What happens when a Fox News contributor calls our president and attorney general "vile and disgusting racists?" Why, he gets invited on Fox News prime time to offers his opinions about Rev. Jeremiah Wright's criticisms of President Obama at a Martin Luther King event!
As I reported last night, On The Record was one of several Fox News shows to discuss Wright's comments about Obama. Host Greta Van Susteren made a show of sympathy for President Obama, especially over Wright's comment, "King said, ‘I have a dream.’ Barack said, ‘I have a drone.’”
Van Susteren complained about Wright's "pretty incendiary" remarks to Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins. She asked, “Did he say anything at least complimentary or anything good about President Obama? Show any, sort of sense of admiration for him or that he thought he’d done a good job for anything?” No, Wright had not, Jenkins told her.
But Van Susteren's respect for the president was hilariously undercut by the fact that her very next guest was West. This was just one day after West wrote on his website:
This is my clear and succinct message to white Americans. How long will it be before “you people” realize you have elevated someone to the office of president who abjectly despises you—not to mention his henchman Holder. Combined they are the most vile and disgusting racists—not you.
Van Susteren blatantly prodded West to attack Wright and, later President Obama. First, she said about Wright's comments, “These are particularly wicked,” without a trace of irony. Then she prompted West to go after Obama over his former relationship with Wright. Although there was no indication West would have any first-hand information about Obama's relationship with his former pastor, she "asked" him to opine on whether Obama “knew (Wright) was saying some of those things” that are now so infamous. I’m sure you can guess the answer.
To be fair, it's quite possible Van Susteren was unaware last night of what West had written the night before. To her credit, she has previously challenged him about his rhetoric.
But this is far from the first time West has taken ethnic swipes at his antagonists. He was reportedly fired from Pajamas Media for calling a colleague a "Jewish American princess" and telling her to "shut up." And as Mother Jones wrote:
He has suggested that Democratic leaders—whom he calls “chicken men”—“get the hell out of the United States of America”; considers drivers with Obama bumper stickers “a threat to the gene pool”; and says black Democrats are trying to keep his fellow African Americans “on the plantation”—and he’s the “modern-day Harriet Tubman” helping them to escape.
Who needs Glenn Beck when Fox News has Allen West? So the next time any Fox supporter complains about the "hateful" language of Melissa Harris-Perry or Martin Bashir, do ask them why West should be allowed to remain on Fox.
I actually agree that Martin Bashir’s comments were horrible, and that Melissa Harris-Perry’s comments were equally bad. But that doesn’t change the fact that Fox News has allowed multiple statements that were equally bad, if not worse. The difference is that MSNBC disciplined and/or terminated the hosts in question. Probably similar to the Rush Limbaugh sign about sexual harassment not only being tolerated but being graded.
When I ever hear him speak this all I ever hear when he does…http://youtu.be/bL1Xt3T9ZnY