CNN announced Tuesday that they hired Erick Erickson, the editor of RedState, as a political contributor for John King’s new show, a show which they’ve promoted as a doubling down on straight news.
There’s a bit of a contrast here. Erickson is, as CNN says, a voice the right side of the Internet listens to. Conservative lawmakers read his site and, occasionally, use it to break news. He’s been named on “most influential” lists and has pushed hard for conservative candidates like Marco Rubio. He’s a city councilman in Macon, Ga.
But he’s also prone to making extreme and sometimes misogynistic public comments.
He’s called a Supreme Court justice a “goat-fucking child molester.” Last month, he told “ugly” “feminazis” to “return to their kitchens.” He’s compared an administration official to a Nazi and called First Lady Michelle Obama a “Marxist harpy.”
Asked about the comments, a CNN spokeswoman told TPM: “Erick is one of the many voices that you’ll hear on CNN. We believe viewers are smart enough to appreciate hearing all points of view.”
In Tuesday’s announcement, CNN political director Sam Feist lauded Erickson as being a voice for small-town values.
“Erick’s a perfect fit for John King, USA, because not only is he an agenda-setter whose words are closely watched in Washington, but as a person who still lives in small-town America, Erick is in touch with the very people John hopes to reach,” Feist said.
When the show was announced in November, CNN framed it as a sticking with straight news when the other, more opinionated broadcasts were pulling in higher ratings.
“I think what is troubling in part of our business is you have people on news shows who start the conversation with a bias,” King said at the time. He also said he envisioned his show as an oasis of “insight and context.”
Erickson’s insights include posing the question, “What Do Sarah Palin and Jesus Christ Have In Common?”
He also has a penchant for urging readers to send stuff to legislators to make a point: back wax to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, fake dog poop to Rep. Earl Pomeroy, rock salt to Sen. Olympia Snowe, rubber playground balls to Sen. Mitch McConnell.
