In what was a transparent attempt to scrutinize how conservative a black actress can really be, the ladies of The View invited Stacey Dash on the program to substitute for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Immediately following her summary of what was to come, Whoopi Goldberg inquired how Dash was doing after the vicious attacks she had endured on Twitter for simply endorsing Mitt Romney.
Without resorting to the same animosity, the liberal hostesses were seemingly just as incredulous. Why would someone like her -- a black woman who works in Hollywood -- vote for anyone but Obama? They made it their mission to find out, pushing her to explain herself. Perhaps they were too busy to read the 3-page essay that she posted online before the election. [video below, MP3 audio here]
While broaching the subject of her unfortunate online abuse was obligatory, the gang was not content to leave it at that. Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar all bluntly asked Dash for her reasoning and justification of the decision she made to vote for a Republican. A big deal was then made out of what must've been the racial component that inspired the hostile reaction. Walters in particular was guilty of this, in an awkward attempt to clarify what she meant:
Do you think people were angry with you, not do you think, if that you were white, they wouldn't have minded? It's because you were black and didn't vote for Obama? ... How dare you not vote for the race! Isn't that what it was about? ... Blacks have to vote for blacks, supposedly. And that's why you were attacked?
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Goldberg initiated another political discussion that would eventually force their guest to go on the defensive:
Now listen, Mitt Romney is in the news again, he claimed that President Obama won the election because of policies that were very generous to Black, Hispanic and young voters and that Obama quote, 'focused on giving targeted groups a big gift'. I have not got my gift yet.
Never mind the fact that Whoopi is worth an estimated $45 million, but the quote must've really struck a chord with Shepherd, who was visibly agitated when given the chance to respond:
I mean Mitt Romney is like I'm going to take my ball and go home. He's like such a sore loser. To me, this confirms that you're not listening to the country. The 47 percent that you didn't care about, it says that people need help, more people were -- Obama was listening. More people need help than people who don't need help. They've said that all along. That's why we do vote for people, because they're going to help.
Walters went on to list some of the government assistance programs that Obama has tried to legislate or implement. Turning back to Dash, Walters condescendingly prompted her to advise the GOP on what they need to do in order to have any electoral success in the future.
Stacey, you know, you voted for him. These are the things that they say the Republicans have to look at if they're going to win any elections in the future.
Cornered into neutrality from then on, Dash had to listen to Goldberg drone on about the unsympathetic "fringe element of the Republican party" that seems to abhor diversity. The icing on the cake was when Behar accused her of being no different than any Democrat for some of her common-sense solutions. The underlying message was simple: Girl, you're in the wrong political party!
With as much dignity and class as she could muster, Dash advocated for the reconciliation of the partisan nation we all inhabit. "United we stand, divided we fall," she offered.
Relevant Transcripts Below
ABC
The View
Nov. 15, 2012
11:02 a.m. EDT
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Since you were a vocal supporter of Mitt Romney during the election, you caught hell from a ton of people.
STACEY DASH: Yes
GOLDBERG: You had it really tough, they gave you a hard time. How are you doing?
DASH: I'm great. I feel good.
BARBARA WALTERS: Why did you like Romney?
DASH: I liked Romney because of his track record. You know, I'm a fiscal Republican and thought he had a good plan for our economy.
JOY BEHAR: What was his plan? Remind me.
[ Laughter ]
DASH: One of the things in his plan was to create a regulatory environment that encourages investment and certainty, which I think is the key to us getting jobs. You know, and --
WALTERS: Do you think people were angry with you, not do you think -- if that you were white, they wouldn't have minded? It's because you were black and didn't vote for Obama?
DASH: Yes, that's right.
WALTERS: How dare you not vote for the race! Isn't that what it was about?
DASH: Yes, and I feel that --
WALTERS: Blacks have to vote for blacks, supposedly. And that's why you were attacked?
DASH: Yes, and I don't feel that race should play any part in this. You know, it's 2013.
SHERRI SHEPHERD: Do you think that race played -- you know because I saw some of the tweets that you got, which were just reprehensible. The people that tweeted, but I also think a lot of people on Twitter are crazy. You know because people are doing stuff at work and they don't have time to do all that. But apart from that though Stacey, because you know you feel people got on you because it was a racial thing. Do you feel that race had anything to do with the campaign? Or they were just on you because of race?
DASH: Yes.
SHEPHERD: You do feel like it had something to do with --
DASH: I think we all see that race has something to do with it. But you know what, I don't want to harp on the negativity of that. It saddened me. But you know, people say things, do things, when they feel let down or they feel like they're not important, or they feel like you don't care about them. I just think that the Republican party needs to embrace more --
BEHAR: Ethnic?
DASH: Everybody.
GOLDBERG: Inclusive, it needs to be more inclusive.
DASH: Inclusive of everyone.
BEHAR: Well, they know that now.
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
DASH: Okay, so they you know they learned a lesson, they learned a lesson. Now we have to move onward and upward, onward and upward and race should not -- [ shakes head ]
11:04 a.m. EDT
______________
11:17 a.m. EDT
GOLDBERG: Now listen, Mitt Romney is in the news again, he claimed that President Obama won the election because of policies that were very generous to Black, Hispanic and young voters and that Obama quote, 'focused on giving targeted groups a big gift'. I have not got my gift yet.
[ Laughter ]
BEHAR: That blender didn't come in the mail yet?
[ Laughter ]
GOLDBERG: A blender?
SHEPHERD: This is -- no gifts, but I just feel like Obama -- I mean Mitt Romney is like I'm going to take my ball and go home. He's like such a sore loser. To me, this confirms that you're not listening to the country. The 47 percent that you didn't care about, it says that people need help, more people were -- Obama was listening. More people need help than people who don't need help. They've said that all along. That's why we do vote for people, because they're going to help --
WALTERS: And the Republican party has to take notice and regroup. Some of the things that these gifts that you didn't get, was partial forgiveness of college loan interest.
SHEPHERD: Forgiveness of college loan interest.
WALTERS: Extension of health coverage for students and their parents, insurance plans under the age of 26. For college age-women, free contraception coverage -- that's under Obama Care which Romney wanted to get rid of. And amnesty to the children of illegal immigrants, those are gifts.
GOLDBERG: Romney said that he was interested in also. Yeah, right?
BEHAR: No, he was against that.
GOLDBERG: No, no, no. The second debate, the second debate, he said I'm for that too, I remember.
BEHAR: That was a flip-flop!
WALTERS: But these are the things that the Republicans -- Stacey, you know, you voted for him. These are the things that they say the Republicans have to look at if they're going to win any elections in the future.
DASH: They have to be more inclusive, and we have to come up with an innovative immigration plan. I mean we have to come up with an immigration plan.
BEHAR: It's not just that.
GOLDBERG: I have a question for you.
BEHAR: You know that 14 percent tax rate that he gets, Romney gets -- that's a gift. I'll take that gift!
[ Applause ]
GOLDBERG: Stacey, the thing that I want to ask you, because as a Republican, I wonder if you see this as I do. The fringe that has attached itself to the Republican party, the fringe that is on the radio saying the vicious things, not just about black people, but about poor white folks and Hispanics and the fringe that seems to always break it down to people who maybe have lost a husband and are raising a child by themselves, or have lost their job and then lost their house because they couldn't -- and they need a little help.
BEHAR: Or have been sick and completely go into bankruptcy.
GOLDBERG: Whatever the reason. Do you think that if the Republican party could say, these people, this fringe element does not represent our party, do you think more people would believe that the Republicans really want to be inclusive? Because I sort of feel like, I've never heard any of them say that is gaga. No, not gaga.
DASH: Gaga?
[ Laughter ]
GOLDBERG: I've reduced myself.
WALTERS: So let's hear it, what do you say?
GOLDBERG: What do you think?
DASH: Yes, they have to be more inclusive. And the point is, we have to be united. United we stand, divided we fall. If there are people who need help, that is our job. If we can help, we have to do that. But not only help, we have to encourage, we have to inspire, we have to support, we have to elevate.
BEHAR: Support with what?
DASH: Money.
BEHAR: With money, you're sounding like a Democrat now.
[ Laughter ]
DASH: No. But there's a way to do that. You can't just do it willy-nilly. You have to make sure it --
GOLDBERG: When you say that that element is not part of the party, I want to --
WALTERS: So far, it is.
GOLDBERG: Yeah, but I'm glad to hear Stacey say that's not the party she knows. Those are not the people she knows.
11:20 a.m. EDT
