On MSNBC’s, Morning Joe, political analyst / reporter / author Mark Halperin made what is known as a Kinsleyesque Gaffe. You see, Mark Halperin committed the ultimate sin for those who reside behind the Left’s Ideological Iron Curtain. He said what he really thought and it wasn’t kind to “the One.”
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Halperin later apologized, sincerely – and with obvious fear for his career and standing in the Left’s eyes, to the President and all who heard him say what he clearly believed. Alas, that would not be enough. A couple of hours later MSNBC suspended Halperin indefinitely. (via MediaBistro.com)
A statement from MSNBC regarding TIME‘s Mark Halperin‘s role as an analyst after calling President Obama a “d*ck” on “Morning Joe” this morning:
Mark Halperin’s comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.
Hey Mark, you’ve just been Juan Williams-ed (h/t @TomMcCammon).
To borrow a favorite phrase from the President, let me be clear: All Halperin did was use the “D” word. And in the context of what he was talking about, the “D” word basically means “jerk.” It isn’t nearly as offensive as, say, Rachel Maddow’s ironic love affair with the word “teabagging” a couple of years ago. I mean, MSNBC clearly suspended Halperin because of the sexual connotation of the “D” word and not because he simply called the President a jerk, right? Because if it wasn’t about the sexual nature of the term, MSNBC just set a new standard for what is suspension-worthy. And if it was about the sexual nature of the term, Maddow and others at the network have dodged some bullets in the past – except for Ed Schultz, obviously, but he was really suspended for being a … well, dick.
It’s all a little confusing but that’s what happens when you have no moral grounding. You create dilemmas and double-standards and all sorts of logical potholes for yourself. Progressives hoist themselves by their own petards constantly because of it. It’s not even hypocrisy, per se. It’s just a lack of boundaries. Like unsupervised children, they will wind up getting in trouble. That said, there is one hardfast rule among those who choose to live within the confines of the Left’s media echo-chamber: Don’t mess with Obama. If you don’t couch your criticism with glowing praise about his intellect or personality, the reaction will be swift. There isn’t any days-long deliberation about what to do when you step out of line and give your honest opinion. It’s a couple of hours max and you’re sitting on the bench indefinitely.
Is there any doubt Mark Halperin would still be getting a paycheck from MSNBC if the exact same scenario had played out but Bush or some other Republican politician were the “dick?” The apology would have been fine and life would go on. Heck, he’d probably be okay if he were talking about any other Democrat, too. It’s just “The One.” The mainstream media is so invested in Obama’s “success” – since they were the ones who sold him to the rest of the country – there’s an almost cult-like need to protect him. He’s their guy no matter how much of a failure he is.
Don’t you dare call him a “dick.”
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