Posted on 11/11/2003 4:57:14 PM PST by OESY
Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham received a hostile reaction last week from crew on ABC’s daytime show, The View, to the premise of her new book, Shut Up and Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the UN are Subverting America. Other than Rachel Campos, one of three finalists auditioning to join the show permanently, the co-hosts were all appalled by Ingraham’s contention that elites on the coasts are out of touch with “the heartland.”
When Ingraham argued “that the Democratic Party is not connecting with the people who are its logical constituents, from the South and from the Heartland,” Barbara Walters shot back: “Excuse me, neither is the Republican Party, at this point, necessarily connecting.”
Though she was raised in Manhattan as the daughter of a nightclub owner, Walters claimed “I’m from the Heartland” and simplistically saw Ingraham as attacking people’s patriotism: “Whether it is someone in the United Nations or any actor or anyone who has a strong, liberal point of view is, therefore, to you elite and unpatriotic?”
Joy Behar became upset by Ingraham making fun of Hollywood liberals: “Why do you have to make these generalizations about liberals?” Behar came to the defense of Barbra Streisand: “Why are you against Barbra Streisand? She’s a very, very patriotic American....All she does is speak from her heart about American values. Why do you have to go after Barbra Streisand?”
The second that Ingraham took on the “elite tendencies” of George W. Bush, citing the coddling of Ken Lay, Behar exclaimed: “Now you’re talking sense!”
MRC analyst Jessica Anderson took down Ingraham’s session on the November 4 The View.
Star Jones: “Now, first of all, the title of the book is 'Shut Up and Sing.’ Now, it’s an explanation of how the 'elites’ -- which I can’t stand that word -- from Hollywood, Washington and the United Nations are subverting America. What exactly do you mean, Laura?”
Ingraham: “We’re supposed to have government of the people, by the people and for the people, and there are elites in this country who are Republicans and Democrats -- Hollywood just comprises one small section of that. The point is, on issues from illegal immigration to gun rights–“
Jones: “You got a governor into the governor’s mansion.”
Ingraham: “Let me finish. Illegal immigration to gun rights to patriotism to support for the military. A lot of people in the Heartland feel like the elites and groups from Hollywood and politics and the UN and universities aren’t really listening to their concerns, and most of them don’t much really care about them.”
Joy Behar: “Wait a second. Does the Heartland encompass Staten Island?”
Ingraham: “No, no.”
Behar: “Just checking.”
Ingraham: “The point is, the country really is comprised of people who generally think we have good intentions. Our country tries to do the best. We’re fallible, we make mistakes, but there’s an increasing group in this country, I think, that’s sort of tired of the voters. The voters are pesky.”
Jones: “You’ve been interviewing people in the Heartland?”
Ingraham: “Oh, I actually have a show every night where I talk to, you know, hundreds of thousands of people across the country.”
Jones: “Alright, but I’m curious.”
Ingraham: “And they are saying time and time again that when, for instance, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders says we deserved to get 'blanking’ bombed, I hope the Muslims win, and when someone like Madonna says–“
Behar: “Wait a second. Just call her an idiot.”
Rachel Campos: “Star, I live there and she’s absolutely right.”
Ingraham: “They don’t feel like, and let’s go to the Democratic Party–“
Behar: “Laura, why can’t you just say that she’s an idiot? Why do you have to make these generalizations about liberals?”
Ingraham: “Because it’s not just coming from me. People like Zell Miller, who’s about to retire as a proud Democrat in the U.S. Senate, says – and very convincingly – that the Democratic Party is not connecting with the people who are its logical constituents, from the South and from the Heartland.”
Walters: “Excuse me, neither is the Republican Party, at this point, necessarily connecting.”
Ingraham: “I’m not sure that’s right. George Bush is still pretty popular, Barbara.”
Behar: “He’s not the whole Republican Party.”
Walters: “Yes, he is, but there are questions also about how they’re handling things, but you talk about Hollywood. You criticize Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins -- as a matter of fact, who live in New York, they don’t live in Hollywood.”
Ingraham: “Right.”
Walters: “And Sean Penn, giving their views on the war in Iraq. We have presidential candidates who are giving their views on the war in Iraq and you don’t criticize Republican movie stars for giving their views, so why can’t–“
Behar: “She agrees with them.”
Walters: “Because you agree. Free speech! That’s part of the American dream.” [Audience cheers and applauds]
Ingraham: “We’re all citizens. Everyone has the right to speak out, of course, but the point of the matter, as it would be ridiculous for me to lecture Bruce Springsteen on the chord progression in 'The Rising’ or lecture Susan Sarandon about her terrific acting -- I’m a huge fan of hers -- it’s similarly silly for them to talk about international policy, foreign policy.”
Behar: “Why?”
Meredith Vieira: “As an American citizen, they have a right to do that.”
Ingraham: “No, of course they have a right to speak out, but the point is it goes to a question of credibility. When Sean Penn is given an hour on Larry King Live to talk about his fact-finding mission in Iraq, that might be interesting TV, but the people are sitting out there going 'huh?’”
Walters: “But Larry King also talks to Hollywood people who he gives time to talk about that they’re against gun control. Not everybody–“
Ingraham: “But the point is most Americans, I think, would rather watch a continuous loop of Yentl than hear Barbra Streisand talk about politics. I think that’s true.” [Audience applauds]
Campos, applauding: “I do, too.”
Behar: “Why are you against Barbra Streisand? She’s a very, very patriotic American.”
Ingraham, pointing at the audience: “A lot of Yentl fans out here.”
Behar: “Wait a second. Barbra Streisand is a very patriotic American.”
Ingraham: “I’m sure she is.”
Behar: “All she does is speak from her heart about American values. Why do you have to go after Barbra Streisand?”
Ingraham: “It’s not about Barbra Streisand. During impeachment and all the Clinton scandals–”
Jones: “That nasty comment was about Barbra Streisand, okay? It was about Barbra.”
Ingraham: “Did you hear Mel Gibson or Kelsey Grammer or Kevin Costner go on cable television and slam Bill Clinton time and time again during 1998, 1999?”
Campos: “No.”
Behar: “But every comedian did! Oh, please! I have boxes of jokes about Clinton -- please!”
Ingraham: “No, but they weren’t going on giving their political views.”
Behar: “Oh, please!”
Walters: “Laura, is it just that anybody who has a liberal point of view?“
Ingraham: “No.”
Walters: “Wait a second, let me finish. Whether it is someone in the United Nations or any actor or anyone who has a strong, liberal point of view is, therefore, to you elite and unpatriotic?”
Ingraham: “No.”
Campos: “Can I come to her defense?”
Walters: “She does okay.”
Campos: “Well, I live in the Heartland that she’s talking about and I think she’s actually right. I have said this the last time I came on here. People in the middle of the country do not think, act or vote like people on the coasts, especially New York and specifically L.A. and San Francisco. And this is what she’s talking about, this flyover zone.”
Behar: “Then how did Bill Clinton win twice?”
Campos: “Because he appeals only to people in Manhattan. People in Arkansas don’t vote for him.”
Behar: “Oh, well, Manhattan is not the country -- excuse me!”
Jones: “Excuse me?”
Ingraham: “Bill Clinton was actually very smart. Bill Clinton also did Sister Souljah. Bill Clinton campaigned as a real moderate, he carried the Bible in and out of church -- people liked that about him.”
Jones: “Wait, we got a lot of people in Manhattan, but they can’t elect a President, okay? So what are you talking about? That don’t make sense!”
Ingraham: “Barbara, let me answer your question about the liberals because that’s wrong.”
Walters: “I’m from the Heartland, too, and I agree with you that, you know, that you may hear -- but there are people in the Heartland who don’t get upset if someone doesn’t speak their point of view.”
Ingraham: “Sure, but Barbara–“
Behar: “Whose children, wait a minute, there are people in the Heartland whose boys are going to this war who disagree with it.”
Ingraham: “In the book, in 'Shut Up and Sing’ I point out that George Bush has elitist tendencies, a lot of them, and one of them is on illegal immigration. Seventy percent of the country wants our borders enforced. Why aren’t the politicians doing anything about it? Why aren’t more Enron people put in jail? Those are two elite tendencies of the Republican Party.” [Audience applauds.]
Behar: “Now you’re talking sense!” Campos: “Because the Heartland is about common sense. Because the Heartland cares about common sense.”
Behar: “And people in New York don’t?”
Ingraham: “This is an elite echo chamber, this is an elite echo chamber. People in this audience make this country great – not celebrity elites, not UN elites, not European elites and not business elites. They don’t make the country great. The people who work every day do.”...
Laura Ingraham’s Web page with a list of stations which carry her show and a big picture of the cover of her book: lauraingraham.com
For Amazon’s page on her book published by Regnery: www.amazon.com
Personally...I'd remove the border. It is just insanity.
Yeah, uh-huh. And we must never forget the out-of-touch Barbara Walters, and one-time Castro-groupie is a "journalist" as well.
Ingraham's Criticism of Liberal Elite Upsets ABC's The View Crew (Transcript)
Has anyone noticed that Sean Penn hasn't been back to Iraq since Saddam fell from power?
BTW .. I saw this interview Laura did and She Kicked Butt!!
He owned the Copa Cabana, if I am not mistaken.
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