MSNBC: Recovering Substance Abusers See Black-White World, Just Like Evangelicals

Mark Finkelstein
February 16th, 2007 9:03 PM
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On this afternoon's Tucker Carlson show, an MSNBC consultant flatly called President Bush a recovering substance abuser. Guest host Joe Scarborough took things a giant step further, seeming to analogize evangelical Christians with such substance abusers.

Joe Scarborough substituted for Tucker Carlson on the latter's MSNBC show today. Discussing President Bush's upbeat mood, despite congressional opposition and the tough slogging in Iraq, Scarborough asked MSNBC consultant Craig Crawford "what's this guy got to be cocky about?"

Crawford: "I would point to the history of anyone recovering from substance abuse. No, seriously. There is a body of thought that those in recovery, like he is, become very absolute about blacks and whites. There's no middle ground. You either take that substance or you don't."

View video here.

Scarborough: "As a guy who has grown up in an evangelical church, you could also say that about certain people of faith. A lot of people are more pragmatic, but there're some people that go in those church pews, and it's black or white, right?"

Crawford: "Sure, yeah!"

UPDATE 02-20-07: Joe Scarborough has contacted NB to express his very strong objection to this item, which he described as "deeply offensive and intellectually dishonest," claiming it suggested that he is anti-Christian. Said Mr. Scarborough: "the fact that I mocked Craig Crawford with a laugh for suggesting Bush was a substance abuser and then suggested it might be his faith instead that makes him see the world in black and white does not mean I compared the two. Seeing things in black and white is not a negative [in Christianity]." Added Mr. Scarborough: "The fact I am writing a book about how Christians are slandered by the mainstream media and American culture makes your remarks all the more maddening."

Aside: Is it just me, or does Craig Crawford's voice sound eerily like Pat Robertson's?

Update: Craig Crawford has posted my musing about his voice at his blog. He replied to a message from me to say that he's frequently heard the comparison to Robertson made, and that "as a kid growing up in Orlando, I actually watched Pat Robertson a lot. Not for his beliefs so much, but because I thought he was such a skilled broadcaster." Crawford places Robertson with Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney in his top three greatest modern communicators.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net