Touré

MSNBC's Toure Teams Up with Rev. Jesse Jackson to Push Religious Black Voters to Evolve On Same-Sex Marriage
By Ken Shepherd | May 17, 2012 | 3:08 PM EDT

"Some religious leaders are struggling with President Obama’s support for gay marriage but not the Rev. Jesse Jackson," gushed frequent MSNBC contributor Toure noted in the opening line of his May 17 Time.com "Ideas" blog post as he introduced how he "spoke to the Reverend [Jesse Jackson] about the impact of Obama’s announcement among blacks and the wider community of the faithful."

It goes without saying that the interview was a game of softball in which Toure helpfully lobbed easy questions over the plate to drive home for readers, but particularly those who may be African-American Christians who typically vote Democratic, that it would be great if they could evolve to where President Obama has on same-sex marriage, a "civil rights" and "discrimination" issue.

Peter Schweizer Politely KOs Condescending MSNBCers Touré and Krystal Ball
By Noel Sheppard | May 11, 2012 | 7:37 PM EDT

Author and Hoover Institution research fellow Peter Schweizer took on a gaggle of liberals on MSNBC Friday and demonstrated that no matter how outnumbered a conservative is, he’ll likely win the debate.

Of greater consequence, regardless of substitute host Matt Miller’s numerous attempts to keep liberal contributors Krystal Ball and Touré on the topic of reining in excesses on Wall Street, they just wanted to attack their conservative opponent (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary).

MSNBC Features 9/11 Truther to Mock 'Dangerous,' 'Paternalistic' Bill Cosby
By Scott Whitlock | April 16, 2012 | 4:39 PM EDT

MSNBC on Monday featured 9/11 truther and network analyst Toure to slam the "paternalistic" Bill Cosby for suggesting the Trayvon Martin shooting is more about guns than it is about race. Toure derided this "dangerous sentiment" as "not at all true" and implied that the popular comedian is dumb: "But in terms of nuanced political thinking, [Cosby] has not shown himself to be a big fan of that."

Toure used Cosby's recent comments as a jumping off point to scold the former sitcom star: "And he has quite often said things that put him into the category of, with friends like these, who needs enemies?" Specifically, Toure bashed Cosby for talking about "a lack of morality in the black community." News Nation host Tamron Hall was so taken aback, she sputtered, "But Bill Cosby is not anti-black. What are you saying?"  [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

Media Mash: 'Predatory Black Sexuality' Edition
By NB Staff | November 11, 2011 | 10:33 AM EST

Liberal MSNBC contributors like Toure have "gone beyond the pale" with their recent remarks about Herman Cain, NewsBusters publisher and Media Research Center president Brent Bozell complained on the November 10 edition of "Hannity."

Bozell was reacting to a montage that included the liberal author anticipating a racist backlash by white conservatives who, according to Toure, will now fear Cain's "predatory black sexuality" following the allegations of Sharon Bialek, a "blonde, white woman."

"It's the worst kind of racism, Sean," Bozell added. "What they're trying to say is, 'Hey, look at you Republicans, this is a black boy. He's going after your white women. Look at this, aren't you offended, aren't you offended?!'" [see video below page break]

Time's Toure: Herman Cain 'Giving Comfort to Racism'
By Brad Wilmouth | November 3, 2011 | 8:36 AM EDT

Appearing as a guest on Wednesday's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC, Time contributor and MSNBC analyst Toure asserted that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain "serves a massive psychological purpose" for the GOP as he offers a "Herman Cain card" that can be used by Republicans when they are accused of racism.

He went on to charge that Cain is "giving comfort to racism."

Below is a transcript of the relevant exchange from the Wednesday, November 2, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC:

Touré: Herman Cain Is Nothing More Than a Black 'Minstrelsy' Entertainer
By Noel Sheppard | November 1, 2011 | 7:34 PM EDT

The liberal media are clearly in a full-scale panic over the possibility that a black conservative could either win the Republican presidential nomination or become the eventual victor's running mate.

On MSNBC's The Last Word Monday, left-wing author Touré went on a racially charged attack on Herman Cain referring to him as a black "minstrelsy" entertainer (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Toure, MSNBC's Resident 9/11 Truther, Slams Rick Perry as a Birther
By Scott Whitlock | October 28, 2011 | 4:15 PM EDT

MSNBC analyst Touré, who is a 9/11 truther, appeared on the News Nation show to denounce Rick Perry as a birther. Speaking of the Republican presidential candidate, he slammed, "...I see Trump and the other birthers, Perry, virtually going to the White House and knocking on the door saying can we see your documentation to make sure you are actually an American?"

It's odd that MSNBC would bring on Touré, who believes in a fringe conspiracy theory, to assert that Perry believes in a fringe conspiracy theory. Talking to host Tamron Hall, the analyst wondered why people would believe such weird ideas: "Why are we even wondering, at this point, is Obama really an American?"

Maher: If You Showed Michelle Malkin Obama's Resume Without Saying Who It Was She'd 'Name Her Vibrator “Obama”'
By Noel Sheppard | October 22, 2011 | 11:51 AM EDT

Bill Maher on his HBO program Friday said, "If you just presented the Republicans with Obama's resume and didn't say who it was, they would erect statues to this guy."

After mentioning the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Moammar Gaddafi, Maher continued, "Just the killing alone, Michelle Malkin would name her vibrator 'Obama'” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Time Magazine Asks: 'Is Herman Cain the Most Unctuous Black Man Alive?'
By Tim Graham | October 20, 2011 | 11:12 PM EDT

The author who calls himself simply Toure -- a regular guest on MSNBC, and before that on CNN -- is throwing rhetorical bricks at Herman Cain for Time magazine. His article is headlined "Is Herman Cain the Most Unctuous Black Man Alive? Why the Hermanator experience is making me sick."

Toure compared Cain to a circus clown, called him a "buffoon," compared him to "rancid, spoiled, stinky, curdled milk" and dissed him (in the liberal mind) by calling him "the Black Sarah Palin." In the midst of that, he somehow scolds Cain for "sinking to teenage-level disses." He began:

Irene and Climate Change: Liberal Media Won't Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste
By Matt Hadro | August 29, 2011 | 5:24 PM EDT

In the days leading up to Hurricane Irene's march through the Northeast,  journalists repeatedly suggested that the storm was yet more evidence of climate change.

"The scale of Hurricane Irene, which could cause more extensive damage along the Eastern Seaboard than any storm in decades, is reviving an old question: are hurricanes getting worse because of human-induced climate change?" asked the New York Times' Justin Gillis in his August 28 piece.

HLN guest host Don Lemon asked scientist Bill Nye on Wednesday if the storm was proof of climate change. Nye answered that it was "consistent with all the predictions of climate change models" and added that the United States is behind the times in taking action on climate change. "There's no other developed world country that isn't very concerned about climate change," Nye asserted, and ABC's weatherman Sam Champion agreed.

MSNBC Features 9/11 Truther to Blame Hurricane on Global Warming
By Scott Whitlock | August 27, 2011 | 5:48 PM EDT

On Friday's Dylan Ratigan Show, MSNBC contributor Touré, who is also a 9/11 truther, wondered if Hurricane Irene is an example of global warming. He speculated, "When you talk about an unusual weather event happening in New York and this sort of thing, is this really evidence of global warming to see this sort of a massive storm happening here?"

Touré is routinely featured on MSNBC, despite his tendency to tweet in support of 9/11 conspiracy theories. See below for examples:

NBC's Robach: 'Will [Palin] Ever Just Go Away?'
By Brad Wilmouth | December 31, 2009 | 11:42 PM EST

On the December 26 Saturday Today, as NBC anchor Amy Robach brought up Sarah Palin during a segment on people who made the news in 2009, Robach sounded as if she might have had a wish that Palin disappear from public view as she asked if Palin would "ever just go away?" Robach: "And, Brian, another big political story, the rise and fall of Sarah Palin, and yet she continues to grab headlines. Her new book came out. Will she ever just go away? Do you think she's going to be a big force this next year?"

Comedian Brian Balthazar seemed to want Palin to remain in public to be fodder for jokes as he contended that "when she opens her mouth, people pay attention. And, in fact, when she opens her mouth, often she doesn't stop, so it, there's so much to work with with Sarah. She's not going away."

Robach, possibly hinting that she also sees Palin as either a good source for humor or for the news industry which she is a part of, followed up by posing a question to NBC contributor Toure. Robach: "And, Toure, do we really want her to go away? Probably not." 

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the December 26 Saturday Today show on NBC: