Hitler, The Muslim Brotherhood, the NCGOP and ol’ D.G.
While leading Republican officials are ignoring the party platform and surrendering on important issues like ObamaCare and Common Core, the North Carolina Republican Party and its chairman have set their sights on the host of a little-watched public television program.
D.G. Martin, the host of UNC-TV’s “Bookwatch” program, is taking some heat for a column he wrote comparing the actions of the new GOP majority in Raleigh to those of Hitler in Germany and The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The NCGOP has issued a statement calling for Martin to be suspended from his on-air role, and for the TV station to “review” its future relationship with Martin. (The column in question was written as a freelance project — outside the auspices of UNC-TV. Martin has issued an apology for the comments in his column.)
I am a former drive-by journalist, and a big fan of The First Amendment. It appears that Martin wrote the column as a private citizen. I completely disagree with the thesis of his article, but I respect his right to say it. Media outlets which publish his columns should offer plenty of space for people to rebut Martin’s point. That’s democracy.
I can think of two other, much better, ways to “attack” the issue than what NCGOP HQ did:
1) Martin describes the NCGOP agenda in Raleigh as “excesses” — much like what the Nazis did in Germany when they came to power. I’d bring up state government’s eugenics program — which ran from the 1920s to 1973. North Carolina state government was completely dominated by the Democratic Party at that time. The Nazis — as we know from history courses — dabbled in eugenics, as well. The Republican-dominated legislature — so derided by ol’ D.G. — passed reparations for eugenics victims this session. The North Carolina Democrat Party never broached the subject. Wouldn’t the eugenics policy condoned, carried out — and never apologized for — by the North Carolina Democrat Party be a much more appropriate example of an “excess”?
While we’re on the subject of Nazis, the full name of the party (translated into English) is The National Socialist Workers Party. Hmmm. “Socialist Workers Party.” That doesn’t sound like a phrase that fits Dan Forest or Phil Berger all that well, now does it?
The Nazi Party platform also called for nationalization of industry and made use of class warfare rhetoric and confiscatory tax rates. Now WHICH American political party does that sound more like?
2) Why do we still have state-funded television? That’s a question that needs to be seriously considered in Raleigh. Public broadcasting may have been more significant in the 50s, 60s and 70s when we had rabbit-ear TVs and only three channels. Now, we have podcasts, streaming Internet video, and multitudes of viewing options from cable and satellite providers. WHAT does UNC-TV have to offer that you can’t find on any of those other private options?
I don’t want to hear any of that junk about the poor suffering if UNC-TV gets defunded. It’s pretty clear that UNC-TV’s target demo is Prius-driving yuppies in Chapel Hill and North Raleigh. Are we seriously expected to believe people are sitting around the TV in trailer parks and housing projects across the state watching those rebroadcasts of Downton Abbey, the opera performances at The Met, and D.G.’s hoity-toity author interviews?
We’ve got a lot of debt to pay off to the feds for unemployment insurance. People are screaming about how we don’t have enough money to pay for education or roads. Legislators are trying to force toll roads on us to come up with extra revenue. Getting the state of North Carolina out of the broadcast television business would be an excellent way to free up some additional revenue without further squeezing state residents.
“Are we seriously expected to believe people are sitting around the TV in trailer parks and housing projects across the state watching those rebroadcasts of Downton Abbey, the opera performances at The Met, and D.G.’s hoity-toity author interviews? ”
All I can say is that I am sitting in a trailer park and we are currently watching 4.3 over the air, which is UNC-TV’s Explorer channel. We enjoy it greatly. And while Downton Abbey and opera aren’t our thing, we watch a lot of 4.1 as well. We cannot afford cable, and my husband can’t watch online as he is disabled.
While I agree that the state probably should not be funding public TV, please do not assume that poor people in trailer parks aren’t watching it. That is a narrow-minded and thoughtless thing to say.
The main problem with UNC Television is that all the “news” programs are liberally-oriented and some are outright anti-conservative. The state has limited resources and higher priorities than this. D. G. Martin is a left-winger from way back–he has no business on public television funded by the taxpayers.
I first met DG during his hirst campaign for congress in the early 1980’s. I found him to be a cheerful and engaging young man more than willing to enter intio political discussions. He was however a doctrinare party line Democract. Now he was tacken on the long standing loosing tactic of he who makes the first nazi comparrison loses.
Still I would be more than willing to enter into a a discussion between old friends not to show eachother op but to put critical factors before the public in an open forum. I hjave to hope he is still the open minded gentleman I knew back then.
I think it is considered good taste to describe NC Republicans as Nazis but it is not appropriate to call abortionists Nazis.
While not directly linked, I have no issue w/ Pope calling for his ouster at UNCTV. Why this is the same PC standard that they hold everyone else to including prominent Democrats like Paula Dean.
This exposes another chink in the liberal armor.
cw
The taxpayers should not be funding putting leftwing hacks like D. G. Martin on the air. Pope is right on the money on this one.
I disagree that ”raparations” in the state budget are proper. I think it is an outrage that this is in our state budgets, and we need to hold the morons who insisted on it being there, like Tillis and Stam accountable in their primaries. They both need to be defeated. All this does is set up a precedent for Rev. Two Ton to demand ”raparations” for slavery. How do we find morons like Tillis and Stam to put in public office?
I would also like to see Pope regularly calling out Big Media in NC like the McClatchy mob and WRAL for their rampant political bias. It is not just D. G. Martin.
Mr. Martin is, “just following orders.” Senator Dick Durbin famously compared our troops to Nazis and the leftists (including Jewish professional leaders) are ignorant to the relationship of the Nazi party and the Grand Mufti who collaborated with Himmler and Eichmann during the “Final Solution.”
Islam teaches that women and particularly Jews are literally hateful. In the words of Imam Tantawi “Jews are the enemies of Allah and are the descendants of apes and pigs.”
The statement of Martin and the left while grotesque, prove their failed dictatorial, eye-watering liberal policies destroy cities and blue union run states like Detroit. Instead of the NCGOP dwelling on what some unknown host says they should capitalize on this great teachable moment.
As an American of the Jewish faith Mr. Martin should apologize, and the NCGOP should run with Haymakers compelling talking points.