By her own admission, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle was making a bad analogy on Friday’s edition of The 11th Hour when she tried to compare the reaction to the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson to the reaction to Daniel Penny’s acquittal of manslaughter after he subdued a threat to fellow New York City subway riders. However, Ruhle still tried to make the analogy work as she wondered, “How concerned should we be” about Americans who “are celebrating violence?”
Ruhle began, “We saw Daniel Penny, his acquittal, and at the same time in a very, very, very different situation, but Luigi Mangione, the man who's now accused of the murder of the United Healthcare CEO. Two very different situations, but in both situations there's a person dead, and reactions that we are seeing are hugely celebratory in some circles, right?”
Yes, one is celebrating a cold-blooded assassination while the other is celebrating that a partisan D.A.’s attempt to criminalize defending others failed. If Ruhle wanted to discuss why people on the left can’t see these differences, that would have been worthwhile, but instead she attacked Vice President-elect JD Vance’s decision to take “Daniel Penny to the Army-Navy football game tomorrow.”
With no sense of irony or self-reflection, Ruhle continued, “What we've seen in the last few years, right, we see the media divide us, we see that, you know, sex sells, but anger and hate sells even more. How concerned should we be, though, that the American people, groups of the American people, are celebrating violence? Like, ‘Violence, that's the solution, that's what everyone should be doing these days.’ How concerned are you that this is where we are in this celebratory moment?”
Actor and musician Stevie Van Zandt replied, “Very concerned. And of course our hearts go out to the family, the Neely family. Nobody should die in these situations. But I hope it starts to emphasize the trouble we’re having with the mental health, ignoring the mental health problems, not only in our city, but which is considerable, but in our country.”
If MSNBC can’t appreciate the difference between self-defense and assassinations, then it needs to listen to Ruhle’s own advice and dial down the anger.
Here is a transcript for the December 13 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
12/13/2024
11:13 PM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: We saw Daniel Penny, his acquittal, and at the same time in a very, very, very different situation, but Luigi Mangione, the man who's now accused of the murder of the United Healthcare CEO. Two very different situations, but in both situations there's a person dead, and reactions that we are seeing are hugely celebratory in some circles, right?
JD Vance is taking Daniel Penny to the Army-Navy football game tomorrow and what we've seen in the last few years, right, we see the media divide us, we see that, you know, sex sells, but anger and hate sells even more. How concerned should we be, though, that the American people, groups of the American people, are celebrating violence?
Like “violence, that's the solution, that's what everyone should be doing these days.” How concerned are you that this is where we are in this celebratory moment?
STEVIE VAN ZANDT: Very concerned. And of course our hearts go out to the family, the Neely family. Nobody should die in these situations. But I hope it starts to emphasize the trouble we’re having with the mental health, ignoring the mental health problems, not only in our city, but which is considerable, but in our country.
