MSNBC analyst Halperin suspended for Obama comment
Loose lips sink more than ships.
MSNBC hosts duck for cover, but Halperin (right) has already dropped the bomb.
MSNBC indefinitely suspended senior political analyst Mark Halperin just hours after he called President Barack Obama a [bleep] Thursday morning.
Halperin, an editor for Time and a regular on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, apologized on-air immediately after making the remark.
The gaffe occurred after Halperin asked the show’s host, Joe Scarborough, if the show was using a seven-second delay.
Scarborough said yes, and Halperin made his fatal error.
Scarborough appeared shocked by the comment.
It seems the show’s producer was not familiar with delay button functionality.
MSNBC issued the following comment:
Mark Halperin’s comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.
Halperin agreed:
I completely agree with everything in MSNBC’s statement about my remark. I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it.
Though the word Halperin used is not on George Carlin’s infamous list, it was close enough to get the boot from national television.
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31 comments Add your comment
Frisky Nachos
June 30th, 2011
11:41 am
Doubt suspension would of happened if he had called W same word.
UGotta B Kiddin
June 30th, 2011
11:41 am
1st.
But I got nothing.
Disgusted
June 30th, 2011
11:51 am
Absolutely sick and tired of the “veiled” racism going on in the press.
At no point during the incompetent “W” era did anyone ever resort to the name calling that Obama has been subjected to.
MLK would be disappointed to find that after 50 years, we still haven’t moved forward a day.
oh-man-oh-man-YES
June 30th, 2011
12:02 pm
hahahaahaha…lol….now that’s some PROPER ANALYSIS!
Mark Halperin, experienced respected political analyst: “Obama is a …!”
Looks like the country is WAKING UP!
NittyGrittyNews
June 30th, 2011
12:33 pm
The Truth Always Hurts. Too bad the mainstream media rarely speaks it to it’s viewing public. Correct Analysis – Spot on!
Mike
June 30th, 2011
12:37 pm
Disgusted, step away from the Orwell. Try to use your long-term memory and go back two years to the days “F The President” and “Somewhere in Texas a Village is Missing Its Idiot” bumper stickers.
People are criticizing Obama because he’s an ineffective president with bad ideas, not because he’s black.
JRHD
June 30th, 2011
12:39 pm
I agree 100% w/ Halperin. Obama is a huge —-! He gets called on not showing leadership on this debt crisis and what is his response? He comes back w/ the ever snappy, “I know you are, but what am I?” response of a 6yr old by retorting that the Republicans are the ones who need to show leadership. Wait a minute. Why is it that the Democrats didn’t want to raise taxes two yrs ago…they didn’t even pass a budget last year, and now all of the sudden everything is the Republicans fault and the only way to solve anything is for the Republicans to show some leadership and decide to raise taxes. I thought he was POTUS and leader of the free world. Does he need to take clues from a bunch of US Representatives? Isn’t he the almighty savior of the USA and the free world? Doesn’t he have all the answers? Where is the hope and change? Can’t he just wave his magic wand and make everyone do his bidding? Of course he can’t and when people don’t fall lock-step in line w/ what he says he turns the a-hole mode up full blast. The guy is arrogant and smug and smarmy and sarcastic and shows very few leadership skills. That is not to say other politicians are not guilty of the same thing, but he most assuredly comes across that way to me.
JRHD
June 30th, 2011
12:42 pm
@ disgusted – seriously, did you never listen to, read or watch the MSM while GWB was in office? How many times was he caricatured as a big-eared goof w/ less than normal intelligence? The media constantly portrayed him as a hick or a rube. Forget the fact that he had a degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. I am no Bush fan, but to contend Obama has been subjected to any more ridicule than Bush is not just ludicrous it suggests you are hiding your head in the sand.
Checkers
June 30th, 2011
1:08 pm
Actually you’re all wrong. Our 37th president was the most verbally maligned of them all. The media must’ve referred to him as Dick Nixon a million times.
SOUTHERNBLACK WOMAN
June 30th, 2011
1:13 pm
You can’t put the genie back in the racist bottle…..he meant it, stupid white fool!