On Thursday's PoliticsNation, MSNBC political analyst Goldie Taylor ludicrously saw "hypocrisy" in Republicans speaking out against A&E possibly firing Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson while opposing ObamaCare's contraception mandate as she failed to note that ObamaCare, as opposed to the Duck Dynasty controversy, is an issue of forcing employers by law to obey the government in spite of religious objections.
Without providing any quotes directly referencing the Constitution as evidence, she accused conservatives of making Phil Robertson's employment with A&E into a First Amendment issue, and then failed to note that ObamaCare actually does involve the First Amendment, and went on to make a lame joke quoting Gomer Pyle from the 1960s television show Gomer Pyle, USMC. Taylor:
I think it's quite interesting that, you know, we are claiming or they are claiming that religious liberty is at stake in terms of, say, affording a woman the right to get birth control pills through her contraception, through her health insurance with her corporate employer, but at the same time A&E does not have the moral authority to decide what's right for their brand. And so I think there's a bit of hypocrisy going on here.
You know, but in the words of Gomer Pyle, surprise, surprise, surprise. They are really going to use this, really to their own benefit in terms of drumming up their bases.
She added:
The unfortunate thing about all of this, the unfortunate thing about all of this is we are trumpeting this as a First Amendment issue when it couldn't be anything further from that. You know, no one has a constitutional right to a reality show or a paycheck or anything else. Free speech is when you get out on the street corner and you can say something without consequence, without losing a, without government condemnation. And that's not what's at play here. This is a private enterprise doing what they believe is best for them.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Thursday, December 19, PoliticsNation on MSNBC:
AL SHARPTON: The GOP's got a Duck Dynasty problem, and they're not likely to be happy, happy, happy. Duck Dynasty TV show star Phil Robertson has been suspended from the show after anti-gay statements in an interview with GQ magazine. GQ asked what he considered sinful. He said, quote, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right." He also said some other things about gays too vulgar to repeat on television. The A&E Network decided they didn't want those views on their air.
But some on the right thinks he's a hero. Senator Ted Cruz says, quote, "If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson." Governor Bobby Jindal says, "Robertson is just misunderstood."
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL (R-LA): Phil's a friend of mine. And I think that he's a man of faith. It may not have come across in this particular quote. But I think he's a man with love in his heart that believes in treating people with respect and equality.
SHARPTON: And Breitbart.com is accusing Hollywood of a war on Christians. A view echoed on Fox News.
SEAN HANNITY, FNC: I saw the religious prism here, he said, you know, he talks about different sins. Slanderers, drunkards, swindlers, they won't inherit the kingdom of God.
HANNITY CLIP #2: Catholics and Christians believe that premarital sex, extramarital sex and they also believe that homosexuality sex is a sin. But that's their religious belief.
SHARPTON: Excuse me? That's not what all Christians believe. And it's time for conservatives to stop using religion to justify mean spirited attacks. Joining me now are Goldie Taylor and Jimmy Williams. Thank you both for your time tonight. ... Goldie, let me rush to you. These right wingers really want homophobia and Duck Dynasty to be the new face of the GOP?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it's quite interesting that, you know, we are claiming or they are claiming that religious liberty is at stake in terms of, say, affording a woman the right to get birth control pills through her contraception, through her health insurance with her corporate employer, but at the same time A&E does not have the moral authority to decide what's right for their brand.
And so I think there's a bit of hypocrisy going on here. You know, but in the words of Gomer Pyle, surprise, surprise, surprise. They are really going to use this, really to their own benefit in terms of drumming up their bases.
The unfortunate thing about all of this, the unfortunate thing about all of this is we are trumpeting this as a First Amendment issue when it couldn't be anything further from that. You know, no one has a constitutional right to a reality show or a paycheck or anything else. Free speech is when you get out on the street corner and you can say something without consequence, without losing a, without government condemnation. And that's not what's at play here. This is a private enterprise doing what they believe is best for them.
--Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Brad Wilmouth on Twitter.
