The Kelly File “discussed” the arrest of a suspect in the shooting death of a Memphis police officer with only the barest details about the arrest or the suspect. No, host Megyn Kelly seemed to think the only detail worth noting is that the Memphis police chief had said, “All lives matter.”
It speaks volumes that Kelly was so obsessed with the fact that the African American director of the Memphis police department said, “At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, do all lives matter, regardless of race, creed, color, economic status, what profession that person holds? All lives matter and this is just a reminder of how dangerous this job is.”
Kelly followed that up with a “Wow,” to show just how impressed she was.
But that wasn't enough sticking it to the black community. One of her two guests to discuss the matter was documented racist Mark Fuhrman.
“So interesting to hear him say that about the #BlackLivesMatter movement,” Kelly said approvingly. Then her voice rose in race-baiting outrage. “And yet listen to the message from Melissa Harris-Perry, you know the one with the crazy earrings.”
In case you didn’t know that Harris-Perry is African American, we saw a clip of her saying, “The answer to ‘black lives matter’ is not ‘white lives matter’” and “That’s not the right answer.” According to Kelly, Harris-Perry was “ripping on Governor Martin O’Malley for saying, ‘All lives matter.’”
Of course, O’Malley’s comment was made in quite a different context. He was speaking to #BlackLivesMatter protesters, about #BlackLivesMatter, during a forum at Netroots Nation - not discussing the murder of a police officer.
Kelly, predictably, didn’t note the distinction. “You know what? Tell it to that man right there, who’s out there on the beat working it!” she said shrilly.
Guest Mark Hannah had explained to Kelly in another discussion exactly what was wrong with O’Malley saying “all lives matter” to the protesters. But Kelly seems to have paid no attention. This is at least the second time she “forgot” why African Americans find it dismissive to be told "All lives matter."
Fuhrman got in his own racial dig: “It seems that only black lives matter when they’re killed by white police officers. And when they’re killed by other black people, I guess it’s OK, like in Chicago or Baltimore. You don’t see this same group chanting the same slogan in those communities.”
Kelly went on to complain that there was only “one fraction, one fraction!” of the coverage of the officer’s murder vs. police killing African American men. As if the two are comparable.
Hannah now said this was a night to say, “police lives matter.” But he didn't get too far with his remarks before Kelly started shouting.
“You can’t say that!” she yelled. “You’ll get lectured by this movement that you don’t get it! …You certainly can’t say 'all lives matter' or 'white lives matter,' otherwise you’ll be shouted down by the group and then Melissa Harris-Perry... will come out and yell at you that you don’t get it!”
Kelly continued her #BlackLivesMatter bellyaching. “The thing about it, Mark Hannah, there’s no accounting, there’s no, even, hat tip to the cops so often that this is the job they do, this dangerous job, where someone could shoot them in the face when they just go up to the car, looking to see whether an arrest should be made. …There’s got to be more than Fox willing to tell the other side of the story.”
Actually, Fox wasn’t telling any side of the story other than bashing African Americans and the #BlackLivesMatter group. Again.
Watch the race baiting below, from the August 3 The Kelly File.
It’s like the mean girl’s lunch table from 7th grade.
As an adult, how can you watch that and find it worth listening to?
For me, it discounts everything else they say.