MSNBC’s The 11th Hour Friday panel previewed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis impending presidential campaign announcement declaring him to be “pro-racial hierarchy” and “pro-white supremacy.”
It wasn’t just on matters of race that MSNBC sought to attack DeSantis. Host Stephanie Ruhle lamented, “Transgender is now this giant thing that we’re talking about every single day and we have bigger issues in this country we don't address.”
Knowing the difference between male and female is pretty big issue that is fundamental if society is to function. Not that CNBC’s Steve Liesman saw it that way, “It's somehow been elevated and I think there was a piece in the Times not too long ago that says, it was basically, kind of invented.”
Liesman is referring to a New York Times piece that argued social conservatives latched onto transgenderism after special interest groups needed a new cause after losing the gay marriage debate, but no conservative needed to be told by a special interest group to oppose the idea that gender is subjective.
Prof. Basil Smikle then turned the conversation towards race, “Right, but that’s why I always say it's not really about being anti-woke, it's about being pro-racial hierarchy. That's what he's selling and he’s selling it to a very –“
After Liesman interrupted, asking Smikle to explain himself, he continued “It's leading to the sort of pro-white supremacy, right? It's like, we want to teach, we want to make sure that our version of history is taught, not your version.”
Nobody on the panel ever provided any evidence that disagreeing with them is somehow white supremacy. Smikle tried, “It's a very specific type of version—of history that's being taught in a very specific way. If you look at DeSantis’s battles against the College Board.”
Actor and comedian Aasif Mandvi interrupted to spread some fake news “And taking books out of schools that talk about people of color.” After Smikle repeated the falsehood, he continued:
He's actually digging deeper in terms of concentrating that anger and that hate when Donald Trump conflated economic nationalism and ethnic nationalism. He’s doubled down on that.
Addressing Liesman, Ruhle agreed with Smikle’s allegations, “He’s doubling down on MAGA because make America great again, it was only great historically. The only person at this table, historically things were better for is you… the white guy at the table… I mean, you know, that's what MAGA is rooted in. ”
MSNBC, meanwhile, is rooted in a lack of commitment to facts so that they can attempt to tar anyone to their right as a racist.
This segment was sponsored by E-Trade.
Here is a transcript for the May 19 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
5/19/2023
11:19 PM ET
STEVE LIESMAN: It's the transgender thing which I think is, like, one-tenth of one percent of –
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Okay, but this is what makes no sense—
[crosstalk]
RUHLE: Transgender is now this giant thing that we’re talking about every single day and we have bigger issues in this country we don't address.
LIESMAN: Every single legislature has made the number one thing, the first bill that they pass, which is transgender surgery or the-- talking about these issues. It's somehow been elevated and I think there was a piece in the Times not too long ago that says, it was basically, kind of invented.
[crosstalk]
AASIF MANDVI: It’s a straw man in order-- so that we don’t talk about the things that we need to talk about. That’s always the case.
BASIL SMIKLE: Right, but that’s why I always say it's not really about being anti-woke, it's about being pro-racial hierarchy. That's what he's selling and he’s selling it to a very –
LIESMAN: Can you explain what that means for racial hierarchy –
SMIKLE: For Racial hierarchy means—
LIESMAN: Thank you professor.
SMIKLE: --you’re welcome. It's leading to the sort of pro-white supremacy, right? It's like, we want to teach--
LIESMAN: Right.
SMIKLE: -- we want to make sure that our version of history is taught, not your version.
MANDVI: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
SMIKLE: It's a very specific type of version—of history that's being taught in a very specific way. If you look at DeSantis’s battles against the College Board. If you look at--
MANDVI: And taking books out of schools that talk about people of color and the history of–
SMIKLE: And taking books out of schools. All of that. It is part of a larger campaign being waged across the country, but, so my point, though, is with a Ron Desantis candidacy -- he's not expanding and this is to your point, he's not expanding the base. He's actually digging deeper in terms of concentrating that anger and that hate when Donald Trump conflated economic nationalism and ethnic nationalism. He’s doubled down on that. I don't know if that is a winner. I don’t know if that’s—
RUHLE: He’s doubling down on MAGA because make America great again, it was only great historically. The only person at this table, historically things were better for is you.
LIESMAN: Me?
RUHLE: Yeah, the white guy at the table.
LIESMAN: Was that me?
RUHLE: I mean, you know, that's what MAGA is rooted in.
