MSNBC's Cenk Uygur Rants: The Tea Party Is the 'Cancer' of the GOP

August 6th, 2010 4:37 PM

MSNBC's Cenk Uygur railed against the Tea Party on Friday, attacking their members as the "cancer of the Republican Party." The liberal radio host was completing his final day as guest anchor of the 3pm hour of News Live.

During each show's program he would offer three short commentaries railing against conservatism or President Obama for not being liberal enough.

Uygur, the host of the liberal Young Turks radio show, asserted that the Tea Party will "kill" Republicans after 2010, allowing that the midterms might result in a "slight bump up for the GOP." In contrast, the Cook Report currently predicts a 32 to 42 seat pickup for the Republicans in the House.

In a second commentary, Uygur hit Obama for not being liberal enough: "We challenged the Republicans and the President all week long. We took Obama to task for TARP Elizabeth Warren, civil liberties and many other issues. But, I did want to give the President some parting advice. Please, no more half measures!"

He then dismissed Obama's left-wing accomplishments, scoffing, "Instead we got pocket change." Fox News' 3pm host is the low key Shepherd Smith. MSNBC now seems to be experimenting with hard left anchors for midday as well as primetime.

A transcript of Uygur's two August 6 commentaries follows:

3:45pm EDT

MSNBC Graphic: My Take

CENK UYGUR: Now, look, I like to make predictions, so here's a nice controversial one for you. The Tea Party is the cancer of the Republican Party. If they were actually fighting against corruption in government, it would be a positive movement as I just explained.

But if all they do is drive the GOP further and further to the right, they're going to kill the party. 2010 might be a slight bump up for the GOP given the circumstances, but that will only hurt them more in the long run as they become convinced that radicalism is the right answer.

After 2010, the long, sad decline of the Republican Party will begin and we will look back and say it started at a party, the Tea Party. We'll be right back.

3:54pm EDT

MSNBC GRAPHIC: Cenk's Takeaway

UYGUR: At the beginning of the week I told you we would be challenging the government on the show. And I think we delivered. We challenged the Republicans and the President all week long. We took Obama to task for TARP Elizabeth Warren, civil liberties and many other issues.

But, I did want to give the President some parting advice. Please, no more half measures! This country elected you because you ran on the message of change. They gave you huge majorities in the House and Senate. It was a clear mandate. And what did you use it for?

Health care reform with the private insurers are still the only option. Yes, there were positive parts to the bill. But the system remains the same. And how about financial reform? Where the banks are still too big to fail. Don't you get it? If and when they crash the economy again, they're going to blame you!

And that's my point. If banks and insurance companies and t he Republicans and conservative media all attack you with 100 percent ferocity no matter what you do, why didn't you try for 100 percent change? Instead we got pocket change. And now if it's not good enough to pull us out of the rut, then they're going to say progressive ideas didn't work.

But it ain't over. You still have two and a half years to take the fight to them. Remember when you did you didn't want to play the same old Washington games a little better? You wanted to change the game, I'm sorry, but right now the game is exactly as it was before. So, I'm asking for your own good and from now onto have the courage to give the American people the change you promised them.