MSBNC Host Incredulous After MLK’s Son Says It’s ‘Important To Be Engaged With The Tea Party’

by Austin Petersen

Martin Luther King III, son of famed civil rights advocate Martin Luther King Jr., raised serious eyebrows on MSNBC when he claimed it’s important to engage in dialogue with political opponents — even the tea party.

King appeared Friday on MSNBC’s “The Cycle,” on location in Atlanta as part of the liberal network’s “Growing Hope” series. Co-host Toure asked the civil rights heir if he thinks “the modern Democratic Party does enough to earn the overwhelming support that it gets for black people? Is it taking black people for granted in a way?”

King largely agreed with Toure’s point, but wanted to stress that African Americans “are not a monolithic people.”

“While I happen to be a Democrat, I think it’s important for African Americans to be Republicans,” he explained. “I think it’s important for African-Americans to be independent. Uh, I’ll say this kinda — I also think it’s important to be engaged with the Tea Party.”

Toure was flabbergasted. “Wh — why would it be important for us to be engaged with the tea party?” he asked incredulously, as the live audience snickered.

“Because the only way you can change — the only way you can change is you have to be at least communicating,” King noted. “If there’s no communication, you just let someone have an agenda.”

But King did believe that tea party animus against President Obama was based, at least partially, on race. “It’s probably a combination of things,” he said. “But certainly the policies are the mask.”



Follow Brendan on Twitter

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

4 comments

Leave a Comment