Scott Jennings - Sore Winner
CNN's star Republican strategist, Scott Jennings, is having quite a year.
I will admit that I’m fascinated by Scott Jennings. His rise to prominence among the MAGA crowd is something to behold. Maybe it’s because he’s defending Trump while working at CNN, which MAGA (unfairly, in my view) equates with MSNBC. He’s the opposite of the so-called “FOX News Liberal,” a role that used to be occupied by folks like Bob Beckel (RIP), Alan Colmes (RIP), Geraldo Rivera, and Juan Williams.
Jennings is not the only Republican that appears on CNN, but he’s certainly the most frequently called upon Republican to give his takes on the news of the day. In particular, he’s gone viral many times for his appearances on CNN’s weeknight 10pm show, “News Night with Abby Phillip.” The show has produced a lot of viral moments, particularly arguments between guests, but perhaps none have been received quite like Jennings’ various “own the libs” moments. There’s plenty to choose from, and a MAGA YouTube account has a video compilation to back that up:
He’s not just some MAGA crackpot, though. Jennings is an accomplished political communications professional, who helped start a PR firm called “RunSwitch.” He worked on George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 Presidential campaigns, and he is a longtime advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell. He’s taught at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, as well as Tufts University. His words can be found in various places like CNN.com, the LA Times, USA Today, and the Louisville Courier-Journal. 1
In my opinion, Jennings is a master political communicator. When tasked with defending things that are objectively absurd, there is really no one else you’d rather have on your side. For example, when asked if we were facing a constitutional crisis, due to President Trump’s more controversial executive orders, Jennings went on the offensive, and blamed the judges:
Or, consider the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the illegal immigrant who was deported in error to El Salvador by the Trump administration. Ultimately, this case ended up in front of the Supreme Court, which ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of Mr. Garcia.
It’s a black and white issue regarding the status of Mr. Garcia. He was wrongly deported, and the administration has been ordered to fix it. Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean he cannot be deported again, once returned to the US, it just means he cannot be deported, specifically, to El Salvador, due to a previous ruling granting him a status called “withholding of removal.” 2
Jennings’ strategy to respond to this story, has been to shift the argument away from the actions of the Trump administration. Routinely, he will say that the real issue here, is that Democrats are bending over backwards to bring back a man who was in the country illegally, and possibly aligned with a criminal gang, MS-13.
Is it dishonest? Maybe a little bit. Certainly, it’s a great deflection tactic.
Recently, Jennings revealed he’s written a book, titled: “A Revolution of Common Sense - How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization.” 3 Due to release in December of this year, Jennings’ book has already been touted by President Trump, and is destined to become a New York Times bestseller.
During a recent Trump rally in Warren, Michigan, highlighting Trump’s first 100 days back in office, Jennings was there covering the event for CNN. After rambling about how much he loves Jennings, President Trump called him up on stage, and asked him to deliver a few remarks:
“Michigan, we were flying in here today…. and I said, look at these farms. I gotta get a farm in Michigan because when you own as many libs as I do, you gotta get a place to put them all. Thank you all very much!” - Scott Jennings 4
If that wasn’t enough, there are rumors that Jennings is considering the possibility of running for Mitch McConnell’s soon to be vacant Senate seat. For a man who began his journey into politics as a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville, studying political science, surely, this would be the opportunity of a lifetime.
With the political winds at his back, Jennings has been speaking with a level of confidence that borders on arrogance. And who could blame him? He’s got it all going for him right now. Here are a few of his recent posts that demonstrate what I mean:
While Jennings “owns the libs” and rhetorically shakes his ass at anyone who dares to criticize President Trump, there is someone who, I believe, would be appalled at all of this.
That person is Scott Jennings, from 2016. That version of Scott Jennings penned an op-ed in USA Today titled: “Trump Would Grab More Power Than Obama.” 5
Here are some notable quotes from the article:
“At the core of Trump’s candidacy is a call for greater executive authority, with willful disregard for the constitutional limits placed on our chief executive. Trump specifically promises to force individual companies to do things he wants them to do, or else. He promises punishment to those who displease him, which appeals to the miserable man at the airport bar.”
“Trump previously threatened to slap a 35% tariff on Ford vehicles manufactured in Mexico as punishment for not following his orders. Never mind that Ford invests heavily in the United States already or that the president has no constitutional authority to single out any company for taxation.”
“News coverage simply explaining Trump’s support as ‘angry voters’ misses this critical point. Republicans must not abandon the notion of a restrained presidency in favor of a rampaging executive unbound by facts or the Constitution.”
“The rise of an authoritarian figure like Trump should be anathema to the angry tea partiers who gave us Paul and Cruz, who consider a president using the levers of taxation to punish their enemies a serious threat to our nation. Surely we haven’t forgotten Obama’s IRS targeting his political enemies.”
“Goodness knows Congress and the media establishment deserve our enmity. But the answer is not electing a president ignorant of the Constitution, his only guiding principle to tell the world “to go to hell.” Surely we are better than that. Conservatives, no matter how angry, should reject Trump’s short-term salve, which might kill the pain today but may lead to a more damaging infection tomorrow.”
But it’s not just the 2016 version of Scott Jennings.
There’s also the 2021 version of Scott Jennings, who was nearly brought to tears with rage, asking how he was supposed to explain the events of January 6th, 2021, to his children.
“He’s clearly violated his oath of office, to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution, to the best of my ability. And no one could with a straight face argue that he is preserving, protecting, or defending - and in fact it’s the opposite of defending it - it’s under attack. And so he’s certainly not doing any of that to the best of his ability, so if you wanted to strictly look at his oath, he’s violated it. You could probably make an argument he violated it this weekend when he called the Georgia Secretary of State….”
Better yet. Let’s look at what Jennings wrote for CNN.com from that same day:
“This is literally an insurrection. The fact that the US military hasn’t secured the seat of our government already is a failure of leadership by the commander in chief.
President Donald Trump caused this insurrection with his lies and conspiracy theories about the election process being rigged against him. It was not stolen, but this madness was fomented by the President and his top advisers over the past several months. His attorney Rudy Giuliani, at a rally on Wednesday, called for “trial by combat” to a roaring crowd.
Republicans supported Trump in the election. It is over. We lost. Now, all Republicans have a duty to support the republic and the Constitution by condemning this terrorism, rallying around the peaceful transfer of power and our constitutional institutions, and demanding all of the actions within the power of the President of the United States to restore order to our Capitol.
To anyone attacking the Capitol, you are no different than any violent Antifa rioter you claim to despise. Today, you are them.
I’m ashamed and embarrassed for our country, and for any Republican who fails to condemn this shameful behavior.” 6
Contrast those versions of Scott Jennings, with the one you see here, from just a few days ago.
How do you explain this?
Honestly, I dont know. I’m hesitant to accuse someone of being a bad person, particularly if I don’t know them. And to be fair, I’ve heard from a bunch of people that Jennings is a genuinely great guy. So I dont think that’s it.
Maybe this is just par for the course given the state of American politics. The Republican Party has been completely taken over by Donald Trump and his family. He’s dragged the party in directions that I never thought it would go in. I bet Jennings would tell you that very same thing.
When interrogated by fellow panelists on CNN, who ask Jennings about his previous views on President Trump and his actions on January 6th, the typical response from Jennings is: “we had 4 years of Biden…” or something similar.
In this clip, journalist and author Charles Blow actually reads Jennings’ own words (from the USA Today article I referred to earlier) back to him:
Jennings immediately pivots to Joe Biden, without answering Blow’s question.
At the heart of this issue, is that right now in our politics, it’s far more important to hate the other side, than to stand for anything yourself. The common thread that binds together the Trump coalition is a visceral hatred of Democrats, their policies, and anyone in the media who could be credibly accused of giving them favorable coverage.
I’m not accusing Jennings of hating Democrats. As far as I know, he has a great friendship with many, including fellow CNN commentator, and former Obama advisor, David Axelrod. The second to last episode of Axelrod’s fantastic podcast, “The Axe Files,” was a conversation with Jennings, where he goes deep into his upbringing, and how he came to be the man he is today. It’s a great listen, and I highly recommend it. Link below:
I will end this by saying that, despite what probably seems like harsh criticism, I actually like Scott Jennings. He’s quick-witted, sharp, and willing to throw down rhetorically with anyone. Being able to communicate effectively is, in my view, the most fundamental skill in life, let alone politics. Some people are so effective at communicating with others, that they are able to justify any action, defend any position, or espouse any viewpoint. Maybe it’s unfair to hold someone to things they’ve said in the past. Maybe it’s just a way of coping with the fact that someone has changed their beliefs, or values something other than cognitive consistency. Maybe I’m just jealous that Jennings is nominally on Trump’s side, rather than my own. Either way, I’m sure he’ll continue to have great success, and perhaps even win that Kentucky Senate seat.
https://www.scottjenningsky.com/about
https://www.marylandcriminallawyer-blog.com/withholding-of-removal-the-deportation-of-kilmar-abrego-garcia-and-the-difference-between-withholding-and-asylum/
https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-revolution-of-common-sense/id6745447991
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-scott-jennings-speaks-at-trump-rally-brags-about-owning-the-libs/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/03/22/trump-obama-power-grab-executive-overreach-column/81872558/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/opinions/trump-caused-capitol-hill-insurrection-jennings/