POLITICUSUSA
Understanding the role white rage has played historically in undermining the economic well-being of people of color as well as white Americans is crucial to overcoming racism to create an economy that serves the needs of all.
Now that Joe Biden is president and things are going reasonably well, Fox News has decided to stop talking about political issues. Instead, the network is very focused on Critical Race Theory, an advanced class typically taught at law schools.
But instead of explaining what CRT is, the personalities on Fox stoke racial tension. A large part of this is claiming that America is not and has never been a racist country. During Tuesday segment, a guest even claimed that slavery “wasn’t a racist thing at first.”
Ty Smith, a radio host, told Martha MacCallum:
“America was not founded on racism. Don’t get me wrong. Yeah, there was slavery going on, but slavery itself was not initially a racist thing. It never was about race initially. So to sit there and take it like America was founded on racism is a complete lie. Yeah, there was slavery going on, but slavery was going on in all the world. It never was a race thing, so why are we making it a race thing now?”
There are a number of arguments against Smith’s theory, of course, but he was not making a good faith argument in the first place. MacCallum did little to respond to the claims of the radio host, choosing instead to thank him and move on to her next segment.
See a clip of the comments below, courtesy of the Fox News network:
Fox Guest: "There was slavery going on but itself was not initially a racist thing it never was about race… It never was a race thing so why are we making it a race thing now?" pic.twitter.com/9oBLZwQDQa
Over the last few decades, wage growth has stagnated in the country. Democrats have been pushing to change that. Joe Biden said during an April congressional speech, “There should be a national minimum wage of $15 an hour. Nobody working 40 hours a week should be living below the poverty line.”
Conservatives and there media ecosystem disagree. The hosts of Fox News regularly tell their viewers that a $15 minimum wage isn’t worth it. On Tuesday, the network hosted a guest who said that some workers just aren’t worth that kind of pay.
Art Laffer, a Conservative economist was a guest on Sandra Smith’s show. He told the host:
“Yeah, for those people, Sandra, who are coming into the labor force brand fresh –not old-timers who’ve been around for awhile – the poor, the minorities the disenfranchised, those with less education, young people who haven’t had the job experience. These people aren’t worth $15 an hour in most cases.
And so therefore when you have a $15 an hour minimum wage, they don’t get that first job, they don’t get requisite the skills to earn above the minimum wage. And after a few years they become unemployable. And after becoming unemployable, they become hostile, and that what you’ll find is happening is this technology has created an underclass of people who are really just bid out of the labor market and will remain out of the labor market for most of their lives. And this I think is just a tragedy. I love the technology but the technology is replacing the jobs for these people. And it’s a killer. It’s a killer for just the people who need the help the most.”
Watch the offensive comments below, courtesy of the Fox News network:
Fox guest Art Laffer: For those people who are coming into the labor force fresh, not oldtimers — the poor, the minorities, the disenfranchised, those with less education, young people who haven't had the job experience — these people aren't worth $15 an hour in most cases pic.twitter.com/P6R8yATW0D
For decades, students in schools were not taught about the 1921 massacre on Black Wall St. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was actually an HBO show, Watchmen, that revealed the truth behind the incident to many Americans.
And now that the history of the event is known, the Biden administration is making sure more Americans learn about it. The president and vice president both spent time talking about the incident this week.
And the light shone on the event has enraged Conservative media outlets that like to pretend that racism no longer exists. On Wednesday night, OAN went as far on having a guest deny the seriousness of the massacre.
Radio host Jesse Lee Peterson claimed, “
And I don’t believe that whole story about what happened in Tulsa. It’s not as dramatized as the race hustlers are making it out to be. I guarantee you they have rewritten history, they have written it to be something that is more dramatic so they can make white people look racist, make them look mean, and so they hate all Black people so they can control the Blacks.”
A big talking point for the current incarnation of the GOP is that racism doesn’t exist. During his recent address to America, Joe Biden talked about systemic racism and how the country might combat the issue.
To Tim Scott, who gave the rebuttal to Biden’s speech, it isn’t all that big a deal. The South Carolina lawmaker said to viewers, “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country. It’s backwards to fight discrimination with different types of discrimination. And it’s wrong to try to use our painful past to dishonestly shut down debates in the present.”
Scott gave a strange explanation for his comments during a Sunday appearance on Meet the Press. He told John Dickerson:
“One of the reasons I have asked to lead this police reform conversation on my side of the aisle is because I personally understand the pain of being stopped 18 times driving while Black. I have also seen the beauty of when officers go door to door with me on Christmas morning delivering presents to kids in the most underserved communities. So I think I bring an equilibrium to the conversation,” he said. “That gives me reason to be hopeful.”
Joe Biden has notched plenty of accomplishments during his first few months in office. And while he’s reached out to Republicans about his policy goals, he’s been happy to move on without them if they weren’t willing to compromise.
And Fox News is set on ignoring all of the things that Biden has done. Instead, they have focused on cancel culture and Dr. Seuss. And following the Derek Chauvin verdict, Fox anchors have a new goal; convincing their viewers that racism doesn’t exist.
On Wednesday night, Mark Steyn invited Newt Gingrich on his show to discuss racial matters. The former House Speaker had some interesting thoughts about who the real racists are.
Gingrich told viewers, “ I think the first thing to do is to take head-on the realization that what you’re seeing is the new racism. As I think you would point out earlier, you have hospitals that say they’re going to treat people based on racial standing. I mean, that is just plain — first of all, it’s illegal. Second, it is overt racism.”
The arch Conservative continued:
“Republicans have to learn to win the argument about who’s the real racist. The real racists are people like Biden and Harris. The real racists are the people who want to set quotas, mostly, by the way, excluding Asian-Americans. The real racists are the people who want to brainwash your child so that they feel guilty about being born white or being born of mixed background.”
When George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin last summer, there was essentially no one willing to defend him. Even the talking heads on Fox News recognized how clear the evidence was against the officer.
But once the murder trial began, Fox anchors became more willing to come out and paint Chauvin as a victim. Tucker Carlson went as far as saying that it was actually the police officer who was being lynched.
Not surprisingly, some on the Fox panel did not react well the the announcement that Chauvin was found guilty on all 3 charges. And this was especially true of Greg Gutfeld.
The host told viewers:
“I guess so the media could play to the narrative that a miracle America is full of racist rubes to make their viewers feel superior but this wasn’t a divisive case, and I think it’s a contrast between the reality of Americans who were experiencing this all at once and then manufacture an environment of the people who create the news which is that this reflects a racist country, it reflects racial division, it means the cops are all racist, it’s not a bug in the system, is the system itself, that was what was creating the perception of division, everybody agrees that the case was disgusting and ugly, another story being played a lot, I’m glad that he was found guilty on all charges, even if he might not be guilty of all charges, I am glad that he is guilty of all charges because I want a verdict that keeps this country from going up in flames.”
Greg Gutfeld: "I'm glad [Chauvin] was found guilty on all charges, even if he might not be guilty of all charges. I am glad that he is guilty of all charges because I want a verdict that keeps this country from going up in flames." (Note the groans from his Fox News colleagues.) pic.twitter.com/DulsFEMwcO
Donald Trump did a terrible job of containing the coronavirus once it hit American shores. Rather than taking on any criticism, Trump instead tried to paint COVID as “The China Virus.”
And Trump’s words have been blamed in part for the rash of violence against Asians in the country. When he began blaming the Chinese for the virus, Meghan McCain claimed it was a smart strategy that would help him win votes.
So many found it odd last week when McCain made a Twitter post calling for the end to anti-Asian violence. HBO host John Oliver brutally took down McCain for the hypocrisy on his weekend show. Today, the View host apologized for aiding Trump’s racist rhetoric.
Oliver said during his show, “Oh good! Meghan McCain doesn’t have a problem with it,” said Oliver. “Listen, not to the scores of Asian Americans telling everyone that the term is dangerous and offensive. Instead, gather around and take the word of a white woman who’s dressed like she’s about to lay off 47 people over Zoom.’
Those words might have convinced McCain to post her Monday afternoon apology. The Conservative talking head tweeted, “I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community. There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks, and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda.”
I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community. There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda.
Meng’s insistence that “We will not let you take our voice” encapsulates the impetus behind the multiple but absolutely connected struggles for democracy and against repression.
Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) pointed to a new study published in The American Journal of Public Health that found former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric led to a rise of anti-Asian sentiment online to suggest that Asian voters cost him the presidency.
“Asian Americans are the fastest increasing group in America, with eligible voters more than doubling since 2000,” Lieu tweeted this morning. “In states like CA, [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders] are the 2nd largest ethnic group. The former President attacked & mocked Asian Americans. We voted. He lost. Attack us at your own peril.”
Asian Americans are the fastest increasing group in America, with eligible voters more than doubling since 2000. In states like CA, AAPIs are the 2nd largest ethnic group.
The former President attacked & mocked Asian Americans. We voted. He lost. Attack us at your own peril. https://t.co/iawVRALjZI
Former President Donald Trump was often criticized over the last year for his use of the phrase “China virus” to refer to the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes Covid-19. Trump would often employ the phrase in official communications via his Twitter account. It was also picked up by right-wing news outlets like Fox News, which have designed their coverage to explicitly blame the Chinese government for the pandemic and its effects on American life.
Amid all this, human rights groups have expressed concern that the use of the phrase would contribute to an uptick in anti-Asian violence with numerous places around the country reporting random attacks against Asian citizens. A national conversation on anti-Asian violence has taken center-stage again since authorities arrested a gunman who shot and killed eight people and injured one at three Atlanta-area spas. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent.
In the wake of the shooting, Representative Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) has criticized Trump for emboldening racists and stoking violence.
“When I first heard the former president use words like ‘kung flu’ and ‘Chinese virus,’ I was really horrified. And every time he said it, I thought, okay, this will be the last time. He couldn’t possibly continue to use it,” Meng said during an
Things were not so good for Fox News close to the last election. After 20 years of ratings dominance, Fox began to fall behind MSNBC and CNN. Even worse, Conservative challengers like OAN and Newsmax were coming out of the woodwork.
In response, the network decided to double down on conspiracy theories and racism. No one has embodied that reaction more than prime-time host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson has spent the last two months either downplaying the effectiveness of COVID vaccines or spewing racist drivel. He was at his most bigoted on Wednesday night.
The host asked viewers, “Over the past 30 years, the population of the United States has exploded by nearly 100 million people, mostly due to immigration. Were you even aware that that happened?”
Carlson continued:
“You’re not supposed to say a word about it, as every year the United States gets steadily more jammed with people, and at the same time, more chaotic and less cohesive, as the open spaces shrink, as nature itself recedes in the face of yet another strip mall or apartment complex or fast food outlet to serve the new people. This is becoming a crowded country, and crowded countries are ugly, unhappy countries. Why are we letting that happen? Well, that’s a rhetorical question, of course. No one asked us what we wanted, they just did it.”
On Wednesday, an Atlanta Sheriff held a press conference about the rash of shootings that left 8 dead yesterday. Rather than show empathy for the victims, Jay Baker seemed to be making excuses for the shooter.
The Cherokee Country cop told reporters, “They got that impression, he did understand the gravity and was fed up and at the end of his rope and yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.”
Cherokee County Sheriff said that it was a really bad day "for him" the Atlanta mass shooter yesterday. What about the 8 people that he killed? Having a bad day does not give a person the right to buy a gun and kill others. pic.twitter.com/V3ywrU9iwv
Donald Trump may now be out of office, but Ron Johnson is making sure the stain of Trumpism remains in the Senate chambers. The Wisconsin senator has spent the last few weeks lying about the insurrection, spreading false vaccination info and generally being a massive racist.
Johnson’s behavior has not gone unnoticed by his colleagues. During a Tuesday floor speech, Bob Menendez ripped into the GOP lawmaker.
The New Jersey Democrat began, “Senator Johnson said he never feared for his safety [during the Jan. 6th siege of the U.S. Captiol]. Johnson went on to say that ‘under different circumstances he would have been afraid; had the tables been turned and had those been Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been afraid.’ Is that not racism,’ Mr. President?’ Menendez. My colleague may be ignorant about the pain his comments caused.”
Menendez continued, “
The violent picture they paint of this movement is factually inaccurate. The Black Lives Matter movement is overwhelmingly peaceful. I know many people don’t care about facts these days but it is the truth.”
When things don’t go Donald Trump’s way, it is always someone else’s fault. The 45th president spent the entirety of his term painting himself as a victim. And that sense of victimhood has trickled down to Conservative media and Trump supporters.
This week, House Impeachment Managers have laid out a devastating case against the Trump supporters who stormed that Capitol on January 6th. And this has left a lot of people feeling attacked. Newsmax’s Greg Kelly is certainly one of those people. During his Thursday night show, Kelly described the hearing as racist against white people.
The Newsmax host began by asking:
“So what’s going on here? Oh, there is a racial component. Have you noticed? Let’s talk about this, all right? It’s clear to me that there is a racial component. Because right now in America, who doesn’t have much status? White folk. Especially poor, white folk. Especially poor, white people who stormed the Capitol. They should not have done it and I think the rioters should be prosecuted.”
Senate Republicans are now gearing up to acquit Trump in an impeachment trial on the specious rationale that putting a former officeholder on trial is unconstitutional, even though legal scholars, including some from the conservative Federalist Society, have broadly affirmed the constitutionality of such a proceeding.
Too many in America, caught in throes of misinformation and conspiracy theories, are busy slaying mythical dragons rather than engaging in the truly wise, loving, and heroic activities of the real revolution for democracy.
Donald Trump has always said that he is a great friend to people of Jewish faith. How could he be anti-Semitic, Trump argues, his son-in-law Jared Kushner is Jewish and his daughter Ivanka converted when she married him.
But the president has also been slow to condemn his supporters who have anti-Semitic beliefs. After white supremacists marched in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia chanting “Jews will not replace us,” Trump famously referred to them as “very fine people.”
And now, it seems that some of Trump’s supporters associate his name with anti-Semitism and racism. A Jewish cemetery was recently defaced with vandals spray painting the name Trump on headstones.
Notably the incident took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Trump will be holding the final rally on his campaign in Grand Rapids.
The vandalism was first reported by the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan, who tweeted, “We are appalled by the reported desecration of gravestones at the Ahavas Israel Cemetery in Grand Rapids, MI. We are in close touch with the Jewish community and Law Enforcement to investigate this vandalism.”
We are appalled by the reported desecration of gravestones at the Ahavas Israel Cemetery in Grand Rapids, MI. We are in close touch with the Jewish community and Law Enforcement to investigate this vandalism. pic.twitter.com/mVeGrlsWxE
According to the latest Monmouth poll, 61 percent of Americans say the way President Donald Trump is handling nationwide protests is actually worsening things, not making them better.
“
Most Americans (61%) say that Trump’s handling of the protests has made the situation worse and just 24% say he has made it better. These results are basically unchanged from late June (62% worse and 20% better). Nearly 9 in 10 non-Republicans say Trump has made the situation worse, including 88% who are white, 87% who are Black, and 86% who are of another racial minority group. Republicans and GOP-leaners stand alone in their feeling that the president has made the situation better (46%) rather than worse (30%). These findings are similar to the late June poll results,” Monmouth observes.
According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released today, the majority of Americans believe the way President Donald Trump is responding to civil unrest is making things worse.
55 percent of Americans say they believe Trump is worsening matters as the nation grapples with a slew of protests against racism and police brutality. 29 percent said they don’t believe Trump’s comments have had an effect on protests.
30 percent of Republicans believe the president’s rhetoric is improving things, though 26 percent say otherwise. Among
white, non-college educated Americans, a key voting bloc for the president, just 18 percent believe his rhetoric has been successful and 41 percent say his comments have negatively impacted the national conversation on racial inequity.