MSNBC contributor Noah Rothman complained that anti-racism and feminist philosophies and policies exert “negative pressure” that punishes white men — and another “Morning Joe” guest set him straight.

The conservative Rothman appeared again Thursday to continue a conversation on race prompted by his new book, Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America, and he argued that affirmative action had created a new type of discrimination.

“You mentioned affirmative action, and that’s important because, philosophically, in this book, an action to positively discriminate, to rise up, sort of had a collateral damage effect of negatively discriminating,” Rothman said. “That was an accident.”

He argued that unintended consequence had now become the defining feature of affirmative action.

“Negative discrimination has now become the point,” he added.

Tiffany Cross, co-founder and managing editor of The Beat DC, interrupted and asked Rothman to define negative discrimination.

“Classes, whole tribes of individuals need to have a comeuppance, a due, sort of, reckoning, with their historical privileges that they know or may not know that they benefit from,” Rothman said. “Likewise, to examine those who have been victimized by historical forces that they may either be aware of or not aware of. That is negative discrimination.”

Host Joe Scarborough asked whether he meant white men had been victimized by so-called negative discrimination, and Rothman threw up a smokescreen.

“It’s a philosophy that views not individuals as individuals,” Rothman said, “but as people who inhabit tribes who inhabit a matrix of persecution in which they might not even be aware of it, but this is a very powerful philosophy taught mostly on campuses, embraced by things like the women’s movement, exemplified by things like intersectionality, which demonstrate, for individuals who may not be aware, that they have varying degrees of prejudice that they either suffer from or benefit from, and that is a sort of philosophy that I think is toxic because it makes you think of yourself and the people around you as not master of your own destiny.”

That’s when Cross jumped in to point out the flaws in Rothman’s argument.

“Many people are not master of their own destiny,” Cross said. “I think it’s an accurate philosophy. With respect, I think your outlook on this is a bit myopic and based solely on your experience, and doesn’t extend the intellectual debate with people who haven’t had your history.”

She agreed that many white people lived in poverty, but Cross argued their experience was still different from poor people of color — and she said Rothman ignored those realities.

“Certainly there are economically disadvantaged white people in this country,” Cross said. “I think the reasons why they’re socially and economically disadvantaged are very different from the reasons why some communities of color are disadvantaged, and think it’s really dangerous to look at the current state this country without looking at it through the context of historical systems that put those people in that position.”

“You call that victimization, but I call that reality for a lot of people,” she added.

It almost seems like everyone on social media is talking about the Beto O’Rourke video.

O’Rourke is the Democrat who is challenging Texas Republican Ted Cruz. He has substantially out-raised Cruz, but Cruz is ahead in the polls – by single digits, which are narrowing.

Some may be thinking a video released by Now This News may help narrow that gap even further.

The video, which has gone viral, according to The Washington Post and others, shows O’Rourke speaking to voters. One man, clearly not supportive of the silent protests by NFL players of police killings of Black people, asks O’Rourke for his opinion.

After thanking the service members in the room and in Afghanistan, O’Rourke lays out his reasoning of why he supports the players and their protests.

“I don’t think it’s disrespectful,” the Texas Democrat, who was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, responds.

Wary it’s a sensitive issue, especially in a red state like Texas, O’Rourke offers that “reasonable people can disagree on this issue,” which “makes them no less American to come down on a different conclusion.”

“You’re every bit as American all the same,” he says, passionately and reassuringly.

O’Rourke shifts, comparing the players to “Dr. King and this nonviolent, peaceful movement to secure better—because they didn’t get full—civil rights for their fellow Americans.”

And from there it’s magic.

‘I can think of nothing more American.’ — Beto O’Rourke — the man taking on Ted Cruz — brilliantly explains why NFL players kneeling during the anthem is not disrespectful pic.twitter.com/xUGOuCFCSi

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 22, 2018

O’Rourke revists the African-American Civil Rights Movement, as he talks about “the challenges that they face—those who died in Philadelphia, Mississippi, for the crime of trying to be a man, trying to be a woman, in this country, the young girls who died in the church bombing, those who were beaten within an inch of their life crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, with John Lewis, those who were punched in the face, spat upon, dragged out by their collar at the Woolworth lunch counter for sitting with white people at that same lunch counter, in the same country where their fathers may have bled the same blood on the battlefields of Omaha Beach or Okinawa or anywhere that anyone ever served this country.”

“The freedoms that we have were purchased not just by those in uniform, and they definitely were. But also by those who took their lives into their hands riding those Greyhound buses, the Freedom Riders in the deep South in the 1960s who knew full well that they would be arrested, and they were, serving time in the Mississippi State Penitentiary.”

Perhaps this final part of his answer is what’s so convincing and compelling.

“Rosa Parks getting from the back of the bus to to the front of the bus. Peaceful, nonviolent protests, including taking a knee at a football game to point out that Black men, unarmed; Black teenagers, unarmed; and Black children, unarmed, are being killed at a frightening level right now, including by members of law enforcement, without accountability and without justice. And this problem—as grave as it is—is not gonna fix itself, and they’re frustrated, frankly, with people like me and those in positions of public trust and power who have been unable to resolve this or bring justice for what has been done and to stop it from continuing to happen in this country. And so nonviolently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem and ensure that we fix it. That is why they’re doing it, and I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”

O’Rourke’s answer has some – including Republican strategist Steve Schmidt – comparing him to Robert F. Kennedy.

Take a minute to watch a Political Leader with conviction and integrity address a divisive issue. A rare example of persuasion in this era of incitement. Texas can do a lot better than the conniving and opportunistic Ted Cruz. Anybody else see a little bit of RFK in Beto? https://t.co/pJlk7svM6k

— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) August 22, 2018

Transcript via Texas Monthly
Image via Facebook

Fox News viewers Monday morning were subjected to a rare event: a politician speaking truth to power. The hosts on “Fox & Friends First,” Fox News’ early morning show, introduced Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat running for Congress who opposes the Abolish ICE movement.

“Good Morning. I’m actually here to speak directly to Donald Trump,” the Fox guest said, to the surprised co-hosts, Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt. They became even more surprised as she continued.

“I feel that what’s happening at the border is wrong. I’m a mother of four and I believe that separating kids from their parents is illegal and inhumane.”

Then their guest reveals who she is.

“I’m actually Barbara L’Italien, I’m actually a state senator representing a large immigrant community, I’m running for Congress in Massachusetts,” L’Italien – who clearly is not Ann Kirkpatrick, told the Fox News hosts and viewers.

“We have to stop abducting children and ripping them from their parents’ arms, stop putting kids in cages –”

The Fox hosts tried to interrupt her, but she was not going to let this opportunity go without a fight.

“And stop making three-year olds defend themselves in court.”

“That, that, that practice has stopped at this point, Miss Kirkpatrick, right” one Fox host claimed, falsely. It has not stopped. He also clearly was not aware that was not Ann Kirkpatrick.

The other host falsely suggested the problem of separating children from their parents had been resolved.

“Kids have been reunited with their family,” she insisted.

“Again, my name is Barbara L’Italien and I refuse to believe our only option is open borders –”

“Who is this?” the host asked, as L’Italien’s screen just went blank.

“OK.”

“OK,” both Fox hosts concluded.

“That didn’t go as planned.”

“Time for a break?”

“Yeah.”

Watch:

This is incredible. @FoxFriendsFirst thought they booked pro-ICE Dem Ann Kirkpatrick on show, but accidentally booked Barbara L'Italien
(@teambarbara) instead.

L'Italien delivers personal message to Trump saying "we must stop abducting children… stop putting kids in cages." pic.twitter.com/OnVAdBVjJB

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 23, 2018