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x host Shep Smith seemed to break with the station’s typical narrative Wednesday when he came to the defense of both President Obama and Pope Francis and slammed the politicizing of issues on their agenda for the pontiff’s first U.S. visit.
During coverage of ceremonies welcoming the Pope, Smith’s co-host, Bill Hemmer commented that Francis is an “equal opportunity offender” who may make politicians on both sides of the aisle squirm when he gives a talk to Congress, Media Matters reports. Smith said that the issues Francis has been pushing shouldn’t be political, because they are matters of basic human decency.
“I don’t know,” Smith responded. “I think we are in a weird place in the world when the following things are considered political. Five things, I’m going to tick them off. These are the five things that were on his and our president’s agenda. Caring for the marginalized and the poor — that’s now political. Advancing economic opportunity for all. Political? Serving as good stewards of the environment. Protecting religious minorities and promoting religious freedom globally. Welcoming [and] integrating immigrants and refugees globally. And that’s political?”
What else, he asked, do people expect to hear from a Catholic pope “other than protect those who need help, bring in refuges who have no place because of war and violence and terrorism. These seem like universal truths that we should be good to others who have less than we do, that we should give shelter to those who don’t have it.”
He questioned the morality of people who “find themselves on the other side” of those issues.
“I think these were the teachings in the Bible of Jesus,” Smith said. “They’re the words of the pope, they’re the feelings of the president. And people who find themselves on the other side of that message should consult a mirror, it seems like. Because I think that’s what we’re supposed to do as a people, whatever your religion. I mean, it seems to me and I think to probably, as Bill O’Reilly would put it, most clear-thinking Americans — that that’s how we’re supposed to roll.”
Smith prompted an angry backlash from conservatives earlier this month when he criticized the supporters of anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis for being hypocritical.
“This is the same crowd that says, ‘We don’t want Sharia law, don’t let them tell us what to do, keep their religion out of our lives and out of our government,” he had said."
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/foxs-shep-smith-those-angered-by-popes-call-to-care-for-poor-and-environment-should-consult-a-mirror/
During coverage of ceremonies welcoming the Pope, Smith’s co-host, Bill Hemmer commented that Francis is an “equal opportunity offender” who may make politicians on both sides of the aisle squirm when he gives a talk to Congress, Media Matters reports. Smith said that the issues Francis has been pushing shouldn’t be political, because they are matters of basic human decency.
“I don’t know,” Smith responded. “I think we are in a weird place in the world when the following things are considered political. Five things, I’m going to tick them off. These are the five things that were on his and our president’s agenda. Caring for the marginalized and the poor — that’s now political. Advancing economic opportunity for all. Political? Serving as good stewards of the environment. Protecting religious minorities and promoting religious freedom globally. Welcoming [and] integrating immigrants and refugees globally. And that’s political?”
What else, he asked, do people expect to hear from a Catholic pope “other than protect those who need help, bring in refuges who have no place because of war and violence and terrorism. These seem like universal truths that we should be good to others who have less than we do, that we should give shelter to those who don’t have it.”
He questioned the morality of people who “find themselves on the other side” of those issues.
“I think these were the teachings in the Bible of Jesus,” Smith said. “They’re the words of the pope, they’re the feelings of the president. And people who find themselves on the other side of that message should consult a mirror, it seems like. Because I think that’s what we’re supposed to do as a people, whatever your religion. I mean, it seems to me and I think to probably, as Bill O’Reilly would put it, most clear-thinking Americans — that that’s how we’re supposed to roll.”
Smith prompted an angry backlash from conservatives earlier this month when he criticized the supporters of anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis for being hypocritical.
“This is the same crowd that says, ‘We don’t want Sharia law, don’t let them tell us what to do, keep their religion out of our lives and out of our government,” he had said."
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/foxs-shep-smith-those-angered-by-popes-call-to-care-for-poor-and-environment-should-consult-a-mirror/
Edited >1 y ago
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He keeps his job because people are allowed to have an opinion.
Clear-thinking Americans can question the motives and methods employed on those issues. That doesn't make them wrong.
Where most of the disagreement lies is in the methods employed to address those issues.
As an example: the refugee crisis in Europe. The Syrian civil war has been ongoing for three years now. Suddenly, Europe is awash in refugees. some from Syria, many from elsewhere, because the word got out that there were generous aid packages in various European countries. What Europe wasn't ready for was a tsunami of people washing up on the shores of Greece, most trying to make their way to Germany. (You'll recall a similar situation on the US/ Mexico border last summer). Not able to cope with this wave of humanity, countries started closing their borders. Savvy ones like Denmark put out word that their government assistance package had been cut. Suddenly, no one wants to go there.
Seeing how this is going, a meeting is convened to decide how to handle this. The EU decides that each member country HAS TO take in X-number of refugees, basically so Hungary, Greece, and Slovakia don't get stuck with squatters, and Germany doesn't get stuck with the bill.
Real questions about security concerns are swept under the rug.
Notice that refugees aren't poring into Kuwait. Or Saudi Arabia. Plenty of money there, but the Kingdoms aren't putting out the welcome mat because they know that there are real issues imbedded in those migrants.
Reasonable people know something must be done. Otherwise you will have more and more people washing up on the shores dead. But they also know that if you are too generous, you'll be overwhelmed.
Put those 100,000 refugees that the President wants to take into the USA in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Then we'll see how anxious he is to take in thousands of unvetted individuals.
Meanwhile, thousands of homeless veterans shiver in the cold wondering why the welcome mat is rolled out for Syrians, while they have to wait.
The devil is in the details.
Clear-thinking Americans can question the motives and methods employed on those issues. That doesn't make them wrong.
Where most of the disagreement lies is in the methods employed to address those issues.
As an example: the refugee crisis in Europe. The Syrian civil war has been ongoing for three years now. Suddenly, Europe is awash in refugees. some from Syria, many from elsewhere, because the word got out that there were generous aid packages in various European countries. What Europe wasn't ready for was a tsunami of people washing up on the shores of Greece, most trying to make their way to Germany. (You'll recall a similar situation on the US/ Mexico border last summer). Not able to cope with this wave of humanity, countries started closing their borders. Savvy ones like Denmark put out word that their government assistance package had been cut. Suddenly, no one wants to go there.
Seeing how this is going, a meeting is convened to decide how to handle this. The EU decides that each member country HAS TO take in X-number of refugees, basically so Hungary, Greece, and Slovakia don't get stuck with squatters, and Germany doesn't get stuck with the bill.
Real questions about security concerns are swept under the rug.
Notice that refugees aren't poring into Kuwait. Or Saudi Arabia. Plenty of money there, but the Kingdoms aren't putting out the welcome mat because they know that there are real issues imbedded in those migrants.
Reasonable people know something must be done. Otherwise you will have more and more people washing up on the shores dead. But they also know that if you are too generous, you'll be overwhelmed.
Put those 100,000 refugees that the President wants to take into the USA in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Then we'll see how anxious he is to take in thousands of unvetted individuals.
Meanwhile, thousands of homeless veterans shiver in the cold wondering why the welcome mat is rolled out for Syrians, while they have to wait.
The devil is in the details.
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Capt Walter Miller
"He keeps his job because people are allowed to have an opinion. "
Nah, at Fox you have to go by Newspeak 11.
Walt
Nah, at Fox you have to go by Newspeak 11.
Walt
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this is an interesting piece. the byline asks how he keeps his job. And then I read the story of someone with great integrity. I imagine that's how he keeps his job. His opinions likely aren't popular with the rest of FOX; but, he speaks with integrity.
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