Despite a history of threatening and stalking women, lying about his accomplishments, and a shocking inability to discuss policy, Republican and Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker went on the Hannity show Thursday night as a woman-cherishing, constitution-revering Mr. Congeniality.
Even Sean Hannity must know Walker is shockingly unfit for the U.S. Senate
In case you’ve missed it, let me provide some excerpts from Walker’s resumé:
Via Associated Press: Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior. … Walker describes himself dealing with as many as a dozen personalities. CNN reported he was also accused of stalking and threatening one other woman and threatening a third. From The Daily Beast: Herschel Walker Claims to Own Companies That Don’t Exist; Georgia Senate candidate’s history of exaggerating his business success is even worse than anyone thought. He also has a long history of overstating his academic achievements, CNN’s KFile found, including claiming that he graduated in the top 1% of his class at the University of Georgia, when he never graduated from there at all.
And he’s not what anyone would call a wonk: Rachel Maddow noted that Walker called voting-rights icon Rep. John Lewis “one of the greatest senators that’s ever been” and claimed that the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill “doesn’t fit what John Lewis stood for.” Walker disputed evolution by asking, “If that is true, why are there still apes?” The Daily Beast caught him promoting a non-existent “EPA-, FDA-approved” body spray that will “kill any COVID on your body,”
That is the guy whom Donald Trump called a “GREAT person” and awarded his "Complete and Total Endorsement."
Not surprisingly, Walker is also the guy whom Trump-worshiping Sean Hannity gave a friendly platform to polish his image and do a little fundraising on the same day it was revealed that Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock ended the first quarter of the year with record-breaking fundraising.
Hannity Presented Walker As A Black-Conservative Victim
A drunk-sounding Hannity introduced Walker as a victim of liberal author and pundit Elie Mystal. Mystal wrote an article in The Nation blasting Walker and Republicans, titled, “The Herschel Walker Senate Campaign Is an Insult to Black People” and subtitled, “Georgia Republicans have embraced Walker because they think any old Black person will do when it comes to their cynical strategy for defeating Raphael Warnock.”
HANNITY: Now, of course, this is just another attempt to smear, slander, besmirch and attack a campaign that has built massive momentum in the state of Georgia and running on an America First and Make America Great Again agenda.
Of course, smears and hate mongering are Hannity’s stock-in-trade. But he can never take what he regularly dishes out.
HANNITY: Remember, all the knives are out for Herschel, like any other conservative, and recently, Biden fired Walker from the President’s Council on Health, Fitness and Nutrition. Why? Because Democrats – you’d think that’s the least political position – they’re in desperation mode as the Biden agenda is failing on every front ahead of the 2022 midterms. So, all they’ve got left is smear, slander, besmirch, attack, lie, all of the above.
The White House said Walker was fired, after he refused the president’s request to resign, because there’s a Biden administration policy not to have federal candidates serve on presidential boards. In any event, only a guy like Trump (or Hannity) would think Walker fit for any presidential board. Regardless, Mystal’s article has nothing to do with Biden or the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
Walker sounded like he has had some coaching since his blithering on Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday show last weekend. “The Democratic party has left brown and Black people behind” he said, a statement sure to endear him to the RNC. Fortunately for him, Hannity did not ask about any of those policies.
Walker went on to call himself “the most qualified candidate” and, no longer claiming he was valedictorian of his high school class, now said he graduated “as one of the top members” of his class. But he’s still exaggerating: “I do have one of the largest minority-owned food service companies in the United States of America,” he said.
FACT CHECK: Walker’s food service company is nowhere near the largest minority-owned food service company. in the country. It’s not even the largest in Georgia.
Walker also said, “I want everyone to have the same advantages that I’ve had and the way you do that is by working hard, by getting out there, putting the prespiration (sic) and aspiration to whatever you do, make sure you do it the right way.
Walker says he wants to ‘break bread’ with Mystal
More importantly, Walker seemed intent on presenting himself as a warm, fuzzy, kind of guy. So even though Walker ducked out of a primary debate on April 9th, he now said he wants to “sit down and break bread” with Mystal “because I’m about bringing people together” not separate them “like you are,” meaning Mystal. OK, not so warm and fuzzy that Walker’s unwilling to own the libs.
Walker recasts transphobia as fighting for women
This one left me speechless:
WALKER: I’m going to fight for the women. Right now, I want people to know I do not believe men should be in women’s sports. I don’t – the definition of a woman is written in the Bible. It said man and woman. I know that and I’m going to fight for the women as well.
Hannity hypes Walker’s supposed policy chops
“Before I endorse a candidate,” Hannity said, “I really want to know where you stand on issues.” He said that before Walker announced his candidacy, they had “a number of discussions.” Hannity cited “a pretty phenomenal answer” when he asked Walker “how you describe yourself politically.” Then he asked Walker to repeat the answer.
Walker gave a speech that sounded canned, full of empty platitudes yet still blithering and utterly shallow.
WALKER: Where I stand is, I stand for America. That means that I stand for the Constitution, I’m pro-police, I’m pro-military, I’m pro-education and all those things that say, “Herschel, you’re conservative.” I’m a conservative – why? Because I want those things that this country has fought for and people have died for. The freedom, the liberties and freedom that this country has given me. The freedom and liberties that they’ve given every legal American out there, that they have those freedoms and know liberties, is go out and work to become whatever they want to become, that Americans dream.
Hannity swooned. He called Walker “the antithesis” of “radical” Sen. Warnock. Then he allowed Walker to give a little fundraising pitch before closing.
The sad thing is, enough Georgians may well buy this crap to put this unqualified sicko in the U.S. Senate.
You can watch the Republican Rehab below, from the April 14, 2022 Hannity.
4/16/22 Update: Elie Mystal had a perfect response to Walker's invitation to "break bread."