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Why abortion scandal may not end Herschel Walker Senate run

David Pakman Host of The David Pakman Show
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The Georgia Senate race between incumbent Raphael Warnock and football legend Herschel Walker is one of the most closely-watched contests in the rapidly-approaching November midterms. Walker, the Republican nominee and vocal anti-abortion advocate, is facing allegations he paid for a woman’s abortion in 2009. Walker denies the claims, and so far, the GOP is standing by and reaffirming its support for the candidate. Straight Arrow News contributor David Pakman says in a normal political environment, he would have been forced to quit the race. But he warns that recent history suggests the abortion scandal may not end Walker’s Senate run.

We’re very close to the 2022 midterm. Tight race, within plus or minus one is where the race has been. Walker winning by one, Warnock winning by one. What’s going to happen? 

If the world made sense, if the country made sense, if Georgia made sense, Walker never would even be in the running. So while I would like to assume and maybe you would, as well, that this scandal – series of scandals – will definitely destroy Herschel Walker, the fact that he had so much support already is a sign that it may not matter. 

We remember what happened when the Access Hollywood tape came out. And Donald Trump was accused of…Donald Trump was on a recording saying, “you know, when you’re famous, you just do whatever you want to women, you grab them by the you know what…” 

There was a period of a couple of days where many people who were still in the old paradigm were saying, “Oh, it’s over. This is it for Trump’s campaign.” And then he won the primary and became President of the United States. So any assumption that this is the end for Herschel Walker ignores recent history.

It should be the end. Will it be? Let’s wait and see.

Let’s discuss the complete and utter humiliating implosion of Herschel Walker. Herschel Walker is the Republican nominee for the Senate in Georgia. Herschel Walker is running against the incumbent senator on the Democratic side, Raphael Warnock, Raphael, Warnock by all, reasonable assessments, if this were a normal country would be crushing Herschel Walker, would it be crushing him by 30, 40 points. Herschel Walker doesn’t know anything about any issue, and he can’t explain his position on any issue, and he can barely speak.

On the other hand, Raphael Warnock has quite deep understanding of a number of different issues, explains his positions, is able to communicate okay, it shouldn’t even be close, but this is MAGA world and so Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock are roughly tied over the last week or so. 

A number of bombshells have hit Herschel Walker’s campaign. First and foremost, Herschel Walker was accused by a woman who says, “we were dating. I became pregnant and he urged me to get an abortion and then paid for it.” 

Well, what’s the big deal? Well, no big deal. The urging could be an area of discussion. What is urge, coerce, what does that mean? But the big deal is that Herschel Walker has been courting the religious right vote by claiming to be completely against abortion now for a very long time. He called abortion murder. He called abortion the killing of babies. He said no exceptions even for rape ancestor, the life the health and life of the mother. He said it dozens of times. There’s compilations out there. You can find them. And then we learned that he allegedly paid for a woman’s abortion. This should torpedo the campaign based on him being against abortion. 

Then, the same day that that news came out, Herschel Walker appears on Fox News propagandist Sean Hannity’s program and Hannity does one of these types of interviews where he tries to save Herschel Walker. He’s done them with Trump where he tees up softball questions for Trump to knock out of the park and Trump never does and it looks even worse. And the same thing happened with Herschel Walker.

Sean Hannity asked him, did you send money. Do you, do you send money to people? Do you remember sending money at all to this woman? And he’s like, “I don’t know. I send tons of people money.” Sean Hannity asked, “Do you know the woman?” And he says, “I don’t know if I know her.” But and then he goes on to talk about the border, check out the interview. It’s wild. It’s wacky. 

So that’s layer number two of the Herschel Walker scandal. Then Herschel Walker comes out and says, “I’m going to sue the woman who made the allegation.” Or the media outlet, if he doesn’t know…if it’s not exactly clear who he should be suing.

Will here, won’t he? I don’t know. But then in the midst of this to make things even worse for Herschel Walker, his own son, Christian Walker, comes out and denounces him and alleges that Herschel Walker tried to kill him. Okay, Christian Walker and Herschel Walker are both MAGA world right-wingers. Christian Walker has his own social media presence, and has more or less been supportive of Herschel Walker’s candidacy, at least insofar as he hasn’t openly opposed it. 

And within just hours of the news about the alleged abortion payment, Christian Walker came out and completely denounced his own father, and turned on him in a series of three tweets where he says, “We told him not to run. It’s the lying, it’s the dishonesty. It’s all terrible.” 

And then the next day, Christian Walker came out in a video and said, “Herschel Walker tried to kill my mom and I.” An incredible turn of events. Now, what’s going to happen to the polling in this race? We’re very close to the 2022 midterm. Tight race, within plus or minus one is where the race has been. Walker winning by one, Warnock winning by one. What’s what’s going to happen? 

If the world made sense, if the country made sense, if Georgia made sense, Walker never would even be in the running. So while I would like to assume and maybe you would, as well, that this scandal series of scandals will definitely destroy Herschel Walker, the fact that he had so much support already is a sign that it may not matter. 

We remember what happened when the Access Hollywood tape came out. And Donald Trump was accused of…Donald Trump was on a recording saying, you know, when you’re famous, you just do whatever you want to women, you grab them by the you know what…” 

There was a period of a couple of days where many people who were still in the old paradigm were saying, “Oh, it’s over.” This is it for Trump’s campaign. And then he won the primary and became president of the United States. So any assumption that this is the end for Herschel Walker ignores recent history.

It should be the end. Will it be? Let’s wait and see.

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