CNN, the major news network now in its 35th year, has been in the middle of some rather questionable debates on race lately, spearheaded by the often-ridiculed Don Lemon. In CNN’s most recent head-scratcher, Lemon led a debate over whether or not President Barack Obama should apologize for slavery after a New York Times columnist suggested such.
Lemon took on the topic on CNN Tonight after a column from Times op-ed writer Timothy Egan seemed to suggest that President Obama should apologize for the practice of slavery. Egan’s column sparked quite a bit of debate, with SiriusXM’s The Black Eagle radio host Joe Madison taking umbrage with the nation’s first Black president performing the act considering history.
“There is no way that the first African-American President should be the first President of the United States of America to apologize for an institution that was based on white supremacy,” Madison said to Egan, before adding that the next white person to become president should do the honor.
Amazingly, Lemon asked Madison why the race mattered which got him an answer he probably didn’t expect at the moment. Madison’s deliberately slow explanation was everything. And did Lemon actually think Egan’s idea was sound?
“Once again, this is not an institution that was created by an African-American. If you want to talk about being really heartfelt, then it should come from those individuals whose heritage benefitted from this. This is absolutely the most absurd thing that I have ever heard.”
Watch the CNN debate over Obama and the slavery apology in the tweet below.
[h/t Crooks and Liars]
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Photo: CNN
