Keith Olbermann completely looked over Chris Matthews blatant racist remarks Wednesday night during MSNBC'S post-State of Obama address coverage and called out... you guessed it... Conservatives.
“Here’s a little secret, gathered, sadly, from witnessing it my whole life, even from some in my own family,” Olbermann said. “When racist white guys get together and they don’t want to be caught using any of the popular epithets in use every day in this country about black people – and there’s a chance one of them, or worse still a white guy who doesn’t get it, might wander in and hear the conversation, when there’s a risk even in saying “uppity” or “forgetting his place,” the racist white guys revert to euphemisms and code words.”
As Robert Stacy McCain points out, Olbermann does this hysterical denunciation trip night after night. A Supreme Court decision on campaign-finance laws? It’s Dred Scott! You wonder if he carries this tendency over into his private life.Waiter, I specifically ordered a merlot, and you’ve brought me burgundy instead. This is worse than McCarthyism. It’s worse than the Spanish Inquisition or the Jonestown Massacre. It’s . . . it’s Kristallnacht!
Here's the video:
19 comments:
How does this guy function on a daily basis???? He is INSANE. (Wait...is that a 'code word' for PATHETIC IMBECILE?)
Hi Sol:
This is just further proof that when the Left is desperate, the pull out the race card.
What a malcontent, little, unhappy toad you are. You irrelevant snob, wallowing in your own unimportance.
That Made me feel good !
Although Keith may be on to something in regards to the code words that some white racists use, it's a stretch to label every white person a racist who uses the term arrogant when referring to a black person.
In the title of your post, you call Keith a "RAAAACIST". Are you joking or being serious? If it's the latter, please provide examples of why you feel he's a racist.
As for Chris Matthews' so-called blatant racist remarks, feel free to read a different take on the incident:
http://diversityink.blogspot.com/2010/01/wrong-words-right-message.html
Sue -
Too funny.
The thing I can't believe is that this clown actually believes what he's saying, yet he won't even address the words uttered by Chris Matthews on his own network.
TCL -
Of course.. and for further evidence, see Malcolm's comment below. Sadly, our friend has bought into the idea that the left is a friend of his and is doing him some kind of favor.
Odie -
Hell, just reading what you said made me feel better!
Malcolm -
The very fact that you buy into Olbermann's "code word" concept leaves me unwilling to discuss this with you.
You are being completely disingenuous if you really believe that to be true.
Also - did you even read my post on Matthews?
If I were to have said something like what Matthews said, being White and of a more Conservative belief system, tell me truthfully you wouldn't spam my words all over the blogosphere and have people coming to lambaste me?
If Glenn Beck had said "I forgot Obama was Black for an hour" can you honestly say you wouldn't have called for his firing?
Where is your intellectual honesty?
Soloman: Just to be clear, I said in my original comments that it's a stretch to label a white person a racist just because they call a black person arrogant. However, if you don't think that people sometimes use code words to hide their racist feelings, you're kidding yourself.
Of course I read your post on Matthews. Why did you think I didn't? Because I didn't say that I agree with you 100%? As for me Spamming your words all over the blogosphere if you said what Matthews did, you couldn't be more wrong. The same goes for what you said in regards to Beck. Even when he clumsily called Obama a racist, I didn't say he should be fired.
http://diversityink.blogspot.com/2009/07/fox-news-pundit-glenn-beck-calls.html
I do find it comical that you question my intellectual honesty. If one of your guys (Beck, Limbaugh, etc.) had said what Matthews did, would you have written a post condemning them for it? I haven't gone through every post you've written, but I have yet to see you call out anyone on the right when they make racially insensitive remarks. Have you written any posts in which you have condemned pundits on the right for racially offensive comments? If so, can you send me the links?
Malcolm -
There may be some guys out in them there hills somewhere that use some kind of code words when they want to be racist but they're in public.
However, the assumption on Olbermann's part that this is true of the people he presents as racist? Absurd.
I never said I thought you didn't read my post on Matthews, just didn't know if you did.
I don't expect you to agree with me at all, let alone 100%. However, the truth is that if Beck said something like "I forgot someone was Black", he'd be condemned all to Hell. Maybe not by you individually, but most certainly by many on the left, and I'll bet you a dollar for every dime to your name that Olbermann would be first in line, and Matthews and Maddow would have been right there with him.
My problem in general is that race is a card all to often used by the left in a disingenuous fashion. I suppose I was unfair in my statement that you were being intellectually dishonest; perhaps that's an instinctual reaction based on my history of dealing with left-leaning thinkers. My apologies.
Regarding Olbermann - I'm not going to go about claiming I know exactly what is in his heart, but what isn't clear to you in this post is that when you see raaaaacist or raaaaacim, those words are being used with that spelling specifically because of the perpetrator's consistent use of the race card. In this case it's Olbermann, because he uses the race card so much he invalidates himself in his claims of racism.
And if I saw a blatantly racist comment made by anyone on the right, I would indeed call them out on it. Truth be told, I haven't personally witnessed any such remarks. I have seen a lot of comments taken out of context, like some of the things O'Reilly and Limbaugh said about Haiti, but nothing in recent memory that was clearly racist.
Matthews comment - while he may not have meant it to be - was racist. There's no other way to see it, and for Olbermann to pretend it didn't happen and then call six other racist?
Unprofessional, to say the least.
Olbermann just doesn't get it! Just more proof of when they can't prove us wrong, we must be racists. That man just drives me insane.
Soloman: I have no doubt that Glenn Beck would have been condemned by some if he said what Matthews did. However, that condemnation would largely have been based on political beliefs. While many on the left would have torn Beck apart, many on the right would have made excuses for him.
In order to hear the other side, I read more conservative blogs than I do liberal ones. What I've noticed is that when a right-wing/conservative pundit makes comments that can be construed as racist or says something that is unquestionably racist, there is either excuse-making or silence on the part of conservative bloggers.
For example, within the past few months, Limbaugh has called President Obama "little boy" twice. If Matthews had made those comments, conservative bloggers would have been all over him and rightfully so.
Another example is Jay Severin's offensive comments towards Mexicans that he made last year. None of the conservative blogs I know wrote about this story. To be fair, maybe they didn't hear about it. The question is, why didn't they hear about it? Is it because the mainstream media (this includes Fox) didn't cover it or because posting about it would make the right look bad?
As you may or may not know, I founded a blog on race-related issues called Diversity Ink. Me and the other contributors welcome points of view that may differ from our own. You are more than welcome to share your opinions on the topics we cover.
http://diversityink.blogspot.com/
As for your apology, thank you and it's accepted.
I grew up in Dixie. I live in L.A. I have heard and hear racist code words several times a year and it's often in a judgment about crime, poverty, or values--Obermann is calling racism out. It's good to talk about it because many people hold deep stereotypes (about liberals, too). I think it's also impossible to be in Matthews head. I'm not a fan of his; he loves Giuliani, he loves Obama. He loves men in power. I think it's right to point out how weird a comment it is that he made, "Do you always think about someone's ethnicity when you're watching them?" and I also think it's right to think he has good intentions. It doesn't make much sense to call him a racist when he supports Obama. And I often believe that most of the hateful, disrespectful criticism of Obama has more to do with race than the man's ideas...and Limbaugh either believes it or apologizes for it.
Tammy -
Exactly. Point well made.
Malcolm -
You are correct in your assessment that "Glenn Beck would have been condemned by some if he said what Matthews did" and "that condemnation would largely have been based on political beliefs."
That's all it is from the left is a political fight, using the race card to attempt to move forward with a political agenda.
That political agenda is quite simple: promise every ethnic group, women, and any other ostracized identity class (ie. gays) they "We are for you!" in order to garner their vote, and then once in office carry on business as usual.
Mind you, I don't feel that much of today's Republican party is much better, which is why I am a registered independent and refuse to identify with one "side" over the other.
My biggest concern is the Progressive agenda, which is in no way, shape, or form truly associated with old school "liberalism."
Liberalism of the past is more along the lines of what modern day libertarians identify with, which is more where I find my personal belief system aligns.
BTW - Limbaugh's "little boy" comment is not a "boy" reference, it is simply to make the point that Obama is a man-child. He wishes to play with the grown-ups, but his world experience is that of a twenty-something at best.
I can't say I'm familiar with Saverin's comments, so I'll refrain from commentary.
I'm familiar with your blog. I haven't stopped by very often, but I will make a point to add you to my reading list.
Pink -
Olbermann is not calling out racism.
He is playing a race card in order to flame hatred against the likes of Glenn Beck and the others with whom leftist such as you disagree.
That is all that comment of his was about - hatred of certain non-leftist pundits. Otherwise he would have made a comment about Matthews' comment, as it clearly came across as though made through the prism of racism.
What's honestly good to talk about is how a statement like Matthews made is truly racist.
Anyone who sees the entire world based on the skin color of others is a racist, and that's exactly what Matthews inadvertently admitted the other night.
Soloman: I saw that you responded to my comments that "Glenn Beck would have been condemned by some if he said what Matthews did" and "that condemnation would largely have been based on political beliefs." However, I also noticed that you skipped over the part where I also said "many on the right would have made excuses for him." Do you agree or disagree that many on the right would have made excuses?
Since you aren't familiar with Jay Severin's comments, here is the link to the post I wrote shortly after it happened:
http://diversityink.blogspot.com/2009/05/radio-host-suspended-over-anti-mexican.html
Although you may not identify with the right, you seem to stick up for them quite a bit. Case in point: your defense of Rush and the "little boy" comments he made. Yet another case where we will have to agree to disagree.
In addition to Jay Severin's remarks, I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are on the comments Bill O'Reilly made in regards to his experience at a black restaurant in Harlem back in 2007.
Malcolm -
I now remember the Severin situation.
He was way out of line. I was not posting much at the time of I might have commented on it, and my commentary would have been that he was wrong in what he said.
Regarding whether or not the right would make excuses for another on the right... I don't know, that's based on the context of the comments.
As a perfect example - I don't know of anyone on the right who attempted to defend Jay Severin. Now, to be fair - I do know that Glenn Beck had Severin on his show after Scott Brown won the election in Massachusetts, but that's seven months and an apology after the fact, so I believe that wouldn't amount to "defending" him.
You'll find that yes, I align more often with the right than the left - but that is because I'm a Conservative independent, and Conservative values align much more closely with those on the right. I stake no claim to either party, though.
And regarding Rush's comments - you are being led by leftist media to take his comments out of context.
I used to be a more left-leaning thinker, and I used to think Limbaugh was crass and over-the-top. However, the truth is you must listen to him regularly and in complete context or you'll fall prey to the Olbermann / Arianna Huffington view of him. Trust me, I've been there, literally.
And to be specific, Malcolm -
If Beck or anyone on the "right" said exactly what Matthews said, there might be some who would jump to his defense. I can't say for sure, obviously.
I personally would not have jumped to his defense, and just as I didn't call for Matthews to be suspended or fired, I would act the same toward said "right-leaning" pundit. I believe it is wonderful that Matthews had the chance to say what he said, and I understand his attempt to defend himself. I simply disagree, because I believe that the left constantly views life through the prism of race.
Content of character... remember? and if you're not sure I'm correct, go check out the comments in my Matthews post, specifically what Urban Pink said.
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