The Daily Beast's John Avlon, a supposed "No Labels" moderate, revealed his true liberal colors on Thursday's New Day on CNN during a discussion of Ben Carson's response to the mass shooting in Oregon. Alisyn Camerota pointed out how competitor Lindsey Graham rebuked Dr. Carson, and wondered why the "rational" senator wasn't getting more traction. Avlon replied, "Responsible is a net negative for Republicans right now. Instead of trying to be more responsible, you try to be more irresponsible, more inflammatory, get more attention, and play to the base, which already deeply polarized and inflamed." [video below]
Earlier in the segment, Camerota brought up how Dr. Carson "also had an interview in which he talked about having been held up at a Popeye's chicken once where there was an actual gun, he was, pointed at him. But he actually did not fight back." The morning newscast played a clip of the interview, where the former neurosurgeon admitted that he redirected the gunman to the man behind the counter at the fast food restaurant. Avlon replied to this by attacking the Republican presidential candidate's suggestion:
JOHN AVLON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE DAILY BEAST: Yeah – not exactly a profile in courage moment. You know, the problem, obviously, with what Ben Carson said – in the fantasy vision of how you handle a shooting – is that there was an army vet, Chris Mintz, who was at the shooting who rushed the shooter – who survived, but was shot multiple times; and still, nine people were killed. And the, sort, of fantasy vision, through an ideological prism of these mass shootings, is deeply insulting to the people in the shooting. It's reality challenged.
Co-anchor Chris Cuomo then asked CNN political commentator Errol Louis (who appeared during the segment with Avlon), "Was this about the logic, or is it about just the articulation of what you talk about and what you don't as a presidential candidate?" Louis contended that Dr, Carson's "logic is uninformed by facts is the problem," and cited that "the FBI says, run, hide, fight. Run if you can; hide, if shelter is available; fight if you must. I mean, and that's – that's sensible advice. That would be a lot more logical if you wanted to, sort of, offer advice to everybody."
Avlon's "irresponsible...inflammatory" line about the last two Republican primary cycles came moments later. Cuomo followed up by asking Louis, "Does it mean anything that Trump defends him?" The guest replied, in part, that "Donald Trump sort of operates...in the same way. I mean, he'll take something he saw in a movie, or something he saw on a television show, and convert into his policy that he's recommending....pulling out something that you saw in a movie someday is so inappropriate for this. It's just the wrong forum, and the wrong logic."
Of course, the Daily Beast editor has a long record of bashing conservatives/Republicans on CNN. Earlier in the week, he asserted that the Republican presidential candidates were "trying to bigot their way to the nomination." Two weeks earlier, Avlon tried to cast cold water on the legacy of Ronald Reagan's presidency by playing up that on "many issues – you know, say, gay civil rights, things were not getting done." In March 2015, he likened Indiana Governor Mike Pence to segregationist George Wallace for supporting his state's religious freedom law.
The transcript of the relevant portion of the Avlon/Louis segment from Thursday's New Day on CNN:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Let's discuss all of this with our CNN political analyst and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, John Avlon; and CNN political commentator and political anchor for New York One, Errol Louis. Gentlemen, we have a lot to talk about-
JOHN AVLON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE DAILY BEAST: Good morning! Let's do it-
CAMEROTA: Let's begin with Ben Carson. He said that gunshot – gun violence victims should just fight back. That would solve the problem. Then, he also had an interview in which he talked about having been held up at a Popeye's chicken once where there was an actual gun, he was, pointed at him. But he actually did not fight back. Let me play for you what he did in that situation.
BEN CARSON (from interview on SiriusXM's "Urban View" program): Guy comes in, puts the gun in my ribs, and I – I just said, I believe that you that want the guy behind the counter. He thought I was-
KAREN HUNTER, "URBAN VIEW" HOST: (laughs) That's what you said – in that calm way?
CARSON: In that calm way-
HUNTER: In a calm way? Okay-
CARSON: He said, oh, okay. Over there- (laughs)
HUNTER: (laughs) Oh – so you just redirected him to-
CARSON: I redirected him-
HUNTER: Okay.
CAMEROTA (Avlon laughs): So don't – don't shoot me; shoot that guy. That's one of his suggestions.
AVLON: Yeah; yeah – not exactly a profile in courage moment. You know, the problem, obviously, with what Ben Carson said – in the fantasy vision of how you handle a shooting – is that there was an army vet, Chris Mintz, who was at the shooting who rushed the shooter – who survived, but was shot multiple times; and still, nine people were killed. And the, sort, of fantasy vision, through an ideological prism of these mass shootings, is deeply insulting to the people in the shooting. It's reality challenged.
CHRIS CUOMO: Right. Giving Ben Carson the benefit of-
AVLON: Oh, go on!
CUOMO: Of his own intentions, this is a very coldly logical man – okay? He is a surgeon. He looking at things very forensically. He says he wasn't trying to offend the victims. He's saying this is what people should do in these circumstances. I think his answer to be the Mintz scenario would be, Mintz is a hero – everybody should have gone with him.
ERROL LOUIS, POLITICAL ANCHOR, NY1: Well – although, interesting – when they asked him about it, he did not know about Chris Mintz-
CAMEROTA: That's right-
LOUIS: So, he was kind of – you know, sort of, spouting off. I mean, I think-
CUOMO: Was this about the logic, or is it about just the articulation of what you talk about and what you don't as a presidential candidate?
LOUIS: Well, the logic is uninformed by facts is the problem (Avlon laughs) – because if he had consulted people who actually do this – and he, as a neurosurgeon, would like us to consult him before we start talking about neurosurgery and the right way to, sort of, separate conjoined twins or something like that – but, you know, the FBI says, run, hide, fight. Run if you can; hide, if shelter is available; fight if you must. I mean, and that's – that's sensible advice. That would be a lot more logical if you wanted to, sort of, offer advice to everybody.
CAMEROTA: But I mean, politically speaking, Lindsey Graham came out and said, rationally, Ben Carson has no idea what he's would do in that situation-
CUOMO: He said that to me, by the way.
CAMEROTA: He did?
AVLON: Did he really?
CAMEROTA: Okay. So Lindsey Graham said to you that he has no (Avlon and Louis laugh) – I was off yesterday-
CUOMO: You have no idea how much it hurts me that you don't know. (Avlon and Louis laugh) I want you to know-
CAMEROTA: I did watch most of the show. But he said – he said rightly, he has no idea – none of us have any idea what we would do in a horrifying situation like that. But Lindsey Graham – voters are not supporting him. He's getting hashmarks. So, rational explanation versus Ben Carson – how do you explain that?
AVLON: That's the story of the last – you know, eight years of Republican primaries. Responsible is a net negative for Republicans right now. Instead of trying to be more responsible, you try to be more irresponsible, more inflammatory, get more attention, and – and play to the base, which already deeply polarized and inflamed.
CUOMO: Does it mean anything that Trump defends him?
LOUIS: Oh, yeah – of course, it does – yeah, sure. I mean, Donald Trump sort of operates in some – in the same way. I mean, he'll take something he saw in a movie, or something he saw on a television show, and convert into his policy that he's recommending. These are people who are not professional politicians. They don't really, I think, fully understand that we're all paying a lot of attention, and we want to believe that what they're saying could in fact become policy for the nation, and we want to test it out. So – so just pulling out something that you saw in a movie someday is so inappropriate for this. It's just the wrong forum, and the wrong logic.
AVLON: And it's been the last five years, in fairness – not eight.
