Tavis Smiley was a guest ABC News’ This Week on Sunday, where guests held a round table discussion on a variety of issues. Conservative and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol was blasted by longtime talk show host after he suggested countries in Africa stricken by Ebola be essentially quarantined.
There was a segment in the broadcast that discussed President Barack Obama’s recent announcement of an Ebola “czar” as part of the United States’ response to the outbreak of the disease. Kristol echoed recent Republican and conservative criticism of Obama’s response to the Ebola outbreak, saying that the White House should ban travel between Africa and America.
Smiley responded in kind, saying that Kristol’s stance is the “worst of America” and that the suggestion from the Right is the “darkest side” of the media and political culture.
Raw Story reports:
“But I’ve kind of had it, respectfully, Bill, with these arguments that we ought to quarantine certain countries in Africa,” he continued. “You can quarantine individuals, you can’t quarantine countries.”
Smiley encouraged Kristol to look beyond the immediate best interests of the United States.
“When you quarantine a country in Africa, you shut down that county’s economy,” he explained. “It’s all about our own parochial interests. It has no concern about the economies of these other countries.”
Outspoken Republican strategist Mary Matalin was also on the program, and Smiley gamely engaged her as well.
Watch the This Week clip with Tavis Smiley and others below.
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Photo: ABC News
