NEIL: ALL RIGHT, RICH, EDSON,
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
BRING YOU UP TO DATE ON A HOCKEY
SUMMIT THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR
FLORIDA.
LET ME GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHO WAS
INVITED TO ATTEND.
ING" HERE, PARTICIPANTS MUST BE
18 YEARS OR OLDER AND BASED IN
THE U.S. AND FEMALE, BLACK,
ASIAN, PACIFIC ISLANDERS,
HISPANIC OR INDIGENOUS AND
LGBTQA OR PERSON WITH
DISABILITIES AND VETERANS
WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
YOU GET THE GIST AND A FAIRLY
FOCUSED CROWD AND THE GOVERNOR
MADE A STINK OF IT IN FLORIDA.
GO TO THE MANAGER EXECUTIVE
CHAIRMAN, AUTHOR OF THE RUN AWAY
BEST SELLER NATION THE VICTIMS.
THEY’VE DIALED IT BACK.
I DON’T KNOW TO THE DEGREE
THEY’VE DIAL IT HAD BACK, VIVEK,
BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL
THIS?
>> IT’S A FITTING DAY TO BE
TALKING ABOUT IT.
TODAY IS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY,
MLK HAD A DREAM IN THIS COUNTRY
THAT HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE
JUDGED NOT ON THE COLOR OF THEIR
SKIN BUT ON THE CONTENT OF THEIR
CHARACTER, AND I THINK WE HAVE
MADE A MISTAKE IN THIS COUNTRY
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS SOMEHOW
BELIEVING THAT MORE RACE
CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE WAY TO
FIGHT RACISM WHEN MORE RACE
CONSCIOUSNESS IS WHAT CAUSES
RACISM IN AMERICA TODAY.
I THINK TODAY IS JUST SUCH A
GOOD DAY TO CELEBRATE THAT DREAM
THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING HAD 60
YEARSING AND TO REVIVE THE IDEA
THAT YOU GET AHEAD WHETHER IT’S
IN HOCKEY OR WHETHER IT’S IN THE
CLASSROOM BASED ON THE CONTENT
OF YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND YOUR
SKILLS, NOT THE CONTENT OF YOUR
MELANIN.
NEIL: THAT WAS THE GIST OF WHAT
DESANTIS’ OFFICE WAS SAYING AND
PRESS SECRETARY SAID
DISCRIMINATION OF ANY SORT IS
NOT WELCOME IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA AND DON’T AWIDE BY THE
WOKE NOTION THAT DISCRIMINATIONS
SHOULD BE OVERLOOKED IF APPLIED
IN A POLITICALLY POPULAR MANNER
OR AGAINST A POPULAR
DEMOGRAPHIC.
THIS IS A STRONG WIN FOR
GOVERNOR DESANTIS WHO HAS
REMINDED PEOPLE BOTH IN THE
REELECTION CAMPAIGN AND NOW
POTENTIALLY AS PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE THAT FLORIDA IS THE
STATE WHERE WOKE GOES TO DIE.
THIS MIGHT BE AN ILLUSTRATION OF
THAT, BUT YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> I THINK THIS IS A MUCH MORE
NATIONAL ISSUE AND I APPLAUD
GOVERN HERBS TAKING A STEP --
GOVERNOR IN THEIR REMITTIVE
STATES BUT A LITTLE BIT OF
UNKNOWN FACT BUT NOT A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF, NEIL,
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN THIS
COUNTRY WAS DRIVEN BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THERE WAS A JOHNSON ERA
EXECUTIVE ORDER, IT’S 11246 THAT
MANDATES GOVERNMENT CONTRACT
HERBS THAT’S OVER 20% OF THE 20%
OF THE U.S. WORK FORCE HAS TO BE
HIRED BASED ON RACE-BASED QUO
TOES AND REPUBLICANS COULD HAVE
ROLLED THIS BACK AND NOT A
SINGLE ONE OF THE LAST THREE
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS ROLLED
THIS BACK AND IT’S A OPPORTUNITY
TO TAKE COME OF THE SMALLER
STEPS THAT INDIVIDUAL GOVERNORS
ARE TAKING AT THE STATES TO
HOPEFULLY IN 2024 AND BEYOND
MAKING THIS A NATIONAL ISSUE TO
REVIVE MERIT IN AMERICA.
I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING THE
PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR.
AMERICAN IDENTITY IS ABOUT
EXCELLENCE REGARDLESS OF RACE,
REGARDLESS OF YOUR GENDER
IDENTITY OR YOUR SEXUAL
ORIENTATION.
PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR THAT ON
THE LEFT AND RIGHT.
I THINK THERE’S A OPPORTUNITY IN
THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS TO TAKE
THESE TO A NATIONAL LEVEL, WHICH
IS WHERE I WANT TO SEE IT GO.
NEIL: I WAS WONDERING TOO,
VIVEK, IN THIS CASE OF THE NHL,
DON’T BE SO BLATANT ABOUT THIS
AND SAYING THIS IS THE CROWD YOU
ATTRACT AND DON’T BE SO BLATANT
AND SPELL IT OUT TO THE DEGREE
YOU DO, WHAT YOU’RE SHOUTING IS
THE REST OF THE WORLD IS NOT
INVITED.
AND THAT IS WHAT DOOMED THEM.
I MEAN, IF THEY WANTED TO BE
SINISTER ABOUT IT, THEY COULD
WITH A WINK AND A NOD SAYING
THIS IS WHERE WE’LL SHOW OUR
FAVORITISM, BUT WE JUST WON’T
LET PEOPLE KNOW IT.
>> WELL, I DON’T LIKE THE
NON-TRANSPARENCY OF THAT.
>> I AGREE.
I AGREE BUT IT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN
THEM OVER THIS CONTROVERSY.
>> YEAH, BUT THE GOAL SHOULDN’T
BE TO AVOID A PARTICULAR
CONTROVERSY.
IF THESE ARE THE ISSUES LURKING
BENEATH THE SURFACE, AIR THEM
AND HAVE IT OUT AS A DEBATE.
IBRAM KENDI WROTE HOW TO BE
ANIMALITY RACIST AND THE WAY TO
STOP PAST DISCRIMINATION IS STOP
PRESENT DISCRIMINATION AND THE
WAY TO STOP PRESENT
DISCRIMINATION IS STOP FUTURE
DISCRIMINATION.
SO MANY OF THE INSTITUTIONS LIKE
THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
EMBRACED THAT AND I’D RATHER US
HAVE THIS DEBATE THAN TO HAVE IT
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
NON-TRANSPARENTLY AND THAT’LL BE
GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY BECAUSE
MERIT IS ON THE WINNING SIDE OF
THE DOE BAIT, AND THAT’LL BE
GOOD FOR BLACK PEOPLE, WHITE
PEOPLE, ASIAN PEOPLE AND
EVERYONE IN BETWEEN AND I’M
LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
THERE’S A CULTURAL MOVEMENT BACK
TOWARDS REVIVING EXCELLENCE,
LET’S HAVE IT IN THE OPEN RATHER
THAN HIDING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
NEIL: THE ONLY REASON I MENTION
IN THE CONTEXT OF GOVERNOR
DESANTIS IS SOME OF THE
POTENTIAL RIVALS, SHOULD HE RUN
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE 2024
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION HAVE
CRITICIZED HIS USING THE
GOVERNMENT IN THIS CASE THE
STATE GOVERNMENT AS SORT OF LIKE
A WAY TO GET WHAT HE WANTS
UN-WOKE OR TO STOP WOKISM.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THEIR
ARGUMENT?
>> SO LOOK, PUTTING ASIDE THE
TRAVE Y’ALLTIES OF --
TRIVIALITIES OF STATE LAW IN A
PARTICULAR STATE, I THINK THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS IN PART
RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THIS
TIDE OF AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION-DRIVEN RACE BASED
ORGANIZATION AND WE HAVE TO TAKE
A LOOK AT THE ROLE THE
GOVERNMENT ITSELF PLAYED ROLLED
THAT BACK.
THAT’S THE LOWEST HANGING
FRUITED AND GETTING RID OF THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT MANDATES
20% OF THE U.S. WORK FORCE BE
HIRED IN PART ON THE BASIS OF
ATTRIBUTES AND COLOR OF THEIR
SKIN AND LAST THREE GOING BACK
TO REAGAN DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE
THAT POLITICAL RISK.
I THINK WE’RE GOING TO NEED
REPUBLICAN LEADERS WHO WILL SAY
THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT, I WILL TAKE
THAT POLITICAL RISK AND RISK OF
BLACK LASH IF IT MEANS DOING THE
RIGHT THING ON THIS ISSUE OF
ENDING RACE-BASED AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION ONCE AND FOR ALL AND I
THINK, NEIL, THE SUPREME COURT’S
UPCOMING RULING WHICH I EXPECT
THIS YEAR TO ROLL BACK OR EVEN
ELIMINATE RACE-BASED PREFERENCES
IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CAN BE A
CATALYST TO TAKE THIS TO EVERY
OTHER SPHERE OF OUR LIVES AND
LESS THE NITPICKING ABOUT ONE
PARTICULAR STATE’S LIMITATIONS
ON THE STATE LAWS OR USE OF
STATE POWER, I THINK THE RIGHT
PLACE TO GO IS TO ADMIT THE ROLE
THE STATE ITSELF HAS PLAYED IN
CREATING THIS KIND OF RACIAL
REVERSE DISCRIMINATION AND END
IT ONCE AND FOR ALL SO WE CAN
MOVE FORWARD AS A COUNTRY RATHER
THAN DRIVING IN THE REAR-VIEW
MIRROR.
IF WE KEEP DOING THAT, WE’LL RUN