Wednesday on CNN, senior political analyst John Avlon criticized Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his attacks on Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
Avlon said, “You know what’s unpatriotic? Calling your opponents unpatriotic. This week the slur came for U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. Who is often mentioned in the top tear of Biden’s VP picks? Fox News Tucker Carlson might have picked on the wrong combat veteran. ”
He continued, “Duckworth was born in Thailand to the American father, a veteran of World War II and a Chinese-Thai mother. By the way, they have served in every American war since the revolution. Tammy joined the ROTC as a graduate student, became a commissioned officer. In 2004, she went to Iraq as one of the first American female combat pilots. Her Blackhawk helicopter was hit by an RPG. She lost both her legs, along with half of the blood in her body. She earned the purple heart among many other medals and spent a year recuperating. But she never let her disability hold her back. ‘This didn’t change who I am,’ she said, ‘I’m not about to let some guy who got lucky with an RPG decide how to live my life.’ She became director of the Illinois V.A. — the same year that Tucker Carlson was on Dancing With the Stars. After a career as a conservative writer and co-host of “Crossfire.” In 2009 Duckworth became assistant secretary of the V.A. She went on to become the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. Got all that? Here’s what she said that really teed off Tucker.”
In a clip from CNN’s “State of the Union,” on Sunday, Duckworth said, “What really struck me about this speech that the president gave at Mt. Rushmore he spent more time worried about honoring dead Confederates than he did talking about the lives of the 130,000 Americans who lost their lives to COVID-19 or by warning Russia off of the bounty they’re putting on American heads.”
Duckworth also said there should be a “national dialogue” about potentially removing statues of George Washington.
Monday night on his Fox News show Carlson said, “It’s long been considered out-of-bounds to question a person’s patriotism. It’s a very strong charge, and we try not ever to make it. But in the face of all of this, the conclusion can’t be avoided. These people actually hate America. There’s no longer a question about that.”
Avlon said, “This isn’t just about whether Tucker Carlson or Donald Trump served and sacrificed for their country the way that Tammy Duckworth did. They didn’t. It’s about the ugly rush to demonize your political opponents — which Carlson did again last night, desperately calling Duckworth a moron, a coward, a fraud. Someone who was once injured while serving in the Illinois National Guard, and — because irony is dead — a callous hack. He did this allegedly to defend George Washington — whose statues Duckworth never said should be taken down. And, for what it’s worth, I don’t think they should be. But he might want to refer back to Washington’s warning that we should ‘guard against the impostors of pretended patriotism.’ Some folks fear monger when they don’t have the facts on their side. Speaking of facts, here’s something to ponder if you’re wondering who you can trust in this hailstorm of hate. Fox News’ own lawyer argued in federal court that Carlson’s audience doesn’t expect him to report the facts. And that’s your reality check.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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