On Monday's The Beat, MSNBC host Ari Melber gave a forum to liberal celebrities Rob Reiner and W. Kamau Bell to blame racism and sexism because Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris isn't way ahead of Donald Trump in the polls.
Filmmaker Reiner was taken aback and compared the U.S. to an "insane asylum" and "Crazyville" as he summed up the situation:
I cannot believe that we're in this position that we're in right now. It's like being in some insane asylum. ... we're in a position where you have one person who's spent her life dedicated to public service -- who's worked hard -- who has good values -- is a good person, and on the other side, you've got a convicted felon who's an adjudicated rapist -- who tried to overthrow the government -- and is a pathological liar. That's the difference, and the fact that it's a close race, to me, it's insanity.
After noting that former Vice President Dick Cheney and Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are both voting for Harris, he added: "I mean, we're in Crazyville here. And the fact that it's that close is scary. It's really scary."
Bell -- a comedian who used to host a weekend race-and-politics show on CNN -- implicated racism:
...the reason why you can have this is one person is completely unqualified and criminally unqualified for the job, and one person is qualified, but somehow it's a tight race, comes down to race. It comes down to gender. Like, if Kamala was a rich, white man, the race probably wouldn't be as close.
He soon added:
So I think it's clearly -- this country still has an uninvestigated race problem that we are afraid to investigate [!], and the MAGA movement is trying to push further and further down by taking books about race and racism out of schools. And, therefore, this race is neck and neck.
Bell then complained about the Electoral College and oddly blamed slavery for its existence. When he got to speak again, Reiner agreed that racism and sexism are to blame for Harris not being ahead:
And you're right -- it's race and it's gender. Those are the things that are keeping people -- the fact that they are going to be seven states, and the margins in seven states are going to determine who is the next President of the United States is -- you're exactly right -- it's not democracy...
Transcript follows:
MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber
October 7, 2024
6:53 p.m. Eastern
ROB REINER, FILM MAKER: I cannot believe that we're in this position that we're in right now. It's like being in some insane asylum.
ARI MELBER, MSNBC HOST: What position -- what position are we in?
REINER: Well, we're in a position where you have one person who's spent her life dedicated to public service -- who's worked hard -- who has good values -- is a good person, and on the other side, you've got a convicted felon who's an adjudicated rapist -- who tried to overthrow the government -- and is a pathological liar. That's the difference, and the fact that it's a close race, to me, it's insanity.
I mean, how could we have a situation where you got one person qualified for the job, and, by the way, tell me a campaign where Dick Cheney and AOC are voting for the same person? What campaign is that? I mean, we're in crazyville here. And the fact that it's that close is scary. It's really scary.
MELBER: So, Mr. Bell, how do you look at what's happening outside of the hardcore news and political environment do you think the contrast, as Rob sees it, is breaking through?
W. KAMAU BELL, COMEDIAN/EX-CNN HOST: I mean, you know, I think -- and, Rob, as you know -- the reason why you can have this is one person is completely unqualified and criminally unqualified for the job, and one person is qualified, but somehow it's a tight race, comes down to race. It comes down to gender. Like, if Kamala was a rich, white man, the race probably wouldn't be as close. But Kamala wouldn't be Kamala if she was a rich, white man.
So I think it's clearly -- this country still has an uninvestigated race problem that we are afraid to investigate, and the MAGA movement is trying to push further and further down by taking books about race and racism out of schools. And, therefore, this race is neck and neck.
And on top of that, if this was just the popular vote that won the election, it wouldn't be tight. We all would believe Kamala would win the popular vote, but we have the left over slaveholder math of the Electoral College to put a thumb on the scale. So it's -- again, it's just a real indicator of how -- what this country is not. Which is a democracy is what we tell our kids in school, but it's not where we're living.
(...)
REINER: You have to show what you're for -- what you're going to do for people. And you have to show who you're up against -- a person that's completely unqualified for the job. And you have to show both. And you're right -- it's race and it's gender. Those are the things that are keeping people -- the fact that they are going to be seven states, and the margins in seven states are going to determine who is the next President of the United States is -- you're exactly right -- it's not democracy, but we'll never get rid of the Electoral College...
