Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, becomes the first high-profile member of his party to speak out against the recent dismissal of radio host Don Imus, saying he was "not sure it was appropriate" to fire racist host.
The senator from Massachusetts was interviewed by Dominic Carter on New York 1, the local all-news cable channel. Kerry was asked about last week's events, when Imus made now-infamous racist comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
KERRY: “I think that the…you know the punishment has to fit the crime so to speak. I think a long suspension, or a strong suspension met with his appropriate level, given that the team forgave him. To me it was in the hands of the young women. They made the judgment that they thought he was genuine and they felt they could forgive him. And I think it was appropriate to pay a price on the airwaves but I’m not sure that it was appropriate to say you’re off forever.”
CARTER: “If Mr. Imus has a show in the future would you appear on it?”
KERRY: “It would depend on what the context of the show was obviously. If he goes back to doing the same old same old I’d have trouble doing that, but if it’s a different show and he says it’s going to be different sure.”
Kerry also did not rule out appearing on a future program hosted by Don Imus. Incidentally, Kerry and the now-discredited radio host have a long history—he was a frequent guest on Imus' radio program and last year the senator was advised on-the-air by Imus to “stop talking” after that botched joke about Iraq.
In other John Kerry-related news, the senator has threatened that he may run once again for president ...
Kerry Says Imus Shouldn't Have Been Fired [NY1]
Kerry Reopens Door to Possible Presidential Run [9 News]
with the public pressure, many sponsors pulled their ads from him show. without ads, there is no money. without money, there is no show.
if cbs thought his words were so terrible, they would have fired him instantly. instead, they were content to suspend him for 2 weeks.
when the advertisers pulled out, they had few options but to cancel the show
Posted by: ff | 19 April 2007 at 06:56
That's why he is not President, too wishy washy. And, while I do agree that he didn't need to get canned, its all about those coins, and once those coins stopped rolling in, he was an albatross to CBS and MSNBC.This demanding that someone be fired because you don't agree with him/her is silly, the public humiliation they get, and the begging for forgiveness is good enough for me, and totally funny at the same time.
All that said, this whole issue of racism, sexism and homophobia is as American as apple pie, always will be. And, lets not forget hypocrisy, keep some for off the cuff remarks, fire others immediately for the same thing, just as peculiar. And, its also odd how if its a man of color, he is always wrong, no matter the comments.
Posted by: LaRufus | 19 April 2007 at 08:51