Apparently former Trump campaign aide David Urban thought it would be a good idea to troll Van Jones on episode 2 of Chris Cuomo's new CNN Prime Time show.
Early in the interview, Urban told Chris Cuomo, "[The Eagles] chose to draw a line in the sand and not come because of what this president has said in the past because of his political views. The Eagles chose to make this a political issue, not the president.”
He then launched into a demonstration of his patriotism over everyone else's, which did not sit well with Cuomo first, who called it "jingoism."
Cuomo went on to say that it wasn't patriotism "when you pervert it and say you're not the kind of patriot that i want you to be."
When it came around to Van Jones, he was primed and ready.
"I'm a ninth-generation American," Jones growled. "My father was a veteran. My family members have served in this country. I don't need anybody to tell me what this flag means and what it represents."
Voice rising, he continued, "People in my family. people who look like me have put blood in the ground and martyrs in the dirt to have it be liberty and justice for all. People who look like me have put blood on the ground and martyrs in the dirt. To have it be liberty and justice for all. It is beyond insulting, for people to lecture us about patriotism. We’ve done more. We have fought in every war. We have sacrificed more for that constitution than most people."
After a brief interruption, he really let fly about Colin Kaepernick's job lockout.
"Colin Kaepernick tried to do what they told him to do and he still doesn't have a job and it's wrong," he said. "If you can't say it's wrong, then there's something wrong with you."
YES. It's wrong. It's wrong for that Trump toady to show up on CNN and pretend only white people can be patriots, that if a black guy kneels on the field as a statement about social justice in this country it's somehow a fireable offense, well..yes. It's wrong.
I read that Cuomo wasn't going to do the ridiculous panels, but I'm having a problem understanding what David Urban brought to that conversation beyond one-dimensional jingoistic cheerleading. It's good that Van Jones was there to bring some reality, but in the end, will it convince anyone to abandon their tribe?
