Thursday on the RealClearPolitics radio show, Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Phil Wegmann analyzed whether ABC firing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is an example of “cancel culture” or simply consequences for bad ratings and a really bad joke. They also discussed President Trump declaring, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, that Antifa is a terrorist organization, and what kind of crackdown we might see from the feds. Plus, another spicy excerpt from Kamala Harris’s upcoming memoir, where she explains why she didn’t pick gay man Pete Buttigieg as her running mate. Later, Tim Shriver, founder and CEO of UNITE and co-creator of the Dignity Index, spoke to Carl Cannon about how to regain civility in our public discourse. You can listen to the show weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** First, Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Phil Wegmann discuss ABC firing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over insensitive remarks about Charlie Kirk’s murder. President Trump says Kimmel was a victim of “bad ratings” and “lack of talent,” but some comments from FCC chair Brendan Carr are raising questions of government interference in free speech. “Do I think Brendan Carr should have said that? No, that’s not the kind of language we want from the FCC director,” Tom Bevan said. “But Democrats who are all out now talking about this as a blow to free speech were all celebrating when Tucker Carlson got removed.” “Trump transformed Kimmel from a hack on his way out the door into a martyr by leaning on ABC and Nexstar,” Wegmann added. “Conservatives used to say they wanted to go back to the before-times of institutional neutrality, and instead it seems some conservatives are pouring a bunch of dish soap on this slippery slope.” “If you go back to what Jimmy Kimmel said, he clearly misled his audience about whether this guy was left-wing or right-wing, but he didn’t celebrate Kirk’s death. Where do you draw the line? Who draws it? We don’t want the FCC commissioner watching every program and deciding who lied. That’s not workable,” Tom Bevan concluded. *** And then, around minute 12, President Trump announced during a trip to the U.K. this week that he will designate Antifa as a major terrorist group. “Over the years, we’ve seen them do a lot of things that, to the layman, look like terrorism,” Wegmann said about Antifa. “During Trump’s 2017 inauguration, I saw it firsthand. As a young reporter, I went to take a picture of one of these gentlemen in black pajamas and face masks, and I ended up on the ground. Someone sucker-punched me.” “Saying they’ve gotten away with murder, maybe isn’t the best phrase, but they’ve gotten away with a lot,” Tom Bevan said. About the administration looking at RICO charges to connect high-profile financiers with the rioters on the ground, he added, “If evidence links funders directly to those organizations, they should also be prosecuted.” *** In the next segment, starting at minute 18, The Atlantic published more excerpts from Kamala Harris’s upcoming book, where she revealed that she chose Tim Walz as a running mate because she didn’t think the American public would accept openly gay man Pete Buttigieg. What does this interesting nugget of gossip tell us about the future of the Democratic Party? “He would have been an ideal partner if I were a straight white male,” Harris wrote about Buttigieg. “But we were already asking a lot of America to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man.” “Well, she outed herself as a homophobe,” Bevan joked. “The irony is she rejected Buttigieg in favor of Tim Walz, who turned out to be a drag on the ticket, a buffoon, and an embarrassment. Democrats figured they needed a white guy who looked like he could fix a truck and wore flannel.” “If you’re a sharp candidate who can make a good argument, I don’t think race or gender matters much,” Bevan said. “Polling shows otherwise. Pew research asked: Would you be more or less likely to vote for someone if they were Black, gay, Catholic, Jewish, etc? The numbers were in the 90s.” “Tell me what you really think of the country, Vice President Harris. This admission makes it harder for her to run in 2028 or later,” Wegmann commented. “She admits she didn’t have the moral courage to shatter another glass ceiling.” *** Finally, at minute 27, Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics International, co-creator of the Dignity Index, founder and CEO of Unite, and host of the Need a Lift podcast, spoke to Carl Cannon about how to regain civility in our public discourse in an era where political violence is becoming normal. What can thought leaders and ordinary people do to break this fever? “The first thing is to ask the right question, and you have. What can we do? Not who to blame, not who to shame. Political violence is an unspeakable tragedy with generational pain,” Shriver said. “People react differently-grief, anger, hostility, looking for someone to blame, shame, or attack. Those are normal reactions. But something is wrong with our culture. We can’t sugarcoat it anymore; addressing this is no longer optional.” “When you treat people with dignity, you have a better chance of having your issues prevail. When you treat people with contempt, you make an enemy for your cause,” he said. “We have a divided country because political leaders have chosen to use divisive language to get elected, but it ensures they make enemies. Our politics is paralyzed by design. If I scream at the other side, shame on me-I’ve abdicated responsibility for advancing what I care about, whatever it is.” He says both sides bear responsibility, and warned that future generations will judge whether today’s America chooses dignity or division. “If you’re looking for someone who is singularly to blame, you’re looking in the wrong place. The best place to look is in the mirror.” Charlie Kirk’s death, Melissa Hortman’s death, the attempts on Trump and Shapiro-if Americans aren’t feeling a wake-up call, they’re not paying attention. Most Americans are paying attention and want us to pivot. Stop the dehumanizing contempt. Treat people with dignity.” *** Don’t miss an episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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