CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings slammed Democratic strategist James Carville’s “ad hominem attacks” on “Anderson Cooper 360” Wednesday night.
Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed Senate Bill 313 on Wednesday, making Louisiana the 12th state to enact universal school choice. The new law makes Louisiana the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. Governor Jennings said he has “no problem” with Louisiana’s new mandate, but Governor Carville fired back.
“Scott, does this violate the First Amendment? Church and State?” CNN host Anderson Cooper asked. (Click here to sign up for the Daily Caller’s latest newsletter, Mr. Right Weekly)
“Maybe it is, maybe it’s not,” Jennings said, leaving it up to the court to decide whether the mandate is constitutional.
“I don’t believe that public school teachers should be preachers, but, you know, these are the fundamental tenets of Western civilization. These are the foundation, so to speak, of our entire criminal justice system,” Jennings said. “And if these are part of a historical exhibit and they’re up next to the Constitution and the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence, I have no problem with that.”
“But I find it kind of funny that the same people who are outraged about this today, at the same time, love to use our public schools, our public libraries and other public institutions to disseminate information that suits their own purposes,” Jennings continued. (RELATED: ‘This is astonishing’: CNN panelists astonished that Donald Trump’s immigration policies have entered the ‘mainstream’)
Carville agreed that “the court needs to clarify this in detail,” adding, “The issue is, we have to raise children who can read.” But the Democratic strategist was quick to direct an oblique comment to Jennings about “people who burn books.”
“Who knows what this court will do? It will have an impact on the justice system. And what I find interesting is that the book burners really want the Ten Commandments,” Carville said with a laugh. “Come on.”
Cooper tried to speak up before Jennings fired back at Carville, highlighting his “concerns” about the “quality of education” in the state. The CNN host questioned whether Jennings’ stance was “really” about the “quality of public education” and accused him of being genuinely concerned about “electoral politics.”
“I don’t think teaching the fundamental values of Western civilization is necessarily contradictory or at odds with quality education in our school system. With that in mind, I have a lot of respect for James Carville. He’s a legend in our industry and to the people who do what I do. But you can’t sit in front of your TV and call me a book burner,” Jennings said.
“I don’t believe in book burning. I’m a strong believer in the First Amendment. But I have no interest in restricting any information. And I strongly reject ad hominem attacks,” he continued. “We may disagree on this, but you wouldn’t call me a book burner on television.”
