Daily Gut: Does MSNBC Want a Race War?

So on Tuesday, we did a segment on this black dude who showed up in Arizona where Barack Obama was speaking – with an assault weapon and a pistol strapped to his shoulder. We all pretty much agreed, that despite his actions being legal, it was still idiotic. There are many things in life that are legal, but totally nuts if done at the wrong time. For example, when I shower I’m completely naked – no law against that. However, try showing up nude at a Jonas Brothers lunch box signing – that’s another story (I blame it on the Ambien).

But this leads me to MSNBC, where on Tuesday Contessa Brewer – someone I’d like to see in a shower – filed a report about health care protesters showing up armed. In it, she used tape of that same black man carrying an assault rifle and said “there are questions about whether this has racial overtones….white people showing up with guns.”

Of course, like I said – the guy was black. But you never would have known. Because MSNBC has strategically edited the tape, so the race of the armed dude wasn’t revealed. You just assumed he was white, thanks to Contessa.

Take a look at the tape from the MSNBC segment:

[youtube UYKQJ4-N7LI nolink]

And here’s tape of the actual armed dude:

[youtube tEASAP5zBTw nolink]

How awesome is that? Anyway, later, pop culture analyst Toure added that there is “anger about a black president being president,” again ignoring that the armed man was black.

So why deny this salient fact?

Because it didn’t fit the story MSNBC wanted to tell: that if you disagree with Obama, you must be a white crazy person with guns.

Even if you’re black!

Look – there were millions of people angry at Bush – and the media never seemed to worry if their own vicious anti-Bush rhetoric would foment hate. Worse, the idea that every angry person is a potential assassin just makes it harder to deal with the real threats. I also resent that my opinion, enraged or not, can be dismissed as racism. Fact is I’ve been against Obama’s policies back when they were Hilary’s policies, and even before that, when they were Ted Kennedy’s and Jimmy Carter’s. Wrongheadedness knows no color, which is why my shorty robes only come in Topaz.

TONIGHT, an awesome super-duper lineup of awesome super duper people!

Professor Marc Lamont Hill! (yeah!)

Alyson Camerota (yum)

Carl Cameron (yum yum)

and from Hall and Oates: John Oates (yippee!)