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Former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher reacts to Massachusetts senator's remarks
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You reaction to some I raising comments made -- one influential lawmaker today.
Massachusetts democratic senator John hearing this morning claiming the media.
Saying reporters will quote you responsible for giving quote equal time to Tea Party views.
-- The media in America has a bigger responsibility than -- exercising today.
The media has got to Begin to not give equal time -- equal balance to it absolutely absurd notion just because somebody asserts that.
Or simply because somebody says something which everybody knows it's not factual.
It doesn't deserve the same credit as a legitimate idea about what you do.
And the problem is everything's put into this tit for tat equal battle.
And America is losing any sense.
Out of what's real and who's accountable for who is not accountable for whose real who isn't.
Those latest comments coming as a number of Democrats complain that the Tea Party acted like terrorists and hostage takers during the debt crisis negotiations.
Ari Fleischer is a former white house Press Secretary under president George W.
Bush and joins us now -- -- -- day.
Good to be here are part of those comments Senator Kerry said that you shouldn't be giving Andy -- coverage to something everybody knows is not factual.
There -- a lot of folks out there for -- -- it is factual.
Yeah I mean that's the equivalent of a senatorial hissy -- And He -- court doesn't want to hear it because He wants to keep on spending keep on borrowing and in and it eventually drive the nation into bankruptcy.
But the real lesson here of course is in Massachusetts in January of 2010 the Tea Party elected.
Scott Brown think Teddy Kennedy's seat.
That continued in November of 2010.
And now Senator Kerry just doesn't -- -- hear the message that many of the voters are sending -- a welcome message.
Well and I have to is think that those folks who were behind that and the big sweep -- the mid terms in 2010 a lot of that credited to the Tea Party dozens of members of congress elected.
I think a lot of than it would only fire them not more to hear someone like Senator Kerry trying to completely sidelined them as if they're not legitimate at all He called them absurd.
Yeah a lot.
What's so fascinating but this whole Tea Party movement is the hysteria the way people have turned against the Tea Party and see them as such a threat when the reality is -- really have a lot of for economic reasons come out of the woodwork who weren't previously involved in politics but all of a sudden who are people can make a blue state like Massachusetts -- -- And I think that's another reason that people like Senator Kerry who were so much and part of the status quo in Washington.
-- so fearful when they hear the message we mean that Washington needs to change the spending has got to stop.
That's a threat to him and so I think that's why you see him lash out and others lash out.
OK so along with him calling them absurd we've heard them called terrorists hostage takers vampires cannibals.
That equated by scientists into southern white supremacists.
And a whole lot of other things -- -- do you think it they're going to be successful in their effort would it appears to be discrediting this particular movement.
No I I think what actually it does is it spurs on the good people who just care about this country who wanna do something about its economic house not being in order.
Well what I what I do find fascinating is the -- the mainstream media's double standard.
Where if people talk like that -- that type of rhetoric of the vice president the united states -- call moveon.org for example under George Bush terrorist.
The mainstream media would have really had a field day -- that urged him to apologize he's you know similar treatment on the other side.
Because I think there's a lot of mainstream media -- also look at the Tea Party askance and keep underestimating the Tea Party is my hope because I think they're going to be a powerful force.
For good reason to be reckoned with the 2012 elections.
Do you think it's dangerous when in today's political environment no matter what your -- for your philosophies are that you suggested another -- be silenced whether it's the Tea Party or those who believe different leaving you on global warming or any number of things.
Well.
-- that I know I don't know about dangerous I've not made the case that these type of foolish statements lead to violence or danger of the Democrats let's say that about Sarah Palin Republicans and I rejected that then.
I just think it's -- This is of noisy democracy and you have people who were disenfranchised.
-- came out of the woodwork.
That is exactly the way -- democracy is supposed to work especially for a nation that's fourteen trillion dollars in to debt.
People are fed up and they want to go in a different direction that's been the trend of politics in recent years I think that trend is accelerating.
On the First Amendment is a very strong much loved principle -- -- our society especially when you look at the Supreme Court they're gonna protect people who protest at military funerals.
The first -- it's good for everyone Ari Fleischer thank you so much.
