MRC Director of Media Analysis and NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham stopped by the Thursday edition of the Fox Business Network’s The Evening Edit and tore into claims by MSNBC host Chris Hayes and Chris Matthews that condemned Trump voters as racist and Republicans as golf-swinging, Wall Street Journal-reading, and sports-watching enthusiasts.
Concerning Hayes, he argued on the May 30 All In that the racist and vulgar behavior by Roseanne Barr “speaks to a certain part of the President's base” and specifically birtherism. He added in a tweet: “Roseanne’s problem turned out to be that she far too authentically represented the actual worldview of a significant chunk of the Trump base.”
Graham declared that Hayes’s comments are “a big smear” and his implication was “that the average Trump voter would sign off on a Planet of the Apes tweet,” which is “just absurd.”
Hayes then had the tables turned on him by Graham:
I mean, you know what’s less absurd is to say that when Chris Hayes went out on Memorial Day weekend and said he was uncomfortable using word hero to describe our war dead that he represented a significant chunk of the Obama voters. Is that fair?
Speaking to Roseanne’s conduct, Graham adamantly stated that it was “objectionable in the extreme.”
Going back to MSNBC, however, Graham drilled home the point that the left worships life through the prism of race (click “expand” to read more):
But these people love talking about race. It is not a mystery that they had all scheduled an hour long town hall meeting to talk about every — their title — Everyday Racism in America because they’re not fond of America and they think that everyday American is a racist and there was no time in those 60 minutes — I watched most of it — to actually discuss, oh, speaking of racists in America, how about Farrakhan? How about people who think, you know, how about anti-white racists? You know they are not taking time on that. So, I mean, it’s — it’s — they just love, love, love talking about race and they love, love the idea that whites should feel guilty all of the time.
Graham later sounded off on Matthews’s delusional stereotype of Republicans offered on Tuesday’s Hardball:
Republicans are told, read The Wall Street Journal, play golf and talk about pro sports. I mean, the men especially are all programmed a certain way. They don’t have the too many outliers, Republicans. They all behave basically the same, right...You must play golf. You don’t play tennis.
Taking note of how Matthews’s panelists “were smiling like you’re such a goober,” Graham credited WMAL host Vince Coglianese for astutely noticing that “[Barack] Obama is two of those three” in that “[h]e golfs a lot and he talks about sports a lot.”
“I mean, these shows are supposed to be based, as you just suggested, facts would be good. Doing your actual research — your homework would be good...Chris Matthews does not do research,” Graham added.
To see the relevant transcript from FBN’s Evening Edit on May 31, click “expand.”
FBN’s Evening Edit
May 31, 2018
5:44 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Edit Alert; Hayes: Trump Voters Racist]
CHRIS HAYES [on MSNBC’s All In, 05/30/18]: Roseanne Barr, in all her bile-laden Twitter glory, speaks to a certain part of the President's base. It’s the part that Trump harnessed when he launched himself into conservative politics in the first place with a laser focus, not on taxes or abortion or health care. But on one issue. What did he do? The racist, conspiracy theory that first black President was a secret Muslim from Kenya.
LIZ MACDONALD: MSNBC host Chris Hayes today fighting critics who made his Hillary Clinton deplorables moments, his comment by claiming a majority of president's voters are racist. Here’s his tweet: “Roseanne’s problem turned out to be that she far too authentically represented the actual worldview of a significant chunk of the Trump base.” MSNBC parent company Comcast closing the day in the red, down almost a percent, down more 22 percent year to date. Let’s bring in Media Research Center Director, Tim Graham. Great to see you, Tim.
TIM GRAHAM: Thank you.
MACDONALD: What’s your reaction?
GRAHAM: That is a big smear. Look, it’s the part where he said it authentically represents a significant big chunk of the Trump voter. It’s basically saying that the average Trump voter would sign off on a Planet of the Apes tweet. I mean, that’s just absurd. I mean, you know what’s less absurd is to say that when Chris Hayes went out on Memorial Day weekend and said he was uncomfortable using word hero to describe our war dead that he represented a significant chunk of the Obama voters. Is that fair?
MACDONALD: It’s a great point you make, Tim. And you know, it’s really media deciding what news they think you should see. I mean, by the way, what was not pointed out here was that President Trump did get eight percent of the black vote, 28 percent of Hispanics, 27 percent of minorities — of Asians, rather, more than Mitt Romney in 2012 or less than Obama, George W., Reagan, and both Clintons. But what’s your take on the media going wall-to-wall on stories like the Roseanne Barr story when there are plenty of other stories to cover?
GRAHAM: I think there is an obvious answer, this tweet was objectionable in the extreme. But these people love talking about race. It is not a mystery that they had all scheduled an hour long town hall meeting to talk about every — their title — Everyday Racism in America because they’re not fond of America and they think that everyday American is a racist and there was no time in those 60 minutes — I watched most of it — to actually discuss, oh, speaking of racists in America, how about Farrakhan?
MACDONALD: Yeah.
GRAHAM: How about people who think, you know, how about anti-white racists? You know they are not taking time on that. So, I mean, it’s — it’s — they just love, love, love talking about race and they love, love the idea that whites should feel guilty all of the time.
MACDONALD: Let’s get to another MSNBC star, Chris Matthews, now saying, basically, effectively, he’s saying Republicans are all programmed the same. Let’s listen.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Edit Alert; Matthews: GOP ‘Programmed’]
MATTHEWS [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 05/29/18]: Is that a cultural problem with the Republican Party as opposed to most Americans? [SCREEN WIPE] Republicans are told, read The Wall Street Journal, play golf and talk about pro sports. I mean, the men especially are all programmed a certain way. They don’t have the too many outliers, Republicans. They all behave basically the same, right? [SCREEN WIPE] You must play golf. You don’t play tennis.
MARGARET CARLSON [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 05/29/18]: Yes.
MATTHEWS [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 05/29/18]: You must watch sports and talk about the NFL. You must — and what else? Read The Wall Street Journal and believe the op-ed page.
MACDONALD: Alright, Tim. Here are the facts, according to Pew — Pew Research Center. Four out of ten women read The Wall Street Journal and that more men read The Economist or Bloomberg versus The Wall Street Journal. What do you make of Chris Matthews’s comments?
GRAHAM: This is again why people — even the guests on his show were smiling like you’re such a goober. You know, on WMAL this morning, Vince Coglianese said Obama is two of those three. He golfs a lot and he talks about sports a lot and so they read The Wall Street Journal. I mean, these shows are supposed to be based, as you just suggested, facts would be good. Doing your actual research — your homework would be good —
MACDONALD: Yeah, but their viewers are not getting that.
GRAHAM: — Chris Matthews does not do research.
MACDONALD: Tim, Tim, what’s happening to the viewers who watch MSNBC shows like this? What’s happening to them when they get that constant stream of this kind of you know some critics say is poison. There’s no facts and research in here.
GRAHAM: Well, and I think that’s important, whatever news channel you are watching is that, you know, are you actually getting facts or are you just getting opinions and then there’s fact-based opinions and then there’s opinions like this that are literally just pulled out of then air like “ehhh, I think Republicans are programmed to all read The Wall Street Journal” is just a classic Chris Matthews-like, I didn't do research before I came on this show, type of quote.
MACDONALD: Okay, Tim Graham, we love having you on. Can you come back soon? You’re terrific. It’s great to see you.
GRAHAM: Thanks.
