On Thursday, your tax dollars have been paid PBS News Hour From Selma to Montgomery to run a puff piece on Corey Bush, the radical Missouri Republican, on the 57th anniversary of March. During the profile, Bush will be compared to previous civil rights activists and praised for his support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the suspension of permanent evictions.
The piece was narrated by Washington’s chief correspondent Geoff Bennett, who reported that “Michael Brown’s police assassination sparked night protests in Ferguson that helped lead Bush, stimulated the Black Lives Matter movement and encouraged him and others to run for office.”
If it was a serious job of journalism and not just a puff piece, Bennett would have asked Bush if the case officer had acted in self-defense, as confirmed by Eric Holder’s judiciary, denying his description. Instead, he introduced his old MSNBC colleague and Princeton professor, Eddie Glaud Jr., “he says Bush follows a tradition of the civil rights movement.” He then asks Gloud, “Historically, this hyphenate, this activist-politician role, how has it evolved over time and how has it evolved?”
Glaude replied, “Employees across the broad spectrum of your black politics came together to express a black agenda. And the result was this extraordinary increase in elections, or what we call BEO: black elected officials.”
Later, during a 2016 sitting calling for a vote on gun control for Bennett, John Lewis highlighted leading House Democrats, noting that “Bush, who is currently in office for the first time, has shared Lewis’ views.”
Instead of gun control, the issue was rent, “This past August, about 11 million Americans were behind rent and at risk of losing their homes, the epidemic-related break was coming to an end. Bush said he knew the feeling from the beginning, as an unmarried mother who had been evicted three times. “
Bennett recalled that “Bush slept four nights on the steps of the US Capitol until the White House took action with a temporary extension of the eviction break. Now back to the steps, he reflected on what that meant.
Again, Bennett did not challenge Bush on whether the Supreme Court had stayed the stay or when, if ever, he would return to normal. Instead, Bennett portrayed Bush’s stunt as a victory, “So once the president decides to extend the eviction stay, do you feel justified?”
Bush also ignored his final defeat, saying, “I think, you know, what we did was, the people have to win.”
Towards the end of the piece, Gloud rejected the notion of any progress in the fight against racism, saying, “We often see the country engaged in this kind of linear progress towards a more perfect union. And this is not entirely true. It’s always one step ahead, two, three steps back. “
To that end, Bennett sought to reduce Bush’s unpopularity by saying, “In response to some criticism that the protest tactics only deviate from the law, Bush said he knows his constituents best … and that the failure of traditional politics has brought him to Congress in the first place.” ”
While Democrats want to flee the defense, the police movement is being pushed by the people by Bush, Bennett wants to bring them back into the spotlight under the guise of mainstream activism and the fight against racism.
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Here is a transcript for the March 24 show:
PBS News Hour
3/24/2022
7:44 PM ET
Geoff Bennett: Michael Brown’s police assassination sparked protests in Ferguson that helped Bush lead, stimulate the Black Lives Matter movement, and inspire him and others to run for office.
Eddie Glad Jr. They are not just moving away from direct action on the streets, they are actually trying to hold on to power.
Bennett [VOICEOVER]: Eddie Gloud Jr., chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Princeton University, says Bush follows a tradition of the civil rights movement.
Historically, this hyphenate, this activist-politician role, how has it been seen over time and how has it evolved?
GLOUD: Across the broad spectrum of your black politics, activists have come together to articulate a black agenda. And the result was this remarkable increase in elections, or what we call BEO: black elected officials.
A
Bennett: Bush, currently in his first term, says he shares Lewis’ views.
Corey Bush: I’m pulling out of my toolbox as an organizer. What do you do You put yourself in the first line.
Bennett: This past August, about 11 million Americans were behind in rent and at risk of losing their homes, as the epidemic-related break was coming to an end. Bush said he knew the feeling from the beginning, as an unmarried mother who had been evicted three times.
Bush: It was like, okay, okay, we didn’t get it done, so it’s time to go. I don’t understand how people let this happen.
Bennett: He says he pulled a tactic from the toolbox of his role model, Shirley Chisholm, who was known for saying, “Bring a folding chair if they don’t give you a seat at the table.”
Bush: We need a moratorium on evictions today.
Bennett: Bush slept four nights on the steps of the U.S. Capitol until the White House entered with a temporary extension of the eviction break. Now back to the steps, he reflected what that meant.
So once the president decided to extend the eviction moratorium, did you feel proven?
Bush: Of course. Okay, I don’t necessarily know if the word is “proven”. I liked it very much. I feel like my muscles have grown a bit, because it shows that even though people say, you know, you can’t do anything, you can’t do anything, you have no power, you have no words, and that was unconventional. , I think, you know, what we did was, people have to win.
A
GLAUDE: We often find the country involved in this kind of linear progress towards a more perfect union. And this is not entirely true. It’s always one step forward, two, three steps back.
Bush: If enough people don’t want to focus on it, you can hear it from my mouth because I’m that person. I–
Bennett: In response to some criticism that protest tactics only distract from the law, Bush said he knows his constituents best.
Bush: The people of St. Louis elected me wearing a T-shirt and boots.
Bennett: And he says the failure of traditional politics has brought him to Congress.
Bush: There’s a situation in St. Louis that needs to be addressed. It didn’t happen overnight. But you’ve been here for a while and you haven’t used your energy, your pin or your purse to be able to influence it. So, here I am. You raised me. If you don’t like how I’m doing, you should have fixed it before Corey came here.
Bennett: A new generation of activists in politics, learning from past leaders and creating their own path to change. For PBS News HourI’m Geoff Bennett.