Image 01 Image 03

MSNBC Tag

It's been a long week for Melissa Harris-Perry. The MSNBC host took a lot of heat for this segment on her show last weekend in which she moderated a panel of comedians in offering a caption to a Romney family photo that featured Governor Romney holding his adopted grandson, Kieran, who is black. The segment devolved into senseless mocking - as Professor Jacobson previously noted, "To the race-obsessed minds at MSNBC, the fact that Mitt Romney’s son and daughter-in-law adopted a black child is something to mock." Mitt Romney family Christmas photo 2013 Backlash ensued and Melissa Harris-Perry later apologized online in a series of tweets. On her program today, Harris-Perry again made an apology for that segment, while fighting back tears.  Below is an excerpt from that apology.  Video is after the jump.
Now given my own family history, I identify with that picture and I intended to say positive and celebratory things about it, but whatever the intent was, the reality is that the segment proceeded in a way that was offensive. And showing the photo in that context, that segment, was poor judgment. So without reservation or qualification, I apologize to the Romney family. Adults who enter into public life implicitly consent to having less privacy. But their families, and especially their children, should not be treated callously or thoughtlessly. My intention was not malicious, but I broke the ground rule that families are off-limits, and for that I am sorry. Also, allow me to apologize to other families formed through transracial adoption, because I am deeply sorry that we suggested that interracial families are in any way funny or deserving of ridicule. On this program we are dedicated to advocating for a wide diversity of families. It is one of our core principles, and I am reminded that when we are doing so, it must always be with the utmost respect.
(h/t to Newsbusters for the transcript; and to TheRightScoop for staying on the story)

Melissa Harris-Perry is apologizing profusely for the panel discussion over which she presided, dedicated to mocking the image above. https://twitter.com/MHarrisPerry/status/418008066651455488 https://twitter.com/MHarrisPerry/status/418010148301320192 https://twitter.com/MHarrisPerry/status/418010599662960640 I have no idea what is in Harris-Perry's heart, but she has a long history of making racial issues out of non-racial events:

Well, just about everything. A young child holding her baby brother's hand.  A mother holding her children. The mother happens to be Mitt Romney's daughter-in-law. To the race-obsessed minds at MSNBC, the fact that Mitt Romney's son and daughter-in-law adopted a black child is something to mock. The focus...

We have dealt the "white privilege" so many times here, I probably should start a "white privilege" tag. Michael Eric Dyson is a frequent commentator on MSNBC. He's a Professor of Sociology at Georgetown. He is quick to make accusations impunigning others with accusations of explicit or implicit racism: And he has the privilege of accusing other of "white privilege" when he wants to win an argument:

I've had my disagreements with Glenn Greenwald as to the term Israel Firsters and the Snowden damage to our foreign intelligence operations, but this is pretty funny. Via Mediaite, Greenwald Snarks at MSNBC: I Defend Snowden Like You Defend Obama ’24 Hours a Day’ (h/t...

MSNBC ugly. Thanks to The Washington Free Beacon for this compilation, Ugly Stuff: ...

Martin Bashir infamously suggested that someone shit and piss in Sarah Palin's mouth because she used the (quite common) analogy of national debt to slavery. Bashir made his suggestion by way of analogy to a slave torture, stating that Palin would be a good candidate for it. Bashir apologized, then was put on vacation, and today resigned. Tommy Christopher at Mediaite has the news:
Just over two weeks ago, MSNBC host Martin Bashir delivered a harsh piece of commentary that culminated in the suggestion that someone should “s-h-i-t” in former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s (R-AK) mouth. Bashir offered an abject apology on his next broadcast, but a chorus of critics continued to demand action against the host. After a reported “vacation” for the host earlier this week, Bashir announced, Wednesday afternoon, that MSNBC and Martin Bashir are parting ways. Here’s the statement from Martin Bashir, via email:

Martin Bashir said he hoped someone would shit and piss in Sarah Palin's mouth. Seriously. The absurd logic was that because Palin compared the national debt to slavery, she deserved to be given a horrific slave torture. Many people, including the folks at Twitchy, debunked the notion that comparing indebtedness to slavery was unusual. Slave references, much like the overused Nazi comparisons, are all too common, including by Bashir. Should we wish that everyone who uses a strained Nazi analogy should have their skin peeled off them and turned into lamp shades? Even in the low world of MSNBC, this was low. MSNBC didn't seem to mind much, though. What a cesspool MSNBC has become. Really MSNBC executives, what is wrong with you? Have you lost your minds? Are you so corrupted by your ideology? Lean forward? How about rehab for your business strategy instead. But the firestorm of controversy has forced Bashir into an apology.

Dick Durbin's Facebook comment that a senior House Republican told Obama "I cannot even stand to look at you" was exposed as a lie. The lie did not originate with Durbin, he merely passed on what Harry Reid told the Senate Democratic caucus based on information provided to Reid by The White House. That White House lie, now admitted but chalked up to a "miscommunication," inspired Chris Matthews and guests David Corn and Cynthia Tucker, to lash out at Republicans for demonizing the President:

Hardball -  A Pattern Of Disrespect Screen Shot

A main focus was the disrespect shown by Republicans by repeatedly calling Obama a liar, which the panel agreed was because of hatred of Obama for the "other" and not one of us, and in the case of Tucker, coming right out and calling it racist:

This video pretty much epitomizes how the mainstream news media fights to protect Obama and Democrats. Andrea Mitchell argues with GOP Rep. Sean Duffy as if she were Obama's press secretary. This is not an opinion segment -- I have more understanding when Ed Schultz or Chris...

I think she came across a lot better in this interview than she did in the trial. And better than the Piers Morgan interview, which resulted in some narrative-busting and generally bizarre sound bites. It's loathsome that Al Sharpton has a show on MSNBC, but he did bring out the...

What would we do at the Saturday Night Card Game if Touré Neblett stopped pontificating? Oh, I know, we'd write about any of a dozen or so pontificators at the completely race-obsessed cable channel also known as MSNBC. This Tweet by Touré caught my eye this week: There's...

I've been accumulating these links, but there has been so much race-card playing, I haven't had time to post the videos below. Given it's a slow news holiday weekend, now seems as good a time as any to post them: Chris Matthews -- Only Whites can be racist: Julian...