| |
|
By Brad Wilmouth
On Sunday's PoliticsNation on MSNBC, host Al Sharpton slammed President Donald Trump for recently using the term "paddy wagon," calling it an "anti-Irish ethnic slur." He then went on to absolve himself of his own long history of using ethnic slurs by vaguely admitting to doing so in the past, but by lumping himself in with everyone else as "we," as he claimed he already "corrected" his offensive comments. Sharpton: "It's against decency to use ethnic slurs. We've all used them, and we've all corrected them."
But, as recently as three years ago, Sharpton was caught on tape actually defending his infamous use of the word "white interloper" to refer to a Jewish business owner in the 1990s.
On Sunday's show, Sharpton devoted a short segment to President Trump's recent speech before a group of police officers in which the President made jokes about being rough to criminals. A clip of the President was shown:
When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in. Rough. I said, "Please don't be too nice." Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you're protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over them, like, don't hit their head -- and they've just killed somebody -- don't hit their head. I said, "You can take the hand away, okay?"
The MSNBC host then responded:
So when we go from Rodney King being beat by police to all the way to Freddie Gray, who was killed by police in a rough ride in Baltimore, some of the studies show, "Don't be too nice"? "Be rough"? And, oh, by the way, President Trump, "paddy wagon"? An ethnic slur. "Paddy wagon"? An anti-Irish ethnic slur. So let me get this right -- you're not sitting up in Trump Tower arguing with me in the office anymore. You're in the White House making ethnic slurs in jest to police to be more rough, violate more of people's human civil rights? Violating the law -- it's against the law, Mr. President.
Sharpton then added:
It's against the law for police to mishandle people that they're arresting. It's against the law to go beyond the presumption of innocence, and it's against decency to use ethnic slurs. We've all used them, and we've all corrected them. I thought as President you would at least know better than to repeat them.
As recalled by The Daily Surge, it is far from clear that Sharpton has done anything to "correct" his past use of racial slurs since he actually defended his use of a racial slur in a videotaped encounter from three years ago.
|
|
By Brad Wilmouth
Appearing as a panel member on Saturday's AM Joy, MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson -- known for his many race-obsessed comments and his column at The Root -- fretted that, allegedly unlike white men, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris would face questions about her "competency" if she runs for President in 2020.
After remarking that "When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue," Johnson minutes later contradicted himself by declaring that, in 2008, President George W. Bush was "so bad" that "People were like, 'We'll give it to a black guy now.' I mean, literally, that's how bad things got."
Near the end of the show, after host Joy Reid asked if being a woman would make it more difficult for Harris, Johnson went right to suggesting that she would face racism as an obstacle:
She is a woman, she is a woman of color, she is a woman in an interracial relationship, she's a woman from California. All of these things are going to work against her is she were to become a national candidate. And in addition to the fact that there will be comparisons -- non-positive comparisons to Obama -- which is, "Here we go with someone else who has only been in the Senate for 15 minutes."
After Reid injected that "Donald Trump is President of the United States," Johnson then claimed that "competency" is not likely to be an issue if "you're a white guy" as he continued:
When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue -- let's just be candid -- with certain kinds of voters. But this is the problem because, if we were in a fair, open America, of course she would be considered a great candidate. If she were a white male, of course people would be saying she's the next Kennedy. But, unfortunately, we have seen with the turn of the worm over our last election system that this kind of person, it may be a while before Kamala Harris or anyone else like that can really challenge the national stage.
Former Vice President Dan Quayle and 2000 presidential candidate George W. Bush -- pummeled with the "gravitas" issue against Vice President Al Gore -- might disagree with Mr. Johnson on that analysis.
But, moments later, Johnson himself brought up George W. Bush as he claimed that "black guy" Obama was only elected because Bush "was so bad." After Reid wondered how long it would be before a woman would be elected President, Johnson predicted:
A lot of it has to do with how bad this administration goes because I think in large part, you know, Obama got elected because Bush was so bad. People were like, "We'll give it to a black guy now." I mean, literally, that's how bad things got.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Saturday, July 28, AM Joy on MSNBC:
11:52 a.m. ET
JOY REID: Does Erika (Alexander) have a point that just being a woman sort of puts you almost in this country maybe out of (inaudible)?
JASON JOHNSON, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: She is a woman, she is a woman of color, she is a woman in an interracial relationship, she's a woman from California. All of these things are going to work against her is she were to become a national candidate. And in addition to the fact that there will be comparisons -- non-positive comparisons to Obama -- which is, "Here we go with someone else who has only been in the Senate for 15 minutes."
REID: Donald Trump is President of the United States.
 JOHNSON: Exactly. ... (inaudible) ... When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue -- let's just be candid -- with certain kinds of voters. But this is the problem because, if we were in a fair, open America, of course she would be considered a great candidate.
If she were a white male, of course people would be saying she's the next Kennedy. But, unfortunately, we have seen with the turn of the worm over our last election system that this kind of person, it may be a while before Kamala Harris or anyone else like that can really challenge the national stage.
(...)
REID: It does seem to me that it was easier to elect a black man, in a sense, than it was to elect any woman.
JOHNSON: Right.
REID: So what are we talking about? Are we going to be the last Western country on Earth to get -- what are we talking about? Ten years, twenty years? When is this country going to be ready?
JOHNSON: A lot of it has to do with how bad this administration goes because I think in large part, you know, Obama got elected because Bush was so bad. People were like, "We'll give it to a black guy now." I mean, literally, that's how bad things got.
|
|
By Curtis Houck
The Thursday edition of MSNBC’s All In saw quite some rhetorical hyperventilating as host Chris Hayes and AM Joy host Joy Reid expressed grave concern that the Trump administration will use the FBI as their “political tool” against their enemies a la “lions eat[ing] Christians” at the Roman Coliseum.
“I mean, so there’s two things to me. The most worrisome, substantive — the thing worrying me is him calling the FBI, the Department of Justice’s press person, Sarah Isgur Flores, putting out a statement basically saying attaboy Anthony,” Hayes began while speaking to Reid.
He added without any sort of sarcasm that “we are in really bad territory when you are invoking the FBI as a political tool to investigate not just your enemies like Hillary Clinton, your rivalries within the White House” and “[t]hink of what that would mean for the rule of law in this country.”
Um, hello? What about the IRS until President Barack Obama? Try Google searching for why Lois Lerner is living a comfortable life in secrecy nowadays. Conservative groups were unfairly targeted by the IRS when applying for tax-exempt status and it occurred on Obama’s watch. Plain and simple.
Then again, the liberal media would like us to ignore that as the Obama presidency was supposedly scandal-free.
Anyway, Reid was onboard with this hysteria and not dismissing communication director Anthony Scaramucci’s lewd, profanity-laced tirade as an immature and unprofessional outburst: “I mean, I think the sad part of it is Donald Trump is only having fun being President when’s either destroying some norm of American life or something about the presidency or when he’s watching other people be cruel.”
Exhibiting the same disdain that she showed yours truly earlier this week, Reid suggested Trump is akin to someone watching Christians die inside the Roman Coliseum: “He’s sort of the — he’s the stadium, the Roman Coliseum stadium seat holder who just wants to see the lions eat Christians, you know, in that parlance, and that’s the only way he can be happy is to see them fight”
Earlier, frequent MSNBC primetime guest Charles Pierce joked that “constitutional democracies had a good run here in America” and “it’s done a lot of good, produced a lot of good music.”
“Maybe it’s time to switch over to Deadwood or something. We’ve got Al Swearingin running the White House communications shop all of a sudden. No, I mean, at least people like — well, Nixon had it on tape, which was kind of embarrassing. At least Lyndon used to do this privately when nobody was watching,” he added.
Here’s the relevant transcript from MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes on July 27:
 MSNBC’s All In with Chris HayesJuly 27, 2017 8:53 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS HAYES: So, let’s put aside the profanity and the colorful language, which I like, is funny, and people that know me know that I’ve been known to engage in that. This — have you ever seen anything remotely like this?
CHARLIE PIERCE: Well, you know, Chris, constitutional democracies had a good run here in America. You know, it’s done a lot of good, produced a lot of good music. Maybe it’s time to switch over to Deadwood or something. We’ve got Al Swearingin running the White House communications shop all of a sudden. No, I mean, at least people like — well, Nixon had it on tape, which was kind of embarrassing.
HAYES: That’s true.
PIERCE: At least Lyndon used to do this privately when nobody was watching. No, this is extraordinary to me. The White House communications director, who has been on the job for about 11 minutes, is completely at war with the White House chief of staff who is apparently entirely friendless and the president seems to like this, which is I think the scariest thing of all.
 HAYES: That part of it — I mean, so there’s two things to me. The most worrisome, substantive -- the thing worrying me is him calling the FBI, the Department of Justice’s press person, Sarah Isgur Flores, putting out a statement basically saying attaboy Anthony. I mean, we are in really bad territory when you are invoking the FBI as a political tool to investigate not just your enemies like Hillary Clinton, your rivalries within the White House. Think of what that would mean for the rule of law in this country.
JOY REID: Right and also the fact that Scaramucci should not even be having conversations with Jeff Sessions —
HAYES: Or the FBI.
REID: — or the FBI at all. He shouldn’t be talking to them at all. But I think it’s just one more way in which they’ve just exploded all of the norms. I mean, I think the sad part of it is Donald Trump is only having fun being President when’s either destroying some norm of American life or something about the presidency or when he’s watching other people be cruel. He’s sort of the — he’s the stadium, the Roman Coliseum stadium seat holder who just wants to see the lions eat Christians, you know, in that parlance, and that’s the only way he can be happy is to see them fight.
|
|
By Scott Whitlock
How quickly things change for liberal journalists. On Wednesday, after voting to allow debate to proceed on repealing ObamaCare, the Huffington Post sneered that John McCain will “die with dishonor.” Now, he’s “Jesus.” That hyperbole came from MSNBC contributor and editor of Business Insider Josh Barro.
Writing on Twitter, he hyped, “John McCain is basically Jesus, taking the fall for killing Trumpcare so the Republican conference could be saved.”
Wow. Jesus?
Quite a contrast to Wednesday. On that day, Huffington Post contributor Peter Dreier snarled, “McCain will die with dishonor. Rather than do the right thing, he did the right-wing thing.” It seems pretty clear what a Republican needs to do to get love from the media.
|
|
By Jorge Bonilla
Surprising no one, Univision continues to give favorable coverage to ObamaCare. Also surprising no one: that the network continues to do so without presenting any opposing perspective.
Here is a portion of the network’s coverage of the Motion to Open Debate on ObamaCare that aired on July 25, 2017:
MARIA ELENA SALINAS, NEWS ANCHOR, UNIVISION: Dozens of activists mobilized in Washington, D.C. against the eventual repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. Numerous protesters attended the event in wheelchairs, as the United States Senate voted in favor of opening the debate on replacing the law, which has benefited millions.
Univision has had a long history of shilling for the beleaguered Affordable Care Act, and MRC Latino has chronicled this cozy relationship from its inception. As MRC Latino Director Ken Oliver-Méndez noted back in 2014:
The California Endowment, whose logo appears in the ad, serves as a financial funnel for this partnership, and last year signed a $20 million deal with Univision for its “multi-platform” ObamaCare enrollment campaign, as reported by Kaiser Health News. It has yet to be revealed whether or not the new ad series is tied to a fresh multi-million dollar deal between the two organizations.
Partiality in Univision’s news coverage of ObamaCare has been a chronic problem at the network, as documented by the Media Research Center's landmark April 2014 study Hispanic Media in the Balance. The content analysis of the network’s flagship news program, Noticiero Univision, found that over the course of four months, liberal advocates of ObamaCare were cited nearly five times as often as conservative opponents of ObamaCare.
Three years and one presidential election later, very little has changed. The nation's leading Spanish-language network continues to offer little to no views in opposition to President Barack Obama's legacy legislation, even as its onerous mandates cause the insurance market to implode.
True to form, Salinas' blurb closes by mentioning the "millions" that have been helped by ObamaCare. Not a peep, though, about the millions upon millions who lost their doctor, were forced out of their great primary care plans into inferior plans with much higher premiums and deductibles, or those have lost their jobs due to the law's cumbersome mandates.
Until that changes, Univision's viewers cannot rely on the network for credible coverage on ObamaCare, and that is indeed a shame.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment