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Limbaugh. "Cracker." Steinbrenner. Sharpton.
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 14, 2010
Modified Jul 14, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 14, 2010
Modified Jul 14, 2010
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Oh, Rush! Controversial right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh decided to pay tribute to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner during his show by espousing Steinbrenner's capitalist tendencies, "That cracker made a lot of African American millionaires."—uh, what about the white millionaires—"George Steinbrenner, the classic capitalist. Everyone around him became wealthy... And at the same time he fired a bunch of white guys as managers left and right." Hear his clip below.
The Reverend Al Sharpton responded with a statement:
The statements made by Rush Limbaugh about George Steinbrenner were repugnant and offensive whether they were intended to be facetious or tongue and cheek. The fact that he could make these comments less than 24-hours after Mr. Steinbrenner's death makes it even more offensive. For the last 20-years I have known George Steinbrenner and we have quarrelled over diversity and community programs but I always found him fair, direct, and genuinely prone to do what he felt was right. He generated a lot of money for a lot of players as well as for baseball as a whole and should not be disparaged in any matter. In later years, in a twist of irony, his granddaughter and my daughter became close, which only brought me closer to knowing him and we developed a mutual respect. Mr. Limbaugh and his broadcasters owe his family an apology that the first day of their mourning to have to be subjected to this type of rhetoric. To think that just a year ago Mr. Limbaugh sought to be an owner of an NFL team and has now said this about a legendary baseball team owner. This says more about Mr. Limbaugh than it does Mr. Steinbrenner.
Naturally, Limbaugh's comments also made him Keith Olbermann's target—Limbaugh was the Worst Person in the World:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Here's Limbaugh's "cracker" riff:
Tagged
al sharpton
george steinbrenner
keith olbermann
reverend al sharpton
rush limbaugh
Yankees
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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