ViewPoint with Bakari Sellers

Bakari Seller’s third and fourth episodes of ViewPoint features two prominent figures and one up and coming politician from Georgia.

In the third episode, entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gives a compelling and thoughtful interview where he and Sellers discuss various topics, ranging from athletes kneeling for the national anthem to tax reform.

They begin the interview with their thoughts on the tragedy in Las Vegas, where Cuban questions the status of gun control policy and how it should be revamped. Cuban states the 2nd Amendment should be protected but it is vital that we implement commonsense gun control laws and ban automatic weapons in order to make the country a safer place for all.

Bakari moves the conversation towards the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where he thanks Cuban for sending one of his planes out to distribute supplies to the devastated United States territory. The billionaire entrepreneur emphasizes that the move was not meant to be a PR stunt, but solely to help the people because he is in a position to do so. Cuban follows up by stating that the country should absolutely prepare for an event like this to happen again, as it is unacceptable to let the people of Puerto Rico suffer like this again.

Mark Cuban identified himself during the interview as right-of-center when it comes to economic issues and voiced his support of healthcare being a right for all people. He also believes that the government needs to be more efficient and needs to create effective markets while also being run similar to a business. Cuban also made the point that it’s not really how the government is run but it’s who’s running it that makes the difference.

In a surprise statement, Mark Cuban stated that he was considering a run for President of the United States in 2020. Sellers noted that figures such as former SC Rep. Boyd Brown have already stated they would like to see him run for office.

The last subject they touched on was the issue of athletes across the country kneeling for the anthem. As the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, he said that he had told his players that he would support them in any way that they needed but asked of them to focus more on the message they wished to send to the public. He said that giving his players a platform in which to protest on was extremely important.

In the fourth episode of ViewPoint, Bakari interviews NBA legend Charles Barkley and Democratic front-runner for the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, Stacey Abrams.

The interview begins with the famous and often controversial Charles Barkley commenting on what he sees as a major disconnect between the black community and police forces. He also expressed concern for how the media, including television programming and films, depict certain minorities as terrorists or otherwise negative lights.

Barkley has consistently voted Democratic but has began to rethink his position on which party will receive his vote in the future. However, he did not specify in what direction he was considering shifting. Bakari then asked about a Rolling Stone article from the 1980s where Barkley made a comment that caused people to believe he was voting as a Republican. Barkley then clarified that despite his displeasure with the Democratic Party, he would never vote for the other side of the aisle. He followed up by saying he felt that neither major party had done enough to help black people.

Towards the end of the interview Barkley made it clear that he was not pleased with President Trump for a variety of reasons. This included how he had not passed any legislation — which provoked a laugh from both him and Bakari. He then argued that Democrats are losing, as they have been talking primarily about the Russian hacking in the 2016 election.

The second guest on his show was Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. Sellers spotlighted Abrams, giving her an opportunity to get the word out for her campaign. She is basing her campaign on her ability to represent much of the forgotten population of Georgia.

Abrams has a strong record of legislative accomplishments that should serve her well on the campaign trail. If elected, she would be the first black woman governor in the United States, as well as the first black and first woman governor of the Peach State.

On next week’s installment of ViewPoint, Sellers interviews CNN’s Don Lemon and US Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands).

ViewPoint with Bakari Sellers is available on Google Play and iTunes.