Damnit Bashir, you shouldn't have apologized

[gopiscrap]

Last edited Tue Nov 19, 2013, 03:14 AM - Edit history (1)

he shouldn't have apologized to Palin...he was absolutely correct..too often the spineless cave into faux repuke outrage and back down off of their commenMakes us look like we don't have any principals.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

1. I agree with you,

no apology needed.

[Bill Lermer]

7. Agreed.

[doc03]

2. What was that about? n/t

[Tx4obama]

4. See article on link below

Here: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/martin-bashir-says-someone-should-sht-in-sarah-palins-mouth/

[Iggo]

62. He obliquely told her to eat shit.

[Nite Owl]

3. What did he say

that was all that bad? I missed that show.

[Tx4obama]

5. See article on link below

Here: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/martin-bashir-says-someone-should-sht-in-sarah-palins-mouth/

[Pretzel_Warrior]

6. Step away from the keyboard

[Cha]

31. ..

PW I stepped away for two weeksish and feel all renewed.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

37. Glad to see you back! I had noticed your absence....but I thought

possibly you were busy/on vacation or something.

[Cha]

38. Yeah, I took a vacay from

the internet. I went camping on the other side of the Island. But, it was time to go.. necessary for body mind, and Spirit!

[BlueToTheBone]

8. It was a bit beyond the pale.

She can say that kind of crap, but a news person can't. I love Martin and I demand he keep his regular schedule.

[Heather MC]

12. He really did hit below the belt, my only concern is the new line that is now created

for the other side to step across.
I know the Sarah Palin is a racist rebel rousing ass hole, but when someone almost stoops to her level it tarnishes that person.

And I say Almost, because at least Bashir was very intelligent with his insult, and didn't sound like a Palin a belligerent idiot.

[IrishAyes]

9. All who love Martin can agree that he was RIGHT w/o condemning him for what might've been

something of a strategic decision. Even saints sometimes need to protect their jobs, if nothing else than for the sake of their dependents. And who knows, Bashir might've been sorry he spoke so succintly w/o regretting one bit the sentiment behind it.

[elleng]

29. Sounds reasonable,

tho I missed the kerfuffle. OP is the first I've heard of it.

[IrishAyes]

47. Well, he pitched a righteous rant even if his language did get away from him a bit. I can't whack

him for that. It was honest, justifiable outrage.

[FoxNewsSucks]

10. I agree,

I'm so sick of seeing the few lefties on the air apologize to rightwing scum who say far worse every day.

Republicons lie, smear, and incite hate and violence every day. Have any of them ever apologized for anything?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

139. Dead balls on. Think he actually was too easy on that POS.

[rufus dog]

11. One has class the other is an ass

He did the right thing, after a stupid statement.

[doc03]

13. Palin doesn't deserve an apology from anyone for anything they say about he n/t

[AZ Mike]

14. AGREED!!!

Bashir should have "stood his ground".

Sarah "The Whore of Babble On" Palin likes to use crosshairs in political campaigns, play the race card against our black president, and diminish the most horrific institution of American slavery by likening healthcare access to it. Not only should someone shit in her mouth, I'd be happy to be the Darby in this equation. Palin is a fully idiotic moral supremacist and a dose is just what she needs to shut her the hell up....

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. You'd be happy to be "the Darby"? You're sure about that?

[Skip Intro]

21. what does that mean, the darby?

[AZ Mike]

24. It's "Darby's Dose", right?

I sure hope Darby is not the one who RECEIVES the dose. Otherwise, I've put so much more than my foot in my mouth....

[cherokeeprogressive]

40. If you read, Darby was "catched eating cane..."

As part of Darby's punishment, a slave named Hector was made to shit in his mouth.

So, yeah...

[AZ Mike]

42. Well, dammit.

:hangsheadinshame:

[Skip Intro]

20. Sick stuff.

[Skip Intro]

22. Jury votes 3-3 to keep "someone should shit in her mouth."

A new low.

[AZ Mike]

23. Wow...

I got juried for that?

Context matters. Palin is a vile piece of shit.

Anyways, justice prevails. Sorry to disappoint....

[Sheldon Cooper]

45. I want to be sure I have this straight:

From what I've gathered, it seems you would be willing to defecate in Sarah Palin's mouth. Is that correct? What sort of context can be added to make that 'matter'?

[bettyellen]

53. you should have been juried for calling her a whore. thanks for making this a hostile

environment for politically active women. *barf*

[GladRagDahl]

55. Thank you

I was just thinking the same thing.

[bettyellen]

57. progressive men shouldn't need to be told this. calling her a whore and offering to shit in her

mouth? WTF, jury? It's not okay, it's disturbing and violent sexual imagery used only because she is a woman. Not progressive.
You are very welcome. I sent an alert to Skinner after seeing jury results, and encourage you do the same now, and whenever you see this crap here.

[11 Bravo]

58. Agreed. The "whore" reference alone should have resulted in a hide, but the desire ...

to shit in her mouth is so far beyond the pale that I'm speechless that it was allowed to stand. That was one fucked-up jury decision.

[bettyellen]

59. I alerted on the jury results. It deserves a second look.

No politician or public figure should be subject to such threats of violence, especially when it is accompanied by the bigoted POV that sexual slurs and threats are okay. They should not be okay here.

[nolabear]

65. I was the original alerter. I may have alerted five times in all my DU years. That was grotesque.

I can't imagine wanting to espouse something so vile. It was, in the film, an example of the denial of someone's humanity. The ability to do that can lead to the unthinkable. It deserved removal as a message that we are better than that. If we aren't, then what's the point of this whole endeavor?

[bettyellen]

67. I hope you alerted on the jury results. this is likely something Skinner would want to know about.

There is an alert available inside the email w/ jury results, just click on it.
it will kick it up to Skinner et al. I am sure they would want to see this.

[nolabear]

71. Wow, you can do that? Shows how little I go there.

I don't know what to think about alerting on the jury results. I rather think the process worked the way they want it to and I still think that post was way beyond the pale. I'll think about it.

[bettyellen]

73. Yep, that is the only way to "kick it upstairs" if you feel something was egregious

and that Skinner and co should see it. Some have written disturbing comments within jury results, so it;s for that, but also if the OP is really bad and you think Skinner would want to know.

[840high]

106. Thank you for the alert.

[bettyellen]

141. You are most welcome, 840high!

[Gravitycollapse]

105. What other woman-hating words do you see fit for using against palin?

You've already got whore down. I mean, there's a rainbow of woman hating you haven't tapped into yet.

[840high]

107. Unbelievable.

[Tveil]

66. that's sort of gross dude n/t

[seabeyond]

75. did you call kathleen harris a whore, too? i see that post was self deleted. do you generally go

around calling women whores and shitting in their mouth? wtf is your problem?

you talk about palin using the race card. you are awfully quick on the misogynist card. or is it cool as long as it is women.

what a vile, vulgar post. and still, you do not have the character or decency to delete.

[AZ Mike]

76. No I did not.

I went political and self-deleted.

I stand by my Palin comments. Don't care if you don't like them....

[Sheldon Cooper]

77. So, again, for the record:

You are so proudly and nobly standing by your comment that Palin deserves to have someone shit in her mouth. And you would eagerly volunteer to do that. I just want to be sure I'm clear on this: you want to defecate in a woman's mouth. I think it's important that we get this on the table. You are champing at the bit to shit in a woman's mouth. Is that what you're saying? You seem pretty proud of that sentiment and I think it's good that you make sure that's clear to everyone here.

[AZ Mike]

78. You are free....

....to interpret my original statements in any way you see fit.

[Sheldon Cooper]

80. Oh I'm sorry - did I misunderstand something?

Is there some room for interpretation that I've missed? Because you are so proud of standing by your comment, I want to be sure I understand it correctly. Here, I've excerpted it below so you can review it. You know, just in case you're having second thoughts about wanting to shit in a woman's mouth.

AZ Mike (160 posts)
14. AGREED!!!

Bashir should have "stood his ground".

Sarah "The Whore of Babble On" Palin likes to use crosshairs in political campaigns, play the race card against our black president, and diminish the most horrific institution of American slavery by likening healthcare access to it. Not only should someone shit in her mouth, I'd be happy to be the Darby in this equation. Palin is a fully idiotic moral supremacist and a dose is just what she needs to shut her the hell up....

The way I see it, in your stated opinion, Palin is a whore who needs a man to shit in her mouth in order to shut her the hell up. Please, if I've somehow misconstrued your comment, let me know where I went wrong.

The fact that you screwed up and called yourself the Darby was quite humorous, so thanks for that. I understood that one perfectly.

[AZ Mike]

82. I'm glad....

....to have provided you some measure of entertainment.

Carry on.

[Sheldon Cooper]

87. Far more than you know.

[AZ Mike]

89. Be still my beating heart.

[Sheldon Cooper]

128. I notice you haven't responded to the actual point.

And frankly, I don't blame you. Anyone with even a partial brain would be distancing himself from comments like that.

[seabeyond]

79. do you often call women whores? is this something that gives you are warm and cozy feeling in your

tummy?

what makes her a whore? does she have a pimp? how much does she charge? how often does she work? tell me about this whore thing you have going on or is it just a go to name for women?

[AZ Mike]

81. Are you always this....

....insufferable and hypersensitive?

The "Whore of Babble On" moniker is one reserved only for Palin and, to me, the money part is the "Babble On" play on words. I also often refer to former VP Cheney as "the appropriately named Dick Cheney". Is that sexist too? Jesus Christ. Give it a rest and take a Xanax (or 7). Instead of following me around on this board, why don't you just put me on ignore? It would certainly help with your apparent blood pressure problem....

[seabeyond]

83. so, it is ok that you just deem palin the whore and i am sensitive. if a man chooses to call a

woman a whore, we women must not be TOO sensitive and say a damn thing about it. that is what you suggest. you should be allowed to call what ever woman you deem a whore just cause and all the women are to shut up?

or just palin a whore and when someone calls ann coulter one tomorrow i get to get mad, you know, call that one out?

how about when the right calls hillary a whore. am i suppose to shut up with that too?

[AZ Mike]

84. Ignore is your friend....

But, you do seem rather prone to jumping to conclusions.

I have no desire for civility with people like Palin and she deserves no respect. Neither does Cheney, but I guess you just chose to gloss right past that. I have no problems throwing elbows and getting into the mud. You will not be successful in your attempts to badger me into submission on this matter.

Have fun though.

[seabeyond]

85. you used a misoginist slur on the woman. are you allowed to use the n word on allen cause he is a

POS.

does your privilege rank so high that you do not need to consider anyone but your own bigoted beliefs?

it makes you a bigot. no more or no less. bigotry is against TOS.

jury let it slide. i hope skinner takes a second look, since you are so adamant in your right, privilege, entitlement to call women whores.

[AZ Mike]

86. OK.

Thanks for the input.

Btw, does it frustrate you that I emphasize "Dick" when talking about Cheney? Or does that NOT upset you and therefore you are a misandrist?

[seabeyond]

90. i have a father name richard. goes by dick. i have a brother name richard, goes by dick.

if you are so very fuckin immature that it gives you a giggle that is your issue.

but... calling them dick has nothing to do with calling a woman a whore. a dick is part of the body. a whore sells her body for mens use for money. big difference right?

and your little comment about a whore and shitting in her mouth just sounds like way too much porn.

[AZ Mike]

91. Yikes....

I'm not quite sure what kind of porn you like to watch, but you're going a bit too far with that fetish.

[seabeyond]

93. ya. you are the one that came up with the whore/shit in her mouth thing. that is all on you.

you decide to spew your vile vulgarity and stand by it.

[AZ Mike]

94. Actually....

The slaveowner came up with that one and I don't think it was a matter of sexual fetish.

See how sideways you have gotten? You don't even know why you're spinning with rage anymore.

Chill.

[seabeyond]

98. you called a woman a whore. you said you want to shit in her mouth. pretty simple.

[AZ Mike]

92. Btw....

I like your "body part carve-out" exception. So, is it then okay to refer to Palin as the "Vagina of Babble On"? Just checking you for consistency because I don't think you have anything.

[seabeyond]

95. no. i do not play the game. i do not call men dicks. you are the one doing that also. all on you

[AZ Mike]

97. How about assholes?

Is that OK? I mean, everyone has one and I'm sure you must think I am one.

Certainly that's not sexist.

Sarah "The Asshole of Babble On" Palin.

How does that one fit?

[seabeyond]

99. yes.

[AZ Mike]

100. Good. You like "assholes"....

Look at that - I'm a problem solver....

[AZ Mike]

102. Unfortunately....

....it just doesn't quite seem to have the same ring to it.

I mean, "The Whore of Babble On" is a play on a biblical allegory - "The Whore of Babylon" - but the importance is the "Babble On". That's funny.

Regards,

Beavis

[seabeyond]

104. of course not cause where would the misogyny be? again. bigotry. against TOS rules.

[AZ Mike]

108. Please explain why it's "misogyny"?

It's a biblical reference repurposed to capture Palin's incoherence.

Where's the so-called "woman hate"?

[seabeyond]

110. calling a woman a whore. now you are going to use the bible to justify calling a woman a whore?

really? you want to approach your argument by justifying your misogyny from the bible.... that book the spends so much time suppressing women?

[seabeyond]

112. brilliant argument dude. brilliant. didnt the bible also give the thumbs up to slavery. go there.

try that one out

[AZ Mike]

116. Now you're spinning.

I am not using the asserting the bible as authority - only referencing a phrase within it.

[seabeyond]

122. no. that is exactly what you are doing. if the bible can call women whores, surely you can.

[AZ Mike]

113. So, only women are whores?

Isn't that rather misogynistic of YOU?

What happens when I call politicians "corporate whores"?

Is that misogynistic when I am talking about, say, Ron Johnson (R - WI)?

[seabeyond]

120. so now we are going to derail saying WHORE is not gender specific. wow. you are sqirming

all over the place. even backpedaling. remember. stand strong calling a woman a whore. your privilege. you let me know right up from that is your rigth to call her a whore. again. bigotry. a dn again, against TOS rules.

[AZ Mike]

124. No squirming here.

I have already declared I am not shy about throwing elbows.

So, only women are "whores"?

What about "corporate whores"?

Apparently I have to ask you things multiple times to get answers.

[seabeyond]

126. o.m.fuckin. g. really? seeing how coporations are people too, i suppose the corp whore is a female

corp.

can you get any more..... silly.

[AZ Mike]

129. Jeez.

You can't even keep your head on straight.

If someone is a "corporate whore" that's a reference to the person, not the corporation.

Is that sexist? Or is "whore" in that context only regarding women?

[seabeyond]

132. yes. in the context of calling a woman, and only a woman a whore, that would be misogyny. got it.

was i clear enough for you? when you call any woman a whore, for whatever reason you may have, that would be misogyny.

and you might want to look at all the posters besides me, and ATA forum where they talked about you calling a woman a whore. bigotry. against TOS.

[840high]

111. I'm so glad I will never know you. You

would pollute my world.

[AZ Mike]

121. Noted.

[Gravitycollapse]

114. You honestly don't think woman-hating existed in the Bible?

[AZ Mike]

118. Of course - as was the case in all religious texts.

But, what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

[Gravitycollapse]

135. Even if it is just a biblical reference, which it clearly is not, you're still calling her a whore.

Of all the very real things you could attack her for, you decided to attack her for being a woman. How fucking not brilliant was that move on your part? How is that panning out for you?

[AZ Mike]

136. Again with the contention that only women are "whores".

You are sick. What a terrible blanket statement to ascribe to a group of people....

[Gravitycollapse]

138. Whore is sourced from High German meaning adultress. In french, it's "pute" which means girl.

So, yes, the historical significance of the word whore refers to loose or unfaithful women. That you don't already know that is mind-boggling.

[AZ Mike]

140. I did not know that.

I love etymology (e.g., took Latin in college). Is there a masculine use for it? I ask because of puta/puto in Spanish.

Not sure why that would be mind-boggling to you though.

[Gravitycollapse]

142. Because everyone knows whore is a term against women. Seriously, everyone.

Even the fact that people talk about male whores or man whores represents the fact that, without the qualifier, whore by itself refers to a woman.

And it's not a particularly flattering word either. It is the kind of word churches waged against women who were not chaste. That is the deeply rich history from which you have drawn. Congratulations.

[AZ Mike]

143. Alright.

I disagree strongly with your biases on the word and your applications thereof.

Goodnight.

[Gravitycollapse]

146. It's not my bias. It's reality's bias.

[seabeyond]

144. i guess that is one way to claim you are not misogynist. just deny the very definition of what the

word means not to mention historical use and how it is used on women today, and stomp out.

[Gravitycollapse]

145. The surest way to prevent people from knowing history is to simply deny it.

Erase it. Change it. But for the love of God don't admit it.

[seabeyond]

103. not really. you were awfully slow and many posts to get there. it all is really very simple.

i would think the first poster, or second or third that addressed you on the issue, not to mention a near hide would have clued you in. but, nope. took what, 10 posts from me to you getting around to solving the problem.

[Gravitycollapse]

101. It's utterly amazing to me that you've survived this long on DU with that mentality.

Maybe it's time for you to stop digging that hole and figure out how you're going to get yourself out. Your post has already been reported to the administration several times, my alert included. Someone will be along shortly to scoop up the mess you've left behind and I think it would be wise to delete the message before such a task becomes necessary.

[AZ Mike]

109. Thank you for your input.

It is much appreciated.

[Sheldon Cooper]

117. I hope he doesn't delete it. I think it needs to stand for all to see.

And besides, he's 'standing by his comment'. He's not in the least ashamed by it, in fact he's quite proud. I can only hope that someone from admin will be along shortly, but I'm not holding my breath.

[myrna minx]

125. Wow. You called a woman a whore and volunteered to "shit in her mouth". When called on it

you doubled down and are now claiming a person who called you out is a misandrist because of how *you* may refer to Dick Cheney? Way to stomp down a straw man. By the by, "Dick" is Dick Cheney's name. "Whore" is not Sarah Palin's name.

In this thread, you've posted some of the nastiest stuff I've read on DU and you've been rightly called on it.

*stunned*

[AZ Mike]

127. When I say....

...."the appropriately named Dick" Cheney, there is a specific insinuation embedded within that comment.

If that is OK by the other posters, then that implies that sex-based insults to men are OK. Therefore, misandry.

Not a strawman at all. Try some logical consistency sometime. It'll suit you well....

[seabeyond]

131. by your logic, you get away calling dick cheney dick, so what other names can you call women?

are they all up for grabs? any misogynist slur you want to throw at a woman because you call dick cheney .... dick.

[AZ Mike]

134. By your logic....

....not being angered by "Dick" and being enraged by "Whore" (while also suggesting that only women can be "whores" - shame on you) is hypocrisy.

[myrna minx]

147. No, that's *your* logic.

The only person calling women whores and giggling about Dick Cheney's name in this thread is *you*. By your own logic and definition, *you're* the misandrist. You may find the etymology of the word 'whore' interesting - from origin to present day it most definitely is in reference to women. (Please note that the term "man whore" has the qualifier).

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=whore

I'm done with this shameful sub thread.

[myrna minx]

133. You flung that out there - something *you* would say and kicked it down.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html

It's textbook straw-man. My logic is just fine, thanks.

[Skip Intro]

15. He was correct that someone should relieve himself in her mouth?

Last edited Wed Nov 20, 2013, 11:58 PM - Edit history (2)

No man. There are lines of civility that shouldn't become casualties of political warfare.

And even logically - suggesting something you find abhorrent should be done to another - it just doesn't work.

He was engaging in the same kind of crap rush does. He should have apologized. Shouldn't be any tolerance for that kind of thing.

[nolabear]

18. Agreed. His apology was thorough and good but that was low.

[840high]

130. Thank you - I was beginning

to think DU went mad.

[loli phabay]

17. was watching st ds9. and wondering what the hell he had done

Hate when that happens and you have the wrong person in mind when your reading something.

[TexasTowelie]

27. LOL!

In which case a comparison of Palin to Quark might be more appropriate. Caveat emptor!

[Vashta Nerada]

19. I agree with what Bashir said last week about Palin.

I like fighting dirty. Why should Dems roll over and always play nice? Playing nice only gets one so far.

It's best to fight fire with fire.

[gopiscrap]

25. agreed

[elleng]

26. So why do you lead with 'fuck' him,

especially if you think he was correct?

[gopiscrap]

28. I am going to change it

[elleng]

30. Good idea, I think.

[gopiscrap]

32. just changed it

[elleng]

33. Better.

Sounds rational, as DU should.

[gopiscrap]

34. thank you I was hurrying when I wrote so wanted to use a few words as possible

also just put a poll out on it

[Cha]

35. Much more better..

g

Like someone mentioned on your thread.. it could have been a strategic decision to apologize. I do think what he said about her was not a good thing to go with. Martin is super smart and he could have made his point so much more compelling without sinking to such a gross level. Ewww

[DonCoquixote]

36. come now

This was forced, pure and simple. I look forward to a time where we can all be honest, and drag the palins off the stage, and give them a lot mopre to worry about than what some journalist said, like having them rot in jail for aiding GOP corruption.

[DrDan]

39. "he was absolutely correct" . . . to apologize

it was over-the-top

glad he recognized that and acted appropriately

[rudolph the red]

52. +1

[840high]

115. +2

[polichick]

41. True about principles - plus, it's a mistake to apologize to a sociopath.

[StarrGazerr]

43. The "Liberal Media" myth continues.

I cannot help but laugh when I hear Right Wingers complain about a "liberal media bias." Even aside from Fox, which is not in any way a "news" source but merely a 24/7 infomercial for conservative extremism, there are daily examples on every network of the media going out of their way to minimize or ignore every accomplishment this President achieves while endlessly repeating talking points that reflect negatively on him. David Gregory has abandoned even the pretense of objectivity, and even the usually reliable Bob Schieffer has shown an increasing tendency to sit silently while a Republican spouts clearly erroneous "facts" to support an unsupportable accusation.

When I heard Bashir's long overdue smackdown of Sarah Palin I thought to myself "at least there's SOMEONE willing to tell the truth out there." It's obvious that the corporate masters didn't like to hear reality on their network, and Bashir wasn't willing to give up his job to stand up for his principles.

I think Martin Bashir owes the American people an apology for his apology.

[IrishAyes]

48. Ever heard of perspective?

It's oh so grand that you're willing to get another person fired just to satisfy your own beliefs; I wonder how often you've risked your own self that way?????

The man has responsibilities to others than himself. You don't know how many persons or organizations he's supporting and keeping off the streets. Think about someone beside yourself for once.

After all, it's not as if he didn't speak out in the first place. His message got across. If he had to pay a small price to keep his platform for continuing to speak out, it might justifiably have bothered him less than it so conveniently does you.

[StarrGazerr]

50. Ever heard of integrity?

It has nothing to do with wanting to get someone fired, and realistically MSNBC wouldn't have fired him anyway since the reason for it - blatant conservative censorship - would have been so transparently obvious. At worst he might have gotten suspended for a week or so, and keeping a defiant Bashir on the air would actually have increased their ratings with all the Righties tuning in to curse at him. No disrespect, but you seem to be suggesting that journalistic integrity and the First Amendment should take a back seat to corporate profit considerations. Believe me, I am much angrier at MSNBC management than at Bashir, but he could easily have gotten away with the classic Republican "non apology apology" - "I made some comments in response to Sarah Palin comparing government debt to slavery on Friday, and if anyone was offended by my choice of words, I apologize." The way Bashir groveled left a clear impression that he was apologizing for the content of his statement rather than for his choice of words, and there was nothing in the content of what he said that deserved an apology.

[IrishAyes]

54. You're as welcome to your interpretation as I am to mine.

However, your statement that I 'suggesting that journalistic integrity and the First Amendment should take a back seat to corporate profit considerations' is wildly inaccurate and truth to tell, more than a little offensive. Disagreeing with you doesn't necessarily make me or anyone else a corporate hack. If you had any idea how sincerely I'm against vulture capitalism and how I've suffered from it and what I've done to fight it, you might sing a different tune. As is, careful with your tar brush.

[StarrGazerr]

64. Point taken

I apologize. I did not mean to imply that you are a corporate hack or that you don't respect the First Amendment. But, as I tried to say, it is the way he apologized rather than the fact that he apologized at all that is bothering me. There was absolutely nothing in the content of what he said about Palin that was inappropriate. The only thing that might reasonably be called inappropriate was the choice of imagery he used to get his point across. If he had simply said "I'm sorry I used 'bad words'" that would have been fine and completely understandable. But his apology amounted to "I was wrong to criticize Sarah Palin at all" and thus negated everything he had to say in the first place. Sarah Palin deserved to be criticized for her remarks, and I don't believe it was necessary for Bashir to let Palin off the hook. He specifically said that his words were "inaccurate" in his apology, and there was not one word in his original commentary that was inaccurate.

Again, I apologize for letting some of my frustration at MSNBC spill over onto you.

[IrishAyes]

68. No problem. You were not unkind. I appreciate the chance to understand you better.

[ChiciB1]

60. I Have To Interject...

MSNBC has fired several other hosts before for making comments. Cenk Uger comes to mind. They offered to keep him on, but only if he would agree to being a contributing guest. And pay him a higher wage if he would do so. He declined saying he would rather have the freedom to give objective points of view. He left, got a show on Current before AlJazeera bought Current from Al Gore.

The took Ed Schultz's show from him and gave him a weekend show until too many people complained and they gave him a weekly show back to him. Dylan Ratigan, who I happened to like, decided to leave BEFORE they canned him! Don't know if they told him, but many of us saw it coming. He's now out in CA doing very good Environmental work out there.

So yes, I do see why Bashir decided to do what he did. Don't like it, but if you stray too far off the ranch it DOES seem MSNBC WILL can you!

[StarrGazerr]

63. Point taken

I realize that you can't look at situations like these in a vacuum, and both you and Irish are correct in pointing out that there are times when practical considerations can force one to compromise their principles (for instance, I've learned not to ever criticize my wife for owning a fur coat LOL). When Ed Schultz actually DID say something inappropriate (calling Laura Ingraham a sl*t) he voluntarily took himself off the air for two weeks and his apology was sincere. That was before they started bouncing his time slot around. When they moved him to weekends he still had his voice, and of course all along he also had a three hour daily radio show to get his views out. I honestly don't know what else, if anything, Bashir is involved in. As for Uygur, I never got the impression that MSNBC ever intended to keep him in the 6pm slot permanently. He's not a trained journalist, just an opinionated lawyer, and MSNBC has said several times that their problem with Uygur was with his style, not his content.

This gets to what I'm trying to get out here - that Bashir was pressured to apologize is disappointing but not outrageous. But the fact that he apologized for the CONTENT of what he said rather than for his choice of words makes me wonder whether I can continue to trust anyone on air at MSNBC. He called out Sarah Palin, justifiably, for making an incredibly offensive, ignorant and racist comment. Then his apology was not for criticizing her with "bad words" but rather for criticizing her at all. He was essentially saying "I was wrong to criticize Palin for comparing Federal debt to slavery", not "I was wrong to use the words I used to criticize her."

[ChiciB1]

69. I Understand What You're Saying...

but I only wanted to point out what they've done.

Personally, I have no problem with what he said. But, I do feel he got the message to "say something" no matter from whom. I do understand your point about how & what he said.

And it does look like he over apologized IMHO. As for Uygur, he himself related the information about what was offered way back when. I don't know where to find his comments now. As I recall there was something about him not being "permanent" but many of us felt he was going to host for longer. Keith DID have a permanent show, but he too kind of got in their face. He also went to Current and that lasted only a short while. Of course, he did push the envelope at both places. I know Keith was a sports reporter, but didn't think he was considered a journalist.

Still, these days MSM is much more lame than when I was younger. I thought Dan Rather was a great investigative reporter, Phil Donahue was really great too. There were more back then too. Now their style of informing people about what was really happening is considered RADICAL and won't be tolerated!

I used to like Tom Brokaw but he sold out some time ago!

Still, the crazies seem to get away with almost anything they say and for some reason they have people hanging on their every word! No apologies that I know of. Outright LIES, but for whatever reason they get a pass! Why more liberals, Democrats or Independents won't get out there and bang the drum just as much is something I can't understand! It really makes me very angry!! But then I do consider myself a Liberal.

[ChiciB1]

44. I Had No Problem With What He Said...

But MSNBC has this tendency to fire people when they go too far off the ranch. I sincerely believe THE IDIOT "SHE" needs to STFU, and needs more people to call her out, Bashir must have gotten a message from on high!

It would be nice if we had MORE of our Democrats take her on, but so far we only seem to have a handful! I could talk a lot more about Democrats who have their tail between their legs, but that's not what this thread is about.

[IrishAyes]

49. See #48, please and thank you.

[ChiciB1]

61. You're Welcome... Facts Are Facts! n/t

[840high]

119. I would hope our

Democrats wouldn't be as vile as Bashir.

[ChiciB1]

148. Not For Nothing... But I Will Hold Off On My Impression Of You.

You're relatively new here and I'm having mixed feelings about you. Not sure if you're sitting on the fence and not sure where you're rolling from. I may not wish Democrats to be vile, but I most assuredly feel that compared to the wing nuts, who CONSTANTLY say really outrageous things, "our" Democrats need to buck up and take them on!

So many are Spineless & Wimpy! FWIW, I want more ROAR from them! The Repuke agenda is a mantra full of hate and obstruction! Our Congress and leaders are FAILING "we the people!"

There are a few who are outspoken and do speak for me, but far too few! So, par for the course, make a statement... then feel the need or are pushed to apologize.

JMHO! Nuff said, I think you can figure out where I stand and have for a very long time!

[Boom Sound 416]

46. I thought his apology was thoughtful and heartfelt

And it needed to be said.

He went too far.

I'm glad he did it.

[grasswire]

51. Has Sarah Palin ever apologized for anything?

I wonder.

[Arkana]

56. No, that one he probably should have apologized for.

People on Twitter can say that. Martin Bashir can't.

[Enrique]

70. what principle did he back off of?

the principle of ridiculously disproportionate responses to things politicians say?

And by the way they caught him in having made a slavery analogy himself so defending himself on principle would be pretty tough.

[cherokeeprogressive]

72. No truer indication of how far civilization has come...

In those dark times, incredibly inhumane people punished the humans they owned in the most inhumane ways for what they considered to be theft... and were so proud of it they recorded it for posterity.

In these oh-so-enlightened times, we cheer someone considered to be an intellectual for suggesting the same treatment for a display of stupidity, and who is so proud of his idea he broadcasts it to the world.

We've come a long way Baby.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

74. He could have called her out for the cipher she is without telling her to eat shit/nt

[OwnedByCats]

88. Exactly

You can counter Palin without being so gross and offensive. Call me a prude, I just hate it when anyone goes to those lengths, it's not necessary and classless.

Intellectually you can disagree with Palin without much effort. There is no need for such disgusting comments, I don't care who it's about.

[Lifelong Dem]

96. O'Reilly said he doesn't want to show the video

I didn't see the video, but when he said he isn't going to show the video I had to look at the video. No wonder he didn't show it. People would be saying not a big deal. Bet he played the Dean scream a hundred times though.

[840high]

123. How would you feel if this

was said about a Dem woman? You'd be screaming bloody murder.

[LittleBlue]

137. Palin is one of the greatest assets to us

I pray that Caribou Barbie never shuts her foolish mouth. Every word she utters is another few voters for us.

She's like the Todd Akin who, unlike him, never fades and becomes irrelevant. To our advantage.

When a train wreck like her keeps happening, just stay silent and get your popcorn.