On Wednesday night, for the second time this year, MSNBC's ReidOut host Joy Reid invited a Republican on her show in order to debate them on the issues or controversies of the day. This time Reid's latest victim was former Congressman Mike Rogers (R-MI). During the debate that at times got heated, Reid ironically whined about the Republican Party supporting big government and outright lied that "nobody is having porn books at schools." Each time, Rogers set her straight.
Complaining about the Florida state government under the leadership of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, Reid falsely claimed "it seems like government is getting bigger. Attacks on abortion are getting—they’re not like we want to leave it to the states. It’s like we're gonna ban this nationwide."
Rogers timidly explained that "there's a difference between tolerance of those who are different and LGBTQ community members and what some—in some schools have been happening where people believe that they've taken the rights of parents away to make those kinds of decisions."
Reid thought she laid a trap for Rogers and sneered "I love that you said that."
"If I'm an African-American parent and I had black kids in Florida schools. And I say, I want my kids to read the Bluest Eye. Why does an organization like Moms for Liberty have the right to say, no, that book gets banned," Reid whined.
"But as a parent, you would have the right to have that book in your house," Rogers explained. This was the correct way to explain the situation. If parents want their children to read inappropriate books, they are free to do so at home, if they want to abuse their children.
"That's not what's happening! What you’re seeing is groups like Moms for Liberty say no kid can have this book. Ban it!" Reid cried.
Things then got much more heated between the two. Click "expand" to read:
ROGERS: Ban it from the school library, is what they're saying. They’re saying they want to be able to control the access of that—
REID: Why should they control it and not me? I have kids there too—
ROGERS: But you can get that book at home. If you want to have that book at home, you can get that book at home.
REID: But they get to decide what's in school. That means only some parents have rights.
ROGERS: But I mean you can make—you can take this argument to the extreme and say, well then everything should be available. Let them get on pornography sites on --
REID: Nobody is having porn books at schools. There’s no porn books at school.
ROGERS: You have to say there is a line for this.
REID: It can't be one group that decides, right? You agree with that. That it can't be one—
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: I think the parents in a community need to make these decisions.
REID: That's not who’s deciding. It’s Moms for Liberty.
ROGERS: Well, you know listen—
REID: They're deciding.
ROGERS: They have the influence in a school and they should have the abilities to go in and say—
REID: But parents like me should too right?
Reid's claim that there are no porn books in schools is laughable on its face. Governor DeSantis proved this was the case during his famous press conference where the contents of many of these sexually explicit books were read. They were so graphic that local news channels were forced to cut away.
Reid should explain why books that are too sexually graphic for television are perfectly appropriate for school children:
Yesterday, we exposed the “book ban” hoax.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 10, 2023
If news stations could not show this explicit material on air — why should it be in our schools? https://t.co/TCLZyMOYvB
Rogers ended the debate by explaining to Reid that "the best education you can get happens at home."
This segment on MSNBC was made possible by Chase. Their information is linked.
The transcript is below. Click “expand” to read:
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
3/15/2023
7:28:54 p.m. EasternJOY REID: And yet what you're seeing among the people who are ascendant in the party, like Desantis, is attacks on schools. Is attacks on teachers. Is banning drag shows. What is a governor doing, taking the—a private business's liquor license because they had Ru Paul's drag race do a tour there? Like it seems like government is getting bigger. Attacks on abortion are getting—they’re not like we want to leave it to the states. It’s like we're gonna ban this nationwide.
MIKE ROGERS: I think you're talking about this—a smaller lane in the Republican Party.
REID: Is it small though?
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: I do -- here’s the thing we have to remember that there's a difference between tolerance of those who are different and LGBTQ community members and what some—in some schools have been happening where people believe that they've taken the rights of parents away to make those kinds of decisions.
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: For their kids and I think that's a big difference I think we're gonna have to work through that difference.
REID: I love that you said that. Because here’s my question, if I'm an African-American parent and I had black kids in Florida schools. And I say, I want my kids to read the Bluest Eye. Why does an organization like Moms for Liberty have the right to say, no, that book gets banned. Or if I’m a parent of an LGBTQ kid—
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: But as a parent, you would have the right to have that book in your house.
REID: But that's not what's happening! What you’re seeing is groups like Moms for Liberty say no kid can have this book. Ban it! They’re not saying my rights—
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: Ban it from the school library, is what they're saying. They’re saying they want to be able to control the access of that—
REID: Why should they control it and not me? I have kids there too—
ROGERS: But you can get that book at home. If you want to have that book at home, you can get that book at home.
REID: But they get to decide what's in school. That means only some parents have rights.
ROGERS: But I mean you can make—you can take this argument to the extreme and say, well then everything should be available. Let them get on pornography sites on --
REID: Nobody is having porn books at schools. There’s no porn books at school.
ROGERS: You have to say there is a line for this.
REID: It can't be one group that decides, right? You agree with that. That it can't be one—
[crosstalk]
ROGERS: I think the parents in a community need to make these decisions.
REID: That's not who’s deciding. It’s Moms for Liberty.
ROGERS: Well, you know listen—
REID: They're deciding.
ROGERS: They have the influence in a school and they should have the abilities to go in and say—
REID: But parents like me should too right?
ROGERS: Yeah, you can have that debate but my argument is, your beliefs and my—a parent belief in the school who happens to be different, you can come to a place where you don't have to have either one of those exposed to the kids. You can do it at home. And guess what, the best education you can get happens at home.
