(Warning: This blog contains quotes from CNN host Chris Cuomo where he used explicit language.)
If CNN PrimeTime host Chris “Fredo” Cuomo was known for anything, it was his desire to use physical violence against his opponents at nearly every turn. Whether it was threatening to throw a Trump supporter down a flight of stairs, fantasizing about choking and punching his critics, to openly threatening the lives of Republican lawmakers, violence was part of who he was. But on Monday, Fredo had the audacity to exploit Martin Luther King Jr. Day to suddenly preach peace and love.
“Hope with me that today Dr. King's example inspires the many striving for better and enlightens the toxic few determined to be their worst,” he proclaimed. “We could not have a better reminder that you can't kill an idea with violence. Only a better idea can prevail. Equality and justice as Dr. King taught us.”
Adding: “They are the best ideas. Darkness can only be removed by the light of truth. And love is the ultimate form of truth. But also that racial progress can enrage some in the majority and that violence can be used as a refuge for those coming from a place of animus and ignorance. And that democracy, even in America, is a fragile, fragile thing.”
What an opportunist hypocrite Fredo was. And he made all those pompous statements then later bashed Republicans for sharing King quotes. Of course, he didn’t note MLK was a Republican.
Yet, it was just two years ago that Cuomo had a roid rage moment after Trump supporters called him “Fredo” and he threatened to through them down a flight of stairs in an expletive-lashed tirade. “No, punk-ass bitches from the right call me Fredo. My name is Chris Cuomo, I’m an anchor on CNN,” he screamed at the group. “I’ll fucking ruin your shit. I’ll fucking throw you down these stairs like a fucking punk.”
Just three months ago, he talked about wanting to deal with his critics at Fox News with a “naked choke” and “a punch to the sternum.”
And aside from threatening Republican lawmakers that they were “going to lose way more than this election,” he also insisted that protests didn’t have to be peaceful. “And please, show me where it says that protesters are supposed to be polite and peaceful,” he demanded last summer.
Dr. King’s hallmark was nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. Two things Cuomo’s history, actions, and demeanor were far from.
On top of spewing that nonsense, Fredo also lashed out at the National Guard troops now stationed in Washington D.C. to protect the inauguration, suggesting their backgrounds needed to be thoroughly searched to make sure they were loyal.
Declaring “we can no longer boast a peaceful transfer of power,” Cuomo argued “we must be suspicious” of the National Guard “to ensure that none will turn on their country and pose an insider threat. We used to have to do that in Iraq, by the way.”
He went on to opine about how President-elect Biden’s “battle for the soul of the country” was quite literal. “Candidate Biden warned us we were in for a battle of the soul of our nation. Seemed dramatic at the time. Now seems more prophetic,” he bloviated. “How do you restore a soul? How do you unify those who see benefit and power in division? That alone would be a daunting, daunting task. But that is just one of the problems on Biden's plate.”
Exploiting a civil rights hero and bashing the troops. This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
January 18, 2021
9:00:18 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: This week will be remembered for a long time. The question is, how? Hope with me that today Dr. King's example inspires the many striving for better and enlightens the toxic few determined to be their worst. We could not have a better reminder that you can't kill an idea with violence. Only a better idea can prevail. Equality and justice as Dr. King taught us. They are the best ideas. Darkness can only be removed by the light of truth. And love is the ultimate form of truth.
But also that racial progress can enrage some in the majority and that violence can be used as a refuge for those coming from a place of animus and ignorance. And that democracy, even in America, is a fragile, fragile thing.
That last reality, has the Capitol and this country in a state of high anxiety. The Inaugural Committee lighting the field of flags on a deserted national mall tonight. Illuminating 56 pillars of light representing every state and territory. Some 200,000 U.S. flags standing tall, representing Americans unable to attend the Biden inauguration due to the pandemic, and now due to the disease of division.
25,000 National Guard members must protect our democracy from ourselves. We can no longer boast a peaceful transfer of power. There is no peace. We must be suspicious of even the peacekeepers. All are being vetted by the FBI ahead of Wednesday to ensure that none will turn on their country and pose an insider threat. We used to have to do that in Iraq, by the way.
This is where we are four years of Trump. The only place his demagoguery could take us chaos capped off by a Capitol coup. Candidate Biden warned us we were in for a battle of the soul of our nation. Seemed dramatic at the time. Now seems more prophetic.
How do you restore a soul? How do you unify those who see benefit and power in division? That alone would be a daunting, daunting task. But that is just one of the problems on Biden's plate. Literally, a sea of tsunamis thanks to the worst president in my lifetime; the man who made it cool to be cruel in too many places in this country.
(…)
