Anchor Alisyn Camerota of CNN Tonight invited a panel of guests on Monday’s show to discuss Senator Tim Scott’s (R-SC) appearance on The View in that morning, and his discussion on racism in America today. One of Camerota’s guests was Jessica Washington, a reporter for The Root, who scoffed at Scott’s positive view of race relations in America and decried focusing on the progress made.
Washington made it clear that she didn’t believe Scott’s view of race in America, calling it “fundamentally confusing” because his concept of America didn’t “completely match up” with the one that she had, or at least the one that she thought he should have.
She claimed that “he clearly is” an exception in his experiences in life, because “it is really hard to escape poverty,” which she seemed to directly associate with being black and with the “systemic racism” that she saw in the world:
You know, I think that there are a lot of black Americans who are able to be financially successful in this country. That definitely exists, but it is not the rule. I think the rule in this country is, it is really hard to escape poverty. It is really hard to escape systemic racism. And I think to try and act as if those things aren't real I think does a real disservice to… you know, efforts to try and mitigate those issues.
This leap in logic, paralleling poverty and systemic racism, was absurd, and seemed to indicate Washington’s own idea for what she meant by systemic racism as something that can neither be predicted for any particular person’s life, no matter the color of their skin.
In addition, the specific issue at hand, that of poverty, was not as much of an issue in the here, in America, and now, during one of the times of greatest prosperity and least joblessness, percentage wise, in history. At this point, the only real issue in the way of anyone escaping poverty was effort, and this was something that Washington ignored entirely.
Being a black woman herself, Washington complained about how she had “certainly experienced racism,” although she laughed during her discussion of this, possibly indicating how little she really took her own statement seriously.
Washington also contended that “focusing so much on the idea of” progress in the realm of racism in America does nothing more than “makes it easier for people” to ignore the real issues surrounding racism, especially “when the voice is coming from a black person.”
As it was even explained by the next visitor to speak, podcaster Michael Moynihan, Scott didn’t actually ignore racism, or see it as “not an issue,” but he didn’t place as much emphasis on it as Washington clearly wanted him to.
Moynihan even rebuked her by noting that “I mean, Tim Scott has spoken quite eloquently and frequently about being stopped by the police.” And criticized “the problem with these debates is these binary debates, like it's either everything or it's nothing.”
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Transcript of the segments below (click Expand)
CNN Tonight
06/05/23
10:29:29 PM
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Okay. So, Jessica, your thoughts on both of those perspectives?
JESSICA WASHINGTON: Yeah, I mean, it's—it’s fundamentally confusing to me what Tim Scott's perfe—perspective, because his idea of what this country is just doesn't completely match up. What I would say is just, he says he's not the exception, but he clearly is.
You know, I think that there are a lot of black Americans who are able to be financially successful in this country. That definitely exists, but it is not the rule. I think the rule in this country is, it is really hard to escape poverty. It is really hard to escape systemic racism. And I think to try and act as if those things aren't real I think does a real disservice to… you know, efforts to try and mitigate those issues.
CAMEROTA: Michael, how do you see it?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: I mean, I think Joy Behar's comments, and note that she wasn't there today.
CAMEROTA: I know.
MOYNIHAN: I thought that was a bit curious… [laughs] Was that… [laughs]
CAMEROTA: Well, I…
MOYNIHAN: She might—might wanna show up for that one.
CAMEROTA: I think I later heard that she has off on Mondays. I was like, how’d she get that deal?
MOYNIHAN: Is that right? Is she a barber? She's off on Mondays. Okay, well, that comment by her is offensive and stupid, particularly when it's coming from the white lady on the panel who is telling black people how to be black. Is there anything more offensive? Cause it presumes, first of all, that there is only one way to be black. And the arbiter of that is the lady on The View.
And Tim Scott, you know, a lot of po—lot of policy disagr—disagreements with him. I think he handled himself very well today. He came on, was willing to go into the lion's den, and he did it with, like, a smile on his face. He couldn't lose by going on there. It's like, why not go on there? He's polling at on—between one and two percent, like behind Vivek Ramaswamy, and he went there and he did—he did well. And Republicans were really happy about this. I saw on Twitter today that they thought he did—did very, very well.
…
10:34:36 PM
CAMEROTA: Jessica, one of the things that he was trying to tal—to say was that there's been so much progress made and he wants to lean into that, that there's been a lot of progress and he gave the example of his grandfather, I think, who had to step off the sidewalk to allow a white pedestrian to walk by. That's notable. I mean, don't you think that his point that he's the evidence of progress, he's Exhibit A of progress, and not—and that it isn’t that he had to be exceptional.
WASHINGTON: I get his point that things are better, and they're obviously better, and I think there's no way to argue that, but I mean, I'm younger than Tim Scott, and I've certainly experienced racism. So I think to argue that this is no longer an issue doesn't make sense. And I think by focusing so much on this idea of, we've made progress, so let's not talk about it, it makes it—you just make it so easy for other people. And I think you particularly make it easier for white people when the voice is coming from a black person. I think that's really what worries me.
MOYNIHAN: I mean, in fairness to Tim Scott, he doesn't say that it's not an issue, I mean, Tim Scott has spoken quite eloquently and frequently about being stopped by the police. These sorts of things are, I mean—the problem with these debates is these binary debates, like it's either everything or it's nothing.
I did think he did a pretty good job of saying, you know, look, you know, there is a black middle class that is getting bigger and bigger every year. It is very different than 1920. It's very different than 1960. It's very different than 1980. So, like, there has been progress. He doesn't deny that racism exists. He does, I mean, I think that the problem is one actually of language, is that when you end up having these definitional conversations about what is systemic, you tend to not have any conversations about policy solutions.
