Possible new View co-host S.E. Cupp got a tryout on Monday for the token conservative slot on the morning program. Wasting no time, the conservative commentator got in a fight with Whoopi Goldberg over the New York Times's endorsement of federally legalized marijuana. After Goldberg described herself as "very, very, very happy" with the Times, Cupp shot back, "Luckily, it is not up to the New York Times, a New York City liberal paper, to decide what everyone around the country does." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Overriding her possible future co-host, Cupp continued, "It's a much better idea for the states to be laboratories of democracy and decide 'we are a state that wants to legalize this. Our neighbors disagree and they're allowed to do that.'" Deriding the editorial, she added, "The New York Times would very much like the rest of the country to get with the Times and get cool and get hip to this thing that is changing."
Fellow guest-host Sunny Hostin offered some backup, declaring:
SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm against legalization. I do believe that it is a gateway drug, I wonder why we think – [to the audience] you can clap for that. I think it's a gateway drug. I wonder why we think it's okay to tell our children, it's find to disassociate -- it's fine to not be in our right frame of mind.
Hostin, who has been vocally liberal during her guest stint, is a former CNN analyst and ex-prosecutor.
News leaked out in mid-July that Cupp is being considered for a spot on The View. If so, she would be quite the combatant for taking on extreme liberal and (9/11 Truther) Rosie O'Donnell.
A partial transcript of the July 28 segment, which aired at 11:20am ET, is below:
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: An op-ed in the New York Times entitled "Repeal Prohibition, Again" called for the national legalization of marijuana, saying it's time for the U.S. to come to its senses about a drug that they claim is far less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. Now, this is the so-called paper of record. I was thrilled to see it. I'm very, very, very happy about this.
GOLDBERG: I thought this was just an opinion piece.
CUPP: It's an editorial, and it was a much-discussed editorial. It was a big deal for the New York Times to come out and essentially call for this. It's a much better idea for the states to be laboratories of democracy and decide "we are a state that wants to legalize this. Our neighbors disagree and they're allowed to do that."
GOLDBERG: I thought that's what was happening. I thought it was going state by state.
CUPP: It is! It is! But the New York Times would very much like the rest of the country to get with the Times and get cool and get hip to this thing that is changing.
...
SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm against legalization. I do believe that it is a gateway drug, I wonder why we think – [to the audience] you can clap for that. I think it's a gateway drug. I wonder why we think it's okay to tell our children, it's find to disassociate -- it's fine to not be in our right frame of mind.
GOLDBERG: Every time you look at a sports function, you have beer commercials, alcohol everywhere. And you want to talk -- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, if you are going to start this, start with the thing that's already legal. Because alcohol is legal, and tobacco is legal, and from what I understand, people are very upset about that. Tobacco has been legal a long time.
HOSTIN: There's too many children drink and drive. And what's next? Should we legalize, like, mushrooms because that's groovy. Should we legalize cocaine? Maybe heroin?
