Howard Dean Calls Fox News 'Absolutely Racist' For Handling Of Shirley Sherrod Controversy (VIDEO)

UPDATE: Michael Clemente, Senior VP of Fox News, responded with the following statement:

"As we said this past week, some people such as the failed candidate Dean reflexively blame Fox for almost anything."

Original Post: Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean took direct aim at Fox News for its involvement in the Shirley Sherrod racism flap, calling their coverage "absolutely racist."

Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, offered his candid assessment in an appearance on "Fox News Sunday" in which he criticized the cable network for being complicit in the controversy.

"Fox News did something that was absolutely racist," Dean said. "They had an obligation to find out what was really in the clip. They had been pushing a theme of black racism with this phony Black Panther crap and this business and this Sotomayor and all this other stuff."

Host Chris Wallace countered that Fox had held off on broadcasting the footage in question until the Agriculture Department forced Sherrod out of her job there, but Dean was having none of it.

"It was about to go on Glenn Beck, which is what the administration was afraid of."

He added later: "The Tea Party called out their racist fringe and I think the Republican Party's got to stop appealing to its racist fringe. And Fox News is what did that. You put that on. Continuing to cater to this theme of minority racism and stressing comments like this -- some of which are taken out of context -- does not help the country knit itself together."

WATCH:

Comments

[OBroadhurst]

04:37 PM on 08/13/2010

Now, Howard, you had some issues relating to Native Americans as Governor that might lead some to believe your record in this area to not be so hot either. That said, however, Governor Dean is correct on this point.

[JerryAguy]

05:17 PM on 07/29/2010

Well he's known for making incorrect statements or inappropriate screams at least. On the interview he didn't even know she was fired before being on the news. The white house fired her before she was on the news.
Obama on tv then blames the media? they didn't fire her, that's not being honest is it?

[joceeco]

08:19 AM on 07/29/2010

Maybe Howard's strong backbone, and his desire to tell the truth is the reason he doesn't have a job in Obama's Administration. I wish all democrats were as honset and straightforward as Howard Dean!

[Robby Collins]

08:52 PM on 08/02/2010

Yeah that's it!

The fact that he says foolish stuff like this has nothing to do with not working for the Administration.

[joceeco]

03:37 AM on 08/04/2010

Foolish statements like the one you just wrote is probably the reason you have a total of 3 fans genius!!!!

[WPF]

12:50 PM on 07/28/2010

I doubt the whole network is racist, Howard.

[RTIII]

03:54 PM on 07/28/2010

If the management is racist and acts on it, the organization is racist.

[grizhead63]

10:16 PM on 07/30/2010

geebus on a triscuit!

[JaxReader]

12:31 PM on 07/28/2010

Democrats with a backbones are rather refreshing.

[runfastandwin]

12:04 PM on 07/28/2010

GO HOWARD GO! I applaud the guts to call FOX on their BS.

[MCWAY]

03:06 PM on 07/28/2010

Correction: It was Howard Dean who got called on his BS. Wallace took him apart; Dean had no answer for the FACT that Fox didn't air the clip about Sherrod, until she got axed. All Dean could do is spit, stumble, and fumble from that point.

[wowisdabomb]

04:16 PM on 07/28/2010

Wrong, Howard was absolutely correct, the FOX network ran a 24 hour smear campaign on Mrs Sherrod prior to her firing.

[DueTruthinesss]

05:40 PM on 07/28/2010

Yeah, actually he had a great answer. FOX was already scheduled to air the bit the trash edit by Breitbart on Beck that night, irregardless of whether Mrs. Sherrod was fired or not. You keep suffering under the delusion that Obama's knee-jerk reactionary mistake somehow absolved FOX of their own premeditated crimes.

[uvymopka]

09:26 AM on 07/28/2010

"They had an obligation to find out what was really in the clip." !!!! Obama did not bother to find out what was in the clip, neither did the NAACP.

Chris Wallace made a fool of Dean.

[Sunnyd2035]

11:35 AM on 07/28/2010

Chris Wallace makes a fool oh himself regularly but as a fool I can see how you would not know whom is the fool and who is the fooled.

[JaxReader]

12:22 PM on 07/28/2010

Yes Obama makes every decision in America, personally. We should blame the entire debacle on liberals and blacks. Thats the 'RIGHT' thing to do, isn't it? Somehow, me thinks your missing the point.

[MCWAY]

03:07 PM on 07/28/2010

Obama got briefed and approved of Sherrod's firing, according to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox.

So, in a sense he DID make the decision. And the NAACP skewered Sherrod, despite having the whole tape.

[cache]

08:13 AM on 07/28/2010

Racism. We all know it's still here, and it's still rampant among conservatives. Bury your head in the sand and pretend it isn't, but I still see and hear it, and so do the vast majority of you. How many of us will encounter a "traditional values american" and Fox news addict, and the conversation will start something like, "I'm not a racist, but.......". When I hear that, I know where the conversations going. Mask it and sleep well fellow citizens but understand this--Fox News is a corporation that has analyzed their target viewers and marketed their product accordingly. They know what they're doing.

[MCWAY]

08:51 AM on 07/28/2010

What they're doing is exposing this sham of an administration for what it really is. And, once the people find out and get angry, the only thing the crybabies on the left can do is wail about racism.

The Dems can't defend Obama's record. And, since all the other demographics are abandoning Obama, it's time for lefties to pull the ol' race card, to fire up the one group that will monolithically vote Democrat, no matter what.

This is all in an effort to save themselves from an @$$-whipping this fall, all to dectract from the double-digit unemployment, their raising taxes on middle-class America (which they swore they wouldn't do), ramming down our throat a stupid healthcare law that we don't want, etc.

[Sunnyd2035]

11:33 AM on 07/28/2010

Sorry tea bagger says what?
President Obama has accomplished more in the less than two years he has been president since any president since FDR, tax rates are lower, the health care bill while not perfect was an excellent start for something the have been trying to pass for over 60 years.
Basically everything your posts is tripe made up in your own mind BS, the race card is played because it is TRUE but hey as a fact free noise viewer I can see how you have an aversion to FACTS....
Now back under the bridgetroll...

[Sunnyd2035]

11:36 AM on 07/28/2010

President Obama has accomplished more in the less than two years he has been president since any president since FDR, tax rates are lower, the health care bill while not perfect was an excellent start for something the have been trying to pass for over 60 years.
Basically everything your posts is tripe made up in your own mind BS, the race card is played because it is TRUE but hey as a fact free noise viewer I can see how you have an aversion to FACTS....
Now back under the bridgetroll...

[NoSandwiches]

08:02 AM on 07/28/2010

The greatest challenge with racism is to understand enough about our history and the various cultures of the diverse regions of our country to even "get" what is racist and why. Way too many people do not believe they are acting racist or saying racist things because they do not understand the context. For example, if you see a picture of a piece of rope, and it is tied like a noose but there is no other info for context, what does it represent? To me, maybe Halloween. To another, maybe a Cowboy movie. To another, a lynch mob.There isn't anything inherently racist about a picture of a noose, but the context in which it is used is important.

[artDEsign]

07:20 AM on 07/28/2010

Can't talk about Fox's responsibility now--we're on to the Administration's mistake. CAN'T SPEAK TO RACISM-Must focus on Obama. Fox invites Dean on then refuses to speak about the cause of all this b***s***-some conservative extremist who manipulated footage and has now been invited to speak at an RNC fundraiser as some right wing hero. Holy crap.

[MCWAY]

07:55 AM on 07/28/2010

Can't talk about the NAACP, throwing her under the bus (despite their possession of the whole tape)-Must whine about Fox.

Can't talk about why Sherrod didn't refuse to resign, if she was as wronged as claimed-Must whine about Fox.

Can't talk about why the USDA/Obama administration didn't give her the benefit of the doubt or the chance to defend herself (or even fire her face to face, instead of by phone, because they're terrified of Glenn Beck)-Must whine about Fox.

But, since you want to talk racism, let's talk about Sherrod's claim about white people opposing ObamaCare, simply because Obama's black. Let's talk about the NAACP having a speaker in Kansas City, refer to black conservative, Ken Gladney (who got beat up by SEIU goons and called a n*&#$#), as an "Uncle Tom".

Of course, doing that would validate what Breitbart said from the get-go about the NAACP. They need to worry about their own "racist elements", before yapping about the Tea Party.

[runfastandwin]

12:05 PM on 07/28/2010

What nonsense.

[DueTruthinesss]

03:29 PM on 07/28/2010

Maybe she liked her job and they gave her a good pay raise. She certainly deserved one. And it was the NAACP that produced the whole tape the very next day, which helped to clear her name after FOX had been playing only the part they wanted to believe was the entirety of it--after all investigative journalism is soooo yesterday!

Obama's administration was wrong. They even admitted it. Too bad FOX and it's supporters can't do the same. Instead, they now welcome Breitbart as a hero.

I think a lot of people oppose Obama's health care plan--as well as all his plans--simply because he is black. I'm white by the way. Does that make me racist? And by this same logic, the fact that you think Mrs. Sherrod--and by extension other black people--are against white people, thus making them racist, I guess that then makes you racist. Man, it does get tangled doesn't it, this thing you call logic.

Maybe you should just go back to doing what you do best, "tea-bagging".

[JerryLevy]

11:59 PM on 07/27/2010

Wallace showed Deans spurious accusation of racism to be what it was.................total politics. And ugly politics at that. Shame on Dean.

[Denier]

08:53 PM on 07/27/2010

So, where has Sherrod been? Not a whisper on the Sunday talk shows and she seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. For someone who couldn't get enough face time on all the shows last week, now....poof....gone.

Weird, huh?

[MCWAY]

07:57 AM on 07/28/2010

Could it have anything to do with her hubby's yakking about stopping the white man and the Uncle Toms from stealing elections?

Or, her talk about people basically opposing ObamaCare, because its namesake is black?

Weird, indeed!!!

[Sunnyd2035]

11:37 AM on 07/28/2010

Spare us your racist replies

[Denier]

06:00 PM on 07/28/2010

Yes, indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if Obama unleashed rendition on the Sherrods to keep them quiet.

[Tessie]

04:17 AM on 08/01/2010

Until her lawsuits begin , then we'll see her all over the place. She and her husband have made a fortune suing people. She won't need to take a job.

[eldorado81]

08:51 PM on 07/27/2010

Howard Dean calls Fox News coverage racist and that's news?They look for perceived black racism wherever they can find it to please their audience.The blame for the Sherrod case belongs to two sources:Breitbart And Fox NewsThe Obama Administration should quit worrying about what Fox and the Tea Party people think- they're not their supporters anyway.

[zunklives]

08:42 PM on 07/27/2010

Chris Wallace points out that her name was never mentioned by faux before the RESIGNATION,(not the firing). And that is an outright lie. Look at the timelines, It was mentioned numerous times on fox, red eye, Hannity, and americas hour, or whatever that show is called(Idont watch faux). And how about the fact that they have played clips of other liberal office nominees in the past that were also taken out of context. Or the facts that they have just flat out gotten wrong(Bill Oreilly on Malady France WW2 massacre) that have gone on to be erased off transcripts of faux news shows. That Network(faux) is the most spin network, in news history, period

[Tekriter]

04:47 AM on 07/28/2010

"The same fear-based approach that caused the administration to throw Shirley Sherrod under the bus before her name had even been uttered on Fox News is once again rearing its head in the decision-making process over Warren."
Check the tird papragraph. Is she incorrect in this statement?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/fear-factor-whats-keeping_b_661256.html

[MCWAY]

08:09 AM on 07/28/2010

OOPS!!! There are more of those inconvenient facts, turning the lefties' rants into mush.

[MCWAY]

08:07 AM on 07/28/2010

Outright lie? Tell that to NBC, The Washington Post, and the LA Times.

"But for all the chatter -- some of it from Sherrod herself -- that she was done in by Fox News, the network didn't touch the story until her forced resignation was made public Monday evening, with the exception of brief comments by O'Reilly. After a news meeting Monday afternoon, an e-mail directive was sent to the news staff in which Fox Senior Vice President Michael Clemente said: 'Let's take our time and get the facts straight on this story. Can we get confirmation and comments from Sherrod before going on-air. Let's make sure we do this right.' "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/22/AR2010072201265.html

Matt Lauer, NBC's Today Show. "I was going to say that Bill O'Reilly apologized. Plus, they didn't air the clip until she'd already resigned. So, it's not like they forced the resignation.", his response to Katrina Vanden Heuvel's false accusation.

Here's a hint: When your boss tells you to "resign", especially by pulling over the side of the road, without even talking to you face to face, that means YOU'VE BEEN FIRED. "Resignation" just sounds cushy and nice.

as have too many whiny liberals, you're confusing what happened on the 19th, with what happened on the 20th. the FIRST person to air the clip on the 19th was O'Reilly, by which time, Sherrod had been axed.

[DueTruthinesss]

02:04 PM on 07/29/2010

Actually, not quite correct, FOX ran a special report at 5:58PM on Monday, “Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn’t Give ‘Full Force’ of Help to White Farmer”. That was an hour prior to the USDA announcement of Mrs. Sherrod's resignation.

Obviously FOX had the clip and was going to use it regardless of whether Mrs. Sherrod was fired or not. Did the Obama administration and the USDA throw her under the bus? Sure they did, and it was a reprehensible knee-jerk reaction to finding out that FOX planned to air their badly edited clip. However, are you honestly trying to sit here and say that FOX only aired it as a result of her firing? If so, you are either a bad lier or a very naive individual. So which one is it?

[elisabeth1208]

07:04 PM on 07/27/2010

Liberals have no problem calling all Tea Party members racists, when we all know that there's always a small fringe to any group that does not represent the whole.

Yet when faced with racism on the part of NAACP members, they revert to the moral lightweights that they truly are and start speaking as if they are highly offended by those who call others racists... how rich and yet infantile at the same time.

[murphysgirl]

07:14 PM on 07/27/2010

Uh newsflash, there was no sign of racism from the NAACP..

[MCWAY]

11:03 AM on 07/28/2010

Except for Sherrod claiming that people oppose ObamaCare, because the President is black.

Or that other incident in Kansas City, where the NAACP clapped along with a speaker who called black conservative, Ken Gladney, an "Uncle Tom" and a "Negro" in the sense that he works against other black people, not for or with them.

[1hotgolfer]

08:42 PM on 07/27/2010

Elizabeth, that "scatter-gun" approach doesn't work here...you really are expected to demonstrate specificity. What racism did members of the NAACP illustrate? And, please understand that the "they were standing up cheering and clapping at Sherrods racist comments" party-line has been proven false. So, I hope you have "other" evidence...something that is not just more of the "rich and yet infantile" Fox News talking points, which your accusation certainly repeats.

[elisabeth1208]

09:12 PM on 07/27/2010

I've replied twice but HP hasn't put it up, sometimes the truth hurts.

Look at the video.