On Wednesday's The Source, CNN host Kaitlan Collins demonstrated that the liberal news network is still showing a double standard in aggressively fact-checking Republicans while still allowing Democrats to peddle misinformation.
Even though CNN shows have been aggressive in calling out GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley for claiming that the U.S. has "never" been a racist country, CNN contributor Ashley Allison was allowed to wrongly claim that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is "trying to erase black history" from schools even though this claim is demonstrably false. She even asserted that Donald Trump was to blame for an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
During a discussion of race-related comments made recently by DeSantis as well as presidential contenders Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, Collins showed a couple of soundbites by DeSantis and Haley. After Allison brought up Haley's comments, Collins responded: "I'm glad you brought that up because that's a moment that stood out to me on the campaign trail, too. It's not just Nikki Haley who -- she went out of her way -- we brought this up and showed it in a Fox News interview -- but Ron DeSantis was asked by Wolf about it. This is what they both said."
Then came a clip of Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade interviewing Haley, with the GOP candidate declaring: "We're not a racist country, Brian. We've never been a racist country. (editing jump) I faced racism when I was growing up, but I can tell you, today it's a lot better than it was then."
Then came a clip of DeSantis from CNN Tuesday evening: "The U.S. is not a racist country, and we've overcome things in our history. (editing jump) And I think the Republican party stands for merit and achievement and colorblindness. That is what we should stand for."
After former Republican strategist Lee Carter gave a defense of how Republican candidates discuss race issues, Allison went after DeSantis:
But you can't solve a problem if you won't address it, and, I mean, it's (inaudible) hearing it from Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is the leader of the culture wars. He's the person trying to erase black history from the curriculum. And it might be actually why he's dragging so low in the polls is because Americans understand the history of our country, and they don't want that kind of divisive politics. So I'm not surprised with the three of them and the way they're taking it, but it's not a winning strategy for the general, and it's undermining a lot of the populations that they're going to need to support them.
Collins had no problem with her liberal guest claiming that the Florida governor was trying to "erase" black history as the CNN host merely wrapped up the segment. Why is attacking DeSantis not a "kind of divisive politics"?
Allison -- who used to be an advisor in the Obama White House -- also claimed earlier without evidence that President Trump caused an increase in Asians being attacked during the pandemic in spite of no evidence linking the two.
Transcript follows:
CNN's The Source
January 17, 2024
9:52 p.m. Eastern
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think he's playing into misogyny and racism with his comments which is not a foreign construct to Donald Trump. You just mentioned what he did to Donna -- or to President Obama and Vice President Harris, and not not to mention all the policies that he had during his administration, starting with the Muslim ban, and separating immigrants from mother and children, or, you know, using derogatory language to talk about COVID, which led to a spike in hate crimes towards Asian American individuals. He is not new to waging war almost against "the other," and it is something that his supporters like, and the question is: Why? Because Donald Trump is playing to a fear for a lot of white Americans right now to say, like, "We want to make America great again, and make this our country again."
Which is why it's so frustrating that when Nikki Haley had an opportunity to be tough and actually call him out this weekend on the history of our country, she totally cowered to the base of his party saying. "The country was never racist -- my party is not racist," when the leader of your party is literally using a racist undertone by calling you by your name that you don't even go by because of racial undertones.
KAITLAN COLLINS: I'm glad you brought that up because that's a moment that stood out to me on the campaign trail, too. It's not just Nikki Haley who -- she went out of her way -- we brought this up and showed it in a Fox News interview -- but Ron DeSantis was asked by Wolf about it. This is what they both said.
NIKKI HALEY (from Fox News interview with host Brian Kilmeade): We're not a racist country, Brian. We've never been a racist country. (editing jump) I faced racism when I was growing up, but I can tell you, today it's a lot better than it was then.
RON DeSANTIS (from CNN forum with Wolf Blitzer): The U.S. is not a racist country, and we've overcome things in our history. (editing jump) And I think the Republican party stands for merit and achievement and colorblindness. That is what we should stand for.
COLLINS: What do you make of those two answers? Two very different answers, I should say.
LEE CARTER, FORMER REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: They're very, very different answers, but I think one of the things that has happened, right, is Republicans have taken so many -- taken so many hits for being the racist party, so I think they -- whenever they can, they deflect it. And think there's reasons why -- and you're talking about the reasons why the Republicans have been called the racist party, but they will just deflect it and push it away because they want no association with that because to them -- to them and to the Republicans -- they're not racist. The don't believe that we're a racist country. They know that there's work to be done, but they don't believe that we are a racist country, and they don't want to be labeled as such.
ALLISON: But you can't solve a problem if you won't address it, and, I mean, it's (inaudible) hearing it from Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is the leader of the culture wars. He's the person trying to erase black history from the curriculum. And it might be actually why he's dragging so low in the polls is because Americans understand the history of our country, and they don't want that kind of divisive politics. So I'm not surprised with the three of them and the way they're taking it, but it's not a winning strategy for the general, and it's undermining a lot of the populations that they're going to need to support them.
COLLINS: Ashley Allison, Lee Carter, thank you both.
