The View has a long reputation for its liberal slant, but when one of its own calls out the liberal bias among celebrities, hysteria ensues.
Such was the case on Wednesday when the lone conservative Elizabeth Hasselbeck spoke out against the overwhelming liberal presence that dominates Hollywood. [See video below break. MP3 audio here.]
The segment initially focused on whether or not celebrities should be publicly endorsing candidates, which for the most part was a fairly tame discussion. Well, it was, until Hasslbeck responded to comments made by Whoopi Goldberg, who said:
I will never forget, once, years ago, I was sitting with her, might have been with Bill Clinton and a woman came up to me and she said, how dare you try to influence what I'm doing, blah blah blah. You know, you're just a celebrity. You don't -- you know, what do you really stand for in the world? And I was like, I know what I stand for, but the fact that you're asking me to tell you what to do. You're concerned about me -- you have the issue, it's not us. It's you.
Hasselbeck responded by saying:
Don’t you think to, I mean right now I think the president has a lock on Hollywood? And I also believe that there are celebrities out there who aside from Clint Eastwood are afraid to actually come out in support of a Republican candidate because they’re afraid for their jobs and that is fact.
Hasselbeck’s comments caused an explosion from the four other hosts, resulting in a cacophonous shouting match directed towards Elizabeth. Goldberg, not wanting to have a full discussion on what had just ensued, conveniently ended the conversation by taking the show to commercial and failing to resume the dispute after the break.
Once again, the co-hosts on The View silenced the lone conservative on the show because she dared to call them and the majority of Hollywood for what they truly are, liberal supporters of President Obama.
See relevant transcript below.
ABC
The View
October 17, 2012
11:08 a.m. EDT
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: It's going to be an interesting thing. Now should celebrities in general, that's the question people are asking, should celebrities in general, be publicly endorsing candidates?
BARBARA WALTERS: Have you?
GOLDBERG: Yeah. But that was the question. I feel like it's my right to say whatever I want to say, if I want to say who I'm voting for or not say. I think I have every right. If people who are going to follow what I think, it's a rough road with me. You know. I'm just letting you know where I come from. It's like Elizabeth. Elizabeth lets you know where she comes from. She's not telling you what to do. You all have brains of your own. That’s how I look at it.
WALTERS: We heard Barbara Streisand stringing, and by the way her voice is as wonderful as ever, she was doing her concert here. And I thought, oh look she's not discussing politics. Wrong. Somewhere along the line, and we know that she is for Barack Obama, she has a great voice. Is the fact that Barbara Streisand is for Barack Obama and has a great voice going to make anyone vote for Barack Obama?
JOY BEHAR: I feel like I've already endorsed Barack Obama many times.
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK: I think celebrities, we turn to celebrities now to sell clothing, to sell perfume. Those things are endorsements. They endorse these products and the products and their companies ask the celebrities to endorse them because why? They have selling power. Influence. Right. And they can convince you to get the product. Of course. Of course there's influence when it comes to their endorsement.
WALTERS: Why did they put Clint Eastwood on at the Republican…?
SHERRI SHEPHERD: But he didn't do so good.
WALTERS: To some people, if the woman or the man, I'm crazy about has an opinion if we really think that Whoopi knows what she's talking about and we respect her, I do, then it's important.
SHEPHERD: Why do people get so much madder at celebrities when they do, like when you go to see Barbara Streisand, you go, i don't want to hear politics and she says it and then people get so upset.
GOLDBERG: Because, and I will never forget, once, years ago, I was sitting with her, might have been with Bill Clinton and a woman came up to me and she said, how dare you try to influence what I'm doing, blah blah blah. You know, you're just a celebrity. You don't -- you know, what do you really stand for in the world?
SHEPHERD: Oh, boy.
GOLDBERG: And I was like, I know what I stand for, but the fact that you're asking me to tell you what to do. You're concerned about me -- you have the issue, it's not us. It's you.
HASSELBECK: Don’t you think to, I mean right now I think the president has a lock on Hollywood. And I also believe that there are celebrities out there who aside from Clint Eastwood are afraid to actually come out in support of a Republican candidate because they’re afraid for their jobs and that is fact.
GOLDBERG: That is not fact. That is not fact. But you know what, we can't -- no, it's not.
[Inaudible back and forth]
GOLDBERG: We’re going to commercial!
