Writer Noah Rothman Reflects On Political Violence In US: 'We Are Cowards' | Morning Joe

>>> WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING JOE."
TIME NOW FOR THE MUST-READ OP EAST SIDE.
THE HEADLINE, WE ARE COWARDS. HE WRITES THE ONLY MORALLY
ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE TO THE EVENTS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE IS
FULL-THROATED CONDEMNATION, FULL STOP.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR MORAL EQUIVALENCIES.
THE PAR BARRISM COMMITTED BY WHITE SUPREMACISTS IN THE NAME
OF WHITE SUPREMACY SHOULD NOT GET SUPPORT.
THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS WEEKEND'S MURDEROUS VOLENCE IS RACISM.
THE END. DONALD TRUMP'S COWARDICE IS NOT
UNIQUE. AMID IT, WE ARE SLEEPWALKING TO
A TERRIBLE PAST. ABSENT STEALY CONVICTION ON ALL
OUR PARTS, THE WORST IS YET TO COME.
LET'S FLUSH THAT OUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEING A
SLOW-MOVING DISASTER. >> SATURDAY WAS NOT THE TIME TO
MAKE MORAL EQUIVALENCIES. A YEAR AGO WAS.
THERE WAS AN EVENT THAT PASSED THROUGH THE NATION'S
CONSCIOUSNESS, AND WE DID NOT ADDRESS IT.
IN SACRAMENTO IN JUNE OF 2016, WHITE SUPREMACISTS GOT A PERMIT
AND DEMONSTRATED ON THE STREETS OF THE CAPITAL.
THEY WERE ACCOSTED BY PEOPLE WHO CALLED THEMSELVES "BY ANY MEANS
NECESSARY". THEY CAME ARMED.
THEY WERE VIOLENT. THE POLICE SAID IT WASN'T THE
WHITE SUPREMACISTS WHO STARTED IT, IT WAS THE OTHER GROUP.
ABOUT A MONTH AGO, ONE OF THE WOMEN WAS CHARGED WITH
CONSPIREING TO INCITE A RIOT. WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.
THESE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE FLYING THE FLAGS AND ATTACKING
PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING. IT WAS OUR MOMENT, AND WE DIDN'T
TALK ABOUT IT. >> THE POINT YOU'RE MAKING AND
THE POINT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE LOOKED AT AND YOU'VE HEARD FROM
MANY OF THEM ONLINE, I ASSUME, OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS, IS THE
ACTION IN CHARLOTTESVILLE WAS DONE BY A WHITE SUPREMACISTS,
BUT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS ON THE LEFT AS
WELL WHERE YOU HAVE POLITICAL VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY ANTIFA.
IF YOU WANT TO CALL THEM THE LEFT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY
ARE, BUT THE VIOLENCE IS NOT LIMITED TO ONE SIDE IN THIS
COUNTRY. >> IT'S NOT.
>> IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT. >> ONE OF THE LEAST COVERED
STORIES OF 2016 WAS THE ORGANIZED VIOLENCE AGAINST TRUMP
SUPPORTERS. WE COVERED THE VIOLENCE
COMMITTED BY TRUMP SUPPORTERS AT TRUMP'S BEHEST AS WE SHOULD
HAVE. WE DIDN'T REALLY COVER THE
VIOLENCE THAT WAS RECIPROCAL. IT'S EASY TO ATTACK NAZIS.
WE KNOW HOW THAT WENT IN HISTORY.
THERE'S NO MORAL AMBIGUITY. WHEN IT COMES TO THE LASHING OUT
OF PEOPLE WHO ARE, FOR EXAMPLE, HISPANICS, WHO ARE LASHING OUT
AT SUPPORTERS AND BREAKING BOTTLES OVER PEOPLE'S HEADS,
PEOPLE ARE MORE CONFLICTED ABOUT THAT, AND THEY SHOULDN'T BE.
VIOLENCE IS VIOLENCE, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL IT WHAT
IT IS. >> CHRISTEN, YOU'RE IN
WASHINGTON. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF HIS PIECE?
>> I THINK A LOT OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS WERE WELL AWARE OF
VIOLENCE AGAINST TRUMP SUPPORTERS.
MANY OF THEM WERE FOLKS WHO WERE SICK AND TIRED OF WHEN THE TEA
PARTY WOULD HOLD PEACEFUL RALLIES, THERE WOULD BE MEDIA
COVERAGE OF GUYS WHO BROUGHT GUNS BY THE RALLIES.
THEY WERE PEGGED AS MAYBE THEY'RE POTENTIALLY VIOLENT.
I THINK THAT PLANTED THE SEED THAT LED TRUMP TO HAVE THIS
INSTINCT TO WANT TO SAY WELL, THERE'S VIOLENCE ON ALL SIDES.
BUT SATURDAY WAS NOT THE RIGHT TIME.
ON SATURDAY THERE WAS VIOLENCE ON ONE SIDE, AND IT WAS WHITE
SUPREMACISTS. THESE ARE NOT YOUR PEACEFUL
FOLKS WANTING TO HOLD A PEACEFUL RALLY ABOUT CUTTING TACKS OR GET
THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY BUSINESS.
THESE ARE FOLKS SAYING ONE RACE IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER.
THEIR WORDS COULD BE CONSTRUED AS VIOLENCE FAIRLY.
AND THEN THE FACT THAT SOMEBODY DROVE A CAR INTO A CROWD OF
PEOPLE WHICH IS WHAT WE SEE ISIS ENCOURAGING RADICAL TERRORISTS
TO DO, I THINK SATURDAY IS NOT THE TIME TO SAY WELL, THERE'S
VIOLENCE ON BOTH SIDES. EVEN IF IT'S TRUE, SATURDAY WAS
NOT AN INCIDENT OF THAT. >> WES, THIS IS NOT, OBVIOUSLY,
THE END OF THIS. WE TALKED ABOUT WHY A
PRESIDENT'S WORDS MATTER. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AT THE RALLY
AND THE PEOPLE AT HOME WHO ARE WHITE SUPREMACISTS WERE
WATCHING. THEY TOOK SOME CUES BY WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DIDN'T SAY AND THEY ARE EMBOLDENED IN A WAY THEY
WEREN'T 48 HOURS AGO. >> I REMEMBER WHEN WE WATCHED
TERRORIST ATTACKS LAST YEAR, THERE WAS A LARGE RALLYING CRY
OF PEOPLE SAYING WHERE ARE THE MODERATE MUSLIMS?
WHY AREN'T THEY SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THIS?
I NOW ASK THE SAME QUESTION. BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP, AND WHO BACKED DONALD TRUMP FOR
LEGITIMATE ECONOMIC REASONS THAT COULD PERTAIN TO THEIR OWN LIFE
THAT ARE NOT THESE PEOPLE. THAT ARE NOT THE NAZIS AND THE
FASCISTS AND THE ANTI-SEMIMITES AND THE RACISTS AND THE OTHERS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SAID I WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
I NEED SOMEONE WHO HEARS ME. WELL, WE'RE CALLING ON YOU NOW.
WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE'S A TREMENDOUS BLURRING OF THE LINES
THAT TOOK PLACE ON SATURDAY WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS UNABLE TO
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A FASCIST AND SOMEONE WHO PROTESTS THEM.
SO THE SAME WAY WE'RE CALLING ON PEOPLE TO SPEAK OUT FOR MODERATE
MUSLIMS TO SPEAK OUT, I'M CALLING ON PEOPLE WHO ARE
SUPPORTING DONALD TRUMP TO DO THE SAME THING.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THESE LINES ARE FEELING INCREDIBLY BLURRED.
>> GIVE IT A READ. IT WILL GET YOU THINKING THIS
MORNING. WE'LL TALK TO REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN CHARLEY DENT TO CAME OUT EARLY TO DENOUNCE WHITE

Writer Noah Rothman Reflects On Political Violence In US: 'We Are Cowards' | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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