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American Morning

Limbaugh's Troubles

Aired October 03, 2003 - 09:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the troubles for Rush Limbaugh and what role the media might be playing right now. With us this morning, Toure, contributing editor of "Rolling Stone" magazine, with us now on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good to see you. Pick up on the last comment that Rush Limbaugh said. He said it was an opinion. Did you view this opinion, if we're going to use that word right now, as racial or racist?

TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Well, I mean, to me, it's absolutely racist, without question. And it doesn't really even have a relationship with what's going on today in terms of the conversation about professional football. Five to 10 years, ago we talked about the black quarterback thing. But now we have nine black quarterbacks in the NFL. And not only that, we have two completely mediocre ones in Quincy Carter and Kordell Stewart. And I remember Arthur Ashe said, we won't be equal as races until black people can be mediocre and succeed. So when I see Kordell and Quincy Carter continuing to start, it says to me, we're not talking about black quarterbacks anymore.

HEMMER: You're a football fan, right?

TOURE: Yes.

HEMMER: You a Rush Limbaugh fan?

TOURE: No.

HEMMER: Do you ever watch that program?

TOURE: It's a great show, three Hall of Famers talking about football, love the show. I watched it last season. This season, the first time they cut to Rush, I said, oh, no, I can't be a part of this and I stopped watching. And I even questioned, where is the legitimacy in this guy talking about football with three Hall of Famers? how does he enter that conversation?

HEMMER: If this had happened on his radio program, would we be sitting here right now talking about this?

TOURE: No, no, because then, on the radio show, he's talked to the converted. He says that thing and 500,000 people cheer. You know, on the football show, now he's not talking to his audience, not talking to his people. Now those of us who actually think when we listen, oh, no, no, no, no, no, you can't say that. HEMMER: Let's take a different argument on this. What he's saying, as he has said for two decades right now, he rails against what he considers the liberal media. He made that comment last Sunday. It there a school of thought out there that says the liberal media is now getting its revenge on Rush Limbaugh?

TOURE: I mean, I'm with Eric Altman (ph), there is no such thing as a liberal media. I mean, this guy, this sort of a conservative, could get this sort of a job, which I don't understand why they think we want to listen to his comments on football? Could you imagine, say Farrakhan doing comments on the NBA? Even if he was spot on, they're like no, no, no, we can't have this sort of person here, so people are going to tune off. So where does this conservative blabbermouth get the right to talk about football? I don't understand it.

HEMMER: So at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, are you watching ESPN?

TOURE: I am this Sunday.

HEMMER: Thanks. Have a great weekend.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 3, 2003 - 09:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the troubles for Rush Limbaugh and what role the media might be playing right now. With us this morning, Toure, contributing editor of "Rolling Stone" magazine, with us now on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good to see you. Pick up on the last comment that Rush Limbaugh said. He said it was an opinion. Did you view this opinion, if we're going to use that word right now, as racial or racist?

TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Well, I mean, to me, it's absolutely racist, without question. And it doesn't really even have a relationship with what's going on today in terms of the conversation about professional football. Five to 10 years, ago we talked about the black quarterback thing. But now we have nine black quarterbacks in the NFL. And not only that, we have two completely mediocre ones in Quincy Carter and Kordell Stewart. And I remember Arthur Ashe said, we won't be equal as races until black people can be mediocre and succeed. So when I see Kordell and Quincy Carter continuing to start, it says to me, we're not talking about black quarterbacks anymore.

HEMMER: You're a football fan, right?

TOURE: Yes.

HEMMER: You a Rush Limbaugh fan?

TOURE: No.

HEMMER: Do you ever watch that program?

TOURE: It's a great show, three Hall of Famers talking about football, love the show. I watched it last season. This season, the first time they cut to Rush, I said, oh, no, I can't be a part of this and I stopped watching. And I even questioned, where is the legitimacy in this guy talking about football with three Hall of Famers? how does he enter that conversation?

HEMMER: If this had happened on his radio program, would we be sitting here right now talking about this?

TOURE: No, no, because then, on the radio show, he's talked to the converted. He says that thing and 500,000 people cheer. You know, on the football show, now he's not talking to his audience, not talking to his people. Now those of us who actually think when we listen, oh, no, no, no, no, no, you can't say that. HEMMER: Let's take a different argument on this. What he's saying, as he has said for two decades right now, he rails against what he considers the liberal media. He made that comment last Sunday. It there a school of thought out there that says the liberal media is now getting its revenge on Rush Limbaugh?

TOURE: I mean, I'm with Eric Altman (ph), there is no such thing as a liberal media. I mean, this guy, this sort of a conservative, could get this sort of a job, which I don't understand why they think we want to listen to his comments on football? Could you imagine, say Farrakhan doing comments on the NBA? Even if he was spot on, they're like no, no, no, we can't have this sort of person here, so people are going to tune off. So where does this conservative blabbermouth get the right to talk about football? I don't understand it.

HEMMER: So at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, are you watching ESPN?

TOURE: I am this Sunday.

HEMMER: Thanks. Have a great weekend.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com