As part of a larger CNN Tonight panel discussion on the Colorado Springs gay nightclub shooting, former NYPD detective Tom Verni declared the United States to be a “racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic country.” Neither host Alisyn Camerota nor any of Verni’s co-panelists bothered to raise objections to this broad denunciation of over 300 million people.
Camerota asked Verni to “put your detective hat on for us because you've worked on these issues for so long, and can you just explain the motive and mindset of a deranged person who goes into a nightclub where people are dancing and having a great time and thinks that by shooting, killing five people, what people aren't going to be gay anymore? I mean, what's the thought process there?”
Before answering that question, Verni went on a rant, “You know, as he just mentioned. So, we, here's a breaking news: we live in a racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic country. This is stuff that is learned behavior passed down through generations. And unless we address that root issue, that and upon itself makes-- everything stems from that.”
It must be miserable to live life under the assumption that everybody else is a horrible person without any evidence, but Verni continued by switching to guns, “And then when you add into the mix, you know, the free flowing of guns in our country, which are awash in every neighborhood of every state. Now you have people who are a few sandwiches short of a picnic, like this guy, who get their hands on a weapon and then go out and then massacre people just trying to enjoy themselves.”
Finally getting around to Camerota’s question, Verni claimed “I can't really explain what is behind the methodology of a psychopath,” but “we see a re-occurring theme of people who are extremely angry and have all kinds of vitriol that they need to just let out.”
Although he never mentioned anybody by name, it was clear Verni was talking about conservatives, when he followed up by adding, “And as many people in government are guilty of, they are fueling this fire of people. And if they're on the edge to go out and snap and do something that maybe that's all it takes is someone of authority to give them that green light to do it. And it's just sickening. It's sickening what's happening in this country.”
Earlier in the segment, Camerota asked pollster Frank Luntz, “So, Frank, you heard me talking to the senator there, 344 anti-LGBTQ bills in state houses around the country. Why is that issue suddenly so politically active?”
Luntz, who is supposed to be a Republican pollster, could not find it in himself to mention that it is perfectly reasonable for parents to want to keep sexualized material out of their young children’s education, who want their children to be taught there are only two genders, and who want only women to compete in women’s sports. Instead, Luntz offered up a simple, “I don’t know,” before going on about the evils of social media.
This segment was sponsored by The Farmer’s Dog.
Here is a transcript for the November 21 show:
CNN Tonight
11/21/2022
10:08 PM ET
ALISYN CAMEROTA: So, Frank, you heard me talking to the senator there, 344 anti-LGBTQ bills in state houses around the country. Why is that issue suddenly so politically active?
FRANK LUNTZ: I don't know. And I do know that there is a poison and toxicity that exists in our dialogue right now, and I know that much of it comes from social media. I don't seek to politicize anything for any reason because people are dying. And it's so much more important than trying to find partisan gain over it.
I do see that there's a sickness in our society that-- that-- is harder and harder to take. The more that -- and my job is to listen to these people. My job is to hear what they have to say, and it's not a Republican or Democrat issue. It's a social media issue. It's a cultural issue. And there is so much hate and divisiveness. So much more than when I started in this profession. And I'm scared to death. I'm scared.
CAMEROTA: What are you scared of?
LUNTZ: That it's going to get even worse. I think this is only the beginning. We look at these and we say never again. Well, I'm afraid that it's going to be again and again until we can get a hold of how we talk to each other, how we treat each other. The fact is, the more faith we have, the more civility we have, the more understanding, empathy we have, the less likely this is to happen. But I don't see us moving in that direction at all.
CAMEROTA: Tom, put your detective hat on for us because you've worked on these issues for so long, and can you just explain the motive and mindset of a deranged person who goes into a nightclub where people are dancing and having a great time and thinks that by shooting, killing five people, what people aren't going to be gay anymore? I mean, what's the thought process there?
TOM VERNI: You know, as he just mentioned. So, we, here's a breaking news: we live in a racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic country. This is stuff that is learned behavior passed down through generations. And unless we address that root issue, that and upon itself makes-- everything stems from that.
And then when you add into the mix, you know, the free flowing of guns in our country, which are awash in every neighborhood of every state. Now you have people who are a few sandwiches short of a picnic, like this guy, who get their hands on a weapon and then go out and then massacre people just trying to enjoy themselves.
I can't really explain what is behind the methodology of a psychopath. What I can tell you is that we see a re-ocurring theme, and as I mentioned on CNN Newsroom yesterday, once we get into the background of this individual, which they now have, you know, coming through his social media and talking to the people that he knows, we see a re-occurring theme of people who are extremely angry and have all kinds of vitriol that they need to just let out.
And as many people in government are guilty of, they are fueling this fire of people. And if they're on the edge to go out and snap and do something that maybe that's all it takes is someone of authority to give them that green light to do it. And it's just sickening. It's sickening what's happening in this country.
