David Axelrod moved recently from a contributing gig at MSNBC to CNN, explaining this week that he made the jump because he wants to be more than just a “surrogate” for the Democratic Party.
Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama, told the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple that he is thrilled to have been poached from MSNBC by CNN. At CNN, Axelrod said, he can bring his years of political knowledge and expertise to the cable news network’s 2016 election coverage without also having to use it to defend and excuse figures in the Democratic Party.
“CNN has really made a huge investment in covering this campaign and, you know, I think I’m a reflection of that,” he told the Post. “They wanted my expertise and wanted to offer my expertise.”
A former Chicago Tribune reporter, Axelrod also served as a chief strategist for Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
MSNBC simply has a “different approach” to political news and election coverage, he said, adding that he “did not want to be simply a surrogate for the Democratic Party.”
Asked if he is suggesting that MSNBC is an out-and-out left-wing, partisan news organization, Axelrod said, “I think that’s the nature of it.”
(h/t Mediaite)
