“The View” co-host Joy Behar claimed Tuesday that Republicans are the ones “who want to cancel everything” to prevent Americans from becoming “woke.”
The co-hosts played footage of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizing President Joe Biden and the left’s “wokeness,” their treatment of school boards and labeling of the country as “racist.”
“What gets me is they talk about the cancel culture as if they’re not involved in the canceling,” Behar said. “They’re the ones who want to cancel LGBT rights, abortion rights, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ in Florida, they’re burning the books, [Republican Wyoming Rep.] Liz Cheney — they’re the ones who are canceling and they’re the ones who seem to be worried wokeness. Because if you listen and read about critical race theory, you might become more woke.”
“Is that what they’re talking about? They don’t want you to be more woke and informed about history?”
DeSANTIS SLAMS LEFT’S “WOKENESS”: Some of the biggest GOP names gave a Republican rallying cry at CPAC about education, COVID-19 mandates and more – #TheView co-hosts and Michele Tafoya discuss the key issues for voters ahead of midterm elections. https://t.co/QZzE7tpYXm pic.twitter.com/sfWwD8rORm
— The View (@TheView) March 1, 2022
Co-host Sunny Hostin said the term “woke” originates from the African American community to indicate societal “awareness” of issues related to social and racial justice. (RELATED: Joy Behar Says ‘If Republicans Are Back In Power…They Will Destroy Us’)
“I would think in this country, these United States, that people want to be aware of social justice issues, or racial justice issues,” Hostin said. “I don’t know why that’s a bad thing.”
Guest Michele Tafoya said she attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) due to her willingness to “talk and listen to anyone.” Tafoya, a self-proclaimed libertarian, said the middle-of-the-road section of the political spectrum is “being ignored.”
“I’m for more voices, not fewer voices,” Tafoya said. “I wanted to go say ‘listen, let’s take hate out of all of this right now. The cancel culture, true, it goes both directions. All the evils of politics go in both directions, comes from both sides, it’s true. And I feel like there’s a huge group in the middle, of which I am apart of, that is being ignored. That our voices are getting drowned out by this end and this end and the in between folks are told to ‘shut up and listen.'”
She further said Americans want to feel “safe and secure” while simultaneously supporting social justice. Behar claimed the “extreme right” has become the Republican Party, but the far left is not the Democratic Party.
“I don’t agree,” Tafoya replied. “I think you’ve got your extreme left and you’ve got your extreme right. The largest party in America are the Independents … I think there is a spectrum. I don’t just think you can say ‘this side good, that side bad.’ I think there is a lot of in between and I think that’s what’s getting lost in America.”
Behar and Hostin cited a CPAC straw poll released Sunday finding that President Donald Trump earned 59% support while DeSantis garnered 28%. No other GOP candidate got above 1.5% of support.