This week, Keith Olbermann went after right-wing pundits who are scapegoating immigrants for the swine flu epidemic. During his MSNBC show, Olbermann condemned comments made by Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and others:
In responding to Swine Flu, however, the Republican party‘s chosen talking heads have opted for an oldie but goodie. Our third story tonight, making scapegoats out of Mexicans…
Well, yes, you [Michelle Malkin] are a racist. Exactly how does that apply, though, to the people who the Centers for Disease Control confirmed actually carried the Swine Flu from Mexico to the U.S., a group of Catholic school students from New York City, who spent Spring Break in Cancun. Uncontrolled Catholic immigration, open borders for private school kids reckless?
Anyway, unswayed by the facts, the Republican echo chamber tried to stir the American melting pot with a classic recipe of hate and fear.
Olbermann also interviewed Margaret Carlson, political columnist for Bloomberg News and Washington editor of the Week Magazine, who pointed out:
The noted epidemiologist Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin have one-upped Lou Dobbs on the subject of immigration. In a whole set of fresh reasons to hate people that they don‘t think should be in this country. I mean, there‘s no evidence to back up what they say. There‘s just no—none of the border people, none of the health care people in this country, none of the public health officials…
Once the primary—the Republican primary was over, immigration as an issue just passed by the boards. It had no salience whatsoever.
Now, I think they‘re hoping, you know, immigration on its own might not work to motivate the base of the party. How about if we combine an epidemic with some xenophobic riots? Maybe that would do it…
FILED UNDER: Department of Homeland Security, Restrictionists, undocumented immigration, Video
