Host of MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” Ed Schultz asked a guest whether or not he agreed there was a “parallel” between the Alabama courts and counties’ refusal to issue gay marriage licenses and former segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace.
“Do you think there is a parallel between George Wallace back in the day when he was trying to stop the integration of the University of Alabama and what’s happening right now?” Schultz asked. It’s worth noting that since his question was immediately followed by a graphic of George Wallace, the question was almost certainly planned before the segment began. (VIDEO: HuffPo Editor: McConnell Using ‘George Wallace’s Old Language’)
“I do,” agreed Raw Story’s Mike Rogers. “Here we have government officials who are refusing to cooperate and put forth the things they’re supposed to for their electorate. I also don’t want to diminish a lot of the violence that was going on in the ‘60s. We’re not seeing as much of those kinds of things, but we are seeing some of it. So there are some similarities, seriously.”
Schultz is hardly the first MSNBC host to make sweeping comparisons to the segregationist governor. But at least he didn’t falsely claim Wallace was a Republican like Chris Hayes did (Wallace was a Democrat).