After spending the previous hour on Monday attacking Pat Smith’s speech about her son’s murder in Benghazi as having “ruined” the night, an MSNBC panelist questioned why Republicans turn to “fiery, committed” African-Americans at Republican National Conventions (RNC) “to make [their] case” and another compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the Boston Tea Party.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson chimed in by declaring that “[b]y the end of the night, the podium will have been more diverse than the hall in terms of this racial and ethnic diversity and frankly, that’s not the first night of a generic Republican convention that's been the case.”
On the substance of African-Americans speaking at the RNC, the African-American liberal columnist seemed to have a problem with them:
I mean, and you know, it's interesting they have fiery, committed, really articulate even eloquent African-American speakers to make the Republican case but until the party actually goes out to African-American voters and asks for their votes on the basis of policies that are, you know, beneficial to African-American communities, I don't think the party’s going to get more diverse[.]
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke later spoke to the RNC and MSNBC immediately went to PBS host Tavis Smiley for reaction but he first had to gush over how he spent time on the 2008 presidential election night with MSNBC’s co-host Brian Williams before railing against “sycophants” like Clarke:
To your question, though, it is always easy to find these political sycophants who are willing to stand up and advance these sort of simple slogans and rosy rhetoric but can't get to a conversation of what's at stake here. What's at stake here is not just the lives of cops and there’s no one in the country who doesn’t believe blue lives matter, indeed they do. The question is when do we get around to appreciating, to valuing the sanctity, the humanity, and the dignity of black life.
Smiley also boasted of the need for the Black Lives Matter movement to continue protesting and even used one of Clarke’s critiques of the movement to link them to the Boston Tea Party: “I think protest has its place and when I hear the sheriff speaking about Black Lives Matter as anarchy, first of all, I don't think that's the case, but if it is the case, then I think the Boston Tea Party is anarchy, but we wouldn't be here without it.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from the 9:00 p.m. Eastern hour of MSNBC’s Republican National Convention coverage on July 18 can be found below.
MSNBC’s The Place for Politics 2016
July 18, 2016
9:21 p.m. Eastern
EUGENE ROBINSON: By the end of the night, the podium will have been more diverse than the hall in terms of this racial and ethnic diversity and frankly, that’s not the first night of a generic Republican convention that's been the case. I mean, and you know, it's interesting they have fiery, committed, really articulate even eloquent African-American speakers to make the Republican case but until the party actually goes out to African-American voters and asks for their votes on the basis of policies that are, you know, beneficial to African-American communities, I don't think the party’s going to get more diverse and I think that, you know, the number plus 62 among Latinos, it’s probably about that among African-Americans.
(....)
9:32 p.m. Eastern
TAVIS SMILEY: First of all, Brian, it's good to be on with you again. I will never forget for as long as I live, being with you eight nights ago when you were at the anchor desk when this election was called for Barack Obama so it’s good to be on with you again some many years later. To your question, though, it is always easy to find these political sycophants who are willing to stand up and advance these sort of simple slogans and rosy rhetoric but can't get to a conversation of what's at stake here. What's at stake here is not just the lives of cops and there’s no one in the country who doesn’t believe blue lives matter, indeed they do. The question is when do we get around to appreciating, to valuing the sanctity, the humanity, and the dignity of black life. That's what's at the stake. That’s why Black Lives Matter is in the streets protesting. I think protest has its place and when I hear the sheriff speaking about Black Lives Matter as anarchy, first of all, I don't think that's the case, but if it is the case, then I think the Boston Tea Party is anarchy, but we wouldn't be here without it, and so I believe that at our best, America embraces the notion of peaceful non-violent protests. That's what Black Lives Matter has been all about and we got to have a real conversation about whether or not and when we’re going to get around to appreciating and respecting the lives of all fellow citizens.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Tavis, do you think the movement has made any mistakes with its tactics or messaging?
SMILEY: I don't know any movement that hasn't, but by the same token, Brian, I don't think that well-behaved people get anything done and so, we can critique, we can Monday morning quarterback what their tactics and strategies have been, but I believe that somebody has to stand up with courage and conviction and commitment to try to make this republic what it ought to be and I believe the best among us offer their service to the best among us and that include cops and for that matter, protesters as well.
