Media top headlines August 23
In media news today, a CBS reporter instructs the White House staff to show Biden the poll about his job approval falling, Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan pan newsrooms for caving to the 'woke mobs,' and a CNN panel blasts Biden's 'bizarre' messaging on Afghanistan
Republican California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder dismissed a column that called him "the Black face of white supremacy" as par for the course because liberals are "scared to death" that he could actually take control of the state.
The Los Angeles Times published a column on Friday titled "Column: Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warned," which accused the Republican of using "overly simplistic arguments that whitewash the complex problems that come along with being Black in America." L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith said Elder uses "taunting and toddler-like name-calling of his ideological enemies" before belittling the gubernatorial candidate with her own insults.
"I’ve learned that it’s often best just to ignore people like Elder. People who are — as my dad used to say —‘skinfolk’ but not necessarily kinfolk," she wrote before attempting to insult Elder as a "Trump fanboy," "dangerous," a "troll" and implied he doesn’t understand critical race theory.
"His candidacy feels personal. Like an insult to Blackness," the Times columnist wrote.
ELDER FORCEFULLY DENIES BRANDISHING WEAPON ON EX-FIANCEE: 'POLITICS OF PERSONAL DESTRUCTION'
Fox News host Sean Hannity called the column "disgusting" and invited Elder to respond to it directly during Friday’s episode of "Hannity."
"I am genuinely, friend to friend, sorry that you have to go through something as evil, horrific and racist as that," Hannity said.
Republican California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder dismissed a column that called him "the Black face of white supremacy." (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
However, Elder, who leads the pack of Republican candidates looking to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Sept. 14 recall election, wasn’t surprised.
"I anticipated that would happen. This is why a lot of people don’t go into politics because of the politics of personal destruction," Elder said.
"This is not the first time the L.A. Times has attacked me, there is another writer who all but called me a Black David Duke," Elder continued. "They are scared to death."
Many observers have noticed that attacks from the left on Elder appeared to increase as he performs well in the polls. A right-leaning Twitter account even shared a variety of the liberal Los Angeles paper’s recent Elder headlines.
Elder did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
Elder has been attacked from the left over a series of allegations that he has denied. Among them, Elder forcefully denied a claim from his former fiancée that he brandished a gun during an argument the two had in 2015.
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"I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It’s not me, and everyone who knows me knows it’s not me. These are salacious allegations," Elder said Thursday evening on Twitter.
The recall election comes after harsh criticisms of Newsom’s coronavirus handling, including last November when the Democratic governor was spotted dining in a swanky restaurant maskless and surrounded by people from outside of his own household.
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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