Remember earlier this year when Republicans tried to save Dr. Seuss, Pepé Le Pew, Mr. Potato Head, and more from the evil libs? We’re well past that. This past weekend, the GOP has had another one of their unpredictable changes of heart. Now they’re mad at Big Bird, all because the fictitious avian told children to get vaccinated. It’s been wild and weird, with everyone from Ted Cruz to Laura Ingraham coming for a fictitious character who dared tell kids to stay healthy during a once-in-a-century public health crisis.
And now Newsmax has stepped into the ring. As per The Daily Beast, host Eric Bolling — who left Fox News in 2017 amidst sexual misconduct allegations — devoted a section of his show Monday to denouncing Big Bird and his neighbors, bragging that he said “15 years ago that Sesame Street are a bunch of communists,” as a completely sensible adult human is wont to do. On Tuesday, he was back at it, this time extending his ire to their cousins the Muppets.
Newsmax host continues his war on the Muppets: “Way back in 2011, I called out Kermit that cute little green monster Commie” pic.twitter.com/8Gk8exbkxU
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) November 9, 2021
Like the folks on Sesame Street, Bolling and the Muppets go way back. He’s had their number for ages, telling his audience that this isn’t the “first time these little felt communists have tried to infect the minds of our youngest and most vulnerable children.” (It’s true, Big Bird has been preaching for vaccinations for almost 50 years.)
Bolling then showed clips from his other battles with inanimate objects brought to life by human puppeteers with funny voices. There was that time, during a 2011 Fox Business segment, when he compared the Muppets to “communist China.” Bolling was one of many far right commentators who railed against that year’s revival movie, entitled simply The Muppets. It’s not that they felt it let down the franchise. Rather, they were insulted that the villain was a Texas oil baron named Tex Richman, played by Chris Cooper. (No such brouhaha happened when 1979’s The Muppet Movie made its baddie an evil Southern capitalist played by Charles Durning.)
“Here’s what happened: The Muppets were blaming an oil baron for closing down the studio. That’s cute, you little oppressive Muppets,” Bolling said after his clip. “They didn’t even try to hide their disdain for success by naming the guy Tex Richman, but I took them to task.” He sure did.
Bolling also showed a clip of him first apologizing to Kermit the Frog for helping create a ludicrous controversy over a movie about puppets, only to dare he and Miss Piggy to a debate — moderated, he suggested, by Donald Trump. (Again, this was 2011.)
The Newsmax host added that Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy “never took me up on that offer.”
It was clear Bolling remained bitter. In a tone that wavered between sarcasm and seriousness, he called Miss Piggy a “portly pink dummy who took to the media to trash me for exposing her leftist tyranny.” He then re-extended the offer to characters who aren’t real.
“Guess what? The invite is still open Miss Piggy, if you or your emasculated frog boyfriend Kermit ever want to join this desk, it’s free,” Bolling crowed while looking at a Kermit doll. “First, I thought they were mere ideologues and now I think they’re just stuck on stupid.” He added, “I mean, they don’t get it.”
At least Bolling attempted to be humorous, however awkwardly. Ted Cruz and Laura Ingraham almost seem to they think they’re angry at real, anthropomorphic animals.
(Via The Daily Beast)