MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts is an openly liberal host who frequently makes disparaging comments towards conservatives and the Republican Party. And as it the modus operandi at the network, he frequently brings on fellow liberals to bash conservatives, often without the benefit of giving a conservative equal time to fire back.
Following shocking revelations that the IRS has been selectively investigating conservative groups for some three years now, Roberts brought on Julian Bond, chairman emeritus of the NAACP, to discuss what Roberts believed, “brings to mind the agency's 2004 probe of the NAACP.” [See video after jump. MP3 audio here.]
Bond, who has been a harsh critic of Republicans and the Tea Party, is known for his extreme and disgusting rhetoric towards conservatives, and today was no different as he blasted the Tea Party as "a group of people who are admittedly racist" and "overtly political." "I think it's entirely legitimate to look at the Tea Party," Bond insisted.
After Roberts asked Bond about what the potential fallout might be for the Obama administration, Bond doubled down on his disgusting rhetoric:
They are the Taliban wing of American politics and we all ought to be a little worried about them.
Roberts barely challenged Bond’s disgusting comments, merely asking him, “Sir, do you think that's a little harsh, calling them the Taliban wing of American politics?” to which Bond retorted, “Not at all. Not at all. The truth may hurt, but it's the truth.”
Readers of NewsBusters shouldn’t be surprised at Roberts’ lack of pushback towards Bond’s despicable comments. In 2011 Roberts made disparaging comments towards the GOP in which he argued the GOP wants to go back to when no women voted and where “slavery was cool.”
Roberts’ refusal to adequately challenge Bond’s anti-conservative hatred is sadly not unexpected as he has a long history of slandering the GOP, but is given a pass by his bosses at MSNBC.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
MSNBC Live
May 14, 2013
11:10 a.m. Eastern
THOMAS ROBERTS: So the IRS’ systemic targeting of certain conservative groups brings to mind the agency's 2004 probe of the NAACP. Now at that time that investigation came less than a month before the presidential election. The IRS looking into the NAACP’s tax status, claiming a speech by the group's leader at the time in which he criticized then President George W. Bush over the Iraq War might have crossed the nonpartisan line. Now two years later the irs cleared the organization of those allegations. Julian Bond is the Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP and was chairman of the organization during that audit. Mr. Bond, it’s good to have you here. And I just want to remind our viewers, play the comments that the IRS saw as politically charged. It was part of your keynote address at the time at the NAACP’s convention in July of '04. Take a look.
JULIAN BOND: Or as defenders have tried to stifle political debate. If you oppose the war, they say you don't support our troops. That's nonsense. If it was up to us, every man and woman stationed in Iraq would be safely at home with their loved ones right now.
ROBERTS: So, sir, past is prologue, auditors notified the NAACP that it would be subject to a 10 percent tax for political expenditures as well as additional penalties. Looking back do you maintain that the NAACP was unfairly targeted given the rocky relationship at the time with president bush and are there parallels to what we're seeing today?
BOND: I don't think there are any parallels to what we're seeing today. Of course we were unfairly targeted. The letter the IRS sent to me, I was the chairman of the NAACP at the time said I had criticized the President of the United States. And I've grown up thinking that was my right as an American citizen. And every American citizen had that right. I thought this was picking on the NAACP. It was close to the election. We're an effective get out the vote apparatus. Most of the people we’re going to turn out to vote are not by our design Democrats but happen to be Democrats. And it was an attempt to weaken us just before the election.
ROBERTS: Sir, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle though they’re coming down on what we're seeing today in the IRS apparently targeting these Tea Party groups. Doing so at a time in 2010 during the mid-term elections where we saw an up rise in the Tea Party sweeping in the Congress. Is there not -- shouldn't there not be the same level of outrage certainly from the White House? I mean, at the time in '04, Congressman Charlie Rangel called the audit a, quote, police state tactic. Do you think that there might be a double standard being looked at here?
BOND: No, I don't think there's a double standard at all. I think it's entirely legitimate to look at the Tea Party. I mean here are a group of people who are admittedly racist. Who are overtly political. Who've tried as best they can to harm President Obama in every way they can. I don't think there are correct parallels between these two incidents. It was wrong for the IRS to behave in this heavy handed manner. They didn't explain it well before or now what they're doing and why they're doing it. But there are no parallels between these two.
ROBERTS: Chairman Bond, what do you think the fallout will be for the Obama administration? Especially during a time where the Tea Party had maybe lost a little air? Do you think that this is going to help inflate that, especially as we ramp up to the midterms for 2014?
BOND I hope not. I hope they don't get anymore air. You know, they are the Taliban wing of American politics and we all ought to be a little worried about them.
ROBERTS: Sir, do you think that's a little harsh, calling them the Taliban wing of American politics?
BOND: Not at all. Not at all. The truth may hurt, but it's the truth.
ROBERTS: Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP. Sir, thanks for your time on this.
