What If Bill O'Reilly Had Said This?

Dave Neiwert, a Washington state resident who blogs at Orcinus and elsewhere, is one of the USA's top writers on racism, militias, anti-Semitism and eliminationism. His book, Strawberry Days, about the growth of the pre-World War II Japanese-American community east of Lake Washington near Seattle,their internment during World War II, and postwar struggles to regain their livelihoods and sense of community, is the best book I've read about the experience of Japanese-Americans in the mid-20th century.

Yesterday, Dave posted an essay on the subject of KFQD-AM's second most insidious radio commentator. This Tuesday, on KFQD, O'Reilly stated, "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels."

O'Reilly's producer, David Tabakoff, lamely defended O'Reilly, stating, "What Bill said was an obvious repudiation of anyone attacking Michelle Obama. As he has said more than ten times, he is giving her the benefit of the doubt."

Yesterday evening, on his FAUX news TV program, O'Reilly, even more lamely, pretended to apologize, saying, "I'm sorry if my statement offended anybody. That, of course, was not the intention. Context is everything." He then went on to explain how his use of the term "I don't want to go on a lynching party," was actually in Defense of Michelle Obama. That is pure bullshit.

Dave Neiwert's essay on this gets to the heart of how insidious racism against African-Americans all too often is in American broadcasting. One point he brings up is this:

Suppose, back in 2000, that Joe Lieberman were reported to have said something that right-wingers immediately cast as being anti-American. And in discussing it, someone -- oh, say, Bill O'Reilly -- went on the air and semi-defended him thus:

I don't think we ought to send Joe Lieberman to the gas chambers unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the man really feels. If that's how he really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down.

Do you think anyone would have found that acceptable? Do you think he'd have been able to get away with a refusal to apologize for the inappropriateness of the remark?

Because he did essentially the same thing this week in discussing allegedly anti-American remarks made by Michelle Obama.

Rightwing radio commentators seem to be able to smear African-Americans, Latinos and Arab- or Muslim-Americans with ease. Every once in a while, one is punished for this, but all too often, nothing is done. My reaction to statements by these people is to boycott their sponsors.