'Taste of their own medicine': Ex-GOP strategist tells Dems how to exploit speaker chaos

Amid all of the chaos as House Republicans fight with each other and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is bleeding support in his quest to become Speaker of the House, Democrats have a golden opportunity to step up and capitalize on their opponents' vulnerability.

That's the view of former Republican strategist turned Lincoln Project adviser Tara Setmayer, who elaborated on what Democrats need to do on Wednesday's edition of MSNBC's "The ReidOut."

"Tara, you worked on the Hill," said anchor Joy Reid. "Have you ever heard of a cable television host, Sean Hannity and his producers, personally lobbying for who should be speaker?"

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"No. This is all very new," said Setmayer. "This is all the era of Trumpism, where the entertainment, the political entertainment complex here seems to rule the day, not governing, not the Constitution, not what's in the interest of the American people. This is just further evidence of the influence that Fox News has had. And not in a good way. I just — back in the day when I was on the Hill, did we collaborate with Fox News producers on policy stories? Yes. Was there ever a campaign to threaten members of Congress over the speaker's vote? No. Because Republicans had it together back then. I mean, you have a couple rabble-rousers, but for the most part Republicans could govern. This is absolute insanity."

"The winner here just from a politically — political perspective, it's the Democrats," Setmayer continued. "Going into the election next year, they should use this chaos and they should use Jim Jordan as the villain the way that they used — we did back in the day, Nancy Pelosi and the way the Republicans now use the Squad. Associate every single member that voted for Jim Jordan, whether it was the first, second or third round or whatever they voted for him, if they cast a vote and clapped for Jim Jordan, you tie them together. And his extremism and loyalty to MAGA. That's the political, cynical side of thing. In the meantime, the country suffers because you have a major party that can't get its act together and we have the world on fire. So this is something I think that salespeople really should take a look at and make a decision is this the type of politics we want where you have members of congress threatening each other."

"By the way, welcome to our world," added Setmayer. "Never Trumpers like me and those outspoken against this MAGA scourge, we have gotten those types of threats for years to the point where when I used to work at another network, I used to have armed security guards escort me in and out of the building when I would go on air because of the level of threats I used to get for speaking the truth about Donald Trump and MAGA. So now they're getting a taste of their own medicine. Maybe, maybe now enough is enough. I don't know. What is it going to take?"

Watch the video below or at the link here.

Tara Setmayer tells Democrats how to exploit speaker chaoswww.youtube.com