CNN Guest Bruce Bartlett Calls Republican Voters 'Brain Dead,' Gets Little Pushback From Host

When one watches CNN one should expect to be treated to an oversized portion of anti-President Donald Trump rhetoric, but some things cross the line.

Bruce Bartlett, an author, historian and frequent CNN guest, but mainly an anti-Trumper, did exactly that on Tuesday.

He appeared on “CNN Newsroom” with host Ana Cabrera to talk about why the sky is falling this time over the president’s call with the Ukrainian president.

But he sounded more like a kid having a tantrum and before the interview was done he called all Republican voters “brain dead” with scarce pushback from the host.

Rush Transcript:

CABRERA: It seems like in this White House at least the facts don’t matter. Shout and deny until people believe what you’re saying and I talk about his believers listen to him.

You worked in the White House for Ronald Reagan, what would the consequence be for putting out a statement with any sort of factual error?

BARTLETT: Oh, it would be a firing offense. Absolutely. I mean, it astonishing me, I’ll see statements come out of the White House, suppressed statements that have ridiculous misspellings and typographical errors. I mean there was a large staff of people in the White House whose only job was proofreading and editing and fact-checking.

I don’t think they employ any of those people any longer or if they do they’re completely incompetent and there are apparently no consequences for doing things that embarrass the president because he does the same things to himself and he’s not embarrassed by them. So I’m, you know, gobsmacked.

CABRERA: How do you explain these two different worlds that you describe in terms of what was and what is now?

BARTLETT: Well, I think there’s been a great sorting in our political system. The party of Trump has become the party of stupidity and ignorance and corruption.

And the people who are in the bubble don’t know they’re in the bubble any more than a goldfish knows that it’s in a bowl.

They get all of their information from approved right wing Republican sources and they explain everything away just the way you did in your report where they just, you know, one day we didn’t do it.

The next day we did it but it was okay and then the next day it was a brilliant strategy, you know, that everybody should have been following.

It’s just constant deception that is so regular that people can’t keep track of it, you know. I mean, “The Washington Post’s” lists of Trump’s lies is up over I think 13,000 so —

CABRERA: As we move to this next phase of the impeachment inquiry and we hear public testimony from these witnesses, I mean, you see those three on your screen, Bill Taylor, George Kent and Marie Yovanovitch among those who will testify this week.

Do you think these public hearings will move the needle or change people’s perspectives?

BARLETT: I’m hopeful but not optimistic. What are they going to say that we don’t already know really? And none of these things, none of these facts that have come out already have had any impact.

I think the Republicans will just disseminate, lie and make up things and unfortunately their brain dead followers will go along with it.

CABRERA: Well, I have faith in the American people and hopefully the truth will prevail, Bruce, thank you very much for joining us.