For anyone who’s at least semi-regularly read NewsBusters, they will know that MSNBC’s Katy Tur has shown her liberal credentials in tussling with conservatives and even struggled with facts many times.
Both surfaced Thursday afternoon when she told conservative talk radio host Erick Erickson that it’s “offensive” to suggest that “both sides” should cool their rhetoric following Wednesday’s mail bombs to actor Robert de Niro, CNN, and friendly liberal politicians. Rather, Tur argued that a “toxic political environment” only arose when Donald Trump began his presidential bid in 2015.
Erickson appeared to debate former Democratic Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD), but the debate morphed into one between Erickson and Tur after this answer from The Resurgent founder (click “expand”):
Oh, I think he needs to be. I absolutely do. I think do he should lay off the American press. CNN nor MSNBC nor Fox News nor any other network is the enemy of the American people and I do think he does need to do that. I also think there are folks on the other side who need to tamp down on the rhetoric as well. We had ricin attacks against Susan Collins and Ted Cruz last week and protesters chasing people out of restaurants. I think both sides need to calm down, which is one reason I think it's not really helpful right now is who started it. Both sides can say the other side did. What we need to come to a consensus on is that both sides need to stop turning the base over to the fringe and the angry mob and actually return to our better angels of ourselves and actually try to get things, but I don’t know that either side really wants to.
Tur then declared “with all due respect” that “everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions and their own way in which they respond to this presidency, etc.” And while she doesn’t “condone anything that's happened to Susan Collins or Ted Cruz or anyone getting yelled out of the restaurant,” the President is the real problem.
Tur grew more enraged as she attacked Trump. And while Erickson tried to give Tur a history lesson to decades past during the days of Obama or violent persons like Timothy McVeigh and the Weather Underground, Tur was incensed at being questioned (click “expand”):
TUR: [B]ut I do think it's clear when talking about this toxic political environment that it start with mostly with Donald Trump in 2015. He began his campaign by calling Mexicans rapists. He repeatedly cheered on crowds that were screaming “lock her up” for Hillary Clinton. He told protesters that he would pay their legal bills if they punched — or supporters if they punched protesters.
ERICKSON: Right. He’s —
TUR: Hold on. I'm still going. He's also — heard
ERICKSON: — and do we go back to Barrack Obama and take a gun —
TUR: — no, stop.
ERICKSON: — to a knife fight or to Hispanic voters that Republicans are —
TUR: No, no, no. Have you heard a politician.
ERICKSON: — do we go back to the Weather Underground of the 1960s —
TUR: Erick, let me finish. This is my show.
ERICKSON: or Timothy McVeigh of the 1990s?
TUR: Have you every heard a politician other than Donald Trump say I'm so proud or — or — or give a kudos politician who bodyslammed a reporter. Have you heard that from anybody else other than Donald Trump?
Edwards tried to rejoin the segment, but Tur interrupted to demand that “Erick...to answer this question.”
Having had enough, Erickson informed Tur that “Trump...is a symptom of what’s going on in this country” and it’s evidence by “your blood pressure going up over Donald Trump right now.” Yikes!
By this point, Tur was apoplectic, shouting that her “blood pressure is going up because he advocates violence or — or he — or he celebrates violence for reporters and for other people.” Turns out, Tur must not have been paying attention over the last few weeks.
Erickson concluded by pointing out the obvious about the President not being responsible for the attempted assassination of congressional Republicans and chastised Tur for her bias, which Tur didn’t appreciate (click “expand”):
ERICKSON: Donald Trump is not to blame for the mass shooting against Republicans last year. You had Democrats saying that Republicans were killing people. Both sides are to blame and if you're going to say it's just Donald Trump, what you’re going to do is you're going to have 50 percent of the country say, you know what? She's not really interested in a solution. I think both sides have to step back and say, what is our own side doing?
TUR: I think everybody needs to take responsibility for their own actions, but to say it didn't get lowered, that the bar did not get demonstrably lower when Donald Trump started running for office is just not, true and it's offensive. I'm sorry.
ERICKSON: I think he's more a reflection of politics than not a cause.
After Edwards was finally a chance to speak again, Tur ended the segment: “Let’s go back to middle school. If everybody is jumping off a bridge, you don't jump a bridge too. He's the President of the United States.”
To see the relevant transcript from October 25's MSNBC Live with Katy Tur, click “expand.”
MSNBC Live with Katy Tur
October 25, 2018
2:34 p.m. EasternKATY TUR: Erick, in the past you've been pretty critical of the president. You’ve condemned him for saying certain things. Why not push him for forcefully right now to be a unifier instead of a divider?
ERICK ERICKSON: Oh, I think he needs to be. I absolutely do. I think do he should lay off the American press. CNN nor MSNBC nor Fox News nor any other network is the enemy of the American people and I do think he does need to do that. I also think there are folks on the other side who need to tamp down on the rhetoric as well. We had ricin attacks against Susan Collins and Ted Cruz last week and protesters chasing people out of restaurants. I think both sides need to calm down, which is one reason I think it's not really helpful right now is who started it. Both sides can say the other side did. What we need to come to a consensus on is that both sides need to stop turning the base over to the fringe and the angry mob and actually return to our better angels of ourselves and actually try to get things, but I don’t know that either side really wants to.
TUR: With all due respect, sir, and I said this at 12 o’clock earlier today, I think that everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions and their own way in which they respond to this presidency, etc. And I don't condone anything that's happened to Susan Collins or Ted Cruz or anyone getting yelled out of the restaurant. I think that’s abhorrent, but I do think it's clear when talking about this toxic political environment that it start with mostly with Donald Trump in 2015. He began his campaign by calling Mexicans rapists. He repeatedly cheered on crowds that were screaming “lock her up” for Hillary Clinton. He told protesters that he would pay their legal bills if they punched — or supporters if they punched protesters.
ERICKSON: Right. He’s —
TUR: Hold on. I'm still going. He's also — heard
ERICKSON: — and do we go back to Barrack Obama and take a gun —
TUR: — no, stop.
ERICKSON: — to a knife fight or to Hispanic voters that Republicans are —
TUR: No, no, no. Have you heard a politician.
ERICKSON: — do we go back to the Weather Underground of the 1960s —
TUR: Erick, let me finish. This is my show.
ERICKSON: or Timothy McVeigh of the 1990s?
TUR: Have you every heard a politician other than Donald Trump say I'm so proud or — or — or give a kudos politician who bodyslammed a reporter. Have you heard that from anybody else other than Donald Trump?
DONNA EDWARDS: Well, and Katy, the responsibility really is to the President.
TUR: No. That’s Erick. Erick is going to answer this question. Hold on Donna. Have you heard that from anyone else?
ERICKSON: I think that Donald Trump is a — is a symptom of what's going on in this country. Your — your blood pressure going up over Donald Trump right now is symptom of what’s going on in this country.
TUR: My blood pressure is going up because —
ERICKSON: Both —
TUR: — he advocates violence or — or he — or he celebrates violence for reporters and for other people.
ERICKSON: Donald Trump is not to blame for the mass shooting against Republicans last year. You had Democrats saying that Republicans were killing people. Both sides are to blame and if you're going to say it's just Donald Trump, what you’re going to do is you're going to have 50 percent of the country say, you know what? She's not really interested in a solution. I think both sides have to step back and say, what is our own side doing?
TUR: I think everybody needs to take responsibility for their own actions, but to say it didn't get lowered, that the bar did not get demonstrably lower when Donald Trump started running for office is just not, true and it's offensive. I'm sorry.
ERICKSON: I think he's more a reflection of politics than not a cause.
EDWARDS: And Katy only one side — Katy, only one side is the President of the United States and sits in the Oval Office and he has a more particular responsibility than any of the rest of us, irrespective of what the rest of anybody else is doing. The President's responsibility is to unify the nation and to lead the nation and be an example to the nation about how it is that we view our Fourth Estate, the press and about the way that we have a relationship with each other. It's his singular responsibility and the rest of us will follow his lead.
ERICKSON: But we know he’s not going to do.
TUR: Let’s go back to middle school. If everybody is jumping off a bridge, you don't jump a bridge too. He's the president of the united States. Erick Erickson, Donna Edwards, thank you very much.
EDWARDS: Thank you.
ERICKSON: Thank you.
