Before we get to our old friend Peggy Noonan’s appearance on Meet the Press, a tip of the hat to George Stephanopoulos on This Week for reminding us, if such reminders were necessary, that if you scratch a GOP “moderate” these days, you’ll find Stephen Miller. Case in point: New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who for years has been the darling of Sunday morning talk shows which were looking for straight-talking, sane Republicans who put country over party. But for all his talk about how Trump was a blight on the Republican Party and his insistence that Nikki Haley was the new face of the GOP, Sununu revealed himself on Sunday to be a spooked, mealy-mouthed, dissembling sycophant with the backbone of sorghum. He did everything but bark, roll over, and play dead at the mention of Trump’s name.
Here’s just a piece of the interview:
STEPHANOPOULOS: So just to sum up, you would support him for president even if he is convicted in classified documents. You would support him for president even though you believe he contributed to an insurrection. You would support him for president even though you believe he's lying about the last election. You would support him for president even if he's convicted in the Manhattan case. I just want to say, the answer to that is yes, correct?
SUNUNU: Yes, me and 51 percent of America.
Shameless doesn’t begin to characterize his performance.
Let us now slip the surly bonds of GOP politics, sort of, and head to a kinder, gentler subject — Peggy Noonan.
As only she can, Peg opined on Donald Trump’s trial in NYC, abortion, pornography, OJ, and America. She, as you would imagine, was pained when discussing the plight of us all.
And somewhat defensive.
HOST KRISTEN WELKER: You have written that bringing the charges against the former president in this case was, quote, "Below us as a country." What do you mean? What are you going to be watching for?
PEGGY NOONAN: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh because one dare not say “Oh My God” in this era of cancel culture, in this era where some — most? many? — question HIM/HER — ah pronouns — which may or may not be a thing, but let’s assume it is. I have not been on the show, for instance, as much as I used to be. Why? Have I been cancelled? A good question, if not a great one, if I say so myself. I feel, ah, triggered — that’s the, ah, word these days — of being replaced by others. I so thought the relationship worked for both of us, though.
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