Toward the end of Sunday’s Meet the Press, Republican strategist Brad Todd put NBC political director Chuck Todd in his place when the latter Todd tried to lie to viewers by claiming that parental opposition and outrage to Critical Race Theory was “manufactured at Fox [News].”
What made Chuck’s suggestion even more obviously untrue, was the fact that PBC NewsHour chief correspondent Amna Nawaz had just finished talking about how she had covered the “dozens and dozens and dozens of parents” that turned out the Loudon Country school board meeting in Virginia to speak out against the racism inherent in Critical Race Theory.
“And to your point, this is something that is mobilizing people and resonating very deeply,” she said, noting Brad’s comments. But she did try to hint that opposition could be race or class-based:
It was about a 100-degree day, dozens and dozens and dozens of parents, mostly white in this largely affluent county showed up to a school board meeting. For many of them the very first school board meeting they’ve ever attended, specifically because of this one issue.
It was when Brad began to build off of Nawaz and accurately note that the opposition was “at the grassroots level” did Chuck tried to assert that it was fact and made up by Fox News:
BRAD TODD: That's important to note that you mentioned Critical Race Theory a couple times. This is a parent-led backlash at the grassroots level.
CHUCK TODD (Speaking over): It's manufactured at Fox and then sort of – essentially been lit – the fire was lit.
B. TODD (Trying to compete): No, it’s completely – elected officials have picked it up. I disagree.
“I think it started because parents have had it with the education bureaucracy after COVID. They're fed up with it,” Brad said, beating back Chuck's attempt to speak over him.
Brad then noted that while parents “tend to trust Democrats when it comes to education funding … they trust Republicans on education accountability.” Adding: “I think what the backlash you're seeing on Critical Race Theory in schools is another example of parents trying to hold educators accountable.”
NBC political analyst and race-baiter Cornell Belcher injected himself into the conversation and argued that the opposition to Critical Race Theory was just more “racial tribalism” stoked by former President Trump:
It's coordinated. It’s aggressive. It’s intentional. Right? This is a part of the tribalism play. The Critical Race Theory is yet another tool in the racial tribal boogeyman's toolbox to drive and inflame tribalism, which Republicans think helps them in elections. This is – this is – this is Trump 2.0. This is a continuation of this. Right?
“It is racial. It is tribalism. We've seen it grow under Trump. And this is part and parcel of it,” he bitterly declared before asserting, without evidence, that the outrage was being funded by dark money. “There’s no way – this is not grassroots. And Brad, you know this is organized and it’s being paid for,” he sneered.
Chuck Todd’s failed attempt to lie to his viewers was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Chase and Google. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
June 20, 2021
11:24:55 a.m. Eastern(…)
AMNA NAWAZ (PBS NewsHour): Yeah, and specific to this idea of Critical Race Theory. I have to tell you, I just spent some time reporting on this county in Virginia about an hour outside of Washington. And to your point, this is something that is mobilizing people and resonating very deeply. It was about a 100-degree day, dozens and dozens and dozens of parents, mostly white in this largely affluent county showed up to a school board meeting. For many of them the very first school board meeting they’ve ever attended, specifically because of this one issue.
BRAD TODD: That's important to note that you mentioned Critical Race Theory a couple times. This is a parent-led backlash at the grassroots level.
CHUCK TODD (Speaking over): It's manufactured at Fox and then sort of – essentially been lit – the fire was lit.
B. TODD (Trying to compete): No, it’s completely – elected officials have picked it up. I disagree. I think it started because parents have had it with the education bureaucracy after COVID. They're fed up with it.
They tend to trust Democrats when it comes to education funding but they trust Republicans on education accountability. I think what the backlash you're seeing on Critical Race Theory in schools is another example of parents trying to hold educators accountable.
CORNELL BELCHER: It's coordinated. It’s aggressive. It’s intentional. Right? This is a part of the tribalism play. The Critical Race Theory is yet another tool in the racial tribal boogeyman's toolbox to drive and inflame tribalism, which Republicans think helps them in elections. This is – this is – this is Trump 2.0. This is a continuation of this. Right?
Critical Race Theory is an arcane sort of ideal. Why is it front and center right now? The same reason Mitch McConnell attacked Stacey Abrams when she came out for the voting bill. It is racial. It is tribalism. We've seen it grow under Trump. And this is part and parcel of it. And they think this helps ignite their base. There’s no way – this is not grassroots. And Brad, you know this is organized and it’s being paid for.
B. TODD: They're not very good at organizing anything on our side.
BLETCHER: You all are better than us.
[Laughter]
(…)
