House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., turned ABC's "This Week" into a masterclass in message discipline Sunday morning, torching host Jonathan Karl for laughing off the threat of communism inside the Democrat Party — and Karl had no answer.
The exchange came during a discussion about rising gas prices when Emmer pivoted to the ideology driving his opponents. According to RedState, Karl chuckled and dismissed the warning: "I think most Democrats would say they're not communists. So, there aren't a lot of communists on the ballot in these midterms." He then tried to move to a new topic. Emmer refused to let him.
"Jon, you just called them what they want you to call them. There's nothing Democratic about socialism. For 100 years, they wanted us to call them progressives, when, in fact, they were socialists. And it wasn't cool to admit you're a socialist. They are now communists and Marxists. Take a look at the [Democratic Socialists of America] platform," Emmer said.
The House Majority Whip wasn't finished. He walked Karl through exactly what that platform entails: defunding the police, defunding prisons, government-only health care, and the Green New Deal — which, Emmer noted, "will cost every American family another $355,000."
"That's what we should be talking about," Emmer said.
It was a textbook takedown. RedState noted that Karl conceded there were "some Democratic socialists" on the ballot and again tried to change the subject — because he knew he was getting smoked.
The exchange didn't happen in a vacuum. As RedState noted, Democratic socialists already hold the mayor's office in New York City. In Los Angeles, the leading candidate in the mayoral race is a Democratic socialist. And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is openly weighing a run for president. These aren't fringe figures shouting on a street corner. They're running America's two largest cities and eyeing the White House. Karl's claim that communists simply aren't on the ballot requires ignoring the people already winning elections under that label.
The Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the country, has seen its membership grow to roughly 90,000 in recent years — and its candidates have moved from protest movements to real governing power.
Sunday wasn't Karl's only problem. ABC News also found itself under fire from another direction: Sen. Bernie Moreno is calling for an investigation into what RedState described as an anti-Trump "political hit job" at the network. Karl's dismissive treatment of communism's rise is becoming a pattern for ABC — one that even its own financial disclosures and personnel decisions keep reinforcing.
Emmer's broader message to Republican voters was equally direct. "You may be satisfied, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't vote," he told Karl, according to ABC News. "You show up and vote, we're going to be fine."
On the economy, Emmer didn't sugarcoat what Americans are seeing at the pump. He called $4 gasoline and $6 diesel "unacceptable," adding that "Republicans agree on that." He also defended President Trump's out-of-the-box thinking, telling Karl the president is "listening to the American people" — this after Trump announced a deal to lift sanctions on Russian oil ahead of the midterms, a move ABC News reported many analysts say is unlikely to lower U.S. diesel prices and would instead benefit Russia.
Emmer also weighed in on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments about plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. "Personally, I'm not in favor of the death penalty," Emmer said. "But I'll tell you this, I am so happy that we have a president, a chief executive in this country, who will make a decision."
"He will hold the criminals and the terrorists accountable," Emmer added. "And frankly, if you come to this country or you're radicalized in this country to kill Americans and disrupt our way of life, there should be significant consequences."
Our Take
Jonathan Karl laughed.
That's the moment that matters here. Confronted with the rise of an ideology that has killed more than 100 million people worldwide, ABC's chief anchor didn't push back on communism — he giggled like a substitute teacher losing control of a classroom. He didn't ask Emmer why socialists are winning in New York and Los Angeles. He didn't ask about the DSA's platform. He didn't ask about the $355,000 price tag of the Green New Deal. He changed the subject and hoped no one noticed.
Emmer definitely noticed.
Karl's defense was that "most Democrats would say they're not communists" — a phrase that doesn't mean what he thinks it means. According to the DSA's own platform, Emmer is right: defund the police, defund prisons, government-only health care. And Karl's own network just got called out for running a political hit job against Trump. There's no pretense left.
Karl's not the problem — he's just the symptom. The problem is a media class that has decided its job is to manage the narrative, not report the news. The problem is an anchor who sneers at the word "communist" and thinks it's a fringe label while the Democratic Socialists of America are already running America's largest city and eyeing another one on the West Coast.
Patriots, here's the lesson Emmer just delivered on national television: they want you demoralized. They want you to think it doesn't matter, that the midterms are decided, that fighting is pointless. Look at what happened Sunday. A Republican went on ABC, told the truth, and the host ran out of answers.
Emmer's instructions were simple: show up and vote. That's not going to stop with a hashtag or a cable news segment. It starts with you.
