CNN host Piers Morgan joined comedian David Steinberg in mocking the Republican field on Monday night. On his prime time show, Morgan teed up Steinberg to rip the field as a "ship of fools."
On Tuesday morning, the anti-Republican abuse continued on CNN as Muslim comedian Dean Obeidallah quipped that "There are people in the Taliban who would call Rick Santorum a radical conservative. I'm not even kidding."
While CNN anchors other than Morgan may not be ridiculing Republican candidates, they are certainly willing to host comedians and liberal columnists who are up to the task. During Tuesday morning's Newsroom, CNN host Kyra Phillips let liberal columnist L.Z. Granderson take his shots [1] at the GOP field with nary a challenge.
On Monday's Piers Morgan Tonight, the host began by asking Steinberg, in reference to the GOP race, "do you thank God every day that these things happen?" The comedian replied in the affirmative. "Yes. This is a gift from God to comedians, the likes of which we have never seen."
[Video below. Click here [2] for audio.]
Steinberg also referenced "The Three Stooges" when discussing the race. "But this is all Curlies," he said of the candidates, referring to the show's character Curly "who is nuts and totally just off the page."
Later Morgan echoed his critical sentiment. "Almost everbody has huge comic potential, I think," he said of the GOP field.
The next morning during the 6 a.m. hour of CNN's Early Start, comedian Dean Obeidallah ripped Rick Santorum as a far-right loon whom the Taliban would deem "radical."
He slightly backtracked from the comment, but continued to slam Santorum's beliefs on gay marriage and abortion in cases of rape. "He's also against pornography, which I think is anti-American. Let's be honest," the Muslim comedian concluded.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on February 20 at 9:39 p.m. EST, is as follows:
PIERS MORGAN: Let's talk about the comedic value of the presidential race and the Republican race in particular. There's been some fantastically funny moments in this. But is it – do you thank God every day that these things happen?
DAVID STEINBERG, comedian: Yes. This is a gift from God to comedians, the likes of which we have never seen. It's like we – you could – it's a ship of fools that is – it's just unbelievable. You know, I used to have a theory that I took almost through all of – all the presidencies. And it was that you're either – it's like the Three Stooges. You're either a Moe, who's in charge, or a Larry, who wants to be a Moe, or you're Curly, who is nuts and totally just off the page.
MORGAN: Who's been – and if you look at those –
STEINBERG: But this is all Curlies.
MORGAN: It's a little bit like that, isn't it?
STEINBERG: There – there is no Moe and Larry here.
MORGAN: Almost everybody has huge comic potential, I think.
STEINBERG: Absolutely.
STEVE CARELL, comedian: Well, actually, I was just thinking of your analogy. And I was thinking Ron Paul is sort of a Shemp.
STEINBERG: He's a Shemp, there's no question.
(Laughter)
STEINBERG: That's true. That's true.
CARELL: I mean physically –
(Laughter)
STEINBERG: Yes. That's rare.
CARELL: It was funny. When we were on the Daily Show, when I was on the Daily Show with my wife, it was the same way. We were so thankful when anything that we perceived of as ridiculous would happen.
MORGAN: You – watch the news and rather than most people, who just want to have information or whatever, you must be just itching for something to happen where you just start laughing your head off.
CARELL: There were researchers on the Daily Show that would just – that's all they would do is watch for those little tidbits. And they'd cut them and they'd throw them in there and, you know, and – the writers were fantastic.
STEINBERG: But when you watch the – these debates, where they go at each other, I think the philosophy that you get from them is that character is overrated.
(Laughter)
STEINBERG: They don't care about character in any way, shape or form.
MORGAN: It's true.
STEINBERG: So, it's gone. And I think it's been overrated through the years, you know, and – you know, not the best, some of the best presidents, their character wasn't great. So, the Republicans are sort of in the sweet spot of having no character.
(Laughter)
CARELL: But character only matters when someone else is lacking in character.
MORGAN: Yeah. Yes. They can be devoid of character and you can go after them for that.
STEINBERG: Yes.
MORGAN: It will hide your own lack of character, right?
STEINBERG: Correct. Exactly.
-- Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center