MSNBC fires Savage after anti-gay remarks

Associated Press ^ | Jul. 7, 2003 01:00 PM

[Constitution Day]

A troll too dumb to post pictures... how cute.

[gcruse]

Feel better now?

[.38sw]

Cute. I'm so very impressed.

[CounterCounterCulture]

"Are you a sodomite?"

All this time I thought sodomites were supporters of Saddam Hussein. Silly me.

(Guess I wouldn't last too long on PMSNBC either...'course I wouldn't have been given a show to begin with)

[SouthernFreebird]

Will Barbara W give him a shoulder to cry on?

[truenospinzone]

Mr. Savage has a particular style that is purposeful to get people to think about the message.

If that's the case, it's the least successful style I can possibly think of. All he does is give people the perfect opportunity to completely ignore his "messages" and brush him off as "just another mean-spirited conservative". I mean, come on. He told someone that he hoped they died. Who in their right mind is going to hear that and say, "Wow, that really makes me think about the message"?

[presidio9]

Michael Savage is the Anti-Morford. Every time he opens his mouth he makes Conservatives look stupid.

[sakic]

sounds like some people can't take a joke.

He was joking?

what happened to the first amendment?

Nothing. Employers can fire their employees.

[Ichneumon]

"Half an hour into the flight, I need to suggest that Don and Mike take your ..." the caller said, before he was cut off and his words became unintelligible.

Sounds like the caller said something obnoxious that the audience didn't get to hear, thanks to the delay that all call-in shows use to defend against malicious callers.

Savage would have heard the full statement in his earpiece, then he (or a show's engineer) would have hit the "mute" button in time to cut off the call's time-delayed audio from being aired in its entirety.

From what *did* get aired before it got cut off, it was clear that the caller was switching subjects in the middle of the sentence in order to try to sneak in a statement before anyone could catch it. He was clearly trying to pull a fast one of some sort.

To be fair to Savage, MSNBC should really have found out what the caller had said -- Savage's retort may have just been in kind. I often hear his radio show since it plays when I'm often driving home from work, and I've never heard him actually wish death on someone who hadn't already been *WAY* over the line themselves in attacking Savage or America.

[L.N. Smithee]

sounds like some people can't take a joke.

In no estimation is "Get AIDS and die" a joke.

what happened to the first amendment?

It's still there. Savage can tell as many gays to die as he wants. He just can't do it on MSNBC. By your logic, he shouldn't be able to hang up on callers that abuse him.

first texas vs lawrence and now we hear the gay patrol silencing a great man.

The Gay-stapo went after Dr. Laura with lies and distortions about what she said about homosexuals and homosexuality and damaged her career, although they didn't end it by a longshot. They had nothing to do with this decision by MSNBC. MSNBC knew he was a hot potato, but they were willing to keep him around and defend his right to speak as long as he didn't go too far. Presuming the quotes are accurate, THAT is what "too far" sounds like.

[areafiftyone]

I was afraid to put that link to the picture on my puter at work. I had a strange feeling!

[CounterCounterCulture]

Never could understand why MSNBC put him on in the first place. They could have picked someone less contentious and less patently way-out-beyond- the known right leaning universe. Or maybe that was the point: to have the right tarred with the thoughts and image of this man.

Yes and yes.

[Ichneumon]

There was no immediate comment from Savage

...unlikely...

[Constitution Day]

It was nothing but a skull & crossbones. Maybe the troll thinks he's a pirate?!?

[Dr. Frank fan]

One wonders why they hired him in the first place. Presumably, just so they could play "gotcha" and fire him (thus, they hope, discrediting and humiliating and nullifying him) when he inevitably made a comment like this, as it was completely predictable that he would.

I don't "agree with" everything or perhaps even a majority of what Savage says, and it's true that he's also rude and crude and sometimes downright bizarrely insane if you take what he says seriously and literally.

However, his radio show is a blast :)

[TomGuy]

I didn't figure Savage would stay on MSNBC very long.

It will be interesting to hear how Savage spins this (in his favor, of course) on his radio show this evening--unless he's away on another day off/vacation.

[truenospinzone]

A skeletal troll-pirate? I'm so freakin' confused...

[ffusco]

Explain.

[areafiftyone]

Oh - What an idiot.

[zoen]

Good for him. Someone needs to tell it how it is. I complelty agree with what he said. 100% All the way! That reminds me to tune in tonight at the office. Nice