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Go Home The Rick Sanchez Freak-Out

JONATHAN CHAIT OCTOBER 1, 2010

The Rick Sanchez Freak-Out

BY JONATHAN CHAIT

Rick Sanchez is obviously upset about being mocked as a lightweight by Jon Stewart. But going on the radio and giving a self-pitying interview ranting about Stewart and how the Jews control the media is not the solution to his problem.

Paul Campos comments:

I happen to have a fairly similar background to Sanchez in a number of ways. Now it’s always dangerous to generalize about other peoples’ lives on the basis of one’s own experiences, but with that nuanced scholarly caveat in mind, I’m calling bullshit. Not just on the obviously hysterical Protocols of the Elders of Zion stuff here, but on Sanchez’s all but explicit claim that he’s a discriminated-against minority while Jon Stewart is not just a white guy, but an especially privileged white guy (because he’s a Jew and Jews run the media etc).

Look Rick, in America in 2010 you and me are basically white guys — just like Jon Stewart. Now I’m not doubting that somebody somewhere has said or done something nasty to you because of your last name (which is the only thing that would ever signal to anybody that you might have had trouble joining the New York Athletic Club in 1965), but you’re white. Comparing your life experiences to those of black people in the deep South is preposterous. It’s unfortunate that a CNN pooh bah once said something tactless to you, but if that’s your best example of what sort of things you’ve had to overcome as a “minority” in America, then I suggest you might ask yourself why your last name is still Sanchez while Jon Stuart Leibowitz’s is now Stewart.

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22 comments

Listen, I TOTALLY sympathise with Rick "the Rock" Sanchez. The media, shmedia. Have you ever been to Montreal? Why, every freaking deli or smoked-meat joint is owned by a Jew. THEY CONTROL THE SMOKED MEAT INDUSTRY. Everyone knows, as oil is to Texas, clam chowder to Boston and hookers to New Jersey, so is smoked meat to Montreal. He who controls smoked meat, controls the city. Montreal, don't forget is the second largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. It is also the second largest city in Canada. Coincidence? I think NOT. When will people wake up and smell the perogis? Why second and not first? It's those damned delis. And don't get me going about the Icelanders in Winnipeg - if only the right Russian secret service agent could be found to write The Protocols of the Elders of Thingvellir ... the Truth is Out There.

- icarusr

October 1, 2010 at 2:41pm

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From Wikipedia: Drunk driving On December 10, 1990, Sanchez struck a drunken pedestrian, Jeffrey Smuzinick, with his car on a residential street near Dolphin Stadium (then known as Joe Robbie Stadium) and left the scene, returning two hours later.[2] Smuzinick was paralyzed and eventually died in an assisted living facility on November 2, 1995.[3][2] Sanchez had just left an NFL football game with his father when the accident occurred. Police breathalyzer results determined that Sanchez's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit for driving. He was not charged with causing the accident, but was charged with and pleaded no contest to driving under the influence (DUI).[2] [edit]

- roqabs

October 1, 2010 at 2:49pm

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Oooooooh, Rick, that's gonna leave a mark.

- W_Bombay

October 1, 2010 at 2:59pm

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Icarusr - LOL:) Sanchez killed a person? And he is complaining about teh Jooz? He has also allowed antisemitic comments to scroll during his show. Or the producers have - either way - I wrote to CNN and told them when Rick's List comes on CNN goes off. Who needs this?

- Sophia

October 1, 2010 at 3:48pm

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If this sounds like the victimology mentality that conservatives forever decry, that's because it is emblematic of this mentality.

- liberal reformer

October 1, 2010 at 4:17pm

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Pretty sure Stewart changed his name because of a falling out with his father - not in some faint attempt to avoid antisemitism.

- benberger

October 1, 2010 at 4:19pm

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Also, there doesn't seem to be anywhere in this where Sanchez says that the Jews run the media. He does say that Jews are white, and that whites run the media, but this is not a Protocols type argument.

- benberger

October 1, 2010 at 4:27pm

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Where have you gone McNeil Lerher?

- WandreyCer

October 1, 2010 at 4:29pm

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Funnily enough, I don't relate to "whiteness." What Sanchez said was actually very biased; it also ignores Jewish history and also antisemitic sentiments which are alive and well even in the US of A. Try reading a Yahoo comment thread some time.

- Sophia

October 1, 2010 at 4:48pm

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Benberger, this is what Sanchez says:

I’m telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority? Yeah.
How is this not "the Jews run the media"?

- icarusr

October 1, 2010 at 5:05pm

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I don't think John Stewart changed his name because he feared anti-semitism. Maybe he changed it because he was in the entertainment industry wanted a cooler-sounding name. Last I checked, people in the entertainment industry change their last names all the time -- whether they're Jewish or not. If John Stewart is so afraid of anti-semitism it's probably not a good idea to repeatedly mention on national television that he is, in fact, Jewish. I doubt he's that stupid. [I've met some stupid Jews in my life, but Stewart seems to be pretty clever.] As for Mr Sanchez, I'd say he's in a bit of trouble? If he suddenly has a lot more free time in the very near future perhaps he can spend it with Helen Thomas.

- DC Spence

October 1, 2010 at 5:46pm

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I have been listening to this moron's interview. He has not said a cogent thing for 10 minutes. He keeps asserting Stewart is a bigot or prejudiced, yet can not come up with an example. "Some of my best friends are Jews!" Oh gosh! I call bullcrap on this!

- MikeB.

October 1, 2010 at 6:09pm

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Well icarusr, Sanchez is pretty clear that those who are "a lot like Stewart" aren't strictly Jews - they are bourgeois white people. Sanchez argues that middle class Jews are middle class whites - not that they are some sort of tribe unto themselves. It wouldn't make any sense to say that Jews control the media, and that Jews are really just like every other white person. The second half of the sentence is clearly rejecting the idea that Jews are an oppressed minority. This to be is debatable, but he's not saying "Jews run the media."

- benberger

October 1, 2010 at 6:41pm

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Sophia: "He [Sanchez] has also allowed antisemitic comments to scroll during his show. Or the producers have - either way - I wrote to CNN and told them when Rick's List comes on CNN goes off. Who needs this?" Sanchez highlighted (he was just FIRED] the antisemitic and antiIsrael comments. I also wrote to CNN, but I stopped watching period. Imagine how many more people have complained in writing, if Sophia and I have. The full sequence: "SANCHEZ: He is one of the left wing elite northeast establishment guys who says, I like black people and Mexicans as long as they're, "here, let me tap you on the head. Way to go, Ricky, you're doing a good job." But as soon as you do or say something or develop any kind of character, they push you down. Just like the administrator who said he didn't want me to be an anchor, he wanted me to be a reporter, because when he looks at me he thinks of other Hispanic reporters like John Quinones. QUESTIONER: Do you think that's a conscious thing, that Stewart or left wing liberals or whatever do? SANCHEZ: No, I don't. QUESTIONER: Because he's on the same side as you on immigration. SANCHEZ: I don't think it's a conscious thing. I just think it's important that people who are not minorities understand that those of us who are -- and very few of us will say the things that I just said -- are actually more complex than they think we are. QUESTIONER: Stewart's a minority as much as you are. He's Jewish. SANCHEZ: Yeah. Yeah. Very powerless people. Please. What are you, kidding? QUESTIONER: You're telling me that -- SANCHEZ: I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart. And to imply that somehow they -- the people in this country who are Jewish -- are an oppressed minority? Yeah." [Sanchez is Cuban - oh, yeah, a really oppressed minority who are amongst the most racist I have ever encountered. Black students refused to go to my HS (Miami High) because it was 65% Cubano by the time Miami de-segregated the schools in 1967. Our Cuban neighbors vandalized my father's car after he welcomed the new neighbors - darkish-skinned Dominicans.]

- K2K

October 1, 2010 at 7:47pm

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Poor Rick Sanchez. I actually feel sorry for him. He is simply not intelligent enough to cope with the stressful life of a successful anchor and media personality given his own daily three hour programs on CNN. He still feels persecuted because people will make fun of his many blunders. And some of those are legendary: ______________ "nobody in Israel is to the left," On February 10, 2009, Sanchez mentioned the elections in Israel and brought an "expert" named Jim Clancy to explain the candidates to American watchers. Among other things, they stipulated that there is no “Left” in Israel and that Bibi Netanyahu never negotiated with Palestinians. Here are the quotes: "CLANCY: [Netanyahu] Hawkish, in the right wing, concerned about Iran, and has a record, a proven record of not negotiating with the Palestinians." "SANCHEZ: Ehud Barak, Labor Party. And nobody in Israel is to the left, but if you were going to have somebody who is a little more center-left, that would be him." You may note that in the referred to elections 15 seats went to the Far Left parties, 13 seats to the Labour Party - Left to Left Center party, 28 to Kadima, which is a center -to-Left party ________________ Bush snubbed by world leaders: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/11/22/cnn-corrects-its-pathetic-bush-snubbed-world-leaders-story ____________ The funny thing is that recently I watched a panel of African-American media pundits (can't remember where) in which one of the women complained that there are not enough African-Americans on CNN and that Rick Sanchez, being a latino (hispanic?), was given a coveted spot in the evening in additional to his regular spot in the afternoon, implying that, obviously, Latinos are favoured by CNN!

- noga1

October 2, 2010 at 8:25am

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Quote from Sanchez: "RS: "I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart. And a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart. And to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish are oppressed minorities? Yeah." Strangely enough, Jon Stewart zoomed in on this.. type of thinking... before it even happened when he made this insightful comment about poor Rick Sanchez: "Stewart: "I just realized something. Rick Sanchez delivers the news like some guy at a party who's doing a lot of coke and traps you in a corner and explains really intensely how an ant is the strongest animal on earth. [Stewart begins imitating that type of guy]: 'I'm telling you, man, they're tiny, but they carry a stick! Like 78 times their own size! It's like you picking up a car! Can you pick up a car? Answer? No! You can't! Now, I'm going to go to the bathroom for a second, but we're not done talking about how crazy strong ants are. All right buddy?' The truth is, when Sanchez gets like this, there's really only one way to handle it. We're going to have to do this." [Pulls a lever] " http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/01/AR2010100107147.html

- noga1

October 2, 2010 at 8:40am

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Noga: thanks for this. I don't watch TV news of any kind - this stuff tells me that I should start, for the sheer entertainment value :). Benberger: in context, it is pretty clear that he is, at best, conflating "Jew" and "Northeastern Elite". There is no excuse, none whatever; this is MelGibsonland but without the alcohol. Put some alcohol into this oik and you'll likely get the same poison oozing out.

- icarusr

October 2, 2010 at 10:23am

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"I don't watch TV news of any kind - " That's probably because you have a life. _______ "this is MelGibsonland but without the alcohol." It's a good analogy. Say what you will, I cannot exert myself to feel more than mildly exasperated, amused reaction to either of these two. Something endearing about that little boy whininess. I feel sort of sorry for them more than anything. Here they are, such very successful men, and they still need to feel like helpless victims.

- noga1

October 2, 2010 at 10:55am

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The irony of American television is that Jon Stewart's openly "fake news" "Daily Show" on Comedy Central cable network is far more valuable as a news medium than any of the pretend cable news channels. The power of satire. "...In July 2009, Time Magazine held an online poll entitled "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" Jon Stewart won with 44% of the vote, 15% ahead of Brian Williams in second place with 29%." I think a real poll would find the same result. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Show Last two weeks, Stewart's satire has been withering on the Democrats in Congress and Obama.

- K2K

October 2, 2010 at 1:14pm

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"I feel sort of sorry for them more than anything." Well, evidently, you are a far bigger person than I am; I only feel contempt.

- icarusr

October 2, 2010 at 10:47pm

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Oh, come now. Sanchez deserves some compassion for his unintelligent miscalculation. He is not a mean person I don't think. He is just a whiner who probably has learned too late that being a prime time anchor on CNN cannot not inoculate him against stupidity. Here is a footnote: "Stewart went on to say that if Sanchez's comments about Jewish people were accurate, "All he has to do is apologize to us, and we'll hire him back." http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/b203677_jon_stewart_breaks_silence_ridicules.html

- noga1

October 3, 2010 at 10:07am

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I confess my compassion works on a three dimensional grid: the more privileged you are, the less room you are permitted for stupidity (on an linear scale), and even less when it comes to being openly and loudly stupid (on an exponential scale). Assuming this is just stupidity and not rank bigotry (which it might be - but I don't know him well enough to judge). Plus, I really dislike whiners, which makes the milk of human kindness flow considerably more slowly in respect of this particular empty head.

- icarusr

October 3, 2010 at 1:00pm

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