On Thursday’s The Kelly File, host Megyn Kelly jumped all over MSNBC’s Ed Schultz for having the audacity to lecture Rand Paul, or anyone for that matter, on the subject of sexism.
Schultz claimed, “There is evidence Rand Paul has a real problem with women reporters.”
His comments were in relation to the recent interviews Paul had, most notably with NBC’s Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie. Many have compared his temperament to another interview he gave in February, to another female reporter at CNBC, where he “shushed” her as she was interrupting him mid-answer.
Paul may appear testy to journalists at times, but he’s never outright called them something derogatory, which Schultz is guilty of. After all, it was about four years ago Schultz used his show to call conservative radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut.” After much controversy, Schultz eventually offered up a sincere apology to Ingraham.
[For more examples of Ed Schultz's hate, see a NewsBusters round-up.]
During the Schultz segment, Kelly and show guest Ann Coulter couldn’t contain their laughter, so much so that Coulter facetiously told Kelly, “is very sensitive with women as I recall…When I’m worried about how women are being treated, I go to Ed Schultz.” Kelly reminded the folks at home what Ed had said about Laura.
Kelly mentioned that DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was already using Paul’s behavior against him, when she said she “hopes he won’t hush me.” Interesting coming from someone who blatantly used domestic violence language to criticize Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s record. It was only last fall that Wasserman Schultz said:
"Scott Walker has given women the back of his hand. I know that is stark. I know that is direct. But that is reality…What Republican tea party extremists like Scott Walker are doing is they are grabbing us by the hair and pulling us back. It is not going to happen on our watch."
Apparently Wasserman Schultz thinks it’s ok to use such disparaging language when it comes to her agenda…and get away with it when it comes to the “war on women”, which is what she and Schultz are trying to do with Paul.
Coulter told Kelly:
“It does expose liberals and especially feminists for this I think very annoying double standard of, you know, we are rough, we are tough, we can do the same things men can do, but, oh, I'm a delicate flower. Please don't talk to me that way, which is fine and good and it's actually why I like how the entire Paul family is kind of cranky with the media.”
For his part, Paul says he’s an “equal-opportunity hater” of journalists, regardless of their sex.
"I think I've been universally short-tempered with both male and female reporters. I'll own up to that," he said Wednesday in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I'll have to get better at holding my tongue and holding my temper. But I think it's pretty equal-opportunity."
