Liberal art critic under fire for telling people to 'shun' Republican friends and family: 'Absolutely insane'

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Pulitzer Prize winner tells followers to 'shun' all Republican voters

'Outnumbered' panelists discuss the state of politics in America after New York Magazine writer Jerry Saltz urged his Instagram followers to shun friends and family who voted for Republicans.

"Outnumbered" panelists took aim at Pulitzer Prize winner Jerry Saltz after his recent Instagram post urging his followers to "shun" Republicans. 

"If you know anyone who voted Republican – including friends and family – you should shun them. No need to even tell them that you are no longer communicating with them or why. You owe it to yourself, to them, your country, and any idea of moral damage," Saltz wrote. "And yes, they want to bring back lynching. The Long American Night."

Panelists were shocked Wednesday by Saltz’s comments, which came as part of an attempt to call out alleged hypocrisy by Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee over a photo from his 1977 yearbook. Numerous liberal media outlets have circulated the photo of Lee, where he wore a wig, cheerleader uniform and a pearl necklace, and objected to him signing a bill banning drag shows that can be seen by children. 

FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference on Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Lee announced Friday, Dec. 16, that the independent review into the state's lethal injection procedure has been completed, but refused to immediately release the report's findings. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Co-host Kayleigh McEnany called Saltz's claims "insane."

"This is crazy talk," she said Wednesday. "We've gotten to a place in society where it's politics over faith, politics over friends, and now politics over family."

McEnany said politics should never come above those values and explained that she has many friendships with Democrats whom she loves.

A Pulitzer Prize winning art critic for New York magazine, Jerry Saltz, urged his social media followers to 'shun' any friends or family who vote for Republicans. (Fox News)

Emily Compagno said the only word that came to mind after reading his comment was "preposterous." 

Compagno noted that Saltz, as a published writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, is in a position of influence. 

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"You would think that he would take it a little more seriously because the effect is real," she said. 

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Lawrence Jones, host of "Lawrence Jones Cross Country," argued Saltz likely doesn’t spend much time with people across the aisle. Jones often speaks with everyday Americans around the country about pressing issues and their top concerns. 

"The grievances of both middle America and urban America, especially the poor working class both, they're pretty much the same," he said. "And I always say if I could ever get them all in a room together, they’ll realize that they hate the same people. They're upset with government. They feel let down."

The problem with the press and people like Saltz, Jones said, is that they don’t sit down and have real conversations with everyday people. He said they ultimately end up with "crazy" and polarized views.

Stacy Washington, host of "Stacy on the Right," suggested that the root of the problem is that politics are more frequently being treated as religion or a badge of honor. Politics have become a way to signal to others that you are "righteous" or wrong, she argued.

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"It’s nonsensical, and it goes against what the founders left us," Washington said. "They left us a republic where we're represented, where we can live our lives together in peace and disagree about things and come together on some issues and divide on others."

"We don't do that anymore. All we do is say, ‘oh, red. Oh, blue’ and divide," she said. "That's just crazy."

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