Weekend host, Tiffany Cross used her Saturday show on MSNBC to accuse the Republican Party of supporting "a system of white supremacy." And along with self-proclaimed journalist Errin Haines, they asserted there was no difference between political and racial divisions, essentially declaring conservatism, by definition, racist and criticized journalists for not being willing to see it as such.
Also on the panel was former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo who argued racism in the GOP was more the fault of former President Trump than the party as a whole, but Cross wasn't buying it. "Well, I mean, you say Donald Trump, but the truth is this has happened long before Donald Trump became the face of the Republican Party... There were times when, you know, people in the Republican Party haven't really spoken out loud," she said.
Curbelo interjected to defend his position: "I mean, we've had a long history before Donald Trump of presidential candidates like Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bob Dole, who have explicitly condemned and told the country that if they're racist, there’s no home for them in the Republican Party."
Cross remained unconvinced. "Well, I have to disagree with you there. They may be a bit more articulate in their approach, but their policies were just as damaging," she sneered. "They may not be as clumsy as Donald Trump, but their policy still supported a system of white supremacy. I can go through all those presidents you just named and pick out specific pieces of policy that were damaging to people that look like me and you, Congressman, to be frank."
She then turned to Haines and lamented journalists "never introduce race when they're talking to a room full of white people, all of us sitting at home is saying race is the thing are you not talking about. That is the thing that needs to change, Errin. Why do you think in our profession that journalists are not raising this as an issue?"
Haines proceeded to go on a long diatribe, first by declaring journalists only see voters as white and then by attacking the GOP and white parents as racist:
Look, we already know the GOP is prioritizing race in this current climate. Now we know how they plan to do it. This cycle its white parents versus everybody and this is why it's important to Carlos' point to really hear from all kinds of voters over the next year, including conservatives, whom we should be constantly asking whether they are on board with a strategy of a racial playbook and why, not to empathize, but to be clear about where the electorate is going
Haines concluded by equating conservatism with whiteness and wondering "to what extent are political and racial division one and the same in these other countries as they are here?"
Such comments are nothing new for a Cross-Haines discussion. Haines has previously said Critical Race Theory opponents would've opposed desegregation and accused Virginia voters of being "complicit" in a racist Glenn Youngkin campaign.
This segment was sponsored by Tide.
Here is a transcript for the November 13 show:
MSNBC's The Cross Connection
November 13, 2021
10:21 AM ETTIFFANY CROSS: Well, I mean, you say Donald Trump, but the truth is this has happened long before Donald Trump became the face of the Republican Party and you might be one of those sole voices trying to preserve certain parts of the GOP. You were often standing alone on a lot of the policy issues when you were in Congress. However, you know, the long-time Republicans, people like your, you know, fellow Floridian Marco Rubio has fallen silent. There were times when, you know, people in the Republican Party haven't really spoken out loud. Errin, I want to take it back to, go ahead.
CARLOS CURBELO: Let me just briefly answer that. I mean, we've had a long history before Donald Trump of presidential candidates like Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bob Dole, who have explicitly condemned and told the country that if they're racist, there’s no home for them in the Republican Party. This is a more recent phenomenon obviously, it’s been led by Donald Trump.
CROSS: Congressman, but I have to disagree with you there--
CURBELO: But most Republicans in public office are explicit about condemning racism.
CROSS: Well, I have to disagree with you there. They may be a bit more articulate in their approach, but their policies were just as damaging. They may not be as clumsy as Donald Trump, but their policy still supported a system of white supremacy. I can go through all those presidents you just named and pick out specific pieces of policy that were damaging to people that look like me and you, Congressman, to be frank.But, let me just ask Errin a quick question and I promise I’ll come back to you. Errin, you know, a bigger part of the frustration for me is, I think, the way some of our colleagues handle questioning and, you know in journalism and you and I talk about this when you see these journalists talk to parents, which mostly means “white” parents and they ask them questions about CRT or they ask them questions about things happening in society and never ask the follow-up question. They never introduce race when they're talking to a room full of white people, all of us sitting at home is saying race is the thing are you not talking about. That is the thing that needs to change, Errin. Why do you think in our profession that journalists are not raising this as an issue?
ERRIN HAINES: Well, journalists are also a part of our society that is not comfortable talking about race. I think that journalists that do have a track record is talking about issues of race are able to do it when it intersects with things like politics and really drill down when somebody says something like education is a priority for me as a voter. And by the way, we also need to expand the idea of who gets to be a voter and who gets to be a voter that cares about education, right? Like we shouldn't just be asking white parents when they say they care about education, what that means to them.Two things that are really important in this conversation for journalists, but really for all of us, Tiffany. President Biden's campaign pitch was to restore the soul of America, right? And to unify the country. So, we need to keep constantly talking about how that is going, frankly. President Biden also vowed to address racial inequality as a pillar of this administration. Look, we already know the GOP is prioritizing race in this current climate. Now we know how they plan to do it. This cycle its white parents versus everybody and this is why it's important to Carlos' point to really hear from all kinds of voters over the next year, including conservatives, whom we should be constantly asking whether they are on board with a strategy of a racial playbook and why, not to empathize, but to be clear about where the electorate is going. I mean, you brought up that Pew Poll that was showing, kind of, global attitudes around race, racial divisions, and political divisions around the globe. Developed countries understand discrimination is a major problem and where they live is only the beginning of the conversation. Like where do folks think this discrimination is coming from—
CROSS: Right
HAINES: Who do they think is doing it? Are they doing anything about it? And to what extent are political and racial division one and the same in these other countries as they are here?
