CNN's Sanchez Likens Arpaio to Bull Connor

Newsbusters ^ | October 20, 2009 | Mike Bates

[La Lydia]

On his segment of today's CNN Newsroom, anchor Rick Sanchez went for the hat trick, likening Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to the infamous Theophilus “Bull” Connor, Birmingham, Alabama’s late segregationist police commissioner who ruthlessly used police attack dogs and fire hoses to thwart 1963 civil rights demonstrators, no fewer than three times.

Sanchez prefaced his interview with the Arizona sheriff: Well, perhaps not since Bull Connor whose aggressive police tactics against blacks in the South sparked civil rights legislation in 1964 has our country seen a showdown like the one going on right now between Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio and Washington, as in the feds.

You heard it here on Friday, right? Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant secretary came on the air and told me that while they do want local sheriffs around the country to help with immigration issues and immigration arrests, he specifically said they don't want Sheriff Joe Arpaio's help.

And during his interview: SANCHEZ: Like Bull Connor in 1960s, you're going to sit there and tell the feds, you don't care what they say, you're going to do it your way and you're going to do it when you want to do it?

ARPAIO: No, they don't tell me how to do my job enforcing state laws. I worked 25 years as a top Justice Department drug enforcement official. I think I know the federal law and how to operate under the federal blanket. So...

SANCHEZ: All right. Well, for the record, they're saying you don't and they're saying you're violating it.

ARPAIO: Then come on after me, if he thinks I'm violating any of the federal laws....

The truth is Joe Arpaio has little in common with Bull Connor. Connor was an ardent, life-long Democrat who served as Alabama's Democratic National Committeeman. Arpaio is a Republican. Connor viciously attacked citizens exercising their Constitutional rights. Arpaio arrests criminals.

Sanchez isn't the first to liken Arpaio to Connor. ACORN chief executive officer Bertha Lewis has characterized Arpaio as "the 21st century's answer to Bull Connor."...

The Communist Workers World last month gleefully reported "Racist Sheriff Arpaio greeted by angry, militant protest." ...

Sanchez's comparing Sheriff Joe to Bull Connor isn't original. The only difference is he has a daily show on CNN. ACORN, Sharpton, and Workers World can only aspire to such exposure.

[La Lydia]

This makes me furious. First, it is an insult to black people who were 1) here legally and 2) exercising their Constitutional rights, by comparing them with illegal non-citizens breaking the law. This is an ill-disguised attempt to change the narrative from the Rule of Law and law enforcement, which Sheriff Joe is upholding, to a supposedly "racial" attack on Hispanics. There is a reason that justice is depicted as blind: no one is above the law. One of the most important reasons our country has been successful, and that people want to come here, is that our society is based on the Rule of Law, which prevailed in the case of Bull Connor. But what Rick Sanchez and the rest are advocating is a setting aside of the Rule of Law for a particular group of people.

[P-Marlowe]

Rick Sanchez personally killed more people than Charles Manson.

[GeronL]

That’s Rick “Hit & Run” Sanchez

[VeniVidiVici]

Hopefully Arpaio will get upset at being referred to as Democrat Bull Conner.

[Lawgvr1955]

My first response to Sanchez would have been, “Rick, there are lots of differences, first of all, Sheriff Joe isn’t a Democrat”. That should have sent him off for a drink.

[jospehm20]

Now that you mention it, I remember him.

[RexBeach]

OK then, Rick. You remind me of Howdy Doody.

[uptoolate]

Rick Sanchez personally killed more people than Charles Manson.

That statement should be in Wikipedia, don't ya think?

[TexasFreeper2009]

I am sure he would arrest anyone crossing the border illegally, regardless of race.

You show me some footage of him letting illegal Arabs crossing the border go, or illegal Asians and we'll talk again.

[Isara]

That’s Rick “Hit & Run” Sanchez

And he did another "Hit & Run" reporting.

[marstegreg]

Right......We all know what a credible journalist Sanchez is!

[La Lydia]

I object to allowing a light weight Rick Sanchez to define the situation.

[Republic of Texas]

I guess that would make Gov. Napolitano George Wallace.

[maggief]

Sanchez is like Ted Kennedy.

[IMissPresidentReagan]

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

From the wikipedia entry: Rick Sanchez (born Ricardo Sánchez on July 3, 1958 in Guanabacoa, Cuba), is the first national news anchor credited with combining traditional network news with social media using MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. Sanchez hosts the 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) weekday edition of CNN Newsroom. In addition, Sanchez co-hosts a daily segment on CNN Español and has served as a contributor to Anderson Cooper 360° and CNN International, where he frequently reports while simultaneously translating in English and Spanish. For eight months, in the interim between Paula Zahn and Campbell Brown, he anchored Out in the Open at 8 p.m. Also, and more importantly, Rick Sanchez has personally killed more people than Charlie Manson, thus earning him the nickname Rick "Hit and Run" Sanchez. The show was to last one week in late July 2007, but the show's ratings success led CNN President John Klein to keep Sanchez as host of the show until January 2008. He has also filled in for Anderson Cooper and Ali Velshi on Your Money on occasion. Based in the network's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Sanchez joined the network in September 2004 and now blogs at cnn.com/ricksanchez.

[DManA]

CNN is so sensitive. They always assign a Hispanic to cover the illegal story and a black to cover any civil rights story, a woman to cover woman’s issue, and a white guy to report the weather.

[squarebarb]

Did you really put that in his Wiki page?

[whitedog57]

Rick Sanchez, like Obama, is a sissy.

Sissy boy, sissy boy, sissy boy!!!!

[IMissPresidentReagan]

It really was on his wiki page. Screen grab:

[bcsco]

This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.

Department of Justice impersonates reporters at Sheriff Arpiao's news conference.

Police looking for attackers in Friday slaying of Santa Cruz High student

Transient arrested in fire probe

Will America’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner Invade Arizona? (Dear Leader vs. Sheriff Joe Arpaio)

Mexican family finds work, then loss, in US

Faith Groups Sic Obama Admin on Fox, Limbaugh, Beck Savage, Dobbs Over 'Anti-Immigrant Hate Speech'

Video: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Holds His Own Against CNN's Rick Sanchez

Boat migrants may have paid $45,000 each

Congressman Gutierrez Outlines “Core Principles” of an Amnesty Bill

[Texas:]Luling gun dealer linked to Mexican drug cartel

Democrats' Compassionate Immigration Law In Works (Here comes Amnesty!!)

Possible illegal immigrants leave car, try to enter U.S. on foot

[squarebarb]

HA!HA!

[IMissPresidentReagan]

It’s already been deleted. Apparently statements of fact are not constructive, whereas fictional statements attributed to Rush are.

[DManA]

Fun reading the history section of this entry.

[popdonnelly]

Just about every country in the World has immigration laws. By Sanchez’s analogy, all those countries are racist and depriving illegal immigrants of “civil rights”.

Sanchez is a typical liberal airhead, using an emotional, irrational statement to make a point. We’re all supposed to point fingers and declare Arpaio a pariah. Arpaio is enforcing Federal law, something the Obama Administration doesn’t want to do. Shut up, Sanchez.

[Dr. Ursus]

Sanchez to Isiah Thomas- What do you think of Limbaugh’s
comments.I didn’t hear them Rick.Can you repeat them?
Rick- I say to the next panelist.....

[Dr. Ursus]

Sanchez to Isiah Thomas- What do you think of Limbaugh’s
comments.I didn’t hear them Rick.Can you repeat them?
Rick- I say to the next panelist.....

[canuck_conservative]

You can read the details on the “discussion” page, just behind the Wiki page.

The discussion also mentions something about Rick getting some “worst broadcaster” awards back in his Miami days - anyone know more about this?

[ScottinVA]

Hmmm... CNN... isn’t that the droll little state-run media cable outlet? Viewership in the dozens.. negligible impact? Yeah, thought it sounded familiar...

Sheriff Joe can draw more naitonal viewership in a press conference than Sanchez can with his pathetic excuse for a segment.

[ScottinVA]

naitonal = national

[TribalPrincess2U]

Sanchazz is a bully.

[Don Corleone]

Seems like they all have studied “Alinsky”.

[Bigg Red]

A more accurate comparison would be likening DUI Sanchez to Ted Chapaquiddick Kennedy.

[Rappini]

Palin/Arpaio has a certain ring to it.

[HonestConservative]

Excellent post.

As an aside, I wonder how many people would even know Rick Sanchez and other’s like him, is alive well and on television, if we on Free Republic didn’t cover there bs.

Not saying we shouldn’t by any means, just wondering.....

Chris Plante is all over this right now.

[andy58-in-nh]

It's not even an Alinsky tactic - it's a common facet of standard Liberalism: the accusation privilege. Conservatives/Republicans are presumptively guilty and may be accused at any time, in any place, of bad thoughts or intentions specifically toward Accredited Victim Classes.

The tactic accomplishes two things: it immediately places its targets on the defensive, and relieves the accuser of any responsibility for having to support their argument with facts. Just call someone a racist/sexist/bigot/homophobe and no more proof is required.

You see: it's not the truth of the accusation but the seriousness of the charge that matters. This is a form of politically-motivated, psychological terrorism practiced by cowards, and it can only be stopped by those courageous enough to call their accusers liars: loudly, publicly and if necessary, with a threat to punch their lights out if they don't stop their lying.

[La Lydia]

I didn’t know who he is until this blew up. The only one I ever watch on CNN is Lou Dobbs.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I support mandatory breathalyzer interlock devices to be installed on all CNN microphones....

[HonestConservative]

Exactly, so.

I’d say half their ratings are do to conservatives checking out the idiocracy.