MSNBC Anchor: '"Socialist" Is Becoming the New N-word'

UPDATE at end of post: Is this what Newsweek meant when it proudly declared on its cover, "We're All Socialists Now?"

Did you know that when you refer to someone as a socialist, you're really calling them the N-word?

Such an astonishing hypothesis was offered by MSNBC's Carlos Watson Monday in a segment he refers to as "The 'C' Note."

Potentially even more shocking, after Watson offered this seemingly absurd opinion, Mort Zuckerman actually agreed with him (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t HotAirPundit): 

Today I want to talk about a word that we're hearing more and more, and that's the word socialist. You hear it from a lot of conservatives these days, that's usually critiquing the President, or more broadly Democrats. And while that's certainly a legitimate critique, there certainly is an ideology that can and should be critiqued at certain times, it also some times is just a kind of a generic conservative bludgeoning tool. And that's alright, too, because you hear it on the Democratic side as well: rightwingnut, what have you.

But what concerns me is when in some of those town hall meetings including the one that we saw in Missouri recently where there were jokes made about lynching, etc., you start to wonder whether in fact the word socialist is becoming a code word, whether or not socialist is becoming the new N-word for frankly for some angry upset birthers and others. I hope that's not the case, but it sure does say to you what David Brooks said the other day on T.V. which is that more credible conservatives have to stand up and say that there's a line that has to be drawn, that there's a line of responsibility that's important, and that extends to the words that we choose including how choose even legitimate words like socialist.

What? 

So now that we have a black president, words that have been used in our country for decades -- words that have real meaning -- suddenly stand for something else altogether that includes a racial overtone?

What kind of nonsense is this? 

Are we headed to a point in our history when any criticism about this president will be deemed racist?

Exit questions: is this really the change people wanted; where does it all end; where has America gone, and; how did this all happen in just six months?

As a post facto aside, I sincerely hope my parents didn't see Watson's "'C' Note" because I've been calling them socialists for years! :-)

*****Update: NBer Texndoc marvelously asks, "How Racist is Newsweek!?!?!

After all, the magazine on a February cover arrogantly declared, "We Are All Socialists Now."

So, Carlos, was Newsweek speaking code, or is this just reserved for conservatives? 

Hmmm?