CNN's Dana Bash asked a great question on Tuesday: were Tina Fey's disgusting remarks about conservative women at the Mark Twain Awards "the first time that PBS has been accused of editing to favor Republicans?"
Almost as telling, CNN's Gloria Borger appearing with Bash on "John King USA" answered, "They edited out something Paul McCartney said that was offensive at one point to Republicans, so probably not" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
JOHN KING, HOST: Let's pivot here to show that everybody in life needs an editor and sometimes everybody in life gets an editor. We played this for you the other night. This is Tina Fey accepting a Mark Twain award. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: I would be a liar and an idiot if I didn't thank Sarah Palin for helping get me here tonight. My partial resemblance and her crazy voice are the two luckiest things that have ever happened to me.
(LAUGHTER)
FEY: All kidding aside, I'm so proud to represent American's humor --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That's Tina Fey. She's always funny. Now what we learned since then though is that PBS decided they say for time reasons to edit this part out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEY: For everybody else, it's a win-win unless you're a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years. But for most women, success of conservative women is good for all of us unless you believe in evolution. (INAUDIBLE) I take it back. The whole thing's a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now Ed Rollins, she's funny, she's also political. Do you take it that this was edited out because they needed to get to a certain time for the program? We face those demands every day or when they had to get to a certain time, were they political in the editing?
ED ROLLINS: They politically edit it. There's no question about it. PBS does that from time to time and you know whatever. At the end of the day I think Tina Fey will be very happy to have Sarah Palin's Alaska ratings, which will be her own show and I think to a certain extent they sort of made each other, and I think to a certain extent I'm happy to see her get the Mark Twain award. I'm a big fan of Tina Fey.
DANA BASH: Is this the first time that PBS has been accused of editing --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: -- to favor Republicans? I mean that's my question right. I mean are -- they're accused -- PBS is the network that's accused of being --
GLORIA BORGER: They edited out something Paul McCartney said that was offensive at one point to Republicans, so probably not.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Go ahead, Roland.
ROLAND MARTIN: Hey John -- John, this is a perfect example of what Tina Fey said and they edited out was the funniest stuff that she said. So when people ask all the time why PBS is boring, hello. Exhibit A.
ROLLINS: I thought it was a master plan. They wanted to be boring so they could talk to all the liberal Democrats.
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Well, then they want you as a viewer, Roland.
It appears Bash and Borger have no doubt about the liberal leanings of PBS.
How telling.
