Our friends at Grabien Tuesday morning flagged down quite the exchange on CNN’s New Day in which chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin cast aside and even mocked the anguish and embarrassment white men like Brett Kavanuagh suffer as a result of being accused of sexual misconduct.
Of course, Toobin’s hot take was offered without regard for one’s guilt or innocence. You’d think a legal analyst should have that presumption and emphasize the importance of facts, but the liberal media have, by and large, shown they’re incapable of doing even that.
Co-host John Berman teed up this discussion about white men being accused thanks to this doozy of a Washington Post story entitled “Male fury and fear rises in GOP in defense of Kavanaugh” and a clip of Donald Trump Jr. telling The Daily Mail that he’s concerned about his sons:
But when the other sides weaponizes it against men and says, 40 years later we can bring it up and you did something in high school that no one remembers, that it should disqualify you from ever doing anything again, it really diminishes the real claims.
After the clip, Toobin unleashed this torrent of nonsense egged on by co-host Alisyn Camerota (click “expand”):
TOOBIN: You know what? Every night, I cry myself to sleep over the fate of white men in America. White men have no power, white men — I mean, it's such garbage. I mean, it’s so ridiculous.
CAMEROTA: Then you are not listening to right-wing media where there is a talking point that’s going on like wildfire.
TOOBIN: I understand that and you know what? If you sexual assault — sexually assault someone in high school, your life should be ruined. Your life should be pursued. I mean, the idea that this is somehow unjust — remember, this all started with accusations of sexual assault. How about the lives of the women who were sexual assaulted in high school? How about 15-year-old Ms. Blasey — she wasn't Ms. Blasey Ford in those days, how about her life? All this whining about the poor plight of white men is ridiculous.
Former Laura Bush chief of staff Anita McBride responded that “women have a voice in this country and they need to and they do exercise it” because they “bring great sensitivity and clarity to a lot of big issues in our country.” However, she conceded that everyone deserves to be “treated...fairly, you know, for all their voices to be heard.”
Political commentator and former Clinton administration press secretary Joe Lockhart dialed up some weapons-grade irony as he claimed that “women keep coming forward” with their stories “and the train keeps running them over.”
Lockhart certainly has some insight on silencing women, considering that’s what his boss’s political machine did to Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, and Kathleen Wiley. Alas, he chose to lecture about men needing “to make that change”:
But the teaching has to be done by the men at this point. Women have made their point and Jeffrey made an important point yesterday — women keep coming forward and the train keeps running them over. And men have to take the lead on teaching our sons what's right and it’s because otherwise if the white male who Jeffrey’s crying himself to sleep every night sits back and says this doesn't impact me, then women's voices will not make change. Men have to make the change.
To see the relevant transcript from CNN’s New Day on October 2, click “expand.”
CNN’s New Day
October 2, 2018
7:12 a.m. EasternJOHN BERMAN: Can I bring up something, something else which is a trend now, I think, going beyond Brett Kavanaugh and it's an argument being made by Republicans. There’s a question about whether it's true but there’s a whole Washington Post article this morning where the title is “Male fury and fear rises in GOP in defense of Kavanaugh.” And the notion is that men are somehow being threatened in a larger sense by what's happening.
ALISYN CAMEROTA: And that they are as energized now, that if Brett Kavanaugh is an avatar of how men — white men are being victimized and besieged by all this Me Too movement are they as energized as women are.
BERMAN: Hang on one second, Jeffrey. Hang on, one second Jeffrey. Because I want to do two things. One, I want to play Donald Trump Jr., who, in this interview, who made this case, so let’s play DJT.
DAVID MARTOSKO: Who are you scared most for? Your sons or your daughters?
DONALD TRUMP JR. I mean, right now, I would say my sons. [SCREEN WIPE] But when the other sides weaponizes it against men and says, 40 years later we can bring it up and you did something in high school that no one remembers, that it should disqualify you from ever doing anything again, it really diminishes the real claims.
BERMAN: That's text and subtext right there as text and subtext.
JEFFREY TOOBIN: You know what? Every night, I cry myself to sleep over the fate of white men in America. White men have no power, white men — I mean, it's such garbage. I mean, it’s so ridiculous.
CAMEROTA: Then you are not listening to right-wing media where there is a talking point that’s going on like wildfire.
TOOBIN: I understand that and you know what? If you sexual assault — sexually assault someone in high school, your life should be ruined. Your life should be pursued. I mean, the idea that this is somehow unjust — remember, this all started with accusations of sexual assault. How about the lives of the women who were sexual assaulted in high school? How about 15-year-old Ms. Blasey — she wasn't Ms. Blasey Ford in those days, how about her life? All this whining about the poor plight of white men is ridiculous.
BERMAN: And can I share one thing here because the case is being made among — in the Republican party that there is this rising and it could have an impact in the polls. Well, we have a poll from Quinnipiac which shows perhaps something different. It gets to the idea of support for Brett Kavanaugh and support for Brett Kavanaugh has dropped substantially over the last week. 48 percent now oppose his confirmation, it was 42 in this Quinnipiac poll on September 10th. You can see the opposition growing. We don't have the poll out here but the male numbers actually haven't changed. You know, men are not supporting or opposing this confirmation in any greater numbers. Women, however, are opposing this confirmation in much greater numbers. 55 percent oppose the confirmation, Anita. So if there is energy, Republicans making the case that angry white men are going to change the fray, maybe it's not the angry white men, maybe it's the angry women.
ANITA MCBRIDE: Well, I think, you know, listen, women have a voice in this country and they need to and they do exercise it. We see this, too, in record numbers of women that are running for office this time. That — that’s a good thing, I think women bring great sensitivity and clarity to a lot of big issues in our country and I think, you know, with the clip that you showed from Don Jr., you know, maybe not the best messenger for this issue of fair — of what I take from that really is an issue of fairness for both men and women, to be — to be treated appropriately fairly, you know, for all their voices to be heard. Maybe he's not the best messenger for it, but as a mother of a son and a daughter, you know, I worry about both of them.
CAMEROTA: Yeah. Me, too. I understand. I think we can all agree on that.
JOE LOCKHART: I think we can all agree that Don Jr. is — if you’re in the war room for Brett Kavanaugh and you saw that, you cringed and you said that's a set back for us.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely and I think we can all agree with Anita that if there’s a silver lining this is a teachable moment for our sons and daughters.
LOCKHART: But the teaching has to be done by the men at this point. Women have made their point and Jeffrey made an important point yesterday —
CAMEROTA: You mean that learning has to come from men?
LOCKHART: Women keep coming forward and the train keeps running them over.
MCBRIDE: Well, we have to do it together.
LOCKHART: And men have to take the lead on teaching our sons what's right and it’s because otherwise if the white male who Jeffrey’s crying himself to sleep every night sits back and says this doesn't impact me, then women's voices will not make change. Men have to make the change.
MCBRIDE: Well, can I add just one thing.
BERMAN: Go ahead, Anita.
CAMEROTA: We’ll see.
MCBRIDE: Well, can I add just one thing. I think, you know, Judge Kavanaugh in his defense of raising two really terrific little girls and also has been a terrific mentor to women in the legal system and the law clerks who have worked for him would tell you that. It's a good experience. So, again, in the full measure and breadth of someone's life, let's look at all of it and as a woman I want to say that fairly in his defense in this case.
