Lawrence O'Donnell erupts on The McLaughlin Group

[brooklynite]

Today's panel was discussing the success or failure of Romney's religion speech, and were giving it various degrees of praise or criticism, but all in polite language. But, when the discuss turned to the section on Romney's actual religious beliefs, O'Donnell let loose:

This was the worst speech, the worst political speech of my lifetime, because, this man stood there and said to you "This is the faith of my fathers". And you and none of these commentators who liked this speech realize that the faith of his father is a racist faith. As of 1978 it was an officially racist faith, and for political convenience in 1978, it switched. And it said "okay, black people can be in this church". He believes if he believes the faith of his fathers that black people are black because in Heaven they turned away from God. In this demented Scientology-like notion of what was going on in Heaven before the creation of the Earth...I'm saying he's got to answer when he was 30 years old and he firmly believed in the faith of his fathers that blacks were inferior, when did he change his mind. Did the religion have to tell him to change his mind? And when he talks about the faith of this fathers, how about the faith of his great grandfather who had five wives?...his religion is based on the work of a lying, fraudulent criminal named Joseph Smith who was a racist, who was pro-slavery...."

Not your usual Sunday morning discussion...

[saltpoint]

1. Agreed. Not at all the usual pablum from the news talk programs.

[shraby]

2. Great Kudos to Lawrence!!!

It's time someone told the truth for once, and it's even better when the truth is told on national t.v.

[rocktivity]

3. According to a caller to the Stephanie Miller Show

The "political convenience in 1978" consisted of Brigham Young University being refused admission to the NCAA due to their racist policies.

:eyes:
rocknation

[MaineDem]

7. That's very interesting

So it had nothing to do with belief. That's even worse.

Thanks for the info.

[rocktivity]

21. There was an NFL team owner who said he'd never employ black players

But when the city said he could not use public funds for building a new stadium, he, too, was suddenly struck by a vision of racial harmony.

:headbang:
rocknation

[havocmom]

4. Thinkin O'Donnell has had enough lately. He seemed pretty annoyed

on several shows I caught lately. Good on 'im for being blunt.

Edited for typo. Me 'n the cat working together today :eyes:

[Pirate Smile]

6. I love it when he explodes. Remember his eruption on the Swift Boat crap?

Liars - he was yelling. He got in trouble and kicked off of MSNBC as a commentator but I was just glad somebody starting yelling on TV what I had been yelling at the TV since August of 2004.

[Hieronymus]

19. O'Donnell is one of my favorites .. always outspoken.

[IndianaGreen]

22. I watched that live. It was quite an expression of what we call righteous rage.

O'Donnell is back on MSNBC, mostly as a guest of Keith Olbermann. He also has a recurring role as a lawyer in HBO's Mormon soap opera, Big Love.

[acmavm]

5. I had a Mormon boss who gave me their bible (or whatever). This was

back in the ice age. Let me say just two things. That guy was nuts (not to mention a lech who wouldn't keep his hands to himself) and that book of whatever was interesting simply because it was just so out there. I read part of it for the entertainment factor until it started to dawn on me that the stuff in it was nuts.

I never throw books away. I should go check and see if I have it packed away.

[tridim]

8. As contrast Tweety loves the speech (on his little show right now)..

Thought it's the "best speech he's heard this entire campaign". :eyes:

[Arugula Latte]

26. Apparently people like me --"secularists" --- don't deserve freedom.

We are second class citizens, shouldn't have a say in the running of the country, and will probably be strangled in our beds with Magic Undies by Romney and a band of roving clean-cut young men on bicycles.

[BeyondGeography]

9. Lawrence is the kind of guy I'd like to have a beer with

or five or six.

[saltpoint]

12. If I can sit in with you, I'll pay for the beer.

[11 Bravo]

10. He didn't hold anything back, did he?

His tone and facial expression reflected genuine disgust and outrage.

[Enrique]

11. I wonder how black Mormons deal with such blatant racism in their church?

that was not so long ago that offical church doctrine held such views, they must wonder if their fellow Mormons still hold them to some extent. How coulnd't they?

[tblue37]

18. Have you seen the TV show _House_?

In recent episodes House kept questioning a Black Mormon doctor about his church's racism.

[BR_Parkway]

20. They borrowed the Log Cabin Republican's playbook n/t

[Scriptor Ignotus]

25. I wonder too

somebody should really ask that guy how he does it...
;)

[eleny]

13. I watched it Friday night and almost cheered when LO'D almost popped a vein

The other panel members were falling all over themselves with praise for Romney. But I was pretty turned off by his assertion that freedom needs religion. Meh. Kudos to Lawrence on this one.

[EVDebs]

14. Let's not mention that Mormons would like to move the Capital to near Kansas City

so as to be closer to where the Second Coming will occur

"Additional Mormon myths center on Christ's second coming, conversion, and the Mormon teachings of a Millennium
bullet Mormons believe Jesus will return to both Jerusalem and Independence, Missouri (which they consider Zion)
bullet This Zion "will be the capital and city of God for Ephraim and his followers" (the ten lost tribes of Israel)
bullet Mormons consider themselves to be the descendants of the ten lost tribes
bullet Joseph Smith stated that upon conversion the Holy Ghost will change a person's blood to become a literal descendant of Abraham
bullet During their Millennium, worthy parents will be able to raise a child who died
bullet In the last days the continents will be rejoined"

http://www.truthinlovetomormons.com/basic_mormon_doctrine/summary/culture.htm

[Prefer]

15. Salamander Letter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_letter

[sandnsea]

16. If only he'd blast Catholicism like that

I love him when he gets his full. lol. Go Larry!

[K8-EEE]

17. I remember as a teenager when the Osmonds were popular

Somebody told me about this "mark of Cain" business I was like 14 or 15 thinking....how do they get these Black entertainers on the Donny & Marie when the hosts think they are "stained by God to show their sin?" (at that time the church had not had the "revelation.")

Just like in 1890 where there was "revelation" that it was "no longer time for polygamy" right when the US army was about to bust their asses because of it...the 1978 thing came after years of pressure and questions in the post civil rights era, then they're like "oh, a revelation! OK Black people can come in...." as if they would!

It should be noted that the revelations never say the previous practices were wrong. They say "God says it's time in the Great Plan to let the marked people into his kingdom! God says it's not time for polygamy right now."

They think the "end times" are imminent and that at that time the LDS is going to run "Zion" (the US) with Jesus for a thousand years (oh brother) and maybe at that time they can "reveal" it back.

[Stephanie]

23. That's fucking terrifying. At least with Bush, I'm sure his faith is as phony as the pig ranch.

If Romny is actively anticipating the apocolypse then it is like handing a madman the football.

[Kolesar]

24. I don't get the context of: "This is the faith of my fathers"

Romney is not very bright. Maybe his writers threw that in there because it sounded "presidential" and did not get the mid-twentieth century meaning that O'Donnell did.

Or maybe it was a code word. Like "Freedom" or "Welfare Queens".

[rateyes]

27. Don't forget, also, that Mike Huckabee's Southern Baptist religion,

was started over the issue of slavery. Many preachers in the early days of the SBC were slaveowners, and stood in pulpits proclaiming slavery to be an institution ordained by God...including Richard Furman (Furman University & founder of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) in Greeneville, SC, et al.

And, there's still a lot of bigotry (and misogyny) coming out of that bunch of Baptists.