HOW IT STARTED: CNN writer vexed by conservatives’ use of leftist terms.

CNN appears unwilling to admit that Americans have grown antipathetic to certain leftist terms on account of the loathsome and/or meritless concepts they signify.

Instead, to make sense of the ongoing backlash to leftist terms and concepts such as “woke,” “critical race theory,” and “equity,” senior CNN writer John Blake has penned an article explaining why Republican “verbal jiu-jitsu” is to blame.

Blake defined “verbal jiu-jitsu” as a “form of linguistic combat in which the practitioner takes a political phrase or concept popularized by their opponent and gradually turns into an unusable slur.”

An example would be the Biden administration and Democratic establishment‘s hostile use of the term “MAGA” as a modifier for those populist conservatives and Republicans whom they wish to mark as extremists.

Blake suggested that the adoption of new terms or turns of phrase by those with differing worldviews is a means to “avoid taking opposing arguments head on and instead redirect their opponents’ momentum to beat them.”

The Blaze, yesterday.

How it’s going: Cuccinelli Calls Out CNN’s Hunt for Deceptively Editing DeSantis.

Former Virginia Attorney General and founder of the DeSantis-aligned Super PAC Never Back Down, Ken Cuccinelli confronted CNN’s State of the Union fill-in anchor for deceptively editing comments made by Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis during an interview with the Florida Standard to make it seem like he called Trump supporters “listless vessels.” Regardless of whom you support for the Republican nomination, everyone should be outraged at the media lying about one of the Republican candidates.

Setting up the dishonest clip, Hunt insisted “There was a pretty interesting moment in a recent interview where Governor DeSantis talked about Trump supporters. He used the words listless vessels.”

Cuccinelli jumped in to correct her: “He wasn’t talking about Trump supporters!”

NewsBusters, Sunday.

Transcript at link, including Hunt’s response after getting caught: “Fair, Okay.” With absolutely no remorse, Hunt then continued to steamroll the conversation. Yet another “reliable source” at CNN!