Bream: Left in 'meltdown mode' over Kennedy's retirement
'Fox News @ Night' host Shannon Bream gives an inside look at Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement from the Supreme Court, the Left's panic and vow to block President Trump's handpicked 'conservative ideologues' to replace him. #Tucker
Media members and Hollywood are in crisis mode at the thought of President Trump selecting a Supreme Court justice who doesn’t align with their liberal agenda.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy’s not-so-shocking retirement announcement on Wednesday immediately disturbed the usual anti-Trump suspects. Kennedy -- whose votes have decided issues on abortion, affirmative action, gay rights and guns -- gives Trump an opportunity to tip the balance in the conservatives’ favor.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd tweeted that “summer is going to suck,” predicting a “full-fledged political circus.”
"Summer is going to suck."
“Will be interesting to see how some GOP senators rationalize the idea that it’s suddenly now ok to debate an open SCOTUS seat in an election year. They may fully pull that hypocrisy muscle,” Todd tweeted as critics were quick to remind him that this isn’t a “presidential” election year.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was so fired up that NewsBusters published a story headlined, “Behold, the BEST Moments from Chris Matthews’s Hour-Long SCOTUS Meltdown on ‘Hardball.’” The site’s managing editor, Curtis Houck, wrote that Matthews was “off his rocker” all day following Kennedy’s announcement and opened his show “with over two and a half minutes of sheer panic.”
Houck then listed Matthews’ most eccentric comments, such as declaring that “there are times to fight and this is one of them.” Matthews reminded viewers that Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell refused to meet with President Barack Obama’s court nominee and called for Democrats to flip the script.
“If the Democrats fail to stop him, there will be, I predict, a full-scale rebellion against the leaders."
“If the Democrats fail to stop him, there will be, I predict, a full-scale rebellion against the leaders,” Matthews said.
MSNBC stars are so upset that they’re even blaming Hillary Clinton for the situation.
“Morning Joe” namesake Joe Scarborough pointed out that celebrities on Twitter were calling it the ‘bleakest moment in their lives.'”
“When you elect presidents, this is what happens. And when Hillary Clinton didn’t visit Wisconsin and didn’t visit Michigan enough and when we saw a young woman yesterday with a campaign message that was more inspiring in three minutes than what Hillary Clinton gave us in two years,” said Scarborough, referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s shock victory over New York Rep. Joe Crowley in this week’s Democratic primary.
The fact is Hillary never had a message. She ran a horrible campaign,” Scarborough added.
CNN was slightly less distraught than its cable news rival, but a variety of the network’s hosts and correspondents expressed disgust. Don Lemon lectured viewers on why elections have consequences and Bakari Sellers even urged outgoing GOP Sen. Jeff Flake to show “testicular fortitude” and stand up to Trump.
President Trump will select the replacement for Justice Kennedy. (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Dozens of high-profile Hollywood stars have taken to social media with snide jokes and analysis since Kennedy’s announcement.
Michael Ian Black wrote that “Trump is disgusting and inhumane” after joking that everyone needs to “stock up on abortions now” while they’re legal. Comedian-turned-activist Chelsea Handler retweeted a former CNN reporter who wrote, “If @realDonaldTrump ever paid for your abortion, now would be a really good time to speak up.”
Pop icon Cher sent several vulgar, angry messages in all caps, urging followers to contact politicians to fight against Trump. At one point, she told followers to take the gloves off and fight or remain the “p-----s” they are.
“I remember going to the Holocaust memorial in DC and there is a section of letters alerting the US about concentration camps and violence early in the war and all were ignored. It’s so easy to ignore the suffering of others until it’s too late,” filmmaker Judd Apatow tweeted on Wednesday.
“Welcome to the ‘Handmaid’s Tale.’”
Author Stephen King chimed in, writing “Welcome to the ‘Handmaid’s Tale.’”
Anti-Trump star Kathy Griffin spent most of the day retweeting liberal messages, while comedian Whitney Cummings wrote, “Okay yes I love the Handmaids Tale -- that doesn’t mean I want to live in it.”
The anti-Trump tabloid New York Daily News unleashed its latest over-the-top front page, this time an illustration depicting Trump as a justice with the headline, We Are F*#%’d.”
ABC News correspondent Terry Morgan announced that America "is going to change profoundly” because of Kennedy’s decision.
Dan Rather, who once anchored the CBS “Evening News,” told his followers to “absorb the shock” and “respond with even more determination” if concerned about Trump’s replacement.
“If you see this as a fight for the future of democracy, let those in power know that the will of the majority can still hold sway,” he wrote.
ABC News’ “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg denounced any changes to the rights of American citizens before yelling, “Get out of my vagina!”
CBS’ “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert mocked Justice Kennedy, 81, for retiring.
The anti-Trump late night programs that used to focus on comedy were equally outraged. CBS’ “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert was particularly distraught, directing his anger at Kennedy for stepping down.
“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re only 81! You know what they say, they say 81 is the new 79. And don’t tell me your mind’s going. Because I’ve read Bush v. Gore and Citizens United, you never had one,” Colbert said. “Oh, we are supremely screwed.”
The official Twitter account of Comedy Central chimed in, sarcastically thanking Kennedy, so it should come as no surprise that “The Daily Show” had a strong reaction to the news.
Host Trevor Noah predicted that Trump will nominate someone who would “discriminate, dismantle abortion rights, and LGBTQ rights,” and “America is gonna change in a horrible direction.”
NBC’s Seth Meyers begged Kennedy to stick around “until we get a new president.”
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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