As outspoken members of the Congressional Black Caucus have made disparaging remarks about the tea party movement, issues of civility and race have crept back into politics.
On Thursday’s “The Situation Room” on CNN, CNN regular Donna Brazile took on Republican strategist Mary Matalin over these issues. Brazile explained that members of CBC — including the lone Republican, Florida Rep. Allen West — should take step back and rethink what they’re saying.
“I think everyone should step back and breathe a little deeper because some of the comments made by tea party members towards the president, towards other Americans, it’s been downright hostile,” Brazile said.
Brazile had a few words for prominent conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck on the issue. Brazile took umbrage with Beck’s criticism of comments made by members of the CBC, referencing his 2009 comments suggesting President Barack Obama had “a deep–seated hatred for white people or the white culture.”
“So I — I take personal, as well as professional distance from these comments because they’re not the comments I would make, nor in the history of this country,” Brazile said. “And let me say this about Glenn Beck — for Glenn Beck to somehow or another tell people of color or any Americans about racism, about blackness, about our founding fathers — I’m sorry, walk a day, walk a mile, but don’t tell me anything when Glenn Beck also insulted the president. He insulted the president of the United States.”
But Brazile wasn’t finished blasting the former Fox News host. She said that Beck had no place commenting on the history of African Americans.
“He doesn’t know my history. He does not know my history, nor does he know the history,” she continued. “He can read it. I know my history. For Glenn Beck to lecture any person of color about history, when he made the incivil comments about President Obama — I am so sorry, Mary. I draw the line there. Look, my history is an American story. Your history is an American story, but what Glenn Beck has tried to do and level of incivility is not added to it, he’s subtracted from it. I’m sorry – on Glenn Beck is where I draw the line.”
Later on “The Situation Room,” Brazile defend Obama from criticism that he has been unable to achieve a post-racial society, citing a lack of cooperation from others.
“I just want to clarify the record,” Brazile said. “We believe that in electing our first African-American president, bi-racial, that we would enter a president of post-racial. We did not enter that period. We are still at the mountain top moment where we can’t have the conversation about what constitutes racism or racists. We don’t have the language, Mary. We don’t have the relationships and the partnerships and the people who can guide us into that moment. The president of the U.S. can’t be the only person to lead us in that era.”