Amidst all the MSM celebration of the conviction of Derek Chauvin, CNN's John Berman sounded a surprising sidenote this morning. He actually teed up a guest to criticize Nancy Pelosi for her absurd statement of yesterday, in which she said [while gazing heavenward--see screencap]:
"Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice."
Berman prefaced things by saying:
"I want to play what Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about this. And I'm not doing this to troll Nancy Pelosi. But I think it's important to frame how we think about things, again, looking forward."
After playing the clip of Pelosi's statement, Berman turned to Jemar Tisby, founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, and asked: "Thank you George Floyd for your sacrifice. Why don't you think that's the right way to think about this?"
Tisby spoke about the trend, not just Pelosi: I think people who say that George Floyd’s life was a sacrifice for justice are well-meaning but misguided. And honestly, in 2021, after all we’ve seen, we have to do better. George Floyd did not ask to be a sacrifice. He should be alive today." Tisby added "We shouldn't treat black life and discard it in the sense that it takes someone being killed in order for us to understand justice."
Berman tried to give himself some cover by insisting he wasn't trying to "troll" Pelosi. But will Berman be hearing from CNN suits and/or the Speaker's office to chastise him for the effrontery of uttering something other than pure praise of Pelosi for her cockeyed Thank You?
CNN criticizing Nancy Pelosi for thanking George Floyd for sacrificing his life for justice was sponsored in part by Noom, Sandals, Just for Men, Lexus, and Subway.
Here's the transcript.
CNN
New Day
4/21/21
6:09 am ETJOHN BERMAN: Jemar, I want your take on the significance of George Floyd as a person going forward. And I want to play what speaker Nancy Pelosi said about this. I’m not doing this to troll Nancy Pelosi. But I think it’s important to frame how we think about things, again, looking forward. So listen to this.
NANCY PELOSI: Thank you [looks up to the heavens], George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice, for being there to call out to your mom. How heartbreaking was that, call out for your mom, “I can’t breathe.” But because of you, and because of thousands, millions of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice.
BERMAN: [Dubious tone of voice] Thank you, George Floyd, for your sacrifice. Why don’t you think that’s the right way to think about this?
JEMAR TISBY: I think people who say that George Floyd’s life was a sacrifice for justice are well-meaning but misguided. And honestly, in 2021, after all we’ve seen, we have to do better. George Floyd did not ask to be a sacrifice. He should be alive today. Moreover, it shouldn’t take the death of black people, people of color, or anyone to show what justice looks like, or to call this nation to its higher ideals.
