It seems as though the only time Lawrence O’Donnell has something nice to say about Fox News, it comes at the expense of nearly half the country. Following the incendiary comments Fox News’ Smith made following Obama’s public support for gay marriage, MSNBC’s O’Donnell rushed to his defense and praised him for violating FNC's central value of remaining "fair and balanced."
O’Donnell claimed that Smith is the lone voice of reason at Fox News and his comments caused the Fox News website Fox Nation to alter a headline reading "Obama flip-flops, declares war on marriage," to "Obama flip-flops." [Video coming soon. MP3 audio here.]
Never mind that Smith compared those who support traditional marriage to those who supported segregation. Such details don’t matter to the liberal O’Donnell. Lawrence followed up the segment by arguing, "now it's time to sit back and watch Fox News evolve on same-sex marriage, and all they really need to do to find their way on this one is to follow Shepard Smith, the Fox News man, on the right side of history."
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
The Last Word w/ Lawrence O’Donnell
May 9, 2012
10:49 p.m. EST
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: In tonight's rewrite, President Obama, Fox News and the right side of history. It did not take long after President Obama rewrote his public position on same-sex marriage for Republicans to declare that the President has declared war on marriage. On the Fox Nation section of the Fox News website, the headline was “Obama flip-flops, declares war on marriage.” And the war on marriage chorus began on Fox News.
SHEPARD SMITH: The President of the United States now in the 21st century and Ed Henry on the north lawn of the White House.
O’DONNELL: Wait a minute. What did he just say.
SMITH: The President of the United States now in the 21st century.
O’DONNELL: President of the United States now in the 21st century. That doesn't sound like war on marriage. That’s Fox News host Shepard Smith declaring the President to be in the 21st century. And he didn't stop there.
SMITH: In this time of rising debts and medical issues and all the rest if Republicans would go out on a limb and try to make this a campaign issue while sitting very firmly without much question on the wrong side of history on it.
O’DONNELL: But Shepard Smith has frequently been the lone voice of reason at Fox News, and now he's saying the President is on the right side of history. If Fox Nation wants a war on marriage, then Fox is going to give Fox Nation a war on marriage. Right, I mean they have to. Unless, of course, Shepard Smith said those things about President Obama being on the right side of history. The war on marriage was removed from the headline on Fox News on the Fox Nation section of the Fox News website after Shepard Smith said that, so now there is no war on marriage. Just a flip-flop.
SEAN HANNITY: And after years of voicing strong opposition of same-sex marriage, President Obama has reversed his position. It sounds like earmarks, it sounds like lobbyists, like cutting the deficit in half. Sounds like this President can't make up his mind very well on these things. Seems like Democrats wanted to say that Mitt Romney flip-flops, but this President flip-flops a lot.
O’DONNELL: And so now it's time to sit back and watch Fox News evolve on same-sex marriage, and all they really need to do to find their way on this one is to follow Shepard Smith, the Fox News man, on the right side of history.
