Has-been comedian and Air America host Janeane Garofalo turned up on Keith Olbermann’s little corner of Nowheresville last night, to unload some really deep thoughts about Republican racism and presidential candidate Herman Cain. Cain is an outsider candidate and successful businessman who worked wonders for Godfather’s Pizza. Oh, and by the way, he’s black. That’s the most important thing – indeed, the only thing about him that matters – to the race-crazed Garofalo.
You didn’t play the video, did you? I don’t blame you. Don’t worry, I’ll cover the lowlights. For future reference, a carefully organized combination of eyewash, disinfectant, and well-aged Scotch can be used to cleanse the residue of a Garofalo interview from the ailing viewer. Unfortunately, you have to drink all three.
According to Garofalo, Cain is only in the presidential race “because he deflects the racism that is inherent in the Republican party, the conservative movement, the Tea Party certainly.”
This is necessary because “the Republican Party has been moving more and more to the right, but also race-baiting more. Gay-baiting more. Religion-baiting more.” Assuming Garofalo is using the English language properly – always a risky bet – her insertion of “but also” would imply she thinks race, gay, and religion-baiting are not automatically associated with “moving more and more to the right.” That’s major progress for her! In fact, graded on a Garofalo scale, I think that qualifies as enlightenment.
Why would Cain be willing to serve this role for the Republikkkan Party? Garofalo thinks he might be getting paid by the Koch Brothers, Grover Norquist, Any Anything, or even Karl Rove. I’m not sure who “Any Anything” is, but if Norquist and Rove are pulling down Koch money these days, I am officially ready to be co-opted by whichever cell of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy employs them.
The VRWC might have been able to get Cain’s services for a discount price, because according to Garofalo, he may be suffering from “a touch of Stockholm syndrome” after trying to “curry with the oppressors.” I think she means “curry favor,” although once again, Garofalo to English translation is an art, not a science. Maybe she literally means Cain has been making curry for his Republican oppressors. I can’t speak for the entire VRWC, but personally, I like a good curry.
So, there you have it, black Americans: you can only disagree with liberal orthodoxy if you’re a hostage softened up by Stockholm syndrome, and therefore willing to take payola from the Koch Brothers.
Why pay attention to what a loon like Garofalo says, on a TV show nobody watches? Three reasons:
1. It’s fun. Low-hanging fruit is a part of any well-balanced intellectual diet.
2. Janeane Garofalo is a vicious racist. If she’s not a “racist,” then the term has absolutely no meaning. It is important to note and denounce actual racism, as opposed to the sick totalitarian fantasy kind rattling around in Garofalo’s head. She deserves no pity for being an idiot who doesn't have any other arguments to make against Cain. Stupidity does not excuse racism, much less giving it a televised platform.
3. Keith Olbermann spent many years working for a major (stop laughing) network, MSNBC. He currently appears on a network owned by Al Gore, who was the Vice-President of the United States, and came very close to winning the presidency on the Democrat ticket. Gore has editorial responsibility for allowing this to happen. The Democrat Party owns this interview, as surely as a comparably ugly rant broadcast on a network owned by Dick Cheney or Dan Quayle would be hung around the necks of Republicans.
Republicans would be expected to denounce their versions of Garofalo, Olbermann, and Gore in the strongest terms. No less should be expected of any Democrat with a shred of integrity.
Of course, in this analogy, the Democrat version of Herman Cain would scarcely be expected to confront Garofalo’s ugly racism with the mellow good humor of the real deal. If Cain’s campaign takes off, he’ll be hearing a lot more of this garbage. He doesn’t get enough credit for how gracefully he deals with it.
Update: She did say "curry favor," although I thought I just heard her say "curry with the Republicans," so let it be duly noted. I still like curry.
Also, I should point out that she thinks women who support Republicans are also suffering from Stockholm syndrome, which is a profoundly sexist thing to say. Racist and sexist boxes checked!
