The Wicked Irony Of Fox Hosts Accusing Others Of Creating Racial Division

 ARI RABIN-HAVT/Media Matters For America:

On last night's episode of The Five, host Eric Bolling claimed Democrats strategically create racial division as a political strategy. Asked by fellow host Bob Beckel whether he believes that "we sit around in the Democratic Party and want to have racial division," he replied, "I do, yes."

It was an absurd charge coming from Bolling, whose racial invective has included referring to the President of Gabon's visit to the White House as "a hoodlum in the hizzouse" and suggesting that President Obama was "chugging 40s" during a state visit to Ireland. 

Bolling wasn't the only one on Fox claiming that racism is largely being drummed up by liberals. Co-host Greg Gutfeld chimed in claiming that "racial warfare right now is the crack cocaine of CNN, MSNBC, and most college campuses."

Later in the evening Bill O'Reilly told his audience that civil rights leaders want "to divide the country along racial lines because that's good for business."

Oh the irony.

There are few in American politics who have done more to strategically divide this country along racial lines for political and financial gain than Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

While producing town hall style events for Richard Nixon in 1968, Ailes sought to exploit racial tensions at the time by reportedly including "[a] good, mean, Wallaceite cab driver" on the panel of people who got to ask the candidate a question.

"Wouldn't that be great," Bolling, Gutfeld and O'Reilly's boss told reporter Joe McGinniss. "Some guy to sit there and say, 'Awright Mac, what about these n****rs?' "

In 1988, Roger Ailes again used racial tensions to his candidate's advantage, producing the infamous Revolving Door ad for George H.W. Bush's campaign that was widely criticized for its racial overtones. The commercial depicts a line of inmates entering and exiting a prison yard swinging around a metal gate. The ad "was calculated to emphasize the one African-American" said ABC News anchor Sam Donaldson. 

Running Rudy Giuliani's first mayoral campaign against David Dinkins, Roger Ailes attempted to guide his candidate to victory by stoking tension between New York's black and Jewish communities. He "placed an ad in a prominent Yiddish Newspaper, The Algemeiner Journal, that featured an image of Guiliani's opponent David Dinkins -- who would become New York City's first African-American mayor -- alongside Jesse Jackson. The ad also displayed a photo of Giuliani with President George H.W. Bush, and the headline stated, 'Let the people of New York choose their own destiny.' "

Howard Kurtz, writing in 1989 for The Washington Post, quoted Ira Silverman, vice president of the American Jewish Committee saying that while Ailes had used a "legitimate campaign tactic," it was "troubling" because it "prey[ed] upon the fears of the Jewish community."

Fox News has followed Roger Ailes'lead, using race to divide, from the networks obsession with the New Black Panthers to most famously Glenn Beck suggesting the president himself was a "racist" with a "deep seeded hatred of white people and white culture."

When Fox hosts wish to complain about those who benefit from racial division, perhaps they should stop by the second floor of 21^st Century Fox's Manhattan headquarters and deliver the message in person.