Stephen A. Smith expresses regret over voting for Democrats

Stephen A. Smith is moving the goalposts regarding his political affiliation(s) — again.

The First Take star, who’s never been shy about his support for Kamala Harris and his disdain for Donald Trump, is now questioning whether he should’ve ever voted for Democrats in the first place. Smith, who labels himself as an Independent, walks a tightrope between social progressivism and fiscal conservatism — almost to a fault.

At this rate, he might as well be channeling Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, playing both sides so he comes out on top.

Because it sure seems that way.

Yes, this is the same Stephen A. Smith who recently posted a video on his The Stephen A. Smith YouTube channel asking his followers if he might be a Republican.

Since the election, Smith’s political commentary has taken some curious twists and turns. In an exchange with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, he conceded Trump’s “annihilation” of a win, lambasted Kamala Harris’ campaign strategy, and even called out Oprah and Michelle Obama for allegedly alienating voters by trying to “guilt” them into supporting Harris. He also criticized Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter.

Fair enough.

But what is Smith really trying to say here?

‘A BUNCH OF FEARMONGERING’: @stephenasmith expresses regret after voting for Democrats in the election, saying “I don’t like the fact that I did.” The ESPN star blasted the party on key issues including Hunter Biden’s pardon, open border policies and “defund the police” rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/ev1ivGUzGt

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 23, 2024

“I don’t think anybody can dismiss Donald Trump at this particular moment in time,” said Smith.  “Not just because of him but because of what we’ve seen the Democrats do. We’re not falling for it any longer; the American people aren’t falling for it any longer. I voted Democrat, and I’ve got to tell you something right now: I don’t like the fact that I did. I don’t like what I’m seeing. I don’t want to hear, ‘Oh, well, we’re about law. Nobody’s above the law.’ But, then, you got out, and you pardon your son — and you try to blame everyone else for it.”

It’s unclear what Smith’s trying to get at here. He didn’t vote for Joe Biden; he voted for Kamala Harris. The Democrats he seemingly voted for didn’t pardon Hunter Biden—that was Biden himself, who Smith has slammed for being a “hypocrite.” Again, fair criticism, but the Democratic Party didn’t exactly sit idly by and cheer for Biden’s decision to pardon his son.

Yet, Smith appears to be turning this into a referendum on the party as a whole. To be clear, the Democratic Party is hardly in perfect shape, and its messaging obviously failed to resonate with much of the American public, but it did seem to resonate with Smith just 48 days ago.

So what happened?

“I don’t want to hear about ‘Defund the Police.’ I don’t want to hear about ‘You know what, there should be open borders,” he said. “I don’t want to hear this stuff.”

Except… he didn’t hear those things. A central tenet of the Democratic Party’s messaging was that its presidential candidate was a former prosecutor running against a convicted felon. Neither Biden nor Harris ran on platforms advocating for defunding the police — an idea tangential to a broader conversation about policing.

“And I don’t think most of the American people want to hear that,” Smith added. “And I’m no longer interested in, nor do I believe any of us should be interested in, listening to a bunch of fear-mongering to tell us who we shouldn’t vote for. Why don’t you come up with a plan that tells us why we should vote for you?”

Again, fair criticism. But Smith himself labeled Trump as “dangerous.”‘

Smith may like to straddle the line that is politics, but at some point, his constantly shifting stances start to look less like independent thought and more like a strategy for a presidential run. And when the only thing he’s consistent about is not wanting to be boxed in, it becomes clear that he’s playing a long game — one that just might lead him to higher office.

[Fox News]