According to "The View's" Whoopi Goldberg, communism is a "great concept" that "makes perfect sense" on paper. The comedienne and co-host made the rather astounding comment on Tuesday while discussing the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.
After mentioning the background of new leader Kim Jong Un and his education at a Swiss boarding school, Goldberg proclaimed, "...If you say that this is how our culture is and then you send your child to a Swiss boarding school. You know, this is what happens with communism. It's a great concept. On paper it makes perfect sense." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
The comic added, "But once you put a human being in power, it shifts. We saw it in Russia, we've seen it all around the world."
After lauding the "great concept" of communism, Goldberg said of North Korea: "But, I keep my fingers crossed."
Co-host Joy Behar chimed in, "We wish them well in North Korea."
Behar's comments sound similar to that of the late Andy Rooney. In 1989, he credulously insisted:
"Communism got to be a terrible word here in the United States, but our attitude toward it may have been unfair. Communism got in with a bad crowd when it was young and never had a fair chance...
The Communist ideas of creating a society in which everyone does his best for the good of everyone is appealing and fundamentally a more uplifting idea than capitalism. Communism's only real weakness seems to be that it doesn't work."
-- 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney in The New York Times, June 26, 1989.
A transcript of the December 20 segment can be found below:
11:10am EST
SHERRI SHEPHERD: But I was going to go back to Kim Jong, what interests me, is the fact that now that he's gone, his son is supposed to take over. Now, his son, it seems that he was ruling, Jong- he didn't have a lot of compassion, 'cause I know a lot of the money went into the military. But, his son- he went to boarding school in Switzerland.
JOY BEHAR: What is he, 12? The son?
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: He's in his late 20s.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: His age is protected.
SHEPHERD: He's in his late 20s. But he went to school- he went to school in Switzerland. So it's interesting to see, with him being, you know, being in the western world, if he comes over to rule, is he going to bring that sensibility to-
GOLDBERG: Well, that's why there is some question as to whether he's actually going to be left to rule because the military is kind of going "we're not sure." And just to talk about the diplomacy for a second. You know, during the Clinton administration, one of the things that he did was a lot of leaders that we had issues with, was he did go and he did diplomatic, he and Kim Jong Yum Yum, as I call him, talked quite a bit. And there was a, you know, staying off. When Mr. Bush came in, he had a different focus. So, Kim Jong-
BEHAR: Il.
GOLDBERG: Kim Jong-il- there's too many.
BEHAR: He's not ill anymore. He's dead now
GOLDBERG: Remember, he thought he had been insulted, remember?
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Oh, my gosh. Yes.
GOLDBERG: Remember, he felt he was insulted because he wanted the same kind of talks with Mr. Bush that with Mr. Clinton had with him. So, a lot of this- a lot of this- a lot of this harumph is a lot of ego stuff on their part.
HASSELBECK: And this guy is so young, he's probably just going to want to text. He's going to be like, "Let's text over it. Let's not e-mail."
BEHAR: By the way, Saddam Hussein who is now taken out, dead. He also liked American culture. It didn't- In other words, it doesn't always matter.
GOLDBERG: No, it doesn't matter. Because, you know, if you say that this is how our culture is and then you send your child to a Swiss boarding school- You know, this is what happens with communism. It's a great concept. On paper it makes perfect sense. But once you put a human being in power, it shifts. We saw it in Russia, we've seen it all around the world. It's nuts. But, I keep my fingers crossed.
BEHAR: We wish them well in North Korea.
