Fox & Friends not only hosted a woman who blamed President Obama for Ariana Grande saying she hates America, they appreciated her evidence-free speculation.
Cohost Steve Doocy set up the attack by citing a Gallup poll that, he said, “suggests she (Grande) might not be alone about hating America.”
He was referring to a poll that said 43% of 18-29 year olds are “extremely proud to be an American.” On Fox, not being “extremely proud” equals “hating.”
“Do you believe this?” Kilmeade said, as if only someone who belonged in Gitmo would not say “extremely proud.”
That set up guest Theresa Vail, who “understands what this country offers,” as Kilmeade put it.
“I’m disgusted that someone can lack so much decency and respect for their country,” Vail said about Grande.
“She has put out an apology,” Doocy noted. But he suggested – and Vail agreed – that it was merely “career rescue.”
Then it was time to exploit Grande for political gain. Kilmeade asked, though he probably already had a good idea from a pre-interview what Vail would say, “How does that happen?” meaning how could Grande say such a thing? After all, if she had only said, "I hate Michelle Obama for making me feel guilty," instead, when she walked into that donut shop, Grande would be hailed as a Fox News heroine.
Vail obviously had no idea, had done no research, hadn’t even tried to contact Grande, apparently, about her feeling or those of millennials. But Vail was happy to speculate and Fox was happy to have her uninformed speculation.
VAIL: I don’t know the problem, I don’t know the cause of the problem or I don’t have a solution to remedy the problem. However, I can speculate and hear me out on this.
For the past six or seven years, and that’s a good chunk of a millenial’s adult lifetime, we’ve had a president who doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism. He doesn’t speak up for American values or the foundation that this country was built on. So can you blame millennials for their modicum of patriotism when, for the majority of our adult lifetime, we haven’t witnessed anything to make us think differently?
Doocy said appreciatively, “That is a point I had not thought about.”
And nobody saw the irony in Vail laying a heap of hate on her country – while holding herself up as some big patriot.
Watch it below, from today’s Fox & Friends, via Media Matters.
Oh please. Daddy Douchey is always thinking about ways to blame Obama for anything/everything and to paint him as not believing in American exceptionalism/values. Today he just got lucky enough to have Vail be the heavy and do it for him.
As to Vail’s bogus comment about Obama (or, rather, her bogus talking point as she isn’t the first right-winger to put this same tired, false accusation out there), Obama has praised America’s exceptionalism and our country’s values NUMEROUS times. Many of the transcripts proving it are right there online. Has she not heard of the google?!
To put it bluntly, Vail is a liar/propagandist and the F&F stooges are complicit because they just let her get away with it.
