Via Real Clear Politics: It's clear that MSNBC host Martin Bashir enjoys making fun of Republican candidates who have sick family members. First, he jabbed Rick Santorum for caring for his daughter, complaining about Santorum's small amount of donations to charity. Last week, he took a jab at Ann Romney, claiming that Mitt Romney is exploiting her health issues to gain votes. [Audio here. Video below the jump.]
On the April 25 program, the British-born journalist had this to say, “We know that Ann Romney has had suffering in the form of multiple sclerosis. She’s also suffered with breast cancer. Do you think he is intentionally using her to close the gender gap?”
Bashir’s comments did not seem to offend the two liberal panelists present. After Bashir’s outlandish comments, both went back to discussing Mitt Romney’s wealth.
During the same segment, regular MSNBC contributor Krystal Ball trashed the Paul Ryan budget, claiming that it is terrible for women, yet giving no evidence to back her claims.
The network is so wedded to it's "war on women" meme that it sees the worst intentions in Republican policy proposals while being blind to real hatred of conservative and Republican women by its own hosts and contributors.
You can read the relevant transcript below:
MSNBC
Martin Bashir
April 25, 2012
3:33 p.m. EDT
KRYSTAL BALL, Democratic strategist: Ann is, she is good on the stump and I think he is smart to use her. But the whole thing is that you can’t just say, I know a woman, I am married to a woman, so, right, women should like me. You have to actually have something to offer the American people and policies that are going to help women and help empower women and so far he has failed to articulate anything that would help the American people and he has put his name behind, for example, the Paul Ryan budget plan which would be devastating to millions of women. I mean, programs that help the poor like programs that help the elderly, social security and medicare, those are predominantly helping women actually. That's what the numbers show. So, he wants to cut back on those. And iIf he doesn't get on the ride side of the issues there is nothing Ann Romney can say that can make up for it.
MARTIN BASHIR, host: Joy-Ann, We know that Ann Romney has had suffering in the form of multiple sclerosis. She’s also suffered with breast cancer. Do you think he is intentionally using her to close the gender gap that Krystal basically makes the point about, that the president is so far ahead with women.
JOY-ANN REID: Absolutely. Yeah, Absolutley. And I think the Romney campaign does recognize that his problems with women which began before the quote, unquote war on women and the contraception issues, he is want polled well with women period, particularly with women who work and even breaking even with Barack Obama with suburban white women which traditionally something Republicans do well with. The issue for Romney that if there was no google, he probably could be very effective just having Ann Romney because she is very personable, presents herself well. The problem is, when she tells wonderful heartwarming stories people like us google and we find out whether or not there is actually truth behind for instance did they struggle? When they said they had to also struggle with bills, they had to sell stock in order to do so.
