Last weeks, we mentioned the dual appearance of Katie Hobbs and Kari Lake, the Democrat and Republican, respectively, running to be the next governor of Arizona, on CBS’s “Face The Nation.” We guess CNN liked the idea, so here we are again with dueling appearances with Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” (Full interview below.)
First up was Lake, who began with some fearmongering lies about immigration, which Bash attempted to correct.
BASH: Well, DHS says that less than one percent of migrants encountered at the border have a criminal record. […]
LAKE: Dana, I’m going to have to disagree with you on that figure you just put out. We have a million got-aways. […] We have people with raps — with a rape record. You name it, we have got hardened criminals coming in. So, we can’t…
BASH: Well, let me say — let me just tell you that this stat that I just cited comes from the Department of Homeland Security, less than one percent of migrants.
Why stop at a million when you’re making up fictional “got-aways?” Why not 100 million? How about we have 330 million “got-aways” and they’ve all replaced us already? Were the real “got-aways”inside us all along? It’s like “Westworld,” but less confusing.
Bash then asked about Lake’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election and to cite actual evidence. Lake made her case.
LAKE: Well, there’s plenty of evidence. We had 740,000 ballots with no chain of custody. Those ballots shouldn’t have been counted. We had election laws …
BASH: Where is the evidence of that?
LAKE: Dana, there’s plenty of evidence. You can find it. Well, I can — I can — I’m happy to send it to your team.
The problem is, the media won’t cover it and there…BASH: We covered this extensively, and what you just said has been debunked.
LAKE: Only one side of it, Dana.
Did we say “made her case?” We meant spewed the same lies, failed to cite proof and then got mad her unproven lies aren’t accepted as facts like they do at MAGA rallies.
Lake followed this up by trying to use whataboutism about Democrats not trusting elections in 2000, 2004 and 2016. While we could detail why each of those cases is not the same as what Republicans have been doing, Bash summarized one of the huge differences between those instances and 2020.
BASH: But I want to say, in 2000, Al Gore conceded. In 2004, John Kerry receded — conceded. In 2016, Hillary Clinton conceded. And we didn’t see that in 2020. That’s the difference.
That and none of those previous instances led to an insurrection. Seems like a huge difference, honestly. The interview did not get better for Lake.
It’s only fitting that Kari Lake’s parting words on this non-debate debate segment were her pulling the Trump move of saying “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result,” setting up her future denial of election results, bogus fraud claims and chaos in the event she loses.
Following Lake’s finely filmed and immaculate lighted lies, it was her opponent Katie Hobbs’s turn to talk to Dana Bash. And while most of the questions and answers were standard fare, one criticism of Hobbs seemed especially ridiculous:
BASH: She [Kari Lake] just came and sat down with me and answered my questions for a lot of minutes.
Did she, though? Because most of the time she was given was used lying and dodging. Just because a journalist asks questions and the other person makes vague auditory noises while moving their lips, doesn’t mean that they “answered your question.” Ask Jon Stewart.
Bash then tried to question Hobbs’s commitment or courage to face Lake, but Hobbs answered masterfully.
BASH: If you think she’s as dangerous as you’re saying to democracy, is it your responsibility as a candidate who wants to run Arizona to show and explain who their alternative is?
HOBBS: That is exactly what I’m doing right now. And there is a lot more ability to have a conversation with you without her interruptions and shouting to do that. And, yes, she did sit down with you. She’s refused to do that with any legitimate reporter in the state of Arizona and take her case directly to the voters. She’s only interested in creating a spectacle. And I guarantee you, people that are struggling in Arizona right now are not making their decisions about whether — whether — over whether or not there was a debate between myself and Kari Lake. They’re going to make their decision based on the person who understands their struggle and has real solutions to try to fix that struggle.
Hobbs is correct in that there is no point in going on a debate stage with a clown looking for media attention. This has been proven time and again, whether it’s the numerous Trump “debates” during both his presidential campaigns, Saturday night’s debate with Herschel Walker, or Sunday night’s brave debate from January 6 “victim” Marjorie Taylor Greene.
As Mark Twain once said: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
Have a week.
Wonkette is fully funded by readers like you! Please hit the donate and subscribe buttons below to keep us moving!
