MSNBC must really have Tucker Carlson‘s back. Or they’re desperately trying – and failing – to stop a scandal.
Carlson first came under fire after admitting he once assaulted another man after the man “grabbed him” in a public toilet.
Then Carlson and his MSNBC flacks released a statement “clarifying” the matter. Like a game of telephone, however, some of the facts got dropped in that statement. For example, the fact that Carlson “bashed” the man’s head in.
Then, some crafty video editing removed the comments all together, says Media Matters:
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…Both August 29 re-airings did include Carlson’s claim that he had been “bothered in men’s rooms,” neither broadcast aired the portion in which Carlson claimed that he “went back with someone” and “hit him against the stall with his head.” Both re-airings did include a portion of the segment in which Carlson asserted, “I’m not anti-gay in the slightest.”
Of course they did.
Graywolf48
The Republicans, with the able assistance of the corporate media, create their own reality, and revise history as needed. So I am not surprised to learn that Carlson’s self incrimination will be neatly scrubbed from transcripts and video at MSNBC. These folks do this sort of thing constantly and are very successful at it. Another recent example: on Romney’s website old newspaper articles have been rewritten to edit out any mention of Senator Craig. Not only have the Republican propagandists become masters of Orwellian “newspeak” (war is peace, etc), they also learned from Orwell that “He who controls the present, controls the past. He that controls the past controls the future.” The Republican’s believe like the Hitler Youth sang in “Caberet”, that the future belongs to them.
Carlson is a twit and apparently a bit of a thug (but probably only in his fantasy world), if he is to be believed. I think he was just having a “macho” dream moment and the story is probably, in fact, nothing more than an imagining to bolster his image among his male friends. A bit of locker room braggadocio and probably greatly embellished. Carly doesn’t seem to be a very courageous man and probably makes up these stories to bolster his manhood. Although running off to get a friend, probably someone a great deal more masculine than himself, to give his molester(?)a good thrashing just shows he really isn’t that “butch” but rather a little bit of a sissy. I’m sure if the story has any veracity, it was Carlson’s “friend” who did the heavy work while Carly stood by and in a falsetto voice screeched, “yeah, beat the fag”.
Matt
Well said, Graywolf! And it’s time to start calling these guys on their Orwellian shenanigans. I hadn’t heard about the Romney campaing editing newspaper stories — is that being covered anywhere? Is anyone bringing the media and public’s attention to it? We’ve let these guys call the shots and set the terms of debate for too long. MSNBC should be loudly exposed for this bit of revisionism (Keith Olbermann seems to have both backbone and conscience, and I can’t imagine he’d find his network’s behavior amusing).
Graywolf48
Matt, it was Keith Olberman who exposed Mittsy website expunging and rewriting campaign on last night’s telecast. It is Olberman who quoted Orwell’s “he controls..” I just think it bears repeating(I just wanted to make full disclosure here). But Bush has done the same thing numerous times, it appears his most recently at work rewriting the history of the Viet Nam War. In a recent speech he chose to ignore that it was the Viet Namese who stopped the Khmer Rouge (which the U.S. fully supported) in their slaughter of civilians in Cambodia. Another quote from Orwell: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face—forever.”
Gregg
I agree that the media is completely manipulative – but what do you suggest MSNBC should have done? They edited out offensive content from re-broadcasts of their show. Isn’t that a good thing? I don’t think they’re trying to pretend it didn’t happen.
hisurfer
I agree with graywolf48 – this sounds like a “macho dream moment” to me. I don’t even know if it’s “anti-gay” so much as a male version of a standard rape/revenge fantasy.
Just picture Tucker Carlson played by Ashley Judd or J. Lo & you’ll get the picture.
underbear1
It makes NO SENSE if Tucker yelled out and broke the grasp of an assailant, does anyone believe the assailant would have stayed in the restroom when an underage kid might be reporting him?
I call BULLSH*T!
Look at to “catch a predator” footage, when a predator is confronted they RUN.
If Tucker made up this story the MSNBC needs to fire him.
F*CK GLSEN and GLADD wanting an apology, if he lied, he’s GONE!
pecs48inch
Hum. I think we need to build a bathroom complex specifically for Republicans starting with one in Minneapolis called “The Craig-Carlson Republican Bathroom.”
The repubs could look for sex and get beat up at the same time.
What wonder. 😉
Pecs
dizzyspins
If a woman is standing in a room and strange man starts visibly pawing at her, no one would criticize her for pushing, shoving or even hitting him in the head. But if its a guy standing in a bathroom, the sensitivity is for the perpetrator, not the victim. Making sexual contact with someone who does not want it and hasnt asked for it is at the very least sexual assault.
I dont think Tucker Carslon is some meatheat jock who went out of his way to find some fags to bash,