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Brent Bozell, head of a right-wing outfit called the Media Research Center, appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” last night, and chatted with guest host Mark Steyn about various media figures they don’t like. It led to a noteworthy exchange.
The far-right personalities were complaining about MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who complained on the air that Newt Gingrich “looks like a car bomber,” adding, “Look at the guy — this is not the face of a president.”
After showing the clip, Steyn said he thinks Gingrich looks like “a big cuddly, slightly older Winnie the Pooh.” Bozell decided to go much further.
“Mark, how long do you think Sean Hannity’s show would last if four times in one sentence he made a comment about saying the president of the United States and said that he looked like a skinny ghetto crack head, which by the way, you might want to say that Barack Obama does?”
I’m going to assume this won’t interfere with Fox News inviting Brent Bozell back — probably many times — because in Republican media, the only rhetoric that leads to banishment is criticizing others on the right. Suggesting the president of the United States looks like “a skinny ghetto crack head” is just another day on Fox News, the news outlet Americans turn to if they want to get less informed about the world around them.
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Ron Byers on December 23, 2011 1:31 PM:
Freedom of racist speech and you are wondering why Ron Paul's racist newsletter comments is a feature and not a bug of his campaign. There are millions of reich wingers just like Brent Bozell. They are being pandered daily by Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the Republican media machine.
KurtRexCooper on December 23, 2011 1:33 PM:
Obama needs to take his shirt off again & remind the world what a hunk he is.
c u n d gulag on December 23, 2011 1:35 PM:
And Bozell looks like some deranged madman who kidnaps young boys, kills them, dismembers their bodies, and keeps their skulls in the fridge for when he wants to take a trip down memory lane.
Oh, and remember - Bozell's not a racist.
He's not a Liberal.
And as all know, we Liberals are the real racists!
Josef K on December 23, 2011 1:35 PM:
Bozell decided to go much further.
Par for the course with this lot. This is the same network which referred to the First Lady as "Obama's Baby Momma".
jjm on December 23, 2011 1:40 PM:
It was silly of Matthews to say what he did, although Gingrich is singularly repulsive in his appearance. But the utter disrespect the right wing shows this president is much more repulsive. I am really tired of the media not discouraging this kind of commentary.
I don't recall a single news outlet criticizing G W Bush's face or body (though personal friends noted a certain simian quality to both) -- wonder why not? Had they, the media world would have come down on them like a ton of bricks.
Hedda Peraz on December 23, 2011 1:52 PM:
I wouldn't know what a skinny ghetto crack head looks like, as I have never seen one on my Channel of Choice!
John in TX on December 23, 2011 1:54 PM:
The far-right personalities were complaining about MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who complained on the air that Newt Gingrich "looks like a car bomber," adding, "Look at the guy, this is not the face of a president."
As much as I detest Matthews and hate to give him any credit, that's actually spot on and hilarious!
Patriot on December 23, 2011 2:03 PM:
It's interesting that the Ron Paul newsletters story is getting so much press, when in reality he didn't say much that the Tea Party/Fox News crowd would disagree with.
hells littlest angel on December 23, 2011 2:31 PM:
It is, after all, David Duke's party.
Countme - In on December 23, 2011 2:31 PM:
To answer Bozell's question, Hannity's show would be renewed indefinitely by the thousand-year programming reich at FOX, because the ratings never falter among the targeted audience of racist, murderous, genocidal Republican vermin in this country.
N.Wells on December 23, 2011 5:08 PM:
In what way does Obama resemble "a skinny ghetto crack head?" Let's see, he's wealthy, highly educated, extremely articulate, impeccably dressed, well-groomed, personable, usually in the company of either his attractive and well-educated family or a bunch of high-powered advisers, and he's half white. No, that's not it. Give me another shot, I'm sure I'm halfway to the answer.
Doug on December 23, 2011 6:41 PM:
"...he made comment about saying the president of the United States and said (sic) that he looked like a skinny ghetto crack head, which by the way, you might want to say Barack Obama does?" Brent Bozell quoted by Steve Benen.
Interesting that the FIRST comparison for President Obama that comes to Bozell's mind plays on the racism of the Fox viewers. Disgusting, but interesting. A person of ANY ethnicity can be a "car bomber", but the ONLY image evoked by Bozell is that of a black man.
We'll never know how many people voted for or against Mr. Obama SOLELY because of his skin color, but something tells me the number of Republicans who did so aren't even a majority in their party. The vast majority of Cain supporters, before his campaign spontaneously combusted, HAD to have been "white". There's just not enough black Republicans to put him in the lead, especially in IOWA, for crying out loud.
I usually don't like funerals or wishing ill of anyone, but some of the Republicans are really pushing that resolve...
buckyor on December 23, 2011 10:48 PM:
Brent Bozell looks like a pedophile. I sure as hell wouldn't allow children around him unsupervised.
navamske on December 24, 2011 12:52 AM:
Not that it has anything to do with anything, but Bozell is the nephew of William F. Buckley.
Ted Lehmann on December 24, 2011 6:29 AM:
While Bozell's comment is unexcusable, it bothers me that viewers of MSNBC feel a need to justify Matthews' often over-the-top characterizations of the opposition (I hate the word enemy applied to American politics). Matthews is often, at best, superficial in his analysis of tea party and evangelical viewpoints. He's a terrible listener whose rebuttal often includes ad hominem characterizations. It's just plain bad journalism. It's really too bad when Fox News has the power not only to influence the bad ideas of too many people but also sets the standard for journalistic practice opposing those ideas.