Apparently left-wing radio talker Ed Schultz has decided that the next cause he wants to champion is repealing Michigan’s controversial emergency manager law.
Except that Schultz is hyping the story from the angle that the state law is essentially racist.
Noting that the four cities currently under an EM – Benton Harbor, Pontiac, Flint and Ecorse – have mostly black populations, Schultz concluded that the new law is “radical.” He didn’t mention that three of the four failing cities went under the control of an EM under the old law, which had existed for decades.
But the lefty commentator did claim that, if Detroit becomes the next city that is placed under the control of an EM, 40 to 50 percent of Michigan’s black population will “have their constitutional rights taken away.”
Certainly, the new EM law backed by Gov. Snyder has faced heavy criticism because the state-appointed manager can temporarily strip an elected mayor or city council or school board of their powers. Critics see this as smashing voting rights and local control.
But in Michigan, racism has rarely been raised as the motivation for the law. Schultz managed to find a Highland Park pastor associated with Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH coalition to spout off on TV about racial undertones.
In advance of his evening cable show on MSNBC, Schultz trumpeted this “government takeover” story repeatedly on his morning/afternoon radio program on Thursday. His sidekick declared that the law makes Republican governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio look like moderates compared to Snyder.
And, like a true showman, on his evening TV show Schultz teased the story throughout the 8 p.m. hour and then kept it for last.
As he transitioned to the Rachel Maddow show at 9 p.m., he called the EM situation “the biggest story in America.” Maddow agreed and said she will join Schultz in pushing for repeal of the Snyder law o MSNBC.
