MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace argued Tuesday night that GOP propaganda and fake fomentation over the rise of critical race theory in schools is what led to a Republican rout of Democrats in Virginia's statewide elections.
"Critical race theory, which isn't real, turned the suburbs 15 points to the Trump insurrection endorsed Republican," Wallace said on the air while covering Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin's shock victory in Virginia's gubernatorial race.
As counting continued late into the night Tuesday, Youngkin maintained a healthy lead over Democratic candidate and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Republicans also appeared to take the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general in the state, which President Joe Biden won by more than 10 percentage points just one year ago.
During her show on MSNBC, a clearly rattled Wallace blasted Republican attacks on the educational implementation of critical race theory, an ideology that re-examines society through a racial lens and presumes that race is a constructed concept used primarily to exploit people of color.
The "Deadline: White House" host even tried to whitewash the theory by claiming it "isn't real" despite mounds of evidence to the contrary.
"Which isn't real"\n\nA reminder that the Virginia Department of Education website explicitly mentions Critical Race Theory as part of a best practice for establishing a curriculum: https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1454470598168510464\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1455693642866298887\u00a0\u2026
— AG (@AGHamilton29) 1635901736
Critics on Twitter quickly charged Wallace with spreading misinformation, citing materials recently obtained by conservative journalist and filmmaker Christopher Rufo.
On Oct. 30, Rufo pointed out that under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), public education officials endorsed the explicit use of critical race theory as an "important analytic tool" to "further spur developments in education."
He also noted, "Right now, on its website, the Virginia Department of Education recommends 'Critical Race Theory in Education' as a 'best practice' and derives its definitions of 'racism,' 'white supremacy,' and 'education equity' explicitly from 'critical race theory.'"
Right now, on its website, the Virginia Department of Education recommends "Critical Race Theory in Education" as a "best practice" and derives its definitions of "racism," "white supremacy," and "education equity" explicitly from "critical race theory."pic.twitter.com/QVSJVpju2A
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@realchrisrufo) 1635607788
Radical progressive changes in schools in the state — including the teaching of critical race theory and the adoption of transgender-affirming policies — are believed to have played a large part in the GOP's Tuesday night victories.
Yet McAuliffe, like Wallace, suggested in the final days of his campaign that critical race theory is nothing more than a "racist dog whistle" used to misleadingly rile up Republican voters.
The former governor also claimed that the theory has "never been taught in Virginia," even though in 2015, his very own administration reportedly instructed public schools to embrace it.
The Washington Post is taking heat after it recently ran a video encouraging Americans to take part in "white accountability groups" and "force themselves into 'a period of deep shame' over their skin color,'" the Daily Mail reported Monday.
The 5-minute video titled, "What is White racial identity and why is it important?" featured several mental health experts who discussed ways for white people to understand "your whiteness and the ways that white supremacy benefits you."
The video, the latest in a series titled, "The New Normal" and which aired on Friday, explores the idea of white people coming together to form white privilege accountability groups in order to shame themselves over being born white in a racist world.
Host Nicole Ellis addressed the issue along with Resmaa Manakem — an author and "trauma specialist" — who said that such gatherings ought to take place over a period of years for white people to understand what it means to be black in America.
"An antiracist culture does not exist among white people," Manakem insisted. "White people need to start getting together specifically around race." He also insisted that such groups should meet and work out their identities for a period of at least five years.
Ilyse Kennedy, a trauma therapist, agreed, and said that she personally engaged in such catharsis, and said the move is necessary for white people to experience a "period of deep shame."
Kennedy added that members of such groups need to acknowledge "the harm that our ancestors have caused."
According to the Daily Mail, the episode faced criticism and derision over its apparent clarion call to perpetuate white shame.
Christopher Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, blasted the episode and tweeted, "I'm fighting against race supremacy; the Washington Post wants to install it everywhere."
He added, "The game is that they want to create an essentialized racial category ("whiteness"), load it with negative connotations, then impose it on individuals through guilt, shame, and school indoctrination. This approach is reductive, manipulative, and malicious. Don't fall for it."
"This is a very strange pseudoreligious movement that is likely to do more harm than good," Jesse Singal, writer and podcaster, added.
This is a very strange pseudoreligious movement that is likely to do more harm than goodhttps://t.co/M52JnruJvk
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) 1624287529.0
The outlet pointed to Twitter user AG, who blasted the episode and wrote, "A 5 minute video propagating ignorant neoracist nonsense. It's really astonishing the extent to which this stuff is becoming mainstream and normalized, especially by the press."
User Bat Sommelier responded, "It's like a bizarre new religion. They have their own language, their idea of original sins (whiteness), and seeking redemption through 'doing the work' to understand race issues. It's a disconnect from the reality 99% of Americans live in."
Slate contributor Will Saletan responded to AG's tweet, writing, "This video is an example of how otherwise simple and laudable ideas — e.g., becoming aware of problems that affect other people but haven't affected people like you — can be presented in a needlessly abrasive and condescending way. It's not CRT. But it's progressive malpractice."
@AGHamilton29 This video is an example of how otherwise simple and laudable ideas — e.g., becoming aware of problem… https://t.co/2tjwpShLWi
— Will Saletan (@saletan) 1624238042.0
On Tuesday, as a 12-person jury pronounced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts for his role in George Floyd's death, another apparent tragedy took place in Columbus, Ohio — a 16-year-old girl was shot and killed by police.
The loose "facts" of the incident proved too juicy to fact-check for left-leaning media outlets eager to fuel outrage over alleged police brutality against black Americans. Countless media figures reported before the facts were out that police in Ohio had yet again shot and killed an unarmed black person.
"As we breathed a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as Columbus Police killed an unarmed 15yo Black girl named [Ma'Khia] Bryant. Another child lost! Another hashtag," Benjamin Crump, the attorney for George Floyd's family, tweeted Tuesday night.
"There has been yet another police shooting of an unarmed 16 year old Black teen girl by police in #ColumbusOhio," CNN legal analyst Areva Martin added as a matter of fact.
Image Source: Twitter screenshot
But they were wrong.
Right around the same time that Martin posted her tweet, Columbus police released bodycam footage of the incident that clearly showed Bryant aggressively swinging a knife at another girl when she was shot by police. The officer, Nicholas Reardon, rather than being a bloodthirsty racist, appeared to be a hero.
Yet even with the new information, NPR couldn't get itself to admit the obvious. In one version of its report about the incident, the news outlet stated vaguely that before Bryant was shot, she was "seen swinging her arm toward another woman." No mention of the knife in her hand.
In an updated version of its report, NPR removed any mention of the knife in Bryant's hand or of her swinging anything at all.
It says, "[Bryant] then approaches a second girl and throws her against a car parked on the driveway. The officer shouts 'Get down!' three times, pulls out his gun and shoots in Bryant's direction at least four times and she falls to the ground. ... As the officer approaches her, a knife can be seen close to her."
Don't worry, though, NPR gave itself cover by including a ridiculous disclaimer in the report, which stated, "Some facts reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong."
Disclaimer from NPR on its article (which hasn't yet been updated with new information regarding the body cam video… https://t.co/7SyfgScfUy— Shelby Talcott (@Shelby Talcott)1618981451.0
The Washington Post, in its report, quoted Bryant's aunt saying that her niece had a knife in hand but dropped it before she was shot by police. The Post amazingly mentions the bodycam footage but conveniently never makes clear in its reporting that video clearly showed the knife in Bryant's hand as she was shot. The outlet would rather that fact remain elusive, it seems.
@AGHamilton29 @allahpundit It's not just the headline: even though the knife is clearly visible in her hand, the ar… https://t.co/KWjzoo5WRN— Jeryl Bier (@Jeryl Bier)1619016696.0
The Daily Beast was also dragged for its original reporting on the incident. The outlet also reported that Bryant had dropped the knife before being shot, using aunt Hazel as its primary source, and added without verification that Bryant was "fending off a physical assault when police arrived." The outlet has since updated its story numerous times.
The Daily Beast did an absolute masterclass in journalism on this one. The left screenshot is what they originally… https://t.co/O71dp7QZFF— Greg Price (@Greg Price)1618979218.0
NBC Nightly News made the decision to deceptively edit out an important portion of the 911 call, in which the caller says, "These grown girls over here trying to fight us, trying to stab us, get here now!" In its video report, the outlet only played the portion where the caller shouts, "We need a police officer here now!"
In their report on the officer-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio, NBC Nightly News deceptively edited the 911 cal… https://t.co/LeHNmOQc3B— Nicholas Fondacaro (@Nicholas Fondacaro)1619050072.0
NBC also failed to stop and show the knife in Bryant's hand moments before she was shot. More complete audio of the 911 call can be heard here.
Though not nearly as egregious as the other reports, CNN's Wolf Blitzer attempted to cover the obvious facts of the case displayed in the bodycam footage with a cloud of uncertainty. In his report on the news, Blitzer alleged there are "growing questions" about the incident as it "appears" that Bryant has a knife and "seems" as if she is lunging at another girl before being shot.
CNN’s @wolfblitzer: “Growing questions” about police shooting in Columbus of a “16-year-old African-American” girl;… https://t.co/wsGlZzUd4Z— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott)1619039314.0
Here's the bodycam footage, for reference.
Columbus Police release body cam footage of officer shooting, killing girl, 16youtu.be
www.theblaze.com
www.theblaze.com