Janeane Garofolo Explains America

Actress and liberal political activist Janeane Garofalo said, in all seriousness, that the hundreds of thousands of people across the nation who attended the Wednesday "tea party" protests are racists with dysfunctional brains.

"Let's be very honest about what this is about. This is not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea Party was about. They don't know their history at all. It's about hating a black man in the White House," she said on MSNBC's "The Countdown" with Keith Olbermann on Thursday evening.

"This is racism straight up and is nothing but a bunch
of teabagging rednecks. There is no way around that," she
insisted.

On the radio this morning I heard some people saying they were going to quit watching 24, where Garofolo plays a minor role, because of her offensive comments.

I don’t feel that way myself on general principles. For one thing, I’m not going to start vetting every show I watch for the political outlook of the actors. If I did I'd have nothing left to watch but Walker, Texas Ranger, and old Law & Order episodes with Angie Harmon.

As to Garofolo being on 24, I’ve wondered how she ended up there, as her part could have been played by many other actresses equally suitable. My guess is that Joel Sarnow was trying to make a point that he’ll hire actors regardless of their politics, in contrast to the kind of Hollywood purging that, some believe, keeps outspoken conservatives from getting work on liberal sets. He also may have had an evangelistic motive, thinking Garafolo might benefit from working outside her Air America bubble for a while.

Based on her Olbermann apperance, it hasn’t worked so far.