Savage distorted facts to claim double standard by "this hate group, Media Matters"

On the July 18 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Michael Savage likened the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) criticism of controversial comments by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) to his own July 16 remarks regarding Ellison and stated: "What's interesting is that the ADL agrees with me, and yet this hate group, Media Matters, the homosexual radicals, don't attack the ADL. Isn't that interesting?" Savage was referring to a July 17 Media Matters for America item that focused on a comment he made seconds after his initial criticism of Ellison, a Muslim congressman, for his speech to an atheist organization in which he equated the Bush administration's response to the September 11 attacks to Adolf Hitler's accumulation of power following the 1933 destruction of the Reichstag. After decrying Ellison's remarks as "diminishing what was done to the people by Hitler," Savage went on to say: "Now what would a devout Muslim radical have in common with atheists? Answer: hatred of Christianity and hatred of Jews."

However, in questioning why Media Matters did not similarly criticize the ADL -- which denounced Ellison's comments as "outrageous and offensive to all Americans" -- Savage suggested that the July 17 item was in response to his criticism of Ellison for "diminishing" Hitler's atrocities. In fact, the item highlighted Savage's claim that Ellison and atheists hate Christians and Jews (thus the headline: "Savage: Rep. Ellison, atheists share 'hatred of Christianity and hatred of Jews' ").

The July 17 item did note Savage's criticism of Ellison for "diminishing what was done to the people by Hitler" and went on to point out that Savage himself often compares progressives and Democrats to Nazis. For example, he recently described the "progressive movement" as "the brown shirts of today" and called Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) a "Nazi." In fact, a May 2 ADL press release denouncing CNN host Glenn Beck's comparison of efforts to raise awareness of global warming to the Holocaust said: "It has become almost commonplace for talk-show pundits to use comparisons to the Holocaust and Nazi imagery to attack people whose views they disagree with. ... Every time a radio or television personality takes that unique event in history and twists it for their own political agenda, it cheapens the public debate and distorts and trivializes the Holocaust."

From the July 18 broadcast of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: Next story on michaelsavage.com: The Anti-Defamation League has slammed the first Muslim in Congress, Representative Ellison, for comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler. And what's interesting to me -- what's interesting to me is that there's a hate website run by homosexual radicals who have nothing but praise for radical Muslims, who continue to hate me -- it's called Media Matters. They're a group of hateful, hateful, hateful people who published an article about me saying, "Savage says that Representative Ellison and atheists share 'hatred of Christianity and hatred of Jews,' " and then they try to smear me because I asked this question.

"Michael Savage responded to a recent speech given by Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, to the organization Atheists for Human Rights by saying, 'What would a devout Muslim radical have in common with atheists?' " asked Savage. "Answer: hatred of Christianity and hatred of Jews."

I then went on to say the following -- and, of course, this was the most important part -- I said, "So now Keith Ellison now calls Bush Hitler, thereby degrading what was done to the people by Hitler and diminishing what was done to the people by Hitler." I went on and said, "Of course, the all-power-to-the-people-right-on leftists in Minnesota don't even know who Keith Ellison is."

What's interesting is that the ADL agrees with me, and yet this hate group, Media Matters, the homosexual radicals, don't attack the ADL. Isn't that interesting? I don't care who they attack. We know who they are. We know who they are, and when that train goes through the tunnel, although they think the noose is about to go around my neck, when the train comes out of the tunnel, you never really know.

—M.J.M.