Not everyone feels bad about the Martin Bashir firing, but everyone should read the following piece. It goes far beyond one person being fired for saying something negative against right-wingers…
Fox News and other networks have gone farther than anything Bashir has said in terms of insults to and about the POTUS, FLOTUS and even Malia Obama. Not to mention their disdain for the “other”, period. The following piece says everything I’m thinking and does so in a cohesive and formidable way:
Steve Marmel
So, Martin Bashir is off MSNBC. Because that’s what we on the left do. We love to pride ourselves on taking the high road.
All the while Fox News, or the militant right, or the gun thugs say and do whatever they want to push for things that damage the country or the people within it. Classless things. Bullying behavior. Below the belt shots. Flat out lies. And here we are, patting ourselves for being “better than that.” It’s time to stop.
Martin Bashir quit yesterday. Or was fired. Or resigned willingly. Or was pressured out. I don’t know the specifics and I don’t care. All I see is a strong, furious voice for the left being taken off the air. All I see is the left being told one more time: Be upset, but don’t get TOO upset. It’s time to stop rolling over whenever some harsh, vicious, shallow half-term grifter cries crocodile tears. Because the next day, she’s going to remain horrible and keep doing and pushing for horrible things, as one more person on the left is silent.
Martin Bashir, for all his ham-handedness, was not afraid to throw a forceful punch to make a point. And when he did, it resonated. But because he crossed some imaginary line we make for ourselves – because we have to worry about the feelings of people who accuse the President of “Pallin’ around the terrorists” or using racialist terms like “Blood Libel” – we silence ourselves. Why? Am I supposed to care about the feelings of the Palins, Bachmanns, Goehmerts, Ryans, Pauls and Cruzes of this world? I will not. What they want and what they are doing is far, far worse than anything a Martin Bashir said.
He had every right to be angry. We all do. It’s been five years since the right decided this President didn’t deserve his vision – elected by a landslide TWICE – to be executed. So the right jumped in the mud and started throwing it by the buckets. We have GOT to stop being afraid to be angry. Let our policies be the high road. But let’s stop fighting bad guys with one hand tied behind our back.
You know what’s uglier than what Martin Bashir said?
Cutting SNAP benefits from people who can’t afford it.
Demonizing 47 percent of America as lazy and moochers.
Turning our backs on our veterans and the homeless and the unemployed.
Suppressing votes.
It’s time to accept the inelegant and imperfect messenger in return for a powerful and fierce message that can resonate. We are debating people who – when they scream “You Lie” during the “State of the Union” speech, or point an angry bony finger at the President like he’s some sort of petulant child… they become heroes.
We are debating who – when George Zimmerman shot an unarmed black kid – practically gave him a crown, a cape and a scepter and made him their king.
They should be demonized. Daily. Hourly. Viciously. And we don’t. Why? Because we’re “better than that?”
Stop pretending there’s some advantage to muzzling just how pissed we are, and muzzling just how hard a punch that can be thrown. It’s not just seen as weakness, it is exploited as one. If we don’t want to continue losing ground on issues that matter, we have to stop ceding it.
There will be another Martin Bashir. He will saying something vicious. And some person on the right will boo-hoo about it. And then, that voice of left-wing fury needs to say “Don’t like it? Tough.” And then they need to keep on speaking.
It’s time to stop being afraid to get our hands dirty. It’s time to get angry. Stay Angry. Fight fiercely. And never forget it’s a fight. Because the minute you do… …you’ve lost. – Steve Marmel
Related articles
- Alec Baldwin Defends Martin Bashir Over MSNBC Resignation, Slams Network (thewrap.com)
- ‘It’s Par for the Course': Palin Responds After Martin Bashir’s Resignation From MSNBC (foxnewsinsider.com)
- Sarah Palin reacts to Martin Bashir’s resignation from MSNBC (therightscoop.com)
- Martin Bashir, out at MSNBC over Palin slur, was previously suspended (homegrownmedia.info)
- After Wishing Someone Would Defecate in Sarah Palin’s Mouth, Martin Bashir Resigns from MSNBC (pjmedia.com)
- Martin Bashir Resigns From MSNBC (entertainment.time.com)
