'We woke up in a body bag': Van Jones makes stunning admission about why Trump steamrolled the establishment



CNN talking head Van Jones spoke at length Friday to his former colleague Chris Cillizza about the American political class' failure to understand which way the wind is blowing and how it knocked them over on Nov. 5.

Jones, a former Obama adviser who had several weeks to get over his election-night despair, was particularly candid about how President-elect Donald Trump was able to electorally crush Kamala Harris and retake the White House, underscoring that Trump outsmarted his critics, particularly those in the media who "misread" his appeal and extra-political strategy.

After suggesting that the liberal political establishment is "all screwed up" and detached from the electorate and its wants and needs, Jones likened the media's predictions in the lead-up to the election to the ancient practice whereby a haruspex would read omens from animal entrails.

"There used to be a time back in the day that they would cut a pig open, and they would throw the pig entrails on the ground to try to read and divine the future, right. It would be like asking, 'Did you think that you misread the pig entrails?' Like we were so off," said Jones. "We weren't reading the actual electorate at all. For instance, we were using completely outdated terms and modes of analysis and concepts like 'swing voter,' 'moderate voter,' 'male voter,' 'female voter.' None of that stuff is what Donald Trump's team was focused on."

Whereas Kamala Harris ran a political campaign largely targeting Americans on the basis of immutable characteristics, Jones suggested that Trump alternatively ran a "masculinist cultural movement," drawing numerous subcultures — including UFC, "the health and wellness people," and the "crypto folks" — into a broader tent by engaging them, talking to them, and taking them seriously.

Cillizza later acknowledged that the coalition that formed around Trump had "a little something for a lot of different people."

Jones indicated that Democrats made matters worse for themselves by thinking in terms of left and right; by failing to understand that Trump was in some cases playing a vertical game, appealing across party lines to low-trust groups as opposed to those still trusting of liberal institutions.

'We look like idiots.'

"We woke up in body bag on Election Day and didn't even know it," continued Jones. "We thought that because CNN, NPR, New York Times, all of the mainstream media was pretty much beating the hell out of Donald Trump that Trump was getting the hell beat out of him. The mainstream media is actually now, by the numbers, the fringe."

Jones underscored that alternative media has far and away eclipsed legacy media such that it's not unheard of for CNN and Fox News to grossly underperform "a Twitch streamer you've never heard of."

"We got beat on platforms I've never heard of," continued Jones. "The problem you're going to have now is when Joe Rogan sits down with Donald Trump, 48 million people watch the YouTube of the podcast. The YouTube! We didn't have that many people watch the debate on CNN. So guys — get out of my face. We had the wrong analysis. We didn't even have the conceptual framework to understand what's happening to us."

'We got beat by something that we don't understand.'

Although Harris avoided interviews for much of her campaign, when she did field questions, it was primarily on friendly mainstream media networks. She only made two prominent podcast appearances and spiked another possible appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience." Trump, meanwhile, appeared on numerous podcasts, crushing Harris' outreach by even conservative estimates.

"We're playing a different game," said Jones.

Despite signaling agreement with Jones throughout, Cillizza still appeared confused about how Trump was able to pull it off, prompting Jones to once again criticize the mental framework prevalent in the liberal media: "'How can Donald Trump?' 'How can Donald Trump?' Guys, can we cut it out? Donald Trump is not an idiot."

While establishmentarians leaned hard into their characterization of Trump as a Hitlerian figure in recent months, many have suggested over the years that the Republican president was equipped with substandard mental faculties.

Council on Foreign Relations fellow Max Boot, for instance, suggested Trump was "too stupid to be president." Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly called Trump "stupid as well as being ill-tempered." California Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) similarly suggested Trump was "stupid" in her memoir. The New Republic tried combining both characterizations, calling Trump "an extremely dumb fascist."

"Let me just be very clear: Donald Trump is smarter than me, you, and all of the critics. You know how I know? Because he has the White House; the Senate; the House; the Supreme Court; the popular vote; he has a massive media system bigger than the mainstream built around him and for him; and a ... religious fervor in a political movement around him; and his best buddy is the richest person in the history of the world; and the most relevant Kennedy is with him," said Jones. "This dude is a phenomenon. He is the most powerful human on Earth and in our lifetime, and we're still staying, 'Well, how is this guy?' We look like idiots."

Jones stressed that the liberal establishment's failure to understand Trump "doesn't mean he's dumb. We don't understand it — that means we're dumb," adding, "We got beat by something that we don't understand."

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Chris Pratt's 'The Terminal List' is a massive hit with regular movie watchers — 'red-blooded Americans.' But critics? It's just not woke enough for them.



Chris Pratt's action-packed Amazon series “The Terminal List” — about a Navy SEAL commander on the hunt for those who took away people he cared about most — has proven a massive hit with "red-blooded Americans," as one reviewer concluded.

Indeed, Rotten Tomatoes shows a whopping 94% score for the series from your everyday audience members. But critics? Well, it's safe to say they don't hold that opinion. They give only a 38% score for "The Terminal List."

Why?

As with most things out in the culture these days, the crux of the dislike appears to emanate from a difference in politics.

For instance, the Daily Beast's headline shouts that the series is “an unhinged right-wing revenge fantasy." RogerEbert.com calls it an "alpha male cry for help." EW's assessment is that Pratt's "version of traumatized seriousness is all vacant stares and bicep rage." The Hollywood Reporter says the "target demo" watched the series in order to see "patriotically waving flags" and "substance-free military jargon."

Audience members haven't been swayed by the critics a bit, however. The following are but a few examples:

  • "The difference between the audience score vs critics score tells you everything you need to know about this series," one audience member wrote, adding that it "doesn't shove political correctness down your throat (which is what gets you high critics score)" and that "red-blooded Americans will love it. The silent majority will love it. Wokesters will hate it. Ten thumbs up from this guy."
  • Another audience member wrote, "DO NOT READ CRITICS['] reviews; it is clear they are biased against a show that only represents military life without wokeism in it."
  • "I have a simple rule," another audience member wrote. "If a show or movie makes good content without interjecting left-wing ideology and politics, I support it. I genuinely hope they make a season 2."
  • Another audience member opined, "The critics once again show how out of touch they are with the average American. They got it completely wrong, and it's been fantastic to see them called out for it. Their opinion mean less and less with each passing day."

The Terminal List - Official Trailer | Prime Video youtu.be

(H/T: The Daily Wire)

Dave Chappelle dares cancel-happy critics to prevent new theater at his alma mater from being named after him — with a creative, selfless twist



Dave Chappelle threw down the gauntlet against woke critics hell-bent on canceling him — and this time it was sparked by controversy over his old high school planning to name a new theater after him.

So the comedian challenged his naysayers to try to prevent the naming from happening — in a not-surprisingly creative and rather selfless fashion.

What are the details?

As you no doubt know by now, Chappelle has been the focus of a ton of far-left anger for the last few months over the release of his Netflix special "The Closer" — specifically due to content about transgender people.

"Gender is a fact," he said in one milder politically incorrect moment. "Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact."

For that, the left-wing mob has done its darnedest to shut down Chappelle: bullying, walkouts with lists of demands, resignations, an obligatory Alyssa Milano virtue signal, and even a Netflix data leak and a crashing of an executive meeting.

On top of all that, Chappelle ran into the wood chipper at his alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown, his old high school.

Chappelle — who's raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the school — was set to participate in a fundraiser for a new theater on campus to be named after him. But students weren't having it, refused to honor Chappelle, and considered a walkout.

While the school initially canceled the fundraiser, it later adjusted its stance and postponed the fundraiser until April while still going forward with plans to name the theater after Chappelle.

Surprise!

Then last week, Chappelle made a surprise appearance at the Duke Ellington school, speaking to an auditorium of nearly 600 students and responding to the transgender controversy.

It was not pretty.

Students got on the mic and ripped Chappelle for his un-woke comedy. One student called him a "bigot" and added, "I'm 16, and I think you're childish, you handled it like a child," according to Politico Playbook.

But Chappelle — who hasn't backed down an inch yet — continued his defiant stance and got right back in students' faces.

In fact, when another student reportedly told Chappelle, "Your comedy kills," he replied that "n*****s are killed every day." Amazingly the parent of the student in question was upset that Chappelle — a black man — used the N-word.

A new twist

So over the weekend, Chappelle took to Instagram and posted a challenge to his critics who don't want him to receive the honor of having the new theater named after him.

All they have to do is donate more money to the Duke Ellington school than his supporters donate, and Chappelle will bow out of the name game.

"Having the theater named after me is a great honor," Chappelle wrote on the second page of his post. "Although, that was not my idea, aim, or desire. At the request of our beloved school’s founder Peggy Cooper [Cafritz], I accepted."

He added, "In April, I intend to honor that request. If you object to my receiving this honor, I urge you to donate to the school, noting your objection. If you are in favor of the theater being named, ‘Chappelle,’ I urge you to donate to the school, noting your approval."

Chappelle then declared that whichever side donates more money "wins."

"If by April, those against the 'Chappelle' theater exceed the donations of those who are neutral or in favor of the theater being named 'Chappelle,' I will gladly step aside. If not, I will happily attend the naming ceremony."

He then concluded his message with a pointed suggestion: "And if you don't care enough to donate... please, shut the f*** up, forever."

That's right: Chappelle is willing to give up the naming deal in exchange for the school getting money in the end.

As of Monday afternoon, Chappelle's post has received more than 81,000 likes.

WOKE Hollywood VS The AUDIENCE! | Louder With Crowder
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WOKE Hollywood VS The AUDIENCE! | Louder With Crowder