CNN anchors Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo spoke out about the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday, providing a stark contrast in CNN’s previous coverage and analysis of the sustained riots in cities around the nation. Lemon and Cuomo cited polling as the main reason why rioting should now be acknowledged as something more than “peaceful protests.”
“It’s showing up in the polling. It’s showing up in focus groups. It is the only thing right now that is sticking,” Lemon explained.
“The riots and the protests have become indistinguishable,” he added.
CNN's Don Lemon is panicking over the disastrous impact that far-left riots are having on the Democrat Party. pic.twitter.com/lqZl7nuKQ6
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 26, 2020
Don Lemon states what Democrats and supporters of the "Defund the Police" movement don't want to hear:
"Most Black people don't want police defunded. They don't want fewer police there. They want more. And most communities of color in this country need police…" pic.twitter.com/EFjPaWlsOx
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 26, 2020
Lemon proposed that Kenosha is a “Rorschach Test for the entire country.”
“I think this is a blind spot for Democrats. I think Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away, and it’s not going to go away,” Lemon said.
Despite their previous unwillingness to acknowledge the issue, Lemon and Cuomo urged Democrats to address the rioting and police reform, saying that, even though no solution will be finalized by the election, Biden must at least acknowledge it.
“The problem is not going to be fixed by then,” said Lemon. “But what they can do, and I think maybe Joe Biden may be afraid to do it…he’s got to address it. He’s got to come out and talk about it.”
“And they’re rioters, not protesters. They’re criminals,” he added.
Lemon also spoke out against the “defund the police” movement, claiming that “most black people don’t want police defunded.”
“They don’t want fewer police there. They want more. And most communities of color in this country need police more than white communities,” he explained, giving the disclaimer that many wouldn’t like his statement.
While Cuomo and Lemon both cite the polls as the reason for Democrats to capitalize on this movement as part of their political platform, some have pointed out that polling in recent weeks, especially about the DNC, is not yet released.
Last night @donlemon called for the rioting to end, "because it's showing up in the polling."
What polling? The media polling after the DNC Convention that was never released over the weekend.
Yes, folks, it exists. You’re just not allowed to see it. https://t.co/yjm1UUdfmf
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) August 26, 2020
Lemon and Cuomo’s acknowledgment of the riots as violent crime serves as a strict pivot from CNN’s previous coverage of Kenosha and other riots across the U.S. On Monday, a CNN broadcast covering the Wisconsin riots labeled them as “violent protests” in the displayed chryon for a few seconds, but the chryon was quickly changed to remove the word “violent.”
“8PM Curfew Ordered After Protests Over Police Shooting Of Unarmed Black Man In Wisconsin,” the new chyron read.
