Ultra liberal Martin Bashir hit a new low on Tuesday, outrageously comparing Rick Santorum to mass-murdering dictator Joseph Stalin. In a fit of vitriol, the MSNBC anchor also connected the Republican to George Orwell's Big Brother from 1984. However, the most repugnant moment came when Bashir spewed, "If you listen carefully to Rick Santorum, he sounds more like Stalin than Pope Innocent III." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
What prompted this left-wing hate from MSNBC? Bashir began by playing a clip of Santorum in bad lighting. He then contrasted, "...When we last saw the Republican front-runner Rick Santorum speaking before a crowd yesterday, all we could think of was George Orwell's novel 1984 about a society dominated by the most extreme form of totalitarianism." Before showing a clip of the movie version of 1984, he added, "See if you can spot the similarities."
Bashir then highlighted Santorum and a seemingly unrelated clip from the film. Big Brother shown denouncing, "One week from now, in this very square, we shall have a demonstration of our resolve."
The similarities? According to Bashir, "Rick Santorum holds some pretty stern views on a number of important issues and he regularly sounds like a theocrat. For example, he's asserted that the right to privacy does not exist and has equated same sex relationships with bestiality."
(Is Santorum Stalin or a theocrat? Considering that Stalin's Russia was rigidly atheistic, he can't be both.)
Bashir also included this nasty remark: "In reviewing his book It Takes a Family, one writer said "Mr. Santorum has one of the finest minds of the 13th century."
On January 6, 2012, Bashir warned Newt Gingrich to stop using hateful language "before someone gets killed."
When Sarah Palin made a Stalin reference, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell on the January 30th Last Word, sputtered, "If I am reading that correctly, Sarah Palin is accusing Mitt Romney of being Stalin-esque. This can't -- can this get any better for Democrats? I don`t think it can."
A transcript of February 14 Martin Bashir segment, which aired at 3:59pm EST, follows:
MARTIN BASHIR: It's time now to clear the air and when we last saw the Republican front-runner Rick Santorum speaking before a crowd yesterday, all we could think of was George Orwell's novel 1984 about a society dominated by the most extreme form of totalitarianism. See if you can spot the similarities.
RICK SANTORUM: -The loud voices that support the Republican Party and the conservative cause!
BIG BROTHER (from 1984): One week from now, in this very square, we shall have a demonstration of our resolve.BIG BROTHER: Brothers and sisters, the endless catalogue of bestial atrocities that will inevitably ensue from this appalling act, must, can, and will be terminated.
BASHIR: Mr. Santorum has pledged to repeal all federal funding for contraception and says individual states should be allowed to outlaw any kind of birth control.
BIG BROTHER: The forces of darkness and the treasonable maggots who collaborate with them, must, can and will be wiped from the face of the Earth!
BASHIR: In reviewing his book It Takes a Family, one writer said "Mr. Santorum has one of the finest minds of the 13th century." But I'm not so sure. If you listen carefully to Rick Santorum, he sounds more like Stalin than Pope Innocent III. Thanks so much for watching.
