11/1 Update/Note: The date on the TikTok clip referenced in numerous write-ups including this one was from 10/11, not last week when the AP reporter said she heard the “Let’s go, Brandon” quote uttered. We regret not catching that. In addition to that, there is speculation the pilot in the 10/11 clip was actually saying “Let’s go, Braves” and that it may have been the same pilot she says she heard last week. We’re doing some digging into this story and will provide an update when we know more.

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The reactions from Twitter leftists including those who we have been told are our “intellectual betters” in all matters to the story of the rogue Southwest Airlines pilot have been nothing short of wild and insane. But we may have found the mother of all Hot Takes on this one, which I’ll get to in just a moment.

But first, a quick recap of the story for those who may have missed it.

A rebellious Southwest Airlines pilot created quite the stir on his Houston-to-Albuquerque flight Friday when he ended a passenger greeting he was giving on the plane’s intercom system with a nod to the wildly (and internationally) popular “Let’s go, Brandon” chant.

“We’re heading east at about seven or eight miles per hour,” the pilot stated. “Clear visibility, mostly clear skies, about 77 degrees. Thanks for coming out and flying Southwest Airlines, welcome aboard, and remember, ‘let’s go, Brandon.’”

According to an Associated Press story on the triggering incident, what followed were “audible gasps from some passengers,” some of who likely needed some counseling and a few dedicated hours of alone time in a padded room if the responses from fauxtraged leftists over the story – and another from the Daily Mail noting this SWA pilot wasn’t the only one referencing “LGB” that day – were any indication.

What I’ve found particularly interesting in the freak-outs over this story has been the rush from CNN media figures to take cracks at the pilot, almost as though there has been a “meeting of the minds” (sorry for the disturbing visual that may bring) among the CNN faithful to attack and crush this pilot for insulting President Joe Biden.

There was CNN “journalist” John Harwood’s “Seriously?” reaction towards the airline, and then CNN “national security analyst” Juliette Kayyem – also a Harvard professor – encouraging passengers to file a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration over a pilot who she is now snidely smearing with allegations of possible “substance abuse.” I guess the FAA apparently has nothing better to do than to form assembly lines to ship Puffs tissue care packages off to those suffering from Hurt Feelings Syndrome.

And then there’s the wacky reaction below from CNN legal analyst Asha Rangappa which may take the cake:

As an experiment, I’d love for an @SouthwestAir pilot to say “Long live ISIS” before taking off. My guess is that 1) the plane would be immediately grounded; 2) the pilot fired; and 3) a statement issued by the airline within a matter of hours

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) October 31, 2021

ISIS didn’t run planes into buildings. They didn’t exist in 2001. MAGA did attack the Capitol, attempt to overthrow the government of the United Stares, and threaten to hang the Vice President. So. https://t.co/1C6fZENGOD

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) October 31, 2021

Credit is due to the Twitter user Rangappa was responding to for giving it a good college try in explaining the fact that someone swearing allegiance to ISIS while in the cockpit of a commercial passenger jet in the United States would – and SHOULD – indeed sound off much bigger alarm bells in a post-9/11 world than a rogue pilot calmly uttering three small words in protest of the current Oval Office occupant.

Remember this, too: Had he proclaimed these three words: “Black Lives Matter” or “Defund the Police,” CNN would have already thrown his name into the hat for their (Resistance™) Hero of the Year contest because clearly those phrases do not violate the Dangerous WrongSpeak Handbook.

I mean who would you feel safer flying you to your destination? A pilot who like many disagrees with President Joe Biden (likely over the workplace coronavirus vaccine mandate) or a pilot who thinks it’s okay to chop people’s heads off while they’re still alive in the name of radical Islam which, I dunno, suggests they also might not have a problem throttling that plane full of passengers into an iconic American high-rise?

This shouldn’t be a hard question for most people, but let’s remember here that the Asha Rangappa’s of the world aren’t “most people” (thank God).

My colleague Bonchie wrote a piece earlier that I think hit the nail on the head as to why the “Let’s go, Brandon” chant so enrages leftists in the media:

The reason “Let’s go, Brandon” drives the left so incredibly batty is because the right has figured out a way to make fun of Joe Biden in any setting. After four years under Donald Trump of gross vulgarities from the left, from naked costumes with small genitalia to mock beheadings to Hitler comparisons, the media desperately want to be able to paint Republicans (and perhaps some independents) with the brush they should have painted Democrats with. But they can’t, because “Let’s go, Brandon” is as PG as it gets.

As a person who prefers to not use curse words and crude terminology outside of extremely rare occasions where I feel it warrants it, I can confirm that I dig the fact that the non-vulgar version of “F*** Joe Biden” has caught on. It gives me a way to say something vulgar as a form of political protest without actually saying anything vulgar at all.

In fact, I think it’s safe to conclude from this debate that the only vulgar term that is genuinely offensive in all of this is the term “CNN analyst.” Sorry not sorry, Asha. You had this rant coming, sweet pea.

Related: CNN Reporter Causes Leftist Heartbreak After Seemingly Forgetting She’s a Reporter