CNN's Jake Tapper ignores guest's comparisons of moderate Democrats to segregationists
Bakari Sellers joined other liberal media figures in blasting moderate Democrats over their stance on the filibuster
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN host Jake Tapper ignored comments made by a guest Tuesday comparing some moderate Democrats to segregationists over their hesitation about killing the filibuster.
Liberal guest Bakari Sellers likened Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Md., to figures like George Wallace and Strom Thurmond over their filibuster stance, arguing they were standing in the way of civil rights.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Dr. King talked about the fierce urgency of now. And many of us wanted Joe Biden to have this urgency sooner because this would be, or possibly be, something that could get done. And the question remains will this change those minds?" Sellers said in response to Tapper asking if President Biden's Tuesday speech in Georgia, in which he called on changes to be made to the filibuster, would make an impact on moderate Democrats' decisions regarding the rule.
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Sellers said that although he thought Biden framed his speech "perfectly," the timing was what most people were concerned with.
"But this is as clear as I can be, Jake, and Chris Coons is a friend of mine. But if Chris Coons, Jon Tester, Mark Kelly, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin want to be on the side of George Wallace, want to be on the side of Strom Thurmond and many others who stood in the way of civil rights … if they want to go down in history as standing on the side of segregationists and those individuals who oppose people who look like me having free and fair access to the ballot, then we will remember them as such," Sellers said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BIDEN SAYS THOSE WHO OPPOSE DEMOCRAT VOTING RIGHTS BILL ARE ON THE SIDE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
"This is that type of moment, and this is the urgency we have to have," he added.
Tapper gave no reaction to Sellers' claims, nor did he acknowledge them before moving on to ask another guest a separate question.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joe Biden spoke about Democrats voting legislation in Georgia.
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Sellers' comments come amid a renewed push by Democrats to end the Senate filibuster rule and ensure the passage of a federal voting law to combat various state-level laws recently enacted by a number of Republican-led legislatures. Democrats claim the laws amount to voter suppression; however, Republicans maintain they ensure election integrity.
Other media figures have also heavily criticized moderate Democrats not standing in support of immediate changes to the filibuster, including "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin, who blasted them, as well as Biden, for not yet passing federal voting legislation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think the president and the vice president should be in West Virginia. I think the president and the vice president should be in Arizona putting pressure on Manchin and Sinema to deliver, and to get it done," she said Tuesday.