Friday, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson opened his program criticizing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who leads a city in debt and disarray.
Carlson questioned Lightfoot’s priorities, including her decision to take down two statues of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
According to the Fox News host, the decision was based on the demands of her constituents, who Carlson said were not voters or taxpayers but Antifa.
“In case you are wondering why Lightfoot chose Christopher Columbus to blame for her city’s decline — why not Marco Polo? Why not Vasco de Gama? There’s a reason. Her constituents demanded it. Not voters or taxpayers. There was never any groundswell of opposition to Christopher Columbus in Chicago. He’s not on the list of concerns for most people there. No, Lightfoot’s actual constituents wanted Columbus taken down. Her actual constituents are Antifa. Last week, the mob descended on Grant Park to take down the Columbus statue. Almost 50 police officers were injured in the riot you just saw. But Lori Lightfoot did not care. They’re not her voters. Lightfoot cares about her base: the looters, the destroyers, the angry Marxist rich kids with the spray paint. When they tell her to act, Lori Lightfoot acts immediately.”
Carlson argued we should be concerned about the behavior of the mob and that it will go beyond just statues of Columbus.
“The problem for the rest of us is, the mobs will not stop with Christopher Columbus. He’s just the beginning. If they can tear down statues whenever they feel like it, how long before they tear down buildings? How long before they tear down homes? How long before they tear down human beings? Probably not very long. Violence rarely remains symbolic. It accelerates until good people rise up to stop it. If Lori Lightfoot and progressive mayors like her around the country, and there are many, are allowed to divert attention from their own failures by bowing to the mob and destroying public property, this will not end with Christopher Columbus. It will get much worse, and it will get more dangerous. You may not think tearing down a statue is a big deal until you are the next designated Christopher Columbus.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor