MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle’s weekly panel discussions on The 11th Hour always produce some absurd content, but Friday’s panel took the absurdity to a whole new level as it was alleged that Republicans seeking to ban gender transitions for minors are taking the country back to 1954 while making it more likely young people will commit suicide.
An exasperated Ruhle wondered why Republicans are so concerned with these bills, “But these are also states that are failing at infrastructure, education, maternal mortality rates. Don’t these states have— but what I don’t understand don't these dates have bigger issues, bigger problems to worry about?”
CNBC’s Steve Liesman concurred, “I was in Utah recently, and there was an amazing juxtaposition there was the-- Salt Lake is driving up, because of agriculture use, household use, commercial use, and probably climate change as well. And the first bill passed by the Utah legislature is one that banned transgender surgery for minors.”
A bitterly sarcastic Liesman also took aim at Tennessee, “And thank God, Tennessee just banned a drag—drag shows in public! Thank god! I feel better now! I think!”
Former clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Melissa Murray then took things to eleven on the outrage scale, “But this is a revanchist politics. It's not about modernity, it's not about attracting younger voters, I mean, they need younger voters just as a matter of numbers, but this is very much a rear guard-looking party. Like, this is about rolling back the 20th century. And making America great again circa 1954.”
When Liesman asked if 1954 was a euphemism for something else, Murray replied that “I’ll let you figure out that.” 1954 was the year the Supreme Court issued its Brown v. Board of Education decision so Murray basically compared not transitioning teenagers to segregation.
Harvard polling director John Della Volpe managed to follow up with even more extreme rhetoric:
I think one of the greatest challenges we have in this country is related to mental health. Specifically mental than younger people. Specific and the mental health in the younger people who identify as LGBTQ. We saw the CDC report. They are three times as likely not to think about, not to talk about, but to attempt suicide. You have 10 percent of high school students, a third I believe, of high school students who identify within that community, trying to kill themselves! Trying to hurt themselves! And for any person of influence, specifically a governor to make those, to make that more difficult rather than less difficult—
And the media wonders why the state of political discourse is so bad.
This segment was sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service.
Here is a transcript for the March 3 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
3/3/2023
11:41 PM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: But these are also states that are failing at infrastructure, education, maternal mortality rates. Don’t these states have—
STEVE LIESMAN: So, you're saying it's the straw man. Maybe that's it
RUHLE:-- but what I don’t understand don't these dates have bigger issues, bigger problems to worry about?
STEVE LIESMAN: I was in Utah recently, and there was an amazing juxtaposition there was the-- Salt Lake is driving up, because of agriculture use, household use, commercial use, and probably climate change as well. And the first bill passed by the Utah legislature is one that banned transgender surgery for minors and I’m like okay—
RUHLE: Don’t you have bigger fish to fry.
LIESMAN: --maybe you feel that way, one of the first things that they did. And if this lake dries up, it's gonna spread arsenic all over the place. You think that would be an emergency. And I, kind of, get how people could oppose this if that’s were there at. I think it’s between doctors and their, you know, and the parents, and the kids, whatever. But if you're gonna, you know, legislate it, but of all the things that you have to do, and Tennessee just did it. And thank God, Tennessee just banned a drag—drag shows in public!
PAULA POUNDSTONE: Yeah.
LIESMAN: Thank god! I feel better now! I think!
MELISSA MURRAY: But this is a revanchist politics-- But this is a revanchist politics. It's not about modernity, it's not about attracting younger voters, I mean, they need younger voters just as a matter of numbers, but this is very much a rear guard-looking party. Like, this is about rolling back the 20th century. And making America great again circa 1954. And all of this is playing into that.
LIESMAN: You're being euphemistic when you say that right? Circa 1954 is a euphemism for something else?
MURRAY: Well, I picked that particular date for a reason. I’ll let you figure out that.
JOHN DELLA VOLPE: I think one of the greatest challenges we have in this country is related to mental health. Specifically mental than younger people. Specific and the mental health in the younger people who identify as LGBTQ. We saw the CDC report. They are three times as likely not to think about, not to talk about, but to attempt suicide. You have 10 percent of high school students, a third I believe, of high school students who identify within that community, trying to kill themselves! Trying to hurt themselves! And for any person of influence, specifically a governor to make those, to make that more difficult rather than less difficult.
