CNN’s Van Jones: ‘Another Network’ Is ‘Freaking Out’ Over Bernie Sanders’ Victory In Nevada
With approximately 49 percent of precincts reporting, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has been declared the winner of the 2020 Nevada Democratic caucuses, according to Politico. With over 46 percent of the vote, Sanders is untouchable in the Silver State, with his closest competitor, former Vice President Joe Biden, stuck at around 19 percent.
Sanders’ unfolding Nevada victory appears to have upset some in the Democratic Party establishment and its orbit. CNN‘s Van Jones took note of this during a segment on Saturday, according to Mediaite. Discussing the Vermont senator’s strong performance in Nevada, Jones pointed to a rival network, observing that it is “freaking out” over how the Democratic Party primary race is playing out.
“The establishment is upset and there is another station, another channel, and another few things going on tonight where people are freaking out and melting down all across the country, or at least, all over the airwaves.”
Jones also offered an explanation as to why Sanders is winning so convincingly. As he pointed out in a Twitter post — accompanied with a video of his statements made on CNN — the Vermont senator has managed to create a formidable and diverse coalition of voters, with Latinos carrying him to victory in Nevada.
As Mediaite notes, Jones was almost certainly referring to MSNBC, where there was a “flood of anti-Sanders commentary.” Notably, Democratic strategist James Carville and veteran anchor Chris Matthews scrambled to explain why Sanders is winning, blasting and attacking the senator throughout the day.
We haven't talked enough about how Latinx voters are showing up with and for @BernieSanders.
Other politicians need to follow Sanders' lead. Bernie's put real work in over a long period of time, and he was rewarded for that tonight. #NevadaCaucuses @CNN pic.twitter.com/GuB2LR3QRx
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) February 23, 2020
Perhaps the most grotesque comments on MSNBC were made by Matthews, who went as far as comparing what is happening in Nevada to Nazi Germany’s invasion of France in World War II, after suggesting — without evidence — that President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have devastating “oppo research” on Sanders.
“I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940, and the general, Renault, calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over.’ And Churchill says ‘How can it be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over,'” Matthews said.
Matthews’ comments were widely condemned, with members of the Sanders campaign pointing out that the senator is Jewish and that his family was wiped out in the Holocaust. Parker Molloy, editor-at-large of watchdog group Media Matters for America, described the anchor’s remarks as “unacceptable,” calling on him to retire or resign.
Chris Matthews compares Sanders winning in Nevada to the German invasion of France – does he not have loved ones to tell him how this sounds? Are there no executives at NBC left with any sense? https://t.co/l7MQHPt3x6
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) February 23, 2020
MSNBC has drawn similar comparisons in the past, with host Chuck Todd recently quoting an op-ed that compares Sanders’ supporters to Nazi brown shirts.
