Martin Bashir Lost His Job For What Rush Limbaugh Gets Away With Every Day

Martin Bashir resigned from MSNBC today over comments that were tame compared to what Rush Limbaugh gets away every single day on the radio.

In his statement Bashir said that he was resigning because he didn’t want to be a distraction, but the reality is that there is a double standard at work in our media and it benefits conservatives on a daily basis.

Here a small sample of what Rush Limbaugh gets to say with no consequences on a daily basis.

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Last week, Limbaugh called the Pope a Marxist, “I gotta be very careful. I have been numerous times to the Vatican. It wouldn’t exist without tons of money. But regardless, what this is, somebody has either written this for him or gotten to him. This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope. Unfettered capitalism? That doesn’t exist anywhere. Unfettered capitalism is a liberal socialist phrase to describe the United States. Unfettered, unregulated.”

In July, Limbaugh used the N-word on his show, “This was between nine and ten p.m. last night on CNN, who are in a quest to become the, again, most respected news organization in the country, perhaps even the world. So “nigga” with an A on the end… (interruption) Well, I think I can now. Isn’t that the point? ‘Cause it’s not racist. That’s the point. I could be talking about “a male.” I could be talking about a Chinese male, a guy at the Laundromat. You could be talking about a man.”

Also in July, Limbaugh told white people not feel bad about slavery, “You know, folks, I have to tell you something. This white guilt, it’s time for all this white guilt to end. I know it won’t because I know that most people are scared to death and live lives totally immersed in fear because that’s what other people want them to live like, but I’m sick of it. White guilt is doing nothing for anybody, and white guilt is not solving anything. And besides that, a little history lesson for you. If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians. The white race has probably had fewer slaves and for a briefer period of time than any other in the history of the world.”

In 2009, Limbaugh told Jews to get over the Holocaust. He also told Native Americans to stop complaining. In 2010, Limbaugh discussed Barack and Michelle Obama’s slave blood, “I don’t know why Michele my belle is not there, but as has been said by several black civil rights leaders, Obama does not have authentic slave blood, but Michele does. We can only speculate. Maybe she is at a skybox at a baseball or football game, who knows?”

Of course, there were the Sandra Fluke comments that inspired an advertiser boycott that rages on today.

Here’s the deal according to our corporate owned media. Conservatives get to say whatever they want, no matter how racist it may be, especially if it relates to the current president. However, someone who is calling out the right’s deplorable racism will lose their job if they are too aggressive or truthful.

Martin Bashir was too honest, so he is out of a job. He confronted Sarah Palin’s ugly racism with an equal ugliness, and the media wouldn’t tolerate it. The rules are different for the left. They aren’t allowed to use the right’s own tactics against them.

What Rush Limbaugh gets away with, Martin Bashir can’t. There is a bias in the media, but it isn’t liberal. The outrage over Bashir’s departure is so strong because it is more proof of the existence of the media’s conservative bias even on so called forward leaning progressive channels.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association