Trump Allies Risk It All For Oz
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Photos by Gage Skidmore
It’s election day in Pennsylvania, and all eyes are on Kathy Barnette, the dark horse who may defeat wealthy businessman Dave McCormick and celebrity television doctor, Mehmet Oz. Many conservatives raised eyebrows when President Trump endorsed Dr. Oz in the race, given some of his past remarks on gun control, abortion, and controversial episodes of his show. With Barnette surging in the end after gaining national attention on the debate stage, Trump loyalists are taking extraordinary steps to ensure the former president ekes out a victory.
An extremely edited video of Kathy Barnette made the rounds last week. Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of the United States National Intelligence Agency, tweeted it out and tagged accounts. The same video was mass texted out to voters. Conservative commentators like Allie Stuckley and Matt Walsh noted how chopped the video was and missing context. This led to a spat between them and Grenell.
As someone who makes political videos, it was unprofessional and unethical. Very short pieces of videos with Barnette were taken and spliced together to make it seem like Barnette is an undercover Dem with BLM sympathies. She was even criticized for using a “Defund the Police” hashtag, even though she used it to draw attention to her tweets and video bashing senseless riots.
Pastor Dr. Darrell Scott is a Trump ally, but has stuck up for Barnette, who is a friend. When warned “the Left” will hammer Barnette’s old tweets, Scott said: “Then let the Left hammer it; but to present her as a BLM-supporting, Obama-loving, police-hating, Trump-bashing secret Democrat is beyond the pale.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity has gone above and beyond to defend Dr. Oz, including inviting him on the show while bashing Kathy Barnette. He also questioned Barnette’s conservative credentials because she suggested creating a statue of Barrack Obama, the first black president, and placing it alongside the Emancipation Memorial Statue, which created controversy because slaves are crouching/ rising at Lincoln’s feet. Barnette also proposed erecting a statue of great abolitionist Frederick Douglass looking toward Lincoln’s and Obama’s statue. As Barnette said, “…we continue down the path towards full inclusion in the shared prosperity of America. This path has not always been a smooth one. It has been burdened by a lack of adequate access, charged with erratic acts of racism, and troubled with limited partnerships and opaque policies. But, history continues to move forward. We are not the same people we were in 1619, 1776, 1863, or 1964. We're a work in progress – and each of these historic years represents a milestone in our nation's pain and progress.”
You can agree or disagree with Barnett’s reasoning, but she’s someone who is trying to understand and acknowledge the other side and address concerns with a constructive solution. Yet, Hannity’s commentary was, “I don’t know many ‘MAGA conservatives’ who are fond of Barrack Obama.” Of course, it’s assumed Hannity didn’t know the context, because he was surprised when Dr. Oz brought it up.
Hannity also did a segment on “vetting” Barnette and showed a picture of her peacefully marching with thousands of other Trump supporters, and a few in front of her happened to allegedly be Proud Boys. If Sean Hannity is going to condemn Barnette, who did not breach the capitol—for peacefully exercising her first amendment right, will he publicly condemn President Trump for holding the rally and requesting a peaceful march in the first place?
Before Hannity became dedicated to pushing Dr. Oz, he had Kathy Barnette on his show and offered praise. “You would be the first African American woman as a Republican in the Senate. From all I can see, I hope that happens.”
Barnette has also been criticized by Hannity, President Trump, and McCormick for losing a congressional seat by nearly 20 points in 2020. Anyone who is politically savvy should know there are some districts that are virtually impossible to win. Pennsylvania’s 4th congressional district is solidly blue. Barnette pointed out that she outperformed Trump. “I lost by 19 points; Donald Trump lost by more than 26 points.”
Trump came out against Barnette, though not as aggressively as he notably can be. “And the problem is, nobody knows what she stands for, who she is and that’s very risky because you’re going to win this with Oz and you’re not going to win it with any other candidates.”
Barnette has been running her campaign for 13 months. While it’s true she’s been an unknown to many, she’s been traveling around the state making the pitch on a shoestring budget. If voters haven’t “vetted” Barnette, perhaps they haven’t been doing their due diligence.
If critics believe Barnette is too “ultra MAGA,” that doesn’t explain why they shouldn’t vote for McCormick. And while Dr. Oz may have a high name ID, he also has high unfavorables.
As of now, Barnette is lightning in a bottle with a personal story that has reduced many voters to tears. Her mother conceived her at 11, after being raped. Barnette said she clawed her way out of poverty and is trying to protect the America that made her life possible. Barnette has been a Pro-Life advocate and her story has been highlighted by groups like Live Action. At a time when abortion is such a national topic due to the potential of Roe v Wade being overturned, Barnette’s meteoric rise seems like divine providence.
Whether Barnette wins enough last-minute votes from undecided voters is yet to be seen, but regardless of the outcome, conservatives will be scratching their heads for a while. Trump’s backing of Oz is still puzzling, and so is the aggressive and misleading attacks against Mrs. Barnette.
