Fox News host Neil Cavuto and Republican Congressman Jim Jordan had an exchange on Friday that revealed how some members of the media seem to take Democrat talking points to heart more than they should.
And that member of the media in this case would be the anti-Trump Cavuto.
Cavuto Asks Jordan About Trump And USPS
Cavuto asked Jordan, “What did you make of what the Postmaster General was saying on the whole mail-in ballot issue. He says ‘Because I think the American public should be able to vote by mail.’ He says ‘we’ll deploy processes and procedures that advance any election mail, in some cases first class mail.”
“Do you think that adequately addresses the concerns some Democrats had and many in your own party, that he was sent there by the president to make that next to impossible?” Cavuto questioned.
Jordan replied, “Well the real concern is when you go with live ballots sent out to everyone as some states are doing that haven’t done this before. You need no better example than the sponsor of today’s legislation. The Chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, Carolyn Maloney, her election was on June 23rd but it took six weeks to determine who the winner was.”
“So that’s the concern the president has,” Jordan continued. “That’s the concern I have. That’s the concern I think lots of Americans have.”
“This is not about the postal service,” Jordan added. “This is about politics.”
Remember When Obama Removed 12,000
Mail Collection BoxesAnd #FakeNews
Had A Meltdown⁉️Neither Do I
Patriot @Jim_Jordan "Educates" Cavuto #MailInVoterFraud pic.twitter.com/VtQbf7uyBP
— Dr. Marty Fox 🇺🇸 (@DrMartyFox) August 22, 2020
Cavuto and Jordan further discussed the mail-in ballot issue, but Cavuto kept circling around and pressing the GOP congressman on the same Democratic talking point – that President Trump was somehow trying to sabotage the election by manipulating the postal service.
Cavuto Asks Again
Cavuto said, “Nevertheless Congressman, the president did say earlier this week that he opposed election aid for states and an emergency bailout for the postal service, citing among other things that it might restrict many Americans of their ability to vote by mail. but he also said that voting by mail, has repeatedly made the claim that mail-in ballots can lead to widespread fraud.”
“So do you believe this is as much about his trying to stymie the process than enhance it?”
“No, I think this is the Democrats playing politics,” Jordan replied, repeating himself, since apparently Cavuto didn’t take the hint the first time.
Jordan continued, “Neil, ask yourself this question and your viewers: Why are we voting on the bill today but not having the hearing on the legislation and hearing from the postmaster general until Monday? Normally it’s the other way around. Normally you want to get all the information from the person in charge, the Postmaster General.”
Jordan then went down the list of empty Democratic attacks on President Trump.
“First it was the Russia investigation,” Jordan said. “The first big committee hearing, this Congress? Michael Cohen, then he came in and lied seven times. Then it was the fake Ukraine impeachment.”
“Now this is just the latest effort of the Democrats to go after the president,” Jordan finished.
.@Jim_Jordan on today's House vote over USPS funding pic.twitter.com/TJ2X28BFeU
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) August 22, 2020
Cavuto Asks A Third Time
But Cavuto wasn’t finished.
The Fox news anchor pressed forward, “I understand where you’re coming from Congressman, but if you’re the President of the United States and you’ve long expressed reservations about an overwhelmed system dealing with what could be 100 million mail-in ballots. Do you think he would welcome cutting financing for the post office to make that next to impossible?”
“Of course not,” Jordan replied.
Cavuto added, “That’s what Democrats are charging. Is that not odd to you? Is it not odd?”
“It’s not true,” Jordan shot back. “No, it’s like so many things the Democrats have said. It’s not true.”
“I’ll tell you what is a concern,” Jordan said. “Do you really think if you mailed a ballot to every single voter 150 million ballots, do you really think we’d know the outcome and have all those ballots counted on election night? ”
And A Fourth Time…
But Cavuto STILL wasn’t done. So he rephrased the question.
To ask it a fourth time.
“No, I understand and maybe I wasn’t clear on my question, Congressman,” Cavuto said. “But the timing of cutting aid would actually fit in with that notion that it’s going to overwhelm the system, that we will, ahead of time, make things more difficult. That’s what Democrats are going to argue because of the coincidental timing.”
President @realDonaldTrump: Universal mail-in ballots will be an absolute disaster pic.twitter.com/Bj7KvxzLxq
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) August 21, 2020
RELATED: Chris Wallace Suggests Trump May Have A Point About Mail-In Voting Fraud
Jordan was having none of it.
“But we aren’t cutting aid,” Jordan said. “The CARES Act that we passed clearly back in March, the first big stimulus to deal with the coronavirus situation had a $10 billion line of credit. They got $14 billion they’re sitting on and they are, as I said earlier, actually bringing in more money now than they were at this point last year.”
“So it’s just not based in reality, the Democrats’ claims,” Jordan finished.
Why Was Cavuto So Hung Up On This?
Cavuto’s question to Jordan was a fair one, even if the charge isn’t true, because it is in the news and part of our current national discussion.
But to ask the same question four times? Because maybe Cavuto didn’t like the answers he was getting?
And is it a journalist’s job to get the right answers – the truth – or only the kind of answers he or she likes?
Neil Cavuto should strive to be more fair and balanced.