MSNBC Panel Sees 'Hate' in Limbaugh 'Mantra,' Conservatives Are in 'Echo Chamber'
On Friday's PoliticsNation, MSNBC's Karen Finney asserted that Rush Limbaugh's "overall mantra" is "us versus them and hate in general," as she responded to a clip of the conservative talk radio host accusing the Republican establishment of being "ashamed" of the conservative base.
A bit later, host Al Sharpton asserted that conservatives are "almost like in an echo chamber. They're talking to themselves" -- an irony considering the scarcity of conservative viewpoints on the liberal MSNBC news channel.
After Sharpton played the clip of Limbaugh criticizing the Republcian leadership, he went to Finney, who responded:
That's part of Rush Limbaugh's overall mantra, which is, you know, us versus them and hate in general.
As he turned to panel member Frank Schaeffer, known for his criticism of conservative Christians, Sharpton asserted:
But the problem, Frank, is they're almost like in an echo chamber. They're talking to themselves. They are not recognizing this shift in terms of the majority of Americans.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Friday, June 14, PoliticsNation on MSNBC:
AL SHARPTON: I think also, Karen, to Frank's point, Rush Limbaugh, he knows the truth. He said exactly who they are, and attacked the establishment Republican party. Listen to what Rush Limbaugh had to say today on, to the GOP base.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: The Republican party is embarrassed of its base. They accept the Democrat caricature of the Republican base: Southern, hayseed, hicks, pro-lifers, pickup truck-driving, gun rack in the back window people, chewing tobacco and going to church and talking about God all the time. But they really see them as a bunch of zealots when it comes to abortion.
SHARPTON: So he's telling, Karen, the base, these people are ashamed of you, and you're the real people of the party.
KAREN FINNEY: That's right, and, I mean, that's part of Rush Limbaugh's overall mantra, which is, you know, us versus them and hate in general. But, you know, the other piece of this, again, there is a fracture within the Republican party, and I think part of, it was interesting to listen to Paul Ryan talk about the center because the truth is the majority of America on everything from access to the legal procedure of abortion to same-sex marriage to immigration reform, majority of America has moved on.
And to what Frank was saying, what these guys are talking about is not where the majority of America is anymore. And that's the piece that Rush is trying to cling on to is, you know, that portion of the country that for maybe a lot of different reasons doesn't agree with those policies, but for some reason, Rush thinks we have to be at war with each other rather than accepting our differences.
SHARPTON: But the problem, Frank, is they're almost like in an echo chamber. They're talking to themselves. They are not recognizing this shift in terms of the majority of Americans.
-- Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center
