As father and son comedy writers and liberal activists Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner appeared as guests on Friday's Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, the two lamented that former President Barack Obama -- whom Carl called "the smartest President we've had since way back" -- was replaced by President Donald Trump -- whom Rob derided as "clearly mentally unstable."
A bit later, Rob Reiner blamed "racism" that was "unleashed" after Obama's election for the Republican-controlled Senate blocking him from appointing Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, as he seemed to tie in birtherism and declared that "all of that is about delegitimizing an African-American person and everything that's followed from that."
After Rob Reiner recalled and lamented the way that White House advisor Steve Bannon became eligible to receive royalty payments off the Seinfeld show, host Tavis Smiley asked him about Trump's recent failure to get the House to pass a health care reform bill. After Rob made fun of the President over the outcome, Carl fretted: "He's working very hard now to take away everything from poor people so that rich people can get a tax break."
Smiley, who last week likened possible ObamaCare repeal to a "drive-by" shooting, agreed, "Oh, yeah."
Rob then began worrying over it being a "scary" time with Trump in office as he derided the President:
This is the most scary time in our country in terms of leadership. We have a person who is clearly mentally unstable who has no understanding of government or policy -- who has no desire to know about it -- is an egomaniac and is a pathological liar. I mean, it's really scary what's happening in this country.
Carl felt sorry for Obama as he jumped in:
And to go from having the smartest President we've had since way back, to this guy, is like, it's crazy. It's nuts. I mean, I feel so sorry for Obama. I can't believe how he must feel today.
Smiley injected; "It's crazy, yeah."
A bit later, Rob suggested that Trump should not be allowed to appoint Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court because of the investigations about Russia trying to influence the election, and ended up implicating racism in Republican unwillingness to work with Obama, rather than the obvious philosophical differences between the two parties.
Rob alluded to a conversation they had had before the show:
And that is all to me about -- I hate to say it -- it's all about Obama, not wanting to give him anything. And we were talking about this before we came on the air. This is like all of these feelings that have been submerged for such a long time in this country have been unleashed -- in terms of racism, and all of the feelings that they had about not feeling Obama was legitimate because he wasn't born -- you know, he wasn't born in America.
The liberal activist added:
All of that is about delegitimizing an African-American person and everything that's followed from that. "We're not going to, you know, let him have anything. We're not going to let him have -- we won't let him have -- he's not a legitimate President." And so that's what they've done, and unfortunately they're continuing to do it.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Friday, March 31, Tavis Smiley Show on PBS:
TAVIS SMILEY: So what do you make of the art of the deal that he did last week that he did on health care?
ROB REINER: Beautiful, huh? Smooth as glass! Just worked out perfectly!
CARL REINER: He's working very hard now to take away everything from poor people --
SMILEY: Oh, yeah.
CARL REINER: -- so that rich people can get a tax break.
SMILEY: Yeah.
CARL REINER: That's very --
ROB REINER: This is the most scary time in our country in terms of leadership. We have a person who is clearly mentally unstable who has no understanding of government or policy -- who has no desire to know about it -- is an egomaniac and is a pathological liar. I mean, it's really scary what's happening in this country.
CARL REINER: And to go from having the smartest President we've had since way back, to this guy, is like, it's crazy.
SMILEY: It's crazy.
CARL REINER: It's nuts. I mean, I feel so sorry for Obama. I can't believe how he must feel today.
SMILEY: Yeah.
(...)
ROB REINER: But the minute, you know, they start putting someone like Judge Gorsuch -- I'm not saying he's not qualified, I'm not saying he's not a great jurist or whatever -- I don't agree with him on a lot of things -- but that's not right, that a President should have that right who could be illegitimate and could also be doing -- have done things that are illegal.
SMILEY: And that on top of a Congress that wouldn't give the last guy a hearing.
ROB REINER: Well, that's --
SMILEY: That's a whole other conversation.
ROB REINER: That's another conversation altogether, and that is all to me about -- I hate to say it -- it's all about Obama, not wanting to give him anything. And we were talking about this before we came on the air. This is like all of these feelings that have been submerged for such a long time in this country have been unleashed -- in terms of racism, and all of the feelings that they had about not feeling Obama was legitimate because he wasn't born -- you know, he wasn't born in America.
All of that is about delegitimizing an African-American person and everything that's followed from that. "We're not going to, you know, let him have anything. We're not going to let him have -- we won't let him have -- he's not a legitimate President." And so that's what they've done, and unfortunately they're continuing to do it.
