocratically.

Only 23 Democrats joined nearly all voting Republicans in denouncing Democratic Illinois Rep. Chuy García for effectively choosing his successor in a retirement scheme that critics have called a coronation. Cillizza suggested on his channel that Democrats have no credibility on the issue of democracy following the vote.

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“Democrats still don’t get that if you want to convince people that you’re the democracy, the pro-democracy party, you have to act like the pro-democracy party,” Cillizza said.

Cillizza noted that García announced his decision to not seek reelection after the filing deadline to run for his seat had passed, leaving his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, who entered the race hours before the cutoff date, the Democratic Party’s nominee by default. He commended Democratic Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for her resolution to condemn García, but criticized Democrats for voting against it and for taking action against Gluesenkamp Perez.

“This should have been a unanimous vote … Only 23 Democrats voted to rebuke Garcia, while 183 voted not to. This is ridiculous. Kudos to the 23 … this is appalling,” Cillizza said. “And it’s made worse by the fact that the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which Garcia is a member of both, sought to try to penalize Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for calling up this measure to rebuke Garcia. What?”

“They’re penalizing her, or trying to penalize her, because he clearly subverted the democratic process to basically hand off a House seat to his chief of staff … this is the stuff that makes people, including me, very skeptical when Democrats say, ‘We’re deeply committed to, we’re the pro-democracy party, and Republicans are the anti-democracy party,'” he added.

Cillizza said the 183 Democrats who voted against the resolution, Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus should all be ashamed of themselves.

“I think it undermines the 183 House Democrats who voted against rebuking Garcia. All of them have no leg to stand on to talk about democracy and how they’re the pro-democracy party because this is bull,” he said. “This is ridiculous. And the fact that the Hispanic Caucus and the Progressive Caucus tried to punish Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for doing the right thing … shows you how deep in they are.”

“Not only did people vote against it when they should have voted for it, but they also tried to hurt her for doing the right thing because that’s not what we do within the Democratic Party,” he added. “What? Isn’t the Democratic Party the one that’s been telling me about how democracy is at stake and they’re going to do anything and everything they can to protect it? Give me a break … shame on you 183 Democrats who voted against this. And shame on you Hispanic Caucus and Progressive Caucus for trying to punish one of your members for actually doing the right thing. Maddening.”

Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris both campaigned in 2024 against President Donald Trump supposedly threatening democracy. However, their party also faced backlash due to Harris becoming the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee despite receiving virtually no primary voter approval after Biden dropped out and endorsed her.