MSNBC Republican Claims 'Racist' GOP Policies, Racist Rally 'Is the Republican Party'

Newsbusters.org ^ | August 12, 2017 | Brad Wilmouth

[Kaslin]

On Saturday's AM Joy, recurring MSNBC guest Kurt Bardella hyperbolically claimed that the white racist rally taking place in Charlottesville, Virginia, "is the Republican party on display," and declared that "a lot of" Republican policies are "racist." He also took aim at the right-leaning Breitbart News as he alleged that the rally -- which by that point had turned violent -- "is exactly the kind of stuff that they want to have happen and they hope to spread elsewhere."

Bardella -- a Republican known for distancing himself from Breitbart News after departing as its spokesman last year -- has made a name for himself appearing on both CNN and MSNBC bashing both President Donald Trump and his former business client. In this appearance on AM Joy, his over the top attacks on fellow Republicans made him fit quite well into the caricature of an MSNBC Republican who shows up mainly to agree with liberal guests without contributing any right-leaning analysis.

Before President Trump released a statement concerning the Charlottesville rally, the MSNBC program's group of panelists were calling on the President and other Republicans to condemn the white racist groups involved in the demonstration. After reading a statement from RNC chair Ronna McDaniel that had just been released, Bardella called for "more leadership" from Republicans and then added:

This is the Republican party right now that's on display -- Donald Trump's Republican party. And if they don't want to be tied to it, if they don't want to be associated to it -- people like Mitch McConnell, you know, Speaker Paul Ryan, John Thune, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz. Anybody who proclaims to be a leader who doesn't want to be associated with this type of hatred and racism, bigotry and ignorance, they need to speak out right now loud and clear.

A bit later, host Joy Reid asked if Breitbart News would try to "distance themselves" from Alt-Right groups, leading Bardella to take aim at his former business client as he accused them of condoning the racist activity:

Well, they haven't yet. There's not a single bit of content right now on their homepages about what's going on right now -- the largest, the biggest story right now in American today -- and there are crickets on it. So that tells me that this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to have happen and that they hope to spread elsewhere. 

He then took aim again at the Republican party with a typically liberal argument about it being racist to put criminals in jail as he added:

And, frankly, you know, the Republican party needs to change its philosophy on a lot of things to prevent this type of stuff from happening. A lot of their policies like that are racist. When they talk about incarceration over drug treatment, that targets minorities pure and simple.

Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Saturday, August 12, AM Joy on MSNBC:

11:54 a.m. ET

KURT BARDELLA, FORMER BREITBART SPOKESPERSON: The chairwoman of the RNC, Ronna McDaniel, did just tweet: "The hate and bigotry on display in Charlottesville is dangerous and cowardly." So we have at least one person at the national level now who has spoken out. I agree with Joan (Walsh) that we need a lot more leadership right now -- vocal leadership -- from Republicans, from Republican leaders, elected leaders in Congress and in Washington.

This is the Republican party right now that's on display -- Donald Trump's Republican party. And if they don't want to be tied to it, if they don't want to be associated to it -- people like Mitch McConnell, you know, Speaker Paul Ryan, John Thune, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz. Anybody who proclaims to be a leader who doesn't want to be associated with this type of hatred and racism, bigotry and ignorance, they need to speak out right now loud and clear.

(...)

JOY REID: And, Kurt Bardella, you know, Breitbart, there has been inklings that they want to expand, they want to expand into Europe, they want to expand as a business. At some point, are they going to, in your view, start to distance themselves from this, what they call the "Alt-Right," this white nationalist movement.

BARDELLA: Well, they haven't yet. There's not a single bit of content right now on their homepages about what's going on right now -- the largest, the biggest story right now in American today -- and there are crickets on it. So that tells me that this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to have happen and that they hope to spread elsewhere.

And, frankly, you know, the Republican party needs to change its philosophy on a lot of things to prevent this type of stuff from happening. A lot of their policies like that are racist. When they talk about incarceration over drug treatment, that targets minorities pure and simple.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Why is it that all whites and the Republican Party must always condemn the few and sporadic acts of racist acts committed by whites?

Have Latinos ever condemned La Raza, which literally means, The Race?

Have blacks, the NAACP, or so-called black leaders ever condemned Black Lives Matter or the Nation of Islam?

Has CAIR ever denounced Muslim attacks here in the U.S.? <> No, they haven't.

But the minute some lone white nutjob commits a racist act, or if the KKK marches in some city:

NOW WE NEED TO HAVE THIS BIG OLE' CONVERSATION ABOUT RACISM. HOW WHITE PEOPLE ARE EVIL. HOW WHITE PEOPLE SUPPORT SLAVERY STILL. HOW WHITE PEOPLE ARE RICH. HOW IT'S NOT FAIR FOR WHITE PEOPLE TO HAVE NICE HOMES AND LIVE THE SUBURBS OR OUT IN THE COUNTRY WHILE BLACKS LIVE IN ROTTEN CITIES.

[Sontagged]

I’ll second that bet that conservatives and actual conservative Republicans had nothing to do with this staged event.

Can’t vouch for paid trolls who are Uniparty RINOS funded by the Elites for this sort of staged conflict.

[Robert DeLong]

More Never-Trumpers trumpeting the false racist narrative of Trump & his supporters.

[Maine Mariner]

I agree. I don’t plan to go back to Drudge anytime soon if at all.

[fieldmarshaldj]

No doubt. Conservatives had no dog in this hunt. Two terrorist factions of the left.

[Ann Archy]

FAKE PROTEST!!!! I will NEVER believe that this is what it is portrayed....NEVER!!!

[Republican Wildcat]

Stupid on steroids...in fact that doesn’t even begin to describe how idiotic this guy apparently is.

[Ann Archy]

KKK costumes are worn by LEFTISTS!!! Geesh people,,,this is Propangana on PARADE!!

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Hey RATagandist A-holes!

The Klan was founded by Confederate veterans (RATS) to keep black people from voting for Republicans. They also killed white Republicans.

The Klan is a RAT terrorist organization, and David Duke is a fake Republican, doing his best to smear the GOP.

It’s always possible that there are some bad actor individuals, but the KKK is RAT...TO THE BONE!

[yarddog]

I agree.

[Lazamataz]

My Gaydar is going crazy.

[Rome2000]

Love the big font!

[montag813]

That’s a man??

[IrishBrigade]

‘It’s simply “us vs. them” now. And “them” is a huge, Globalist/Marxist octopus with tentacles that reach everywhere.’

I think you pretty well have the gist of it...

[kanawa]

Racial hate-mongers and Cultural Marxists doing their best to stoke the flames.

[kearnyirish2]

These guys protesting the removal of the statue understood all too clearly that it is “us vs. them”; that is why they were chanting “We will not be replaced!” last night. They’ve had many years to see the grim future America has laid out for its (real) American population: Deny them economic opportunity, and watch their gene pool disappear - while they pay the taxes to fund the replacement genes.

[virgil]

Nobody who wants credibility goes around calling themselves the KKK. It’s only the left who calls everybody who doesn’t agree with them (and won’t shut up) KKK.

[fhayek]

Racist, racist, racist. Queer, queer, queer. Global Warming, Global warming, global warming. Blah, blah, blah.

Go pluck yourself.

[Cubs Fan]

this is right in keeping with the strategy of the left.

Any disagreement with leftists dogma, no matter how rational, no matter even how slight, is conflated with being a nazi.

And of course any speech from those who disagree is “hate speech” and must be silenced. (they like to take people’s jobs away, that is their favorite tactic to get around the first amendment)

This is how totalitarianism works. And the modern left is thorougly, unashamedly, totalitarian.

All dissent is verboten.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

I’d like to see a rally where someone reads MLK’s “Dream” speech and asks the rats why skin color is now the most important attribute for any person.