MSNBC Host Martin Bashir was shown the door, fired, sacked, "allowed to resign" after a week of unfortunate events brought about by Tea Party Diva Sarah Palin's obsession with Slavery as a metaphor. When she decided to compare the National Debt to slavery, Bashir read a brutal passage from a history book and suggested that if Sarah Palin could dish out the BS, then maybe she should take a dose of it, too. Unfortunately, Bashir sealed his fate with that episode, because thanks to push-back from the poutraged Tea Party and Fox Noise, not to mention inner pressure from MSNBC zealot Joe Scarborough and whining from recently-fired Alec Baldwin, MSNBC head honcho Phil Griffin caved and fired Bashir in spite of a heartfelt apology.
But we have to recall that Palin has been bashing President Obama with one slur after another ever since her 2008 Vice Presidential campaign. She has encouraged Birtherism, flatly stated several times that Obama is "palling around with terrorists, and recently
wrote on Facebook about Obama's "Shuck and Jive" over Benghazi. Oh and then there was her brilliant display of patriotism during the government shutdown when she posed with Ted Cruz near some Tea Partiers with Confederate Flags. But hey, babe, it's all good - she can still be on the Today Show - wouldn't want to offend her or anything, even if she hates the President because he's a colored fella.
But wait, this is MSNBC - the "Librul" Network, right?
Forget that another pundit, Mark Halperin, called President Obama a "d*ck" on the Morning Joe show, yet he has been allowed to stay, even after an interview in which he seemed to imply that Obama is setting up Death Panels.
It's all up to MSNBC. If they want to keep firing or shuffling their best pundits or lose progressive viewers by courting the Right Wing Tea Party Nut Jobs, hey, go for it. We don't have to watch. *click* Now Please, Proceed.
Via Howard Kurtz on Fox
Bashir chose to tell his audience of the diary of a plantation overseer in Jamaica named Thomas Thistlewood.
In 1756, he records that a slave named Darby ‘catched eating kanes had him well flogged and pickled, then made Hector, another slave, sh** in his mouth.’
“This became known as ‘Darby’s Dose,’ a punishment invented by Thistlewood that spoke only of inhumanity. And he mentions a similar incident in 1756, his time in relation to a man he refers to as Punch. ‘Flogged punch well, and then washed and rubbed salt pickle, lime juice and bird pepper, made Negro Joe piss in his eyes and mouth.’”
When Mrs. Palin invokes slavery, she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance. She confirms if anyone truly qualified for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, she would be the outstanding candidate.”
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Howard Kurtz on Fox: Palin Kills Today Interview
The former Alaska governor and Fox News contributor was scheduled to sit down with Matt Lauer for a Christmas season interview. That's now toast.
Palin has now canceled Lauer's scheduled trip to Wasilla, a source close to her tells me. It's not because Palin is upset with Lauer or the "Today" show, but as a protest against NBC for not taking action against Bashir. In fact, Palin once sat in as a "Today"co-host.
Tim Crawford, treasurer of Palin's political action committee, had told NBC News President Deborah Turness and MSNBC President Phil Griffin that "Americans deserve to know that your network doesn't condone violent and hateful rhetoric."
Martin Bashir Apologizes:
I wanted to take this opportunity to say sorry to Mrs. Palin and to also offer an unreserved apology to her friends and family, her supporters, our viewers, and anyone who may have heard what I said.
My words were wholly unacceptable. They were neither accurate, nor fair. They were unworthy of anyone who would claim to have an interest in politics. And they have brought shame upon my friends and colleagues at this network, none of whom were responsible for the things that I said, and and at a place where we try every day to elevate political discourse and to focus on issues that matter to all of us.
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I agree with Martin Bashir’s apology. It was a deplorable thing to say, and he has every reason to be ashamed for saying it.
I’m glad that he went out and said it, and I will guarantee you he didn’t write all that by himself.
Every time something horrific is said like that, I go in and I talk to [MSNBC President] Phil Griffin, who I’m good friends with...
And I say, Phil, this is unacceptable; either they apologize for it or I’m going to take it up myself.
And I can tell you that didn’t happen in this case, because I was in the middle of a book tour and I didn’t even really hear about it until after Bashir’s apology.”
~ Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” on Newsmax TV, via InsideCableNews
The fringe right has a bad case of slavery Tourette’s, a mean and offensive obsession with likening the imaginary oppressions of contemporary society to the most horrific, systematized, actual oppression in this country’s history.
. . . In short, it turns slavery into “slavery,” a portable complaint that can be arrogated by anyone gauche enough to do so. Cue Palin. From “palling around with terrorists” to “death panels,” Palin is what we on the interweb machine call a troll....
. . . Bashir took the bait. It’s hard to blame him, as the cynical misuse of slavery as a moral referent is enough to drive any person with an historical awareness batty. But Bashir made the mistake of thinking Palin was serious, and so he seriously responded, reminding Palin of the horrors of slavery as a means of denying her the use of the concept.
. . . Now here MSNBC is, getting heat for not disciplining him. Somehow Alec Baldwin is involved. Note, nobody’s talking about the debt, because Palin was never serious about her analogy. But neither is anybody talking about slavery, because Palin was never sincere about that, either. Her aim was to drag someone exactly like Bashir, and an institution exactly like MSNBC, into the mud with her, and it worked like gangbusters. Palin now gets to play the victim, and just in time to hawk some copies of her Christmas book.
~
Evan McMurry on Mediaite
If MSNBC keeps Martin Bashir — right now he’s getting a nice little vacation, they say, that was already planned — but if he comes back, then I think they’ve got, as Rickey Ricardo would say, they’ve got some ‘splaining to do as what their standards are.
~ Conservative Radio Host Mike Huckabee
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Martin Bashir Resignation Statement Via Mediaite
After making an on-air apology, I asked for permission to take some additional time out around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the President of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation. It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.
I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers – who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences. I would also wish to express deepest gratitude to my immediate colleagues, and our contributors, all of whom have given so much of themselves to our broadcast.’
Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with msnbc. Martin is a good man and respected colleague – we wish him only the best.
~ MSNBC President Phil Griffin Statement Via Mediaite
From EZKool.com:
"Sarah Palin's Victory Lap"
“My role is to accept his apology and be humble enough to accept it and move on,” Sarah said. “But I just hope that unprovoked attacked like that don’t result in people being hesitant to jump in the arena anyway. To get out there and serve the public or start a business or commit themselves to changing within their family their community their world doing whatever that they can despite the fact that in this world you are gonna be hurt and attacks will come your way. I don’t I just hope that an attack like that doesn’t make people hesitate.
Egged on by the hosts at Fox News to comment on why MSNBC didn’t fire Bashir instead of allowing him to resign, Palin stated that she was indeed happy that the same “lame stream media” she attack every chance she gets, came to her rescue.
Well it was refreshing to see though that many in the media did come out and say ‘look our standards have got to be higher than this.’ Those with that platform with a microphone a camera in their face they’ve got to have more responsibility taken.
The entire interview felt like a victory lap for those sitting on the Fox News set, as Palin took the bigger person role in a battle she quite frankly started.
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Mia Farrow pushes forward her son, Ronan Farrow,
for Bashir's Time Slot - how conveeenient!
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#BoycottMSNBC
