Late in the going on Thursday’s CNN Tonight, two eyebrow-raising claims arose when host Don Lemon compared Robert E. Lee statues to having schools named after Osama Bin Laden while political commentator Keith Boykin defended the Missouri liberal who called for President Trump’s assassination.
Even though CNN political commentator Alice Stewart and The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro made solid points about removing Confederate statues, Lemon interjected as if the two conservatives had argued that the statues should all stay.
“Let me give you — let me give you — let me give you — this is a stark example and pardon me for my clumsiness here. But just imagine there are people - if someone wanted to erect - I have a school called the Osama Bin Laden Middle School for Learning — whatever,” asserted Lemon.
Stewart noted that this wouldn’t be the case in the U.S., but Lemon continued by arguing that Lee is on the same footing with African-Americans:
But that is not a part of African-American. But that represents Robert E. Lee. That was our holocaust, right? This is what happened to us. We would rather not go to schools — we're not saying people shouldn't learn about Robert E. Lee. We're not saying that Robert E. Lee — Robert E. Lee statues should not exist in some from somewhere, but it should not be part of a public building, a building — especially something that is paid for with federal tax dollars. If you want to have it in the privacy of your home, have as many Robert E. Lee statues as you want.
Shapiro stepped in to ask for a clarification, wondering if Lemon’s implying “here that everyone who opposes taking down the statues is a racist.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. That’s not what I'm not saying. I'm saying we should have a conversation just like we do now and I don’t think that at all. I'm trying to get you and others to understand how people of color feel about those statues, especially as a son of the south,” responded Lemon.
In the same week where he questioned Trump supporter Paris Dennard’s blackness, fellow political commentator Keith Boykin showcased the left’s intolerance when it comes to allowing people not of their ideology to stand with them:
With respect to Alice and John and everyone, this is not a local issue. This is an issue about America's history, national history that affected millions of Americans, 600,000 people died in the Civil War. It was the bloodiest war in American history. 50,000 people died at Gettysburg. 20,000 at Vicksburg, 20,000 at Antietam. We can't celebrate the history of a man named Robert E. Lee or Jefferson Davis who took up arms against the United States of America. I don't know where anyone else draws the line. But I can draw a line there...George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, though they were slave owners, never took up arms against the United States of America...And for a President of the United States in 2017 to endorse treason traitors, murderess, and racist and to celebrate that is unacceptable and anyone who stands up in favor of that is, in my opinion is not respecting the true culture of what America is supposed to represent.
Boykin returned in the next segment when he offered a defense of Missouri Democratic State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal after she suggested that the President be assassinated.
Showing no shame, Boykin argued despite appropriate pushback from Lemon:
BOYKIN: At least — I don't think what she said was right, but had the courage to say she was wrong. This President never says he was wrong. This is a President who got up there last year in the campaign —
LEMON: Making excuses for her?
BOYKIN: I'm not. He spoke about second amendment remedies in case Hillary Clinton was elected, which was a clear threat of assassination. He never admitted that at all.
LEMON: I understand that, but this is, yea, yes, you're right, but, still —
BOYKIN: Right, it's wrong. You can't say anything. It's wrong, but the point is, Donald Trump is the President of the United States. He is supposed to be, not only the political leader, but moral leader of the country. He cannot do that. He cannot condemn other people when he is creating culture of violence himself.
Thursday night's liberal comments on CNN were brought to you by advertisers such as IHOP, Hulu, and T.D. Ameritrade.
Here’s the relevant portions of the transcript from August 17's CNN Tonight with Don Lemon:
CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
August 17, 2017
11:45 p.m. Eastern
BEN SHAPIRO: There have been decent arguments expressed for not taking down the statue, people like Condoleezza Rice who have said it's an opportunity to teach people when you walk by about the darkness of some of our history. And I've heard the argument that is partially correct that if you remove some statues and there was a commentator on CNN that said we should pull down statues of Washington and Jefferson. People on the left are actually suggesting that. But I think there are great arguments for taking the statues down. I think a lot of these towns are looking into taking down these statues and a lot of people on all sides of the political aisle basically grabbing hold of this issue. So I think you have folks on the left who are suggesting everyone who purports retaining the confederate statues is a racist and everyone who says they should come down is a nut job and I think you have President Trump who's taking advantage of the situation in order to misdirect away from the press conferences that we saw earlier.
(....)
ALICE STEWART: I saw you raise the Confederate flag at the beginning of the show. Now we understand how that is harmful to people and hurtful to people and we need to take that into consideration. But at the same time this is not something for the President to do a full swoop across the board. This is a local issue that needs to be decided —
LEMON: Let me give you — let me give you — let me give you — this is a stark example and pardon me for my clumsiness here. But just imagine there are people — if someone wanted to erect — I have a school called the Osama Bin Laden Middle School for Learning — whatever.
STEWART: That’s not in part of America.
LEMON: But that is not a part of African-American. But that represents Robert E. Lee. That was our holocaust, right? This is what happened to us. We would rather not go to schools — we're not saying people shouldn't learn about Robert E. Lee. We're not saying that Robert E. Lee — Robert E. Lee statues should not exist in some form some wear, but it should not be part of a public building, a building — especially something that is paid for with federal tax dollars. If you want to have it in the privacy of your home, have as many Robert E. Lee statues as you want. If you —
SHAPIRO: Is the implication here that everyone who opposes taking down the statues is a racist or a bigot? Is that —
LEMON: — no. That’s not what I’m saying at all. That’s not what I'm not saying. I'm saying we should have a conversation just like we do now and I don’t think that at all. I'm trying to get you and others to understand how people of color feel about those statues, especially as a son of the south.
(....)
KEITH BOYKIN: The only person on the so-called left who hasn't spoken about this. With respect to Alice and John and everyone, this is not a local issue. This is an issue about America's history, national history that affected millions of Americans, 600,000 people died in the Civil War. It was the bloodiest war in American history. 50,000 people died at Gettysburg. 20,000 at Vicksburg, 20,000 at Antietam. We can't celebrate the history of a man named Robert E. Lee or Jefferson Davis who took up arms against the United States of America. I don't know where anyone else draws the line. But I can draw a line there, you can distinguish, it is very possible to distinguish what Robert E. Lee did, what Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson did from Thomas Jefferson and George Washington did. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, though they were slave owners, never took up arms against the United States of America and for a President -- it is treason. And for a President of the United States in 2017 to endorse treason traitors, murderess, and racist and to celebrate that is unacceptable and anyone who stands up in favor of that is, in my opinion is not respecting the true culture of what America is supposed to represent.
(....)
LEMON: So, I’m back now with our panel, and, yes, we talked all about this during the break, all of us here, but moving on now to talk about a Democratic Missouri state Senator from the University City posted this is in St. Louis, posted and quickly deleted this Facebook thing saying she hoped that President Trump would be assassinated. She came to prominence in the Ferguson and Michael Brown situation. Quickly took it down. The U.S. Secret Service and St. Louis office investigating the chairman and Democratic Party called on her to resign. What do you say?
(....)
LEMON: Yeah. Look, the President has to own his words, responsible for his words, and she said the way I responded this morning was wrong. She told The Star, I guess the newspaper. “I am frustrated. Did I mean the statement, no, I'm frustrated. Absolutely, the President is causing damage and causing hate.” She has to be responsible for her words like the President's responsible for his.
BOYKIN: At least — I don't think what she said was right, but had the courage to say she was wrong. This President never says he was wrong. This is a President who got up there last year in the campaign —
LEMON: Making excuses for her?
BOYKIN: I'm not. He spoke about second amendment remedies in case Hillary Clinton was elected, which was a clear threat of assassination. He never admitted that at all.
LEMON: I understand that, but this is, yea, yes, you're right, but, still —
BOYKIN: Right, it's wrong. You can't say anything. It's wrong, but the point is, Donald Trump is the President of the United States. He is supposed to be, not only the political leader, but moral leader of the country. He cannot do that. He cannot condemn other people when he is creating culture of violence himself.
