On Sunday, Fox News Channel MediaBuzz anchor Howard Kurtz kicked off the program by tearing apart the liberal media’s narrative that Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin was appealing to racists with his campaign. And it wasn’t just him, Kurtz leaned on a panel representing separate ideologies who agreed that the narrative was a lie.
After playing some clips of a few people in the media who admitted that Democrats had a messaging and listening problem, Kurtz called out those spreading that big lie. “But even with the Democrats falling short, some left-wingers in the media are still pounding away at what they call Youngkin’s racist appeals,” he said.
For those video clips, he drew heavily from MSNBC’s Election Night coverage and beyond (Click “expand”):
NICOLLE WALLACE: What he’s done is he’s laundered Trump’s really, sort of, disgusting, flagrant out racism – he’s wrapped it in “education.” And he’s given it a lie as a label. [Transition]
JOY REID: It was “education” which is code for, “white parents don't like the idea of teaching about race.” [Transition]
TIFFANY CROSS: This is about the fact that a good chunk of voters out there are okay with white supremacy. Let's call a thing a thing.
“The Virginia governor’s race wasn’t about white supremacy, come on! It was, as savvier journalists admit about many voters just not feeling heard,” he declared.
The first panelist called on was Federalist editor Mollie Hemingway, who was also a parent in Virginia so she provided specific insight into the matter. “Well, usually the media and their left-wing bias helps the Democratic candidates. But in this case, their grouping think did not help the Democratic candidates because education had been a huge issue for Virginia parents,” she explained.
She also pointed to how the liberal media “downplayed” and “ignored” how Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe flashed his contempt for parental influence in education during a debate.
And in shifting to Democrat and former Congressman Harold Ford, Kurtz debunked the other lie that Youngkin wanted to ban books. “But there's some pundits on your side who are still sort of clinging to this narrative that Youngkin ran a racist campaign and wants to ban book when, in fact, he wanted to give parents the right for them to opt-out from sexually explicit books,” he prefaced to Ford.
Ford’s first point of action was to chide his party for being “wrongheaded” and always crying "racism" all the time. “I think we have a tendency in all of politics to point to race very fast,” he lamented. And he went on to call out how ridiculous it was to call Virginia racist given their voting history and agreed with Hemingway that Democrats were alienating parents (Click “expand”):
I think that the more likely answer is that Glenn Youngkin met voters where they were in Virginia. This is a state that has voted Democratic for governor, for president many, many times over the last several years. So, they didn’t all of a sudden become racist.
I think that Mollie's point about parents – The parental involvement of parents – and I’m one too – over the last year and a half in our kids’ education; I think probably some parents resented the fact that there were those who thought that they didn’t have good ideas, that they do not have – not only good ideas but the willingness and the right to share those ideas.
“I'm glad you both agree that these are legitimate issues that we can debate but they’re not necessarily racist appeals,” Kurtz thanked them.
Further on, Hemingway dismantled the big lie that Virginia’s education system wasn’t influenced by the poison of Critical Race Theory. “The actual guidance from the Department of Education in Virginia talks about using Critical Race Theory in education. Plus, we have tons of reporting showing how it's happening in Loudoun County,” she said.
Adding: “This is something that has been really pushing hatred and division in government schools. And it is something that parents are taking much more interest in. But it is officially a part of Virginia's Department of Education.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s MediaBuzz
November 8, 2021
11:01:35 a.m. Eastern(…)
HOWARDS KURTZ: But even with the Democrats falling short, some left-wingers in the media are still pounding away at what they call Youngkin’s racist appeals.
[Cuts to video]
NICOLLE WALLACE: What he’s done is he’s laundered Trump’s really, sort of, disgusting, flagrant out racism – he’s wrapped it in “education.” And he’s given it a lie as a label.
[Transition]
JOY REID: It was “education” which is code for, “white parents don't like the idea of teaching about race.”
[Transition]
TIFFANY CROSS: This is about the fact that a good chunk of voters out there are okay with white supremacy. Let's call a thing a thing.
[Cuts back to live]
KURTZ: The Virginia governor’s race wasn’t about white supremacy, come on! It was, as savvier journalists admit about many voters just not feeling heard.
(…)
11:3:16 a.m. Eastern
KURTZ: Mollie, as a parent in Virginia, what do you think about the way most of the media portrayed Glenn Youngkin’s campaign as a racist dog whistle aimed at parents of school kids?
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY: Well, usually the media and their left-wing bias helps the Democratic candidates. But in this case, their grouping think did not help the Democratic candidates because education had been a huge issue for Virginia parents. It wasn’t just about the hateful and racist Critical Race Theory that’s infecting so many schools, it was also about COVID shutdowns.
And it was also about something Terry McAuliffe himself said, weeks before election day where he said parents didn't really have a role in their kids’ education. And the media downplayed that or ignored that until it was too late and he ends up losing.
KURTS: Harold, I think some of the media now understand that schools and parental choice are a pretty potent issue. But there's some pundits on your side who are still sort of clinging to this narrative that Youngkin ran a racist campaign and wants to ban book when, in fact, he wanted to give parents the right for them to opt-out from sexually explicit books. What do you make of the fact that some are still pushing this?
HAROLD FORD: First off, happy Sunday. Thank you for having me. I think it’s wrongheaded and it’s certainly not looking forward for anyone, particularly for members of my party to racialize too quickly. I think we have a tendency in all of politics to point to race very fast.
I think that the more likely answer is that Glenn Youngkin met voters where they were Virginia. This is a state that has voted Democratic for governor, for president many, many times over the last several years. So, they didn’t all of a sudden become racist.
I think that Mollie's point about parents – The parental involvement of parents – and I’m one too – over the last year and half in our kids’ education; I think probably some parents resented the fact that there were those who thought that they didn’t have good ideas, that they do not have – not only good ideas, but the willingness and the right to share those ideas.
So, I think Democrats ought to look at that and look at the fact that we are in power in Washington, the Senate, the House, the White House. And people are a little sick of us playing with food on out plates as opposed to delivering for them. That’s the takeaway for me, and I think that we can correct that over the next year.
KURTZ: Not just playing with food, but throwing a lot of food. And I'm glad you both agree that these are legitimate issues that we can debate but they’re not necessarily racist appeals.
(…)
11:09:32 a.m. Eastern
HEMINGWAY: Critical Race Theory is officially a part of Virginia government – their approach to education, not just by the current administration which is under Ralph Northam, but Terry McAuliffe actually instituted it as well. It’s in government documents--
KURTZ: What do you mean officially?
HEMINGWAY: The actual guidance from the Department of Education in Virginia talks about using Critical Race Theory in education. Plus, we have tons of reporting showing how it's happening in Loudoun County.
And it’s not something that just white parents care about it, all parents care about it, black, brown, white. No black parent wants their kid to be told that she can’t succeed because of the color of her skin. No white parent wants their kid to be told that they’re an oppressor.
This is something that has been really pushed hatred and division in government schools. And it is something that parents are taking much more interest in. But it is officially a part of Virginia's Department of Education.
(…)
