Transcripts For CNNW Smerconish 20170826

Didnt bode well for them. Was the timing on purpose . The pardoning of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on charges of contempt. The reds nation of adviser Sebastian Gorka. And the signing of a transgender orlando of the military. The drum beats of some who wish to repeal and replay the president. Are they missing a Crucial Point . Americas problems run much deeper than any one person, or at least so ill argue. And roberts lee was removed this week not the generals statue, but an espn broadcaster slated for next weeks uva Football Game. Is this Political Correctness one amok . Ill talk to the sports radio host who first exposed the story. But first, on a hot august night with a major Storm Brewing it was big news from the white house. A hat trick of headlines. Sheriff joe arpaio who was convicted of contempt of court because he would not stop racially profiling hispanics was pardoned by the president post steve bannoned advocate Sebastian Gorka was fired from the white house. And an order signed for transgenders in the military. All of that coming after 6 00 p. M. , while the texas coast braced for the landing of a then category 4 hurricane, the most powerful to hit the u. S. Since 2004. If it was a deliberate attempt to bury the news in a storm, well, god had other plans, as i tweeted before sunrise. Heres what i said when i first woke up. And in the 24 7 cycle in which we live where everybody is tethered to a smartphone or computer, i think the premise that you can hide news on a friday night is a dated concept. None of suss waiting for a saturday morning or afternoon newspaper. Those days are long over. And stories today are rarely one and done. They build, they linger. The gorka dismissal, the transgender ban might get less attention but i dont think the bard of joe arpaio will be lost in the storm. The question is whether and why the president would want to bury that news to begin with. Last tuesday in phoenix, he telegraphed his intention and as evidenced by the crowd reaction in that arena plays well to the base. They love it. Even where critics say, wait a minute, arpaio defied a federal courts order that he stopped violating peoples constitutional rights. President trump hasnt shown concern for building his base which is why it puzzles that hed want to keep the pardon out of prime time. The bigger takeaway from last night is the message the pardon might be sending to those investigated by special counsel robert mueller. Will they now be emboldened believing that the president will have their back if they become legally entangled. That might be the bigger message sent by the arpaio pardon. Although theres a pitfall, meaning that someone pardoned could be compelled to testify where they previously could have remained silent. Joining me now to discuss frank sesno is the director of George Washington school of media and public affairs. Frank, am i right in arguing that its a dated congress september, this notion that on an august friday with a mammoth storm bearing down you could hide news . Well, youre partially right. Im always going to give you that due deference here dos ibe im here on the show. Bill clinton and his white house dumped as much bad news as they could on a friday night with the lewinsky business. That was a time as you said before smartphones before everybody wabs tracking every word on twitter. That being said, michael there is still an effect of trying to put this news out that i believe is somewhat manipulative and indicative of some things. Manipulative in that theres less ecosystem for other people, especially critics to take to explain and explore. Its also indicative of, i think, less respect for the transparency and the purpose of explaining to the public what the president is doing. There are no briefings at the white house. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not standing in front of a camera and taking questions and preparing with journalists. Though, there is a lower profile in some way, for these sort of things. It will take shape, agency you say, over time. This is not going away. But theres a lot going on on friday night and saturday in terms of peoples lives, their busy and with the hurricane occupying attention. As between the two of us you obviously have the credentials relative to the media world, and thats why i come to you. Im more of the political animal. As i look for the decision for these announcements to have been made against the dark backdrop of that storm, i say to myself, im not sure its even in his interests to keep it buried. Because, for example, the arpaio news that plays extremely well to his base, and thus far, frank sesno, this president has been most concerned with maintaining the base and not growing it. Absolutely 100 correct. Which is why, at that rally in arizona the other day, he said to his crowd, joe arpaio, i think hes going to be jut fine. But then he also said im not saying anything tonight because that could be controversial. And that reflects the advice and the counsel hes getting from the communication pros, the imagemeisters out there telling the president not to do it because it could be disruptive and they were actually worried about what would happen on the ground. But they are the ones that try to calibrate the information and try to figure out how you put something out and how you spin it. And whether theres any prospect of growing the president s base. And thats where the concern and controversy hits. So, you know, this will work with the base. The base will find out other people as well but it doesnt have the impact. The thing that im concerned about, michael, i think when you do Something Like this from the white house and i say this both as a former White House Correspondent and someone who studies the media and has been watching this very closely, there needs to be, there should be, a discussion with the public. Thats hard on the media environment were in now. Thats hard on the political environment were in now. When youre doing things pardoning someone cited for contempt. When youre reversing long not longstanding, but reversing things in the military, that calls for discussion, it calls for transparency, and were not seeing that from the 5d station. And finally to weigh in on my part that the bigger takeaway from the arpaio pardon might be the message that it sends to anyone currently entangled in the russia probe . Absolutely, i think thats a very powerful signal this sends. This is a very early pardon that the pressure is issuing. It goes with Longstanding Justice Department practice. Pardons come, you know, years after convictions, normally. After serious review. This pardon also deals with a person, sheriff arpaio, who was cited in contempt. And hes basically said publicly and on a number of different ways, ive got your back. So, as muellers probe intensifies, as chief justice last week increased the subpoenas being issued for those close to the president are involved in the campaign it is a signal to others that the president could have their back and theyll be all right, as well. Look, hes not the first to do this, george h. W. Bush pardon the former defense secretary john Caspar Weinberger in the iran contra acompare. Let affair. Lets give due here, the longstanding and broad. And no question a message hes sending. And, frank, also, the president correctly stated at least in the eyes of many, the guys 85 years old hes had a long and he says and thinks a distinguished career. And for many, thats a legitimate justification for the pardon to have been exercised. Thank you so much for being here. My pleasure. Now, for the latest on Hurricane Harvey which hit the u. S. Harder than any storm in a decade, youre seeing some pictures from north padre, arkansas, which bore the brunt of the eye wall. North padre island south of arkansas is located close to the eye wall we go to cnns nick valencia in rockport, texas, 30 miles of where the damage has been extensive. Nick, are you able to hear me . He is he is not able to hear me. Well check back in with nick valencia. Obviously, trying to keep himself outside of harms way. Kathryn, in the meanwhile, hit me with the twitter reaction what i had to say at the outset of the program, what do we got . This comes from delvin dinkins, this comes from facebook. Mr. President wants you to be forced to choose which to focus on so he can dhthen criticize t media for choosing politics over hurricane. Delvin, thank god for fake news. Thank god im saying this tongue in cheek obviously that people are being kept and safe from the storms and ravages from Hurricane Harvey because theyve been paying attention to cnn and knew what was coming. You know, you cant have it both ways. You can ridicule a media outlet on which millions are relying on keeping themselves safe. Thats whats going on as we speak. Up ahead, in the wake of the president s remarks after that rationally charged event in charlottesville came more questions about his fitness for office. I think the problem runs deeper than just whos in the white house. Ill explain. And the very latest on the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey which hit the texas coast as a category 4 last night. No, please, please, oh shrieks in terror heavy breathing and snorting no, no. The running of the bulldogs . Surprising. Whats not surprising . How much money aleia saved by switching to geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. 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Came in overnight as a category 4, pounding the state of texas and millions of its residents. The winds hit 130 miles an hour. They knocked down trees and power poles and signs. Texans are starting to wake up to the damage. We dont know the full extent yet. But we promise well keep you posted throughout the course of the hour. In the meantime, another political storm was brewing in washington, d. C. Last night President Trump created so much news that i cant ignore. The pardoning of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the resignation of Sebastian Gorka and the signing of transgenders order in the military. Professor zellazer, as pardons go, where does this rank, some are for more egregious ones . There controversial ones, president clinton when he pardoned mark rich. With connections to the family. And the most famous, for Richard Nixon for crimes he might have committed. And george h. W. Bush pardoning several members of the Reagan Administration including Caspar Weinberger. That will fall on that list. Theres little justification for doing this in in terms of it, it circumvents the jieshl process. And it seems to be a clear political message to the base that the donald trump who ran in 2016 is exactly the president who is on issues like immigration. Mckay koppens to the professors point about the message it sends to the base. Why not announce it tuesday night. Tuesday night you saw him in that rally with folks in phoenix. When he referenced sheriff joe, they were effusive in their praise and cheering. Why didnt he simply say, hey, im pardoning him and its done . Yeah, its a good question. Theres two reasons. One, there is genuine concern about the reaction on the ground there in arizona. Already outside of the event where President Trump was speaking. There were protests that turned ugly as Police Clashed with protesters. We can also coming on the heels of charlottesville and the violence there. There was concern with trump aides about what kind of violence would end up occurring or scene outside of that event. Thats one reason. I think that the other reason, frankly, you discussed it earlier on the show, but this wasnt just a message to the base. I think it was partly a message to the base. I think it was also a message to his loyal aides and allies, who are now kind of coming under scrutiny from the mueller probe. And who, you know, trump wants to make a point that, hes going to look out for the people who look out for him. You know, he has the pardon power. Hes using it earlier than president s usually do. And hes showing that hes not afraid to pardon controversial people. And i think that message is going to be received. Hey, juliajulian, im not a believer in coincidence. We have you in a split screen right now. And were showing the devastation of this hurricane. Is there any precedent for Something Like this . I mean, it was after 6 00 p. M. In the east when we got the transgender news. Gorka is out. And of course what were talking about, the arpaio pardon, all, quote, against the backdrop of this storm. Can you remember a politician, pardon the dylan reference, seeking shelter from the storm previously to do a document drop . Look, i dont offhand. But im not sure he was seeking shelter from the storm. I think this is a president who understands the news cycle in different ways than most of us and previous president s. I dont think he needs to follow the traditional rhythm. Weve had many weekends where big news happens with President Trump. And theres part of me that imagines that when Many Americans are watching a storm which is the kind of event that attracts a lot of viewers, the president knew exactly what he was doing with a series of decisions, particularly the pardon. Particularly the transgender order which appeal to the people who love him the most. And so, im not sure he was trying to bury this. I think he is constantly trying to find new ways to announce key positions in the media cycle which not everyone understandings the dynamics of him. Okay. Are you saying that he is so sophisticated in terms of giving good ear to the message of that will be resonating with people that he knew we would be couch potatoes watching the development of Hurricane Harvey. And said, this is exactly when i will do it. I want them to see it . Well, sophisticate said not necessarily the word i would use. But he does understand television. And he does watch it. He understands the dynamics. And so, i could imagine the president says, now, im going to make this announcement. And it will get the attention that i want. And it wont necessarily get all of the News Coverage that will clearly be negative. I dont know the logic of 9 president , but i could imagine him seeing the events and making the announcement on purpose. Mckay, what do you think of julian zellazers theory . Ill be honest with you, it makes total sense. The one place i dont think we can underestimate trump is his instinct for media. He is a television guy. He had a reality show, hes obsessed with cable news and the news cycle. Its not as completely farfetched as he would use the pending hurricane and the crisis that that could cause as a way to, you know, piggyback offer o that and make news of his own. Hey, mckay, is Sebastian Gorka more a threat outside the presidency, does the president have to be careful to consider a relationship with a bannon and gorka, lest they turn on him . He absolutely does. Thats when i saw the news that gorka had resigned. Whatever the case, hes not in the tent anymore and that is a problem for donald trump. Bannon you know, Steve Bannons ouster is more threatening. But seb gorka is an incendiary figure in his own right. He has build up an audience, kind of a hawkish terrorism guy. He wrote a very Controversial Book called defeating jihad. What we saw in the Resignation Letter that he gave it to the press that he kind of sold out the message that brought him into the white house. Hes not afraid of speaking out against trump. I think the white house is going to make efforts to maintain in relationship with these people. But at the end of the day, their incentive isnt going to be to have a few friends in the white house. Their incentive is going to be to continue their careers and build their own audiences. And their base is not happy with the way things are going in the trump presidency, in terms of whos running it, whos in charge. And i think were going to hear a lot more from mr. Gorka as well as mr. Bannon and the others. Julian zellazer, mckay copens, i appreciate it. Thank you. Kathryn, hit me with facebook comments. Smerconish, right, as a retired newspaper editor the friday afternoon bad news syndrome is dead. Bill, i think thats dead. Were all tethered to smart foreigns and computers 24 7, of course, the cable channels, lead among them cnn, never sleep. And they just offered a pretty interesting theory. I hope i didnt bait him into it, but the thought to the contrary, the president wants his news reviewed. Knows the Television Habits of americans. Knows that were paying obsessive attention to Hurricane Harvey. And he figured this is when im going to drop the news. Do we have time for one more . Smerconish, this is simple real donald trump has to make the news cycle about him. He wont allow harvey2017 to take it away from him. Yeah, doesnt want to get oneup even by a category 4. Up ahead the very latest on the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey which hit the texas coast as a category 4 last night. And as President Trump has rallied his base and continues to divide, theres been a lot of talk of his fitness for office. But getting rid of him will not solve the real problem in this country. Im about to explain. Plus, robert lee was removed in charlottesville, virginia, not the statue of the confederate general, but espns similarly named sportscaster from next weeks uva Football Game. Was it, as many thing, Political Correctness run amok, or was it just correct . Youre looking at the latest video of the overnight devastation from Hurricane Harvey. These pictures are in north pad delay islan re island. A Barrier Island which bore the brunt of the storm. It came in as a category 4. Winds over 130 miles an hour. Knocked down power poles and signs and trees. The texans are starting to wake up to the damage. We dont know the full extent of the damage but well keep you posted. Last week, i was off, but, of course, i couldnt get away from the news. In normal times, a member of the media was safe in taking a vacation while a president was away. Instead, after the events in charlottesville and the president s remarks came more worries for his fitness in office and increased drug beat to somehow get rid of it. But thanks to the distance afforded by my vacation, i had a revelation. And here it is, donald trump is not the nations primary problem. If only it were as easy as replacing one man or riding out two terms to solve our grievances, dont misunderstand what im saying, the president s many side reaction to the place in charlottesville a place sustained on his tenure that will never be erased. But we face something even worse. And that will require much more work. Our problems run much more deeply than any one person. And thats a point overlooked by his harshest critics who are so vehement in their opposition, that they deludes themselves from thinking his removal from office will be a panacea. They speak increasingly of the 25th amendments never used remnants to discharge the powers and duties of his office. They were hardened to be echoed by gop senator bob corker and former director of National Intelligence james clapper. And next month, these conversations will grow even louder when a book is released in which two dozen Mental Health officials will argue that the president is dangerously mentally ill and poses a clear and present danger to the nation. Thats not going to help either. No good comes from Mental Health professionals diagnosing a patient theyve never met much less examined. Just think of a precedent thats going to set. But heres the thing, getting rid of President Trump might salve some peoples wounds but it may alienate a nation. Considered a that a maris poll last week showed that onefifth of Trump Supporters in the critical states of michigan, pennsylvania and wisconsin now say theyre quote unquote embarrassed by his conduct as president. But he still has the support of most of those who voted for him as president. And for many, that faith is unshakeable. 6 in 10, 61 ever his supporters surveyed told Monmouth University pollsters that they cannot think of anything that trump can do to make them disapprove of his performance. A similar number of those opposed to him. 57 said that they will never change their disapproval. So, my point is, we face an enormous divide. Not just about President Trump. But also concerning the issues that are unfolding on his watch. Still, lets not conflate those who supported the president s initial charlottesville statements, with an endorsement of the nazi marchers themselves. The latter are irredeemable. But the former are still our neighbors. And we need to figure out a way to reach them. Im talking not about torchbearing racists, but those who voted for trump out of a sense of desperation and fear that the American Dream is dying. The many noncollegeeducated white males who are unsettled by a changing demographic, by job loss and deeply feel the impact of income inequality. Where the Democratic Party has failed to offer hope to this formerly reliable constituency, donald trump was able to fill the void by castigating trade deals and immigration policy when in fact theyve lost stature due to the dual forces. My vacation revelation was this, forget about President Trump, the challenge we are facing is reengaging his core supporters on a National Conversation based on evidence, not emotion. And thats going to require less condescension from the left. And in order for that to happen it will take much more than the downfall of a president. It will require the driving of a president between them and provoc topr provocate provocateurs. And donald trump is a manifestation of what ails us but his departure in office will not mark the end of domestic hostilities. Joining now joining me now two 20s trying to be part of the solution. Part of the centrist action. And the founding president of millennial project. Steven, you first, react to the commentary i just delivered. Well, thanks for having me on, michael, and welcome back from vacation. I think were living in a time of extreme political tribalism. And what we need to understand in a country is that trump is more of the symptom than the cause of the problems that were facing, we founded our organization millennial action to discuss these issues youre talking about before President Trump was a candidate. And we saw the loss of polarization, and the loss of community and the diseffect of the political system decisive for President Trump. So, we need to look at the longerterm trends here. I mean, for those who just want to get rid of trump from office as soon as possible, whats the point . If were going to see another trumpian figure emerge from that on the left or the right. So, we need to address these underlying issues. And George Washington predicted this in his farewell address where he talked about the extreme factionism. And foreign corruption and influence. So, thats exactly what were seeing today. And President Trump, knew in 2016, that the politics of grievance would be much more powerful than the politics of big ideas and visionary thinking. So, i really see him as more of a nonideological pragmatist. He knew what it took to win. But i think we need in our country right now as you mention, michael, a National Conversation of how we can reconcile our differences and i think that would be a very patriotic thing to do as a country. Nick, you speak of negative partis partisanship. Everybody has got to take sides . Absolutely as steven was saying and i agree, symptom of our problems. We are so paralyzebecause of this polarization. And its making us capable of addressing any of the major challenges facing our country. Thats because we basically have two opposition parties in our country who in the zero sum only care about pointing out how bad the other side is so its no wonder in the last 20 years the number of democrats who view the Republican Party as very unfavorable and vice versa has more than tripled. So the animating part of our politician is fear of the other side. And that is why our country desperately needs an alternative to both parties. At the centrist product we believe there are leaders who can put country first, who can find Common Ground and who can unite us around a positive vision of where to go. Nick and steven, i wish i had more time. But agency you know, were also covering this mammoth storm. I appreciate your work. We go live to cnns ed lavandera in galveston, texas. Ed. Reporter good morning, michael. Well, here in galveston, texas, were on the eastern edge of this storm, considering that this storm made landfall late last night and the winds are still pushing as strong as they are, and the rain is coming down the way did is, really gives you a sense and reinforcing what emergency officials here in the southeast coast and inland are extremely worried about. The rainfall continuing sand expected to continue throughout the day and really pushing towards the flooding events that many emergency officials here have been dreading and worried about as we head into the weekend, michael. So, weve been told that have been rescue teals, high water and swift water rescue teams prepositioned throughout the region to react to those situations as they develop. So, not only this morning is there a concern about those communities like rockport and port oconnor who took the direct hit in the eye of the storm but as the rainfall continues exactly how quickly and where is the flooding, potentially deadly flooding, going to develop in the hours ahead. That is one of those things that emergency officials up and down the coast from galveston all the way to Corpus Christi are extremely worried about this morning. Hey, ed, help me disaview viewers because they went to bed and its a category 4 and now its a category 1 that somehow everybody is out of the woods so to speak, this is still a volatile and dangerous situation . Reporter it is. And more often than naugot, we covered a enough of these storms and it isnt necessarily that people are injured or killed in the Immediate Impact of the store but its the decisions that people make afterwards. Getting out after the storms. Driving through floodwaters, getting swept away. And thats with a normal hurricane. And the hurricane continues to push inward. Here, we have a situation where this particular hurricane is expected to stall out several days, dumping in some places three feet of water. Thats just insane levels of floodwaters. And if the storm shifts over where we are, you know, as you can see the wind right now is pushing inland. Theres no way for those floodwaters to recede out over the gulf of mexico. So its going to take time for the wares to move out of the situation. Especially when you get into the more rural communities, downed power lines, creeks and tributaries that have spilled over roadways. Thats what becomes a treacherous situation. Even though it might look a little deceiving here on galveston island, we havent really lost power. And some people venturing on to the roadways. This is a builtup area. But in more remote areas that can become a treacherous situation. We cant stress it enough. Emergency officials are pleading and asking people to stay off the roads in those areas and be very cognizant of the floodwaters. Its hard to tell people where to evacuate from a flood because they dont know where the flood is going to spring up. Thats something that you have to react to and be ready for. And all of this can happen very quickly. Its not like it can be pinpointed on a map that this is exactly where a flood is going to occur. These emergency teams have to react to this. Ed larvandera in galveston, stay safe. Now for more on Hurricane Harvey, were joined by cnns nick valencia. Hes in rockport 30 miles north of Corpus Christi, where the damage is extensive. Reporter im coming to you from a satellite. That is the only transmission we have. All cell towers have been knocked down. Rockport has taken a direct hit from Hurricane Harvey. And it looks like some of the worst damage ive ever seen. Im with a crew, a very seasoned journalist here who has covered the likes of Hurricane Katrina damage. They say here assessed by this damage in rockport, what im looking at right now, standing outside of Public Center in rockport. Im looking at half a dozen police cars with windows blown out. Flag poles bent over at the base. As a matter of fact, i was speaking with the sheriff here bill mills. Who was really fearful. I cant begin to describe the look of people everybody that we see here, the look in their eyes, scenes that they have experienced overnight. They just describe did as, simply put, going through hell. The sheriff tells me that he believes 50 to 60 of the town stayed. Just to give you a sense of how fearful they were as this storm approached, the mayor of the city was encouraging residents to write their Social Security numbers and names on their forearms in case First Responders had to recover their bodies. Those First Responders, as we just protect in the last hour or so theyre just getting out to assess the damage. I asked the local sheriff what they need. He said they need all the help from the state that they can get. He has at least 60 people, First Responders working here. Including a volunteer fire staff. We just came from that volunteer fire department. Its made up of a collection of collegeage volunteers who rode out the storm there at that department. They said its the worst weather theyve ever been through. I have a crowd forming around me right now because theres no way for people to contact their families to let them know theyre okay. As a matter of fact, were one of the only news crews here. Were joined by a local fi affiliate. Theyre station is trying to get in touch with family members, to tell them theyre okay. We also have residents here trying to use our Satellite Phone to call family members to let them know that theyre alive. This damage, michael, is extensive, its wide ranging. Its significant. Theres rain that continues to fall on us right now. The wind gusts are still this village of rockport is barely standing. Michael. I would think that when the sheriff says if youre sticking around, you better write your Social Security number on your foresar forearm, that would be the ultimate wakeup call. Is there any sign for anybody who didnt pay heed to the advice to get out of harms way . Reporter well, i have to tell you, the sheriff also told me they were backed up with 30 calls last night of people saying everything that their roofs were lifting off their homes. Walls were falling on people. But because the sheriffs were pinned down in their own department they couldnt get out to help people. They say at one point during the eye of the storm, they had a window to rescue about 20 people, transfer them to a safety location. They say, as far as they know, all of the First Responders are accounted for. But they really, really are fearful that they are going to find people that have perished as a result of this storm. Because as i mentioned, this small town, the sheriff estimates at least half of them decided to ride out this storm. Michael. Nick valencia, thank you. Stay safe in rockport, texas. Now, a decade ago, i literally wrote the book on political corrective, it was called muzzle. A book in which i excoriated when the war on terror, a the New York Times bestseller. When i heard the story about espn reassigning an asian broadcaster from a live stream of a uva Football Game next saturday because his name is robert lee, the same as the confederate soldier whose soldiered inspired a rally. The alex jones of sports referring to the rightng within radio provocateur. On tuesday fox news host clay travis first revealed in outkick the coverage and made it as such a liberal slant. Hes taken to labeling ms espn, is that correct . Clay, this is insanity, a guy that has no connection whatsoever, to robert e. Lee to charlottesville, et cetera, et cetera. Theyre going to reassign him. Then i started to reflect on it and read espns explanation. Is it possible they were looking out for his brand . That this is a rare case of an employer actually acting with the best interest at heart of an employee because some knucklehead was going to make him a meme if they didnt do so . Have you seen the internet since they did this anyway . They turned this poor guy into a threegame peopmemeathon. As a Major Corporation comes to you as espn glitt admitted sayiy did hey, weve got some represent trepidation of a general, therefore, we dont think its a good thing for you to call the game become. What you think, most of the people making a living out of calling Football Games. This is the first Football Game this guy has ever called is going to defer to a multimilliondollar conversation. What espn did, they threw his guy under the bus, they drove over him and then backed over him again and tried to blame him for the decision they made. Donald trump came on and said what are we going to do about thomas jefferson, what are we going to do about George Washington, everybody said thats a sliply slope argument. The problem with espn, this isnt a slippery slope argument. This is an asian guy at the bottom of the slope that had absolutely nothing to do with the story at all. And everybody has become so fearful of doing anything that offends anyone. Espn made an awful decision here. This guy is a victim. Espn has become a far left wing network and this is evidence of the fact. By the way, michael, i think this is important, it was espn employees who tipped me off to the story. And they said, my god, youre so right about the criticism of our network. We dont have the freedom to say our political beliefs. Look how crazy this is, they reassigned an asian man named robert lee from a robert e. Lee connection in a Football Game that nobody would have made a connection to. Basically the entire universe out there has said these guys made an awful decision. Look, the thing is absolutely ridiculous, it would have been a chapter in my book a decade ago because it was exactly what i was shining the spotlight on. Right. Im just trying to be nuanced and say as idiotic as it was, were they trying to act in his best interest . Because they perceived everybody else to be as politically correct as they were . Thats a great point. I worked on the al gore president ial campaign. Im a right wing democrat driven insane by what the right wing has become a part of it. This is a part, if you and i had been there, middle of the road guys, right, raised our hand and said, wait a minute, if we do this, lets think about the worst case insay are know, if we allow this guy to call the game then for 45 minutes or an hour, nobody for 45 minutes or an hour, maybe somebody takes a screen shot, make a joke, they say robert e. Lee is trying to sneak back in charlottesville and it doesnt last. Thats worst case scenario. Instead they did this. I think this is a lack of diversity of thought. No doubt. They perpetuated the whole thing. I said here was my first reaction. Now im trying to be more nuanced. Im back to where i began. Thank you for being here. Still to come, our storm coverage will continue as well as some of your tweets and facebook comments. What have we got . Robert lee could take a cue from prince and change his name to the sportscaster formerly known as robert lee. No. North end rick, you and i have never heard of robert lee, the broadcaster, before this. I maintain the guy is now on the map in a way he otherwise would not be. Lets see, there are the wildcats til we die weekenders. The watch me let if fly. This i gotta try weekenders. Then weve got the bendy. Spendy weekenders. The tranquility awaits. Hanging with our mates weekenders and the its been quite a day. So glad we got away weekenders. Whatever kind of weekender you are, theres a hilton for you. Book your weekend break direct at hilton. Com and join the weekenders. Its the blowout event ual save 10 to 70 off on all clothing and shoes. And up to 70 off on outdoor life for him and simply styled for her plus hot deals on jeans for kids, starting at 8. 99. Hurry sale ends september 4th. Much more of cnns continuing coverage as you see live footage of Hurricane Harvey is in the ondeck circle. 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