These incidents create a credibility problem for the show. Despite the sexual harassment charges against McLaughlin, he remains comfortable being judgmental when discussing the problems of Senator Chuck Robb, as well as attacking the testimony of Anita Hill. And yet The McLaughlin Group remains one of the most popular shows of its kind. What makes its success an ugly phenomenon is its total adherence to racist stereotypes. As Alterman points out so tellingly:
"When historians one day seek to understand how George Bush and Lee Atwater succeeded in making 'liberalism' a dirty political word in 1988, they will need to look no further than the tapes of five upper-middle-class white guys sitting around a TV studio talking about how black families 'are just going to have to stop relying on government and politics to solve their problems."
FROM FIFE TO FLAG CRACK TRIB REPORTER GO... v9-23-92
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