Megyn Kelly prodded colleague Dana Perino to take a racial swipe at #BlackLivesMatter and Perino took the race bait.
The Kelly File called on Republican Perino to whitesplain to Fox's nearly all-white viewers why #BlackLivesMatter protesters have shut down Democratic events. It spoke volumes that Kelly showed no interest in finding out and letting her viewers know what the movement means to someone who is actually part of it.
Perino, a Fox News host and not a reporter, seems to have made no effort to talk to anyone involved, either.
The reason the protesters are disrupting Democratic events, Perino said, is “because it’s working for them. I think it’s a movement that is gaining traction." She allowed that, “I don’t think it’s a movement without grievances. I think that they have some legitimate beefs. And they’re trying to figure out a way to get attention.” She also advised Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders “to figure out a way to embrace them, engage them, develop some personal relationships…”
That must have been too much sympathy for #BlackLivesMatter. Kelly interrupted to take a snide swipe and drop her race bait. “Apparently, that does not include saying, as O’Malley did, as Governor O’Malley did, ‘All lives matter’ because that’ll be the end of you,” Kelly sneered.
This was at least the third time Kelly used O’Malley’s “All lives matter” moment at Netroots Nation to smear #BlackLivesMatter protesters as somehow caring only about black lives – even though Kelly’s own guest succinctly explained to her during the first discussion why saying “All lives matter” was the wrong thing to say at that time (O’Malley subsequently apologized).
But Perino bit: “The sad thing is, is that even the name of the group is one that is supposed to stoke racial tension,” she said.
Kelly murmured her agreement and approval: “Mm–hmm.”
To her credit, Perino later recommended Republican candidates meet with #BlackLivesMatter members, too. But Kelly remained skeptical. She cited the "conventional wisdom" that African American voters "will never go Republican no matter how many enticements are offered by the GOP."
Perino is one of the most thoughtful and fair-minded of Fox’s hosts. But her selection as a guest was as tone deaf to the black community as O’Malley’s “All lives matter” comment was to the protesters.
The difference is that O’Malley heard the protesters and addressed their concerns. “Straight news anchor” Megyn Kelly doesn’t even want to listen.
Watch it below, from the August 10 The Kelly File.
It’s also worth noting that, historically, many grass roots groups have members who claim affiliation with a national organization, especially when the “national organization” doesn’t really have a definite, centralized body.
The funny thing, though, is that BLM seems to be getting far more criticism from the progressive side because of two protests at Sanders’ events and the critics seem to be incredibly white which makes the criticism come off as very patronizing (a lot of the criticism tends to come off sounding like "Now, just be good little Negroes—we white people know what’s best for you ). But you what? Sanders has started paying attention to the protests. (Of course, the real irony is that the BLM protests at Sanders’ events have done to him what so many of his supporters have said Sanders’ run for the nomination has “forced” Hillary to move more leftward.)
This stooge needs to catch up!
