When Charlamagne tha God, longtime radio host, appeared on CBS Mornings, a moment of squirm-in-your-seat tension surfaced as he unapologetically classified co-host Tony Dokoupil as part of “the left” after Dokoupil wouldn’t openly declare his political allegiance. Dokoupil, on the defensive, insisted twice he’s “not on the left”, a pitfall he landed in due to his efforts to push Charlamagne towards backing not just voting for, but advocating, Joe Biden.
This alarmingly partisan conversation got its spark when Dokoupil dipped into the existing anxiety surrounding the election and the distaste for both President Biden and his predecessor, President Trump. He noted Charlamagne’s voting lean but also chided the radio host for a lack of enthusiasm. The hot-topic discourse took a turn when he pushed Charlamagne to inspire his audience to choose one side or another, saying that even non-participation is a vote of its own sort.
Respecting his listeners, Charlamagne responded, he won’t lie to them and falsely ignite fiery excitement when he himself isn’t ablaze. He rightly highlighted it’s the candidates’ job to garner public interest, and if the options don’t drum up enthusiasm, we should be looking at better candidate selection. The question of not participating at all threw Charlamagne, who quickly clarified it wasn’t what he implied.
The predictable anti-Trump sentiment emerged when Charlamagne equated voting for Trump as supportive of a “threat to democracy.” Caught up in the moment, Charlamagne questioned why ‘left’ programs aren’t as effective as the ‘right’ at pushing narratives. Charlamagne reiterated his participation, vocally dismissing any notion he won’t be casting a vote, pointing to Trump as the real concern for democracy.
He went on to lay out the options: Republicans – crooks, Democrats – cowards, or the couch – the epitome of voter apathy. In light of these choices, Charlamagne reaffirmed his opinion, labeling Trump as a democracy risk. To take the dialogue a notch further, he prompted Dokoupil to reveal his voting preference. As usual, Dokoupil stayed vague, placing emphasis on the death of ‘democracy’ from non-participation.
Despite the question barely answered, Dokoupil quickly tried to segue into the next segment. But Charlamagne wasn’t done yet, standing up for his right to ask, criticizing how “the left sucks at pushing” narratives. Dokoupil, unnerved, vehemently denied association with the left, as if the mere label was a detriment.
Dokoupil, you’re not fooling us one bit. Despite your insistence that you’re “not on the left,” it’s as clear as day. If only it were as easy to deny political affiliations as it is to change a shirt. The fool’s gold of neutrality, folks—it shines bright but offers no real substance. The lesson learned? It’s time to choose a side and take a stand, or get comfortable squirming in the hot seat.
