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
hahahahaha-WHOA-NELLY
June 30th, 2011
1:15 pm
Enter your comments here
hahahahaha-WHOA-NELLY
June 30th, 2011
1:17 pm
Respected Washington political analyst: “Obama is a D!CK”
Whoa! Spot-on analysis from one of the best, most respected individuals in the business! hahahahah
America is WAKING UP!
JRHD
June 30th, 2011
1:39 pm
@ SouthernBlack Woman – Interesting, so if I am critical of someone and they are of a different ethnicity than me I am racist. What a myopic view of the world you enjoy. Of course he meant what he said, he was giving his opinion of how he felt the President was acting during the presser. That doesn’t mean he thinks the President acts that way all the time. Funny thing about opinions, everyone has them and they are all different. We are all entitled to them and they don’t have to be the same. That is what makes living in this country so wonderful. If you don’t agree w/ me that is OK. That doesn’t mean you are a stupid black fool, although you are black by your own admission and you are probably stupid if you don’t agree w/ me since in my not so humble opinion I am BRILLIANT…but then again that is just my opinion.
OedipusTax
June 30th, 2011
2:52 pm
@Digusted shows disgusting ignorance and myopic blindness. Nothing has changed in 50 years. Probably as ignorant as any assertion anybody can make, except for somebody living on Mars for that time period.
@SouthernBlackWoman thinks it’s racist for a person, a white liberal, to say that black person acted like a “dick” All males have them and no color was mentioned. But this woman asserts that this white liberal is a “stupid white fool.” @SouthernBlackWoman is the racist, by her own words. And a bigot filled with hate as well. Ugly, isn’t it? And so foolish.
I wish these examples were rare. Unfortunately, at the AJC, what else can be expected from readers polluted with the hate of Cynthia Tucker and Cynthia McKinney?
OedipusTax
June 30th, 2011
3:01 pm
Please note, because it was liberal MSNBC on which the silly Halperin remark was made, the AJC barely has covered the story. However, if this silly word was mentioned on Fox News, you can bet that this story would be on the front page of the AJC, NY Times, LA Times, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, & NBC for a month. Senatorial investigations would follow. Calls for Fox News to be censored and put out of business would be applauded by liberals, the ACLU, and the NAACP. Are there any bigger hypcrites in history anywhere in any country than what passes for the liberals today?
middleoftheroader
June 30th, 2011
3:42 pm
I agree with many of the bloggers. This kind of thing has never happened even in the days of FDR and Nixon. I don’t care how you scream about freedom of expression, etc., it is racism and disrespect for the biracial man holding the office of president. No matter what lies Dubya told or how many rights he tried to usurp he was treated respectfully. Obama may not speak up and call these ignorant jerks out but the rest of us should. It’s fine to disagree with him and his policies and wish someone else was president. But he deserves the same respect and civility with which Carter, Bush Sr., and Clinton are treated. Don’t forget, he was elected by a majority not installed after his brother’s state bypassed legal voting procedures and gave him an election and position he did not win.
freenow
June 30th, 2011
5:53 pm
obama’s media people will get him fired and banned from the markets—book it.
Ms Lindsey
July 1st, 2011
5:58 pm
White folk will float to where they live at their core, so will black folk. I am comfortable allowing each individual the freedon to speak their truth, however, Mr. Obama holds the highest office in the land, he is a representative of ALL Americans and as a result, it is ALWAYS unacceptable to disrespect the office we have raised him to. I was offended when the attacks focused on any President. It is my opinion that the world viewers use our disrepect of our highest leader against us. The news media is the purveyor of the pulse (not always a real pulse) of the American people’s view and decisions are made based on media slant. Military men and women die as a result of the information the media broadcasts. I simply want us Americans to begin to respect ourselves, stop the monday morning quarter backing and the racist sidebars and provide real analysis of the issues. Close your mouths and open your ears, provide only the facts men and women, just the facts.
Not intended to offend, just my opinion.
Baltisraul
July 1st, 2011
8:23 pm
Not good judgement but the truth hurts. Our president is a boob!
BBUA
July 1st, 2011
8:41 pm
Middleoftheroader – Come on your memory can’t be that bad? W was called all kinds of names and none were nice. He was often compared to Hitler. Even liberals like you can’t be that bad.