Janeane Garofalo and the Tea Party Racists

When Janeane Garofalo appeared on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, April 16, 2009, she disparaged thousands and thousands of Americans that participated in the Tea Party protests.

Olbermann lapped up her every word.

JANEANE GAROFALO: You know, there's nothing more interesting than seeing a bunch of racists become confused and angry at a speech they're not quite certain what he's saying. It sounds right and then it doesn't make sense. Which, let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about bashing Democrats, it's not about taxes, they have no idea what the Boston tea party was about, they don't know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up. That is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks.

Garofalo stands by her remarks from nearly a month ago.

She will make no apologies.

According to her, the Tea Party protests had nothing to do with taxes. They were gatherings of racists angry over the fact that Obama, a black man, is the president.

Video.



From the Boston Globe:

Janeane Garofalo doesn't hold back -- whether she's onstage describing a night of binge eating or on national TV calling the conservatives who attended last month's Tea Party rallies racists. Saturday night at the Alternative Comedy Festival in Somerville, the subject was her neuroses, and she left no obsession unturned.

She came out running, wearing shorts, black tights, and a pair of red Puma boots, and climbed straight into the audience. It was rumored that the Tea Party people were planning to protest the show, and she addressed the possibility right away - "If there's any teabaggers here, welcome, and as always, white power" - but there was no sign of them.

Because she's so outspoken, Garofalo comes off as fearless, yet she's anything but. In fact, she claimed she was so nervous about the protesters that she took a pair of scissors to her hair before the show.

Talking about neuroses can be funny. Woody Allen was a master at that. But when Garofalo tries her hand at that sort of humor, it's more pathetic than entertaining.

She says, "At least I have the decency to hate myself."

Kind of creepy.

Garofalo is desperate for attention. She wanted protesters to storm her show. But alas, there were none.

When Garofalo says she cut off chunks of her hair out of nervousness about these protesters, I wonder if she was nervous they would show up or they wouldn't show up. It's hard to say. Maybe she doesn't know. She seems to be very unhappy and confused.

Poor Garofalo. She was stood up. She tried to get a reaction but she was jilted by the Tea Party protesters. They don't care about her.

She hacked off her hair for nothing.

I think there's a good chance that she started the rumors, or at least played them up, to hype her show and to appear relevant.

Sad.